Attached are pictures and quoted material from a ceremony I attended as a representative of the United States at the presentation of the first Commemorative Medallion to be given by the Government of Australia to a surviving member of WW II's Papua New Guinian Fuzzy-Wuzzy Angels on 23 July 2009.

The fellow pictured, Nepe Kumanyal, and those who served with him were true heroes.

The medal given has, as far as I can tell, has received virtually no publicity outside of Papua New Guinea. After the ceremonies, I asked a representative from the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs if the medal would be made available for purchase by collectors. The answer was �No�. She did tell me 1500 medals (officially �medallions') had been minted by the Royal Australian Mint. The medals would be distributed to surviving Fuzzy-Wuzzy Angels, or if deceased, to surviving widows. No one else can or will get them.

A small blurb about the medal is available on the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs website, but it does not provide a picture, nor was it publicized in Australia.

From the 23 July 2009 presentation ceremony: