Everett Taylor: Taylor's Yarns

One of the distinguished decorations given to United States World War II military service members upon their honorable discharge became most familiarly known as the not so noble sounding "Ruptured Duck."

Officially, it was the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, an award given to U.S. military service members discharged under honorable conditions. Made of gilt plastic, it was awarded between September 1939 and December 1946.

Service members who received the plastic version later were allowed to trade it for a brass version. The pin depicted an eagle inside a wreath and its primary purpose was to identify service veterans so Military Police would know they were not absent without leave.

Tyler resident Harrold Little has the pin he received on display on a "bragging wall" in his office, 8103 N. U.S. Highway 271. He was wondering how it got the name, "Ruptured Duck."

Originally, the Ruptured Duck was a cloth insignia, reports in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and other sources confirm.

The most accepted explanation of its nickname is when war-weary veterans got the insignia upon discharge they thought the eagle looked more like a duck and a popular saying was, "They took off like a ruptured duck." Thus the decoration became known as that.

In addition to identifying the wearer as honorably discharged, the insignia, embroidered onto a cloth lozenge and sewn on the right breast of the tunic, also allowed them to continue to wear their uniform for up to 30 days after they were discharged. This was particularly significant while the conflict still was in progress because there was a clothing shortage in the civilian sector at the time.

During the World War II emergency, members of the armed forces (unless under orders) were forbidden to possess civilian clothing in order to make desertion more difficult.

Some veterans wore the pin on their civilian lapels for many years after the war's end, the Wikipedia report said. It also appeared on a postage stamp honoring veterans.

The Ruptured Duck also was the name of a B-25 airplane piloted by Lt. Ked W. Larson that participated in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, commanded by Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle.

After bombing Tokyo, Lawson ditched "The Ruptured Duck" in the sea near Shangchow, China, because the plane was too low on fuel to fly back to the air base.

A different B-25 is currently on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in the colors and livery of "The Ruptured Duck."

Little entered the Army Air Corps in 1941 and his World War II service included two years in England. As a career airman he also served in Greenland, Korea and France on later assignments.

At age 88, he still maintains Harrold's Railroad Museum with a huge collection of miniature trains covering just about every model that once made the rounds on rails throughout the country.

He also takes considerable pride in the "bragging wall" at his office, featuring a big collection heavy on items picked up during his years of travel to various world points.

"You have to see it to appreciate," he explained.

Everett Taylor
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