Building official fired after weeks of paid leave
By MARY SCHLEY, The Carmel Pine Cone
Published: August 9, 2013
Service: All Services
Instituted: 1942 (retroactive to 8 Sept 1939)
Legion of Merit Medal Criteria: Exceptionally meritorious
conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the United States
Devices: Army/Air Force: Bronze, Silver Oak Leaf Cluster;
Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard: Bronze Letter “V” Device (for valor),
Gold, Silver Star
Notes: Issued in four degrees (Legionnaire, Officer,
Commander & Chief Commander) to foreign nationals
The Legion of Merit Medal was Authorized by Congress on July
20, 1942 to award to members of the Armed Forces of the United States
for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding
service. Superior performance of normal duties will not alone justify award of
this decoration. This military medal is not awarded for heroism, but
rather service and achievement while performing duties in a key position of
responsibility. It may be presented to foreign personnel, but is not authorized
for presentation to civilian personnel. There are four degrees of this
decoration that are awarded to foreign personnel only (Chief Commander,
Commander, Officer and Legionnaire). The first two degrees are comparable in
rank to the Distinguished Service Medal and are usually awarded to heads of
state and to commanders of armed forces, respectively. The last two degrees are
comparable in rank to the award of the Legion of Merit Medal to U.S. service
members. The Legion of Merit was designed by Colonel Robert Townsend Heard and
sculpted by Katharine W. Lane
of Boston .
The name and design of the Legion of Merit was strongly
influenced by the French Legion of Honor. The medal is a white enameled
five-armed cross with ten points, each tipped with a gold ball and bordered in
red enamel. In the center of the cross, thirteen stars on a blue field are
surrounded by a circle of heraldic clouds. A green enameled laurel wreath
circles behind the arms of the cross. Between the wreath and the center of the
medal, in between the arms of the cross are two crossed arrows pointing
outward. The blue circle with thirteen stars surrounded by clouds is taken from
the Great Seal of the United
States and is symbolic of a “new
constellation,” as the signers of the Declaration of Independence called our
new republic. The laurel wreath represents achievement, while the arrows
represent protection of the nation. The reverse of the cross is a gold colored
copy of the front with blank space to be used for engraving. The raised
inscription, “ANNUIT COEPTIS MDCCLXXXII” with a bullet separating each word
encircles the area to be engraved. The words, “UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA ” and “ANNUIT COEPTIS” (He [God] Has
Favored Our Undertaking) come from the Great Seal of the United States
and the date, “MDCCLXXXII” (1782) refers to the year General Washington
established the Badge of Military Merit. The ribbon is a purple-red called
American Beauty Red which is edged in white. The color is a variation of the
original color of the Badge of Military Merit.
Instituted: 1944 (retroactive to 7 Dec. 1941)
Criteria: The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight
Devices: Bronze Letter “V” (for Valor) Army/Air Force: Bronze, Silver Oak Leaf Cluster; Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard: Gold, Silver Star
Notes: Awarded for meritorious service to WW II holders of Army Combat Infantryman or Combat Medical Badge
Authorized on February 4, 1944, retroactive to December 7, 1941. It is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight.
The Bronze Star was originally conceived by the U.S. Navy as a junior decoration comparable to the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious actions by ground and surface personnel. The level of required service would not be sufficient to warrant the Silver Star if awarded for heroism or the Legion of Merit if awarded for meritorious achievement. In a strange twist of fate, the Bronze Star Medal did not reach fruition until championed by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II.Marshall was seeking a decoration that would
reward front line troops, particularly infantrymen, whose ranks suffered the
heaviest casualties and were forced to endure the greatest danger and hardships
during the conflict. Once established, the Bronze Star Medal virtually became
the sole province of the Army in terms of the number of medals awarded.
AlthoughMarshall
wanted the Bronze Star Medal to be awarded with the same freedom as the Air
Medal, it never came close to the vast numbers of Air Medals distributed during
the war. The only exception was the award of the Bronze Star Medal to every
soldier of the 101st Airborne Division who had fought in the Normandy
invasion, Operation Market Garden in Holland ,
the Battle of
the Bulge or were wounded.
After the war, when the ratio of Air Medals to airmen was compared to the numbers of Bronze Star Medals awarded to combat soldiers, it became clear that a huge disparity existed and many troops who deserved the award for their service had not received it. Therefore, in September 1947, the Bronze Star Medal was authorized for all personnel who had received either the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) or the Combat Medical Badge (CMB) between December 7, 1941 to September 2, 1945. In addition, personnel who had participated in the defense of the Philippine Islands between December 7, 1941 and May 10, 1942 were awarded the Bronze Star Medal if their service was on theisland of Luzon ,
the Bataan Peninsula
or the harbor defenses on Corregidor
Island
Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal are entitled to wear a “V” device on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon if the Medal is awarded for heroism in combat. The “V” device was approved in 1945 to clearly distinguish between awards of the medal for heroism in combat or for meritorious service. Additional awards are denoted by bronze and silver oak leaf clusters or gold and silver stars, depending on the recipient’s Service Branch.
The Bronze Star Medal is a five-pointed bronze star with a smaller star in the center (similar in design to the Silver Star Medal); the reverse contains the inscription, “HEROIC OR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT” in a circular pattern. The ribbon is red with a white-edged blue band in the center and white edge stripes. The Bronze Star Medal was designed by Rudolf Freund of Bailey, Banks and Biddle.
Criteria: The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight
Devices: Bronze Letter “V” (for Valor) Army/Air Force: Bronze, Silver Oak Leaf Cluster; Navy/Marine Corps/Coast Guard: Gold, Silver Star
Notes: Awarded for meritorious service to WW II holders of Army Combat Infantryman or Combat Medical Badge
Authorized on February 4, 1944, retroactive to December 7, 1941. It is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight.
The Bronze Star was originally conceived by the U.S. Navy as a junior decoration comparable to the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious actions by ground and surface personnel. The level of required service would not be sufficient to warrant the Silver Star if awarded for heroism or the Legion of Merit if awarded for meritorious achievement. In a strange twist of fate, the Bronze Star Medal did not reach fruition until championed by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II.
Although
After the war, when the ratio of Air Medals to airmen was compared to the numbers of Bronze Star Medals awarded to combat soldiers, it became clear that a huge disparity existed and many troops who deserved the award for their service had not received it. Therefore, in September 1947, the Bronze Star Medal was authorized for all personnel who had received either the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) or the Combat Medical Badge (CMB) between December 7, 1941 to September 2, 1945. In addition, personnel who had participated in the defense of the Philippine Islands between December 7, 1941 and May 10, 1942 were awarded the Bronze Star Medal if their service was on the
Recipients of the Bronze Star Medal are entitled to wear a “V” device on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon if the Medal is awarded for heroism in combat. The “V” device was approved in 1945 to clearly distinguish between awards of the medal for heroism in combat or for meritorious service. Additional awards are denoted by bronze and silver oak leaf clusters or gold and silver stars, depending on the recipient’s Service Branch.
The Bronze Star Medal is a five-pointed bronze star with a smaller star in the center (similar in design to the Silver Star Medal); the reverse contains the inscription, “HEROIC OR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT” in a circular pattern. The ribbon is red with a white-edged blue band in the center and white edge stripes. The Bronze Star Medal was designed by Rudolf Freund of Bailey, Banks and Biddle.
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