2018 World War I Army Medal Designs Reviewed

In 2018, the United States Mint will release World War I silver medals in conjunction with silver dollars honoring the centennial of America’s involvement in the war. The medals will celebrate the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. One of them will commemorate the U.S. Army. 

Proposed designs for the medals were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) on March 16 and by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on March 21.

Army Medal Recommendations

For the Amy Silver Medal, the U.S. Mint presented 14 designs for consideration with 6 obverses and 8 reverses (two obverses were repeated for possible adaption as the reverse). The CFA and CCAC recommended two different obverses but saw common ground when it came to the reverse.

For the obverse, the CCAC recommended ARM-O-04, which portrays a Doughboy with a 48-star flag behind him, both elements depicted as they were in WWI photographs and posters. The additional inscription of "1918" completes the centennial commemoration date.

The CFA’s obverse preference was ARM-O-06, which depicts a Doughboy cutting through German barbed wire while a second Doughboy aims a rifle in a shattered landscape of broken trees and cratered earth. In the distance, a shell explodes.

Their recommended reverse features the Army emblem, which was in use during World War I.

For their selected designs, the CCAC also suggested moving much of the medal’s text from the obverse to the reverse.

Army Medal Design Candidates

All of the Army medal obverse candidates and U.S. Mint descriptions of them follow.

ARM-O-01 portrays a line of Doughboys charging out of a trench. They are in formation attacking the enemy, while coiled barbed wire is on the ground at their feet.

ARM-O-02 depicts Doughboys engaged in battle by the ruins of a bombed out church. The two soldiers in the foreground are operating a "One Pounder" gun, while a soldier on the left determines coordinates with binoculars.

ARM-O-03 features iconic weaponry and equipment from World War I. The distinctive helmet is shown atop a gas mask. The entrenching tool, bayonet, wire, and pistol represent the manner in which the war was fought, hand-to-hand, in trenches, among coiled barbed wire. Also depicted is the American-made 1903 Springfield rifle, a critical weapon for American soldiers in World War I.

ARM-O-04 portrays a Doughboy with a 48-star flag behind him, both elements depicted as they were in WWI photographs and posters. The additional inscription of "1918" completes the centennial commemoration date.

ARM-O-05 depicts a Doughboy, ready for action. To the right is the United States 48-star flag.

ARM-O-06 shows a Doughboy cutting through German barbed wire while a second Doughboy aims a rifle in a shattered landscape of broken trees and cratered earth. In the distance, a shell explodes.

The Army medal reverse candidates and U.S. Mint descriptions of them follow.

ARM-R-01 depicts Doughboys engaged in battle by the ruins of a bombed out church. The two soldiers in the foreground are operating a "One Pounder" gun, while a soldier on the left determines coordinates with binoculars. This is a repeat of ARM-O-02, adapted for use as a reverse.

ARM-R-02 features iconic weaponry and equipment from World War I. The distinctive helmet is shown atop a gas mask. The entrenching tool, bayonet, wire, and pistol represent the manner in which the war was fought, hand-to-hand, in trenches, among coiled barbed wire. Also depicted is the American-made 1903 Springfield rifle, a critical weapon for American soldiers in World War I. This is a repeat of ARM-O-03, adapted for use as a reverse.

ARM-R-03 features the current Army emblem, which was in use during World War I.

ARM-R-04 depicts two soldiers cautiously entering a bombed village during the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the largest of the wars, ultimately leading to the Armistice. The additional inscription "MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE" borders the top of the composition.

ARM-R-04A portrays two soldiers advancing cautiously through the bombed, desolate, and dangerous Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, while the third covers them using a Chauchat machine gun. The additional inscription "MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE" arcs across the top.

ARM-R-05 portrays three soldiers advancing through the bombed, desolate, and dangerous Argonne Forest during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Additional inscriptions include "MEUSE-ARGONNE OFFENSIVE" and "1918."

ARM-R-07 portrays three soldiers fighting in difficult terrain, representing the hardships they encountered amid trenches and over a variety of landscapes. In the field is the WWI era emblem of the US Army.

ARM-R-08 depicts the WWI-era Army emblem.

2018 World War I Armed Forces Silver Medals

Artists for the U.S. Mint created over 60 design candidates for the five 2018 World War I Armed Forces Silver Medals. The other medals will honor the Navy (see Navy medal designs), Air Service (see Air Service medal designs), Marines (see Marines medal designs) and Coast Guard (see Coast Guard medal designs).

Also, there is the possibility of one more medal as the CCAC asked for a sixth to honor women whom served during the war.