Saratoga Springs Guard Soldier designed New York State Commemorative Medals

Staff Sergeant Lauren Hicks created Korea and Vietnam Medals New York State provides to veterans

LATHAM, NY (08/13/2024) — New York Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Lauren Hicks, a Saratoga Springs resident, has turned her love for art into state commemorative medals designed to honor New York state residents' service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Hicks is the talent behind the New York's Korean War Commemorative Medal and Vietnam War Commemorative Medal, which the New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs is distributing.

It was a process that involved interviewing veterans and learning about the two wars, as well as using her drawing skills, Hicks said.

"I take pride in being able to be the creator of this medal, "she said. "It's very fulfilling to know that I am making a difference in somebody's life."

The two medals were approved by the legislature and New York Governor Kathy Hochul in 2022.

The law tasks the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, the state entity which oversees the New York National Guard with creating, manufacturing and distributing the medals.

The commemorative medals cannot be worn on a uniform, but are intended as the state's recognition to veterans, according to State Senator Daphne Jordan, the bill's senate sponsor.

"These new medals will publicly recognize the service and sacrifice or our Korean and Vietnam veterans," she said.The awards are now available to veterans; who can apply for one by going to the New York State Military Awards and Decorations page on the Division of Military and Naval Affairs website, https://dmna.ny.gov/awards/.

Hicks, an administrative specialist in the military personnel office at Joint Force Headquarters who deals with military awards, said she learned about the commemorative medals and thought it would be a challenge to design them. So, she went to her boss and volunteered.

Col. Mark Frank, the New York Army Guard's director of military personnel, who is also responsible for New York state military awards, said he was happy to take her up on the offer.

"Hicks mentioned that she loves to draw and design." Franks said. "She volunteered her nights and weekends to draft multiple design options for the new commemorative medals."

Hicks, a Louisiana native and an 11-year veteran of the Missouri and New York Army Guards, said she fell in love with art at a young age.

She's had no formal training, but her mother paid for private lessons with a college art student, Hick's said.

Her research process, Hicks said, involved going to VFW and American Legion Posts and talking to veterans there.She listened to their stories and noticed their tattoos.

She took a particular interest to their tattoos, she said."Whatever soldiers were willing to tattoo on their body is what they think of for that location, or that event that happened," Hicks explained.

"So, I looked up a lot of Vietnam and Korean inspired tattoos, from those I was able to get a lot of good ideas."

She also studied photographs of the Korean and Vietnam War memorials in Washington D.C., for inspiration as well. The committee which picked the final designs liked those best.

The memorial's ability to captivate and the publics ability to recognize the iconic design and its meaning meant the designs on the medals would be easily identifiable, Hicks said.

The Vietnam War Memorial features a wall of names with the statues of three Soldiers -- wearing the uniforms of that war-- in front.

The Korean War Memorial is focused on the 11 statues of a squad of Soldiers, clad in ponchos, on patrol.The Vietnam War medal Hicks designed, features the wall and the three Soldiers.

The Korean War medal features three Soldiers on patrol in the rain, with at traditional Korean house called a Honak in the background.

Hicks, who also enjoys creating art with recycled bottles and drawing in her spare time, is now at work on her next art project; designing the commemorate Iraq and Afghanistan War medals that the Division of Military and Naval Affairs will issue next.

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