What does a comment on your father's discharge papers mean that says '42 days lost under AW 107 Lapel Button Issued'?

Answer 1

I researched a bit and the only thing I could come up with was the Geneva Convention Article of War 107 regarding prisioners of war. It's possible that AW 107 is a reference to your grandfather being held by the enemy during an active war time period. AW refers to the Articles of War during WW2 and AW 107 was the article that gave the authority to grant an honorable discharge to a service man or woman. This article also granted authority to award the service man a lapel button with the emblem of an eagle on it. This pin was nicknamed the "ruptured duck" and the service man was allowed to wear it on his uniform for up to 30 days from the date of discharge. This gave him time to get home and get some civilian clothes. He was then authorized to wear the pin on his civilian clothes. These pins were originally made of gilded metal, but due to metal shortages, they were later made out of gilded plastic and also cloth. I can't believe how many web pages contain "Articles of War". I quickly found the original British version from 1749 and US version of 1806, but Article 107 was a much later addition. "ART. 107. SOLDIERS TO MAKE GOOD TIME LOST. Every soldier who deserts the service of the United States, or who without proper authority absents himself from his organization, station, or duty for more than one day, or who is confined for more than one day under sentence, or while awaiting trial and disposition of his case, if the trial results in conviction, or who through the intemperate use of drugs or alcoholic liquor, or through disease the result of his own misconduct, renders himself unable for more than one day to perform duty shall be liable to serve, after his return to a full duty status, for such period as shall, with the time he may have served prior to such desertion, unauthorized absence, confinement, or inability to perform duty, amount to the full term to his enlistment." So, if your father wasn't court-martialed (which would certainly be noted in his discharge papers), he probably partied a bit too much and over-stayed his leave or came back too drunk for duty. All Hat No Horse