Veteran
Cited, but not with top HonorsThe
Army has decided that Henry Johnson, an African-American World War I
veteran, should not receive the U.S. military's highest accolade for
gallantry, the Medal of Honor, which his supporters think he deserves.
Instead, in a decision made public this week, the Army chose to pay
posthumous tribute with its Distinguished Service Cross, one of the nation's
second-highest awards for bravery. During World War I, Johnson fought with
the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all-black unit under French command. In May
1918, Johnson and a fellow black soldier on sentry duty came under attack by
about two dozen German soldiers. According to accounts prepared shortly
afterward, Johnson fought off the Germans and rescued his friend, despite
being wounded. Both soldiers received the Croix de Guerre, or French cross
of warMoreMar 02
Venerable
Hero receives DSMFirst
Sergeant Phillip A. Petrignani awarded DSM for distinguished meritorious
service in ground combat during World War II in the
European-African-Middle-Eastern Theatre of Operations. Dec 01
Col. Floyd "Jimmy" Thompson has died aged 69 - Longest held Vietnam POW.Thompson,
who was held just short of nine years, was captured by the Viet Cong on
March 26, 1964, after his light observation plane was shot down over South
Vietnam.Thompson continued to serve in the Army until 1981. He received the
Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, two Purple Hearts
and several other military honors. President Ronald Reagan awarded Thompson
the Prisoner of War medal in 1988. (Aug 02)
King
receives Distinguished Service MedalSFC Denis King
received the Alabama Distinguished Service Medal awarded by Governor Don
Siegelman for his airport security work. (Oct 02)
Kennedy
Responds To Questions About Veteran's MedalBruce
Cotta, of Newport, is considered Rhode Island's most decorated living
Vietnam veteran. And while the Army says he's earned many medals, it
says he hasn't earned his most prestigious one -- the Distinguished
Service Cross. WJAR, RI - 21
May 2003
Museum
Receives New AdditionSculptor and retired master chief Larry
Nowell presented a wood-carved bust of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham of
California to the Navy Museum. Cunningham, while serving aboard USS
Constellation (CVA 64) during the Vietnam War, became the first Navy ace
during the Vietnam War, downing five enemy aircraft. The Navy awarded
Cunningham and his naval flight officer, William Driscoll, with the Navy
Cross, America’s second highest award for gallantry for their efforts
during the war. Cunningham and Driscoll were the first and only naval
aviators to earn the coveted title of ace during the Vietnam War. During the
same period, Nowell served as an air intercept controller (AIC) on the
guided-missile cruiser USS Chicago (CG 11). Nowell assisted in 12 MiG kills,
which was a quarter of all MiG kills made by U.S. services in that year. The
Navy later awarded Nowell the Distinguished Service Medal. He was
only the second enlisted person in the history of the Navy to receive this
decoration. Later, Nowell, along with Cunningham, served as instructors at
the famous “Top Gun” school. Navy newsstand 26 Jun 03
Gen.
William J. Maddox Jr. Dies; Decorated Pilot Served in 3 Wars
-
His decorations included the Distinguished Service
Medal, four Silver Stars, 127 Air Medals, 8 DFCs and 5 Legions of Merit.
Vietnam
Pilot Receives Army AwardIt's 33 years overdue, but Stephen
E. Lawrence is finally receiving the official Army recognition he earned for
exceptional heroism in the late stages of the Vietnam War. At a ceremony in
the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, the Army is presenting to Lawrence the Distinguished
Service Cross, the second-highest military award for valor, for rescuing
the crew of a downed helicopter while under heavy fire near the village of
Tay Ninh on Oct. 5, 1971. Lawrence is one of 846 soldiers who received the
Distinguished Service Cross for Vietnam service, according to Army records. guardian.co.uk
25 Mar 05
Fort
Bragg soldier honored for his valorMaster Sgt. Donald
Hollenbaugh was the last man standing on the rooftop in Fallujah, Iraq. The
three men with him were down. Enemy fighters were creeping up. It's what he
did then that won Hollenbaugh the Distinguished Service Cross, the
Army's second-highest award for valor in combat. Hollenbaugh, a Fort Bragg
special operations soldier who has since retired from the military, received
the medal from Vice President Dick Cheney in a ceremony at MacDill Air Force
Base in Tampa, Fla., earlier this month. myrtlebeachonline.com
24 Jun 05
Kuroki
will receive medal in LincolnThe Distinguished
Service Medal is on the way. Ben Kuroki, the 88-year-old native
Nebraskan who was the only Japanese-American to fly combat missions over
Japan in World War II, will receive the U.S. Army's third-highest
decoration. Kuroki served as a machine gunner on B-24 and
B-29 bombers. Kuroki flew 58 missions at a time when those fortunate enough
to survive 25 missions usually rotated to noncombat service or returned
home. journalstar.com 11 Aug 05
Anderson
receives overdue medals from World War IIIf George
Anderson's chest is looking just a little big bigger these days, it's
no wonder. The 87-year-old was recently presented with six service
medals - along with an equal number of stars and bars for his military
service during World War II. Distinguished Service Medal, Good
Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal, European-African-Middle
Eastern Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star (for participation
in designated campaigns), Silver Service Star (work in lieu of five
Bronze Service Stars), and Arrowhead Attachments (for amphibious
assault landing within the theatre); World War II Victory Medal,
and Army of Occupation Medal. dailypress.net 17
Sep 05
Medal for top US detention officerAn army general who ran the Guantanamo Bay camp for terror suspects and
helped shape detention practices at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was praised as
an innovator as he retired from the US military. Major General Geoffrey D
Miller headed the prison camp for foreign terrorism suspects, including
Australian David Hicks, at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, from
2002 to 2004. He was sent to Iraq in 2003 to help extract more information
from prisoners there, and he oversaw all detention operations in Iraq for
nine months in 2004. At a ceremony presided over by General Richard Cody,
the Army's number two officer, Miller was presented with the Distinguished
Service Medal, the Army's fourth-highest award, in front of 200 people
in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes. Cody called Miller a "role model,
innovator and leader" who was asked to "tackle two of the toughest
jobs in the global war on terror". theage.com.au 1 Aug
06
Widow of WWII Hero Finally Gets Husband’s MedalsIn 1945, Staff Sergeant Richard Trapani gave his life for the United States,
fighting at the Battle of the Bulge. But, it took 61 years for his widow,
Mary, to learn of the heroism he had displayed during his military career,
and become the recipient of a trove of nine medals that, until recently, she
did not know he had been awarded. The medals that Trapani was awarded
include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Purple Heart, the Bronze
Star, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the World War II
Victory Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Meritorious Unit
Commendation, the Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Honorable Service
Lapel Button. brooklyngraphic.com 24 Aug 06
Army awards MooreMart the Distinguished Service MedalThe New Hampshire Army National Guard recently presented the ArmyDistinguished
Service Medal to Nashua attorney Paul s. Moore and Carole Moore Biggio,
co-founders of MooreMart. The award is the highest civilian award given by
the Army. In a surprise visit during the most recent MooreMart "packing
day," representatives from the New Hampshire Army National Guard joined
dozens of MooreMart volunteers to thank the Moore family for the 4,000 care
packages sent to more than 500 soldiers over the last 2 1/2 years. nashuatelegraph.com
6 Nov 06
City
square named for decorated veteranFrom Pearl Harbor to
Normandy to London, this Lawrence native oversaw the salvaging of
sunken ships during World War I and World War II. Known as
the "Father of Navy Salvage" and "Commodore of Sunken Ships," Rear Adm.
William Sullivan, one of the city's most decorated veterans, was
honored by Lawrence officials with a plaque at the corner of
South Broadway and Salem Street. It's now called Sullivan Square.
Enlisted in the Navyafter graduating from college
and worked at various shipyards in the United States and the
Philippines. Head of the Salvage Branch, Bureau of Ships, including the
preparation for raising the USS Lafayette at Normandy. Supervisedharbor cleaning operations at Casablanca in 1942. Organized
Naval Training School (Salvage) at Pier 88 in New York, and lectured on
salvage and naval architecture to the first class. Assignedto
the Allied naval forces in the Mediterranean, reporting to Gen. Dwight
Eisenhower. Named commander of all U.S. and British salvage ships under
Eisenhower. Worked withGen. Douglas MacArthur at
San Fernando and Manila as commander of Task Group 122.2 at Normandy,
Omaha and Utah Beach. Received the Distinguished
Service Medal; Legion of Merit and the Naval Unit Citation; Commander,
Order of the British Empire; Legion of Honor Croix de Guerre with Palm
by France; and High Official, Order
of the Crown of Italy. Died Sept. 6, 1985 in La Jolla,
Calif. Buried at Arlington National Cemetery; "Father of the Navy
Salvage" inscribed on his monument. eagletribune.com 21
Sep 07
Ambassadors
to honor female WWII spyIn 1942, the Gestapo
circulated posters offering a reward for the capture of
"the woman with a limp. She is the most dangerous of all
Allied spies and we must find and destroy her." The
dangerous woman was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore native working in
France for British intelligence, and the limp was the result of
an artificial leg. Her left leg had been amputated below the
knee about a decade earlier after she stumbled and blasted her
foot with a shotgun while hunting in Turkey. British Ambassador
Sir David Manning plans to present a certificate signed by King
George VI to Hall's niece, Lorna Catling. Hall should have
received the document in 1943, when she was made a member of
the Order of the British Empire. OSS chief William Donovan
had presented Hall with a Distinguished Service Medal in
September 1945 during a private ceremony in his office that was
witnessed only by Hall's mother. She was the only civilian woman
to win the medal for service in World War II. chron.com
10 Dec 06
