🎖️ DECORATIVE — FOR DISPLAY ONLY

War Medals

Awards and honors earned through service to the Crustacean Coalition

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The Shellback Medal

Awarded 1982

The highest honor of the Crustacean Coalition. Awarded for valor above and beyond the call of duty in major naval engagements.

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Coral Campaign Star

Campaign Badge

For participation in three or more major campaigns. Grandpa Claw earned his in the Siege of the Barrier Reef, Coral Seas Offensive, and the Deep Trench Push.

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Siege of the Barrier Reef Pin

Unit Citation

For extraordinary heroism during the six-month siege. Grandpa Claw personally led 14 counter-assaults and held the line when all seemed lost.

The Shellback Medal — In Detail

The Shellback Medal is cast from a composite of coral reef calcium and polished shell, inlaid with a single carnelian gemstone from the Deep Trenches. It is suspended from a ribbon of deep ocean blue — the color of the waters Grandpa Claw fought to protect.

Only 47 Shellback Medals were awarded during Ocean War II. Of those, 12 were awarded posthumously. Grandpa Claw's was presented personally by Grand Marshal Claw at the Coral Treaty signing ceremony.

Award Criteria

Shellback Medal Requirements:

Led or participated in a decisive battle that turned the tide of war
Demonstrated valor above and beyond the call of duty on multiple occasions
Served with distinction for no fewer than 18 months of active combat
Recommended by at least two senior officers of the Crustacean Coalition

On Display

Grandpa Claw keeps all three medals in a small shell bowl on his workshop shelf — between the whale chorus vinyl and a pebble that "doesn't look like much but means everything." He doesn't talk about them much.

When asked about the medals, Grandpa Claw typically says: "The coral remembers. That's enough."