ARM1c Henry Wilhelmi, born in 1914, was regular Navy assigned to VPB-73 during WW2 as shown by the paperwork with this group. The medal bar includes National Defense, Victory medal, American Campaign, American Defense, and Good Conduct Medal engraved “Henry Joseph Wilhelmi 1939”. There is also a Good Conduct ribbon with 3 stars. Paperwork includes his VPB-73 ID card, Armed Forces of the United States ID card, and a Liberty Pass dated 1959. It would appear that Wilhelmi was at least a 20 year man in the navy.
VPB-73 flew Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats and saw action from 1939 in Iceland in the North Atlantic then to Morocco and the US mainland. Their primary mission was anti-submarine warfare. There is a great book about VPB-73, “Cats Over the Atlantic” by Robert L. Carlisle, who was a pilot in the squadron. The book covers the wartime period up to 1945.
