Subject: U$ Military Medals meaningless junk ...!
From: vincent Brannigan
Date: 9/2/03 8:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:



"= Vox Populi ©" wrote:

Does getting lost, crashing your vehicle, being taken prisoner without
firing a
shot,
spending time in a 1st class medical hospital, and getting "rescued" from
that
unarmed,
unguarded hospital deserve a "bronze star" ?

Or does that denigrate and lessen the value, perceived or real, of those
other
soldiers
throughout many wars who actually did "earn" the BS?

How about the MOH?

7 December 1941 - *KIDD, ISAAC CAMPBELL, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

Citation: For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and
complete
disregard of his own life, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by
Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. Rear Adm. Kidd immediately went to the
bridge and, as Commander Battleship Division One, courageously discharged
his
duties as Senior Officer Present Afloat until the U.S.S. Arizona, his
Flagship,
blew up from magazine explosions and a direct bomb hit on the bridge which
resulted in the loss of his life.

7 December 1941 - *VAN VALKENBURGH, FRANKLIN, Captain, U.S. Navy

Citation: For conspicuous devotion to duty, extraordinary courage and
complete
disregard of his own life, during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor
T.H.,
by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. As commanding officer of the U.S.S.
Arizona, Capt. Van Valkenburgh gallantly fought his ship until the U.S.S.
Arizona blew up from magazine explosions and a direct bomb hit on the bridge
which
resulted in the loss of his life.


Now these men gave their lives in the service of their country, but it is
certainly
difficult to understand what was particularly personally "heroic" about their
actions. Iprefer to think of it as a award that encapsulated all the hero's
whose
courage is not recorded. Perhaps this award falls in the same category.

Vince


Thanks for bringing reality into what, up until now, has been one of the more
disgusting threads ever on this NG.

..
Arthur Kramer
344th BG 494th BS
England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
Visit my WW II B-26 website at:
http://www.coastcomp.com/artkramer