The
World War I Victory Medal is a
service medal of the
United States military which was first created in 1919, designed by
James Earle Fraser. The medal was originally intended to be created due to an act of the
United States Congress, however the bill authorizing the medal never passed, leaving the service departments to create the award through general orders. The
United States Army published orders authorizing the World War I Victory Medal in April 1919 and the
U.S. Navy followed in June of that same year.