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THE MEDAL OF HONOR

THE NAVY CROSS

1919

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A decoration in the sense here used is a badge or mark of honor to be worn upon the person as a reward for eminent or conspicuous service in battle or for honorable participation in a particular battle or campaign. Such decorations are usually bestowed by order of the sovereign or chief executive of a nation or by enactment of the parliamentary or congressional body. In many countries decorations are also bestowed for conspicuous services to the state in peace time as well as for notable achievements in the fields of art and literature. They include medals, crosses, campaign badges and ribbons and the stars and ribbons. that constitute the insignia of the orders of knighthood.

War decorations may be primarily divided into several classes: the insignia of the orders of knighthood conferred for service in war, war crosses, special service medals, general service medals, long service medals, good conduct medals and badges, and medals or badges awarded for excellence in target shooting. The first class is unknown in the army and navy of the United States of America, since clause 8 of section 9 of Article I of the Constitution provides that "no title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress,

accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state."

War crosses are decorations made in the form of a cross and awarded for eminent or conspicuous service in war; special service medals are those awarded to persons by name for individual acts of gallantry or devotion to duty; general service medals are those conferred to all of the participants in a war or a particular campaign; long service medals and badges and good conduct medals and badges are issued to enlisted men for long and faithful service or for good conduct and attention to duty throughout the term of an enlistment; and those for excellence in target shooting are awarded for high percentages attained in the prescribed courses of rifle or pistol target practice.

With but very few exceptions, military medals are worn with the uniforms for which they are prescribed on the left breast of the coat between the center line and the point of the left shoulder, the medals being suspended from a holding bar by means of a ribbon of distinctive color or colors. The medals themselves are worn only with full dress uniforms, or with other uniforms when it is desired to do special honor to the occasion. With service and field uniforms, small sections of the distinctive ribbons are worn in lieu of the medals and in the same position on the coat. The exceptions referred to are noted in the descriptions of the different medals.

Where two or more decorations, medals or badges have been awarded to a person they are worn side by side suspended from one holding bar and if there are so many that they cannot be so worn in the space between the center line of the coat and the point of the shoulder the ribbons and medals are still attached to a single holding bar and overlapped so as to go in the allotted space.

The order in which the various decorations shall be arranged is prescribed in the official regulations of the army and navy. The position of honor is at the center or at the right end of the holding bar and the medals are usually arranged according to the dates of the events for which they were awarded.

The sections of the distinctive ribbons of decorations worn with service and field uniforms are arranged upon a holding bar in the same order as that prescribed for the medals, but they are never overlapped. In case there are so many ribbons that a single

bar will not accommodate them an additional bar is used, to be worn below the first bar and parallel to it.

Button rosettes made of silk of the colors of the distinctive ribbons are authorized for wear in the left lapel of the civilian coat, but only one such rosette should be worn at a time.

It is interesting to trace the origin and development of these decorations which have come to form such an important part of the uniforms of soldiers and sailors throughout the world, and which are very highly prized by the recipients as the outward and visible sign of the faithful service or of the deeds of gallantry which they commemorate.

Medals are pieces of metal struck from dies after the manner of coins for the purpose of commemorating some historical event or as rewards for service to the state in peace or war. They usually bear a design appropriate to the occasion which they commemorate, combined with inscriptions and dates of an explanatory nature or mottoes applicable to the particular deed or event. The Greeks and Romans used medals as rewards or prizes in athletic contests and also to commemorate notable events, such as the accession of a sovereign or a great victory in war; but there is nothing extant to show that these medals were intended to be worn as a part of the uniform or dress of individuals.

The first use of medals as military decorations of which any historical record is found was by the Chinese about 60 A. D., when the Emperor Liu Siu of the Han dynasty caused medals to be made and issued to certain of his military commanders as rewards for valorous acts in battle. These medals were probably worn suspended from a cord or ribbon around the neck, as they were pierced near the upper edge, and old pictures show warriors wearing something of this nature.

It was not until many centuries later, however, that the custom of wearing medals as personal decorations became the fashion in the western world. During the reign of Henry VIII of England, 1509-1547, medals were worn as decorations by members of the nobility, but there is nothing to show that any of them were conferred by the state or sovereign as strictly military rewards for valiant service. The first medal so issued of which there is any authentic record was the so-called "Ark and Flood" medal conferred by Queen Elizabeth in 1588 as a reward for war service in the English Navy and Army. This is a silver medal bear

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