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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - The Medal of Honor has had a long history since its inception 1861. Through all of the nation’s wars Marines have proven that they “go above and beyond the call of duty.” This still rings true to this day as the nation prepares to award Dakota Meyer, a prior Marine sergeant, with the award for his actions in Afghanistan in 2009.
Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands saw much heroism during the battles of World War II. Not the least of these was Maj. John L. Smith, commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 223, who was awarded the Medal of Honor. Following the tradition of past medal recIpients, Smith led his squadron to victory through personal skill and daring. Being only one of 297 Marines to have received the medal, he is a member of a small but well recognized part of American history.
The Medal of Honor began when an Iowa senator introduced a bill to “promote the efficiency of the Navy.” It was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on Dec. 21, 1861, authorizing 200 medals for enlisted members of the Department of the Navy. Officers would be excluded from the award until congressional legislation in 1915 corrected this.
The original bill was not clear on what constitutes an act deserving of the medal. The Battle of Little Big Horn led to the adoption of a policy similar to today. There were numerous nominations for the award so a special board was convened to determine who truly deserved the Medal of Honor. The board determined, “the conduct which deserves such recognition should not be the simple discharge of duty, but such acts beyond this that if omitted or refused to be done, should not justly subject the person to censure as a shortcoming or failure.” This judgment would eventually lead to the well-known phrase, “above and beyond the call of duty.”
From the start, Marines seemingly had no problem meeting the requirements. The first Marine recipient was Cpl. John F. Mackie who earned it by his actions aboard the USS Galena at Drewry’s Bluff during the Civil War. The Galena was traveling up river toward the Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., when river defenses opened fire on the ship. Despite artillery constantly raking the deck, Mackie maintained musket fire against the fortifications and then crewed the Galena’s cannon when the original crew was wounded or killed. During the Civil War, 16 other Marines earned the medal for their actions.
Six Marines and nine sailors earned a special place in history by becoming the first service members to earn the Medal of Honor for actions on foreign soil in 1871. A flotilla was dispatched to Korea in search of an American ship that had been destroyed. Korean forces opened fire on the American ships and the flotilla took punitive measures. A combined force of several hundred sailors and Marines overran several Korean forts.
Marines continued to distinguish themselves wherever they were sent. Marines earned the medal during the Chinese Boxer Rebellion, Spanish-American War and other actions. Seven Marines of this period received the honor twice. Only twelve other service members ever received this honor. However, congressional legislation in 1915 ended this practice.
World War I saw the first significant use of aircraft in combat and also saw the first Medals of Honor won by members of Marine Aviation. During a scouting mission, 2nd Lt. Ralph Talbot and his observer, Gunnery Sgt. Robert G. Robinson, were ambushed by 12 enemy scout aircraft. Despite the odds and Robinson suffering 13 bullet wounds, they managed to shoot down two enemy aircraft and then flew back for medical treatment. Robinson would survive his wounds while Talbot would die in a crash several days later.
Following actions in World War I, Congress realized that many acts of bravery weren’t recognized by any medal. In 1918, they instituted several other medals for bravery that didn’t meet the high criteria of the Medal of Honor. Among the medals were the Distinguished Service Medal and Silver Star, which had specific criteria spelled out for each.
During World War II, 10 more Marine aviators were awarded the medal, including Smith. Most were for actions near the Solomon Islands and Guadalcanal.
The last Marine aviator to receive the Medal of Honor was Pfc. Raymond M. Clausen Jr. who was a member of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 263 in 1970.
A Marine patrol inadvertently placed itself inside a minefield while attacking enemy positions. One Marine was dead and 11 wounded. Clausen came to help with an evacuation helicopter and made six separate trips through the minefield to get all the wounded out and did not give the pilot the signal to leave until he was sure they were all aboard.
The Medal of Honor has a legendary stature that intrigues thousands, going so far as to spawn a video game franchise with the name.
For some, it’s not a look at a legend like Achilles at Troy, it’s a window into the substance of America.
“The neatest thing about Medal of Honor history is that not only is it a way of recognizing the efforts of the military and the people who serve in it; it’s a microcosm of military history from the Civil War onwards,” said Laura Jowdy, an archivist of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
“Reading the citations is a way to understand the history of this country; they’re small little stories that combine to show the bigger picture,” Jowdy added. “It shows what people in the military are capable of doing today. “It’s a way of taking pride in the military and of understanding American history on a greater scale.”
Sept. 15 will mark another historical day for the Marine Corps and the Medal of Honor as Dakota Meyer will become the first living Marine to be recognized for combat actions since the Vietnam War with the award.
During his second deployment, while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Meyer, with shrapnel in his right arm, charged through a kill zone five times to save 15 wounded Afghan soldiers and four of his fallen team members at Ganjgal Village in Afghanistan in 2009.
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 09.09.2011 15:30 |
| Story ID: | 76775 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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