Thank you sir for your service and your outstanding videos! Hooyah Navy!!

When I was stationed at Naval Hospital Oakland (1987-1990) I remember a change of command when Captain Alice Martinson received both the Legion of Merit (LOM) and Meritorious Service Medal (MSM). I was new to the Navy back then and assumed the MSM was the commanding officer's version of an NCM but couldn't figure out how to relate the LOM to a junior medal. I think the LOM was for her leadership in for getting the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) ready for deployment in 1987 and upkeep after the deployment. My next command with VFA 151, one of the pilot's was a former Marine and he commented on how the Bronze Star used to be awarded with a Purple Heart but after Vietnam it fell out of practice. His opinion was also that if you didn't receive a Purple Heart with the Bronze Star, then you didn't earn the Bronze Star. Years later during the Kosovo conflict, the Navy Times had an article about a few Navy commanding officers who received the Bronze Star while in command of ships in that AOR but never received any combat action other than putting the bow of the ship over the combat line once a month so the crew could receive tax-free base and combat pay and then retreat to a safe position to continue cutting gator squares in the Adriatic Sea. I believe this is what led to DFAS changing the combat pay from simply touching the combat zone and receive a month's tax-free base and combat pay to actual day for day tax-free base and combat pay. I looked into the Medal of Honor years ago and discovered the Navy was the first to create the medal but the Army was the first to award it. Also, in the Civil War, the Army was using the Medal of Honor as reenlistment bonuses to anyone to reenlist. About 800 of these reenlistment Medals of Honor were awarded but most were rescinded when word got back to what field officers were doing with them. A few years ago here in Virginia if you're awarded the Medal of Honor, you're retirement pay is exempt from taxation and over 800 people applied for this benefit but only about eight people were still alive in Virginia at that time who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

This is awesome!

Master Chief"s thanks for the info.

LT(jg) John F. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corp medal for his actions in saving his crew. While the sinking of the PT-109 was in combat, all of his subsequent actions were not, thus no combat related medal.

I always had one beef during my acive duty as a chief through master chief petty officer. I have always been extremely proud of my Navy Combat Action Ribbon. IMO, this ribbon sets sailors who have fought either ashore or in the Brown Water Navy of Vietnam apart from those sailors who have spent all their time in ships offshore from those who have never been near combat at all. When wearing full dress uniforms, medals are worn on the left breast while ribbons which have no associated medals are worn on the right breast - so much for that. I have absolutely no problems with this. My beef is when the mess dress uniform and miniature medals are worn - there are no miniature ribbons to wear along with those miniature medals. Therefore one award of which I was very proud, the Combat Action Ribbon, could not be worn with the mess dress uniform. I was also proud of my several Navy unit commendation and meritorious unit commendation awards and could not wear these on the mess dress uniform either. I specifically missed wearing the CAR when attending the Marine Corps Ball as a guest during the 1960's... It would be extremely easy to remedy this problem since miniature ribbons are available from civilian sources and the miniature medals have to be purchased anyway. Of course, since very few higher ranking Navy personnel are eligible for the CAR - they probably don't give a damn. I suspect that some Navy folks don't like the CAR being awarded. Another thing that I wished had been different is that the Navy did not authorize the Combat Aircrew Wings for us who flew in combat during Vietnam.

Thank you for clarifying all of this.

Always great content!

Go Navy Shipmates!!!

Its the same for me Chief, the Combat action and Sea service are the most special.

Very interesting stuff. Thank you.

Thank you ~Chief/so interesting..! ✌🏼😎🇺🇸

My US Merchant Marine Combat Service Ribbon awarded by Uncle Sam to Seamen in the combat waters of Vietnam during the war period. My ribbon looks like a Military ribbon that is a Green Ended Vietnam ribbon of white, red, and yellow stripes....But my VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL is a civil decoration metal awarded to crew aboard US Vessels flying the US Flag between 4July 1965-15August 1973. My ribbon/medal is BLUE instead of GREEN ended...otherwises is identical to the Vietnam Service Medal

Should be noted that officers tend to be awarded a higher award than enlisted for the exact same action: example: Battalion CO was awarded a bronze star while enlisted got the combat action.

excellent. interesting fact, so many purple hearts were produced towards the end of ww2 in anticipation of the invasion of japan that they were still being awarded during desert storm.

Good afternoon Master Chief, I wonder if you can help me identify a squadron patch that is sewn onto the sleeve of a very well maintained bomber jacket that looks to be from the late sixties or so. The patch reads "mcclintock 55" across the top, and "PA56" across the bottom with what looks to be a dove in flight holding a ribbon in its beak in the center of the patch. I've tried to find this squaron online with no luck. Thanks Master Chief, and keep the videos coming!

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

There's a jacket on eBay now that has this patch. If yours is the same, it's not military. It's SC Indonesian-made pretend flight jacket.

OK, My girlfriends father flew 40 missions as B 17 crew in WW II. Had one plane shot out from under him. For that one do to some actions by him he was awarded the DFC. He also had 4 Air medals. Ribbons with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters + 4 awards and paper to back it up. He was also awarded 5 European Theater of operation Medal, show with Oak Leaf Clusters. No stars for any of these, since it seems those were not used in WW II. But the Oak Leaf Clusters were.

@FromSagansStardust

3 жыл бұрын

Oak leaf clusters are Air Corps, Air Force. They still use them.

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

Where the Army uses oak leaf clusters, the Navy uses stars

@webbtrekker534

3 жыл бұрын

@@masterchiefsseachest1983 Thanks Master Chief!

I have seen Purple Hearts with a combat V

thank you for pointing out that its not the Congressional Medal of honor right up there with people who use Defcon 5 as something going bad lol

@tom7601

3 жыл бұрын

Isn't it called the Medal of Honor, not the Congressional Medal of Honor?

@JohnFourtyTwo

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed. Hollywood and journalists spicing-up stories are responsible for the incorrect name of this medal.

R device? Stands for REMF?

@denniswhite166

3 жыл бұрын

That's what came to my mind too ~ LOL

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

Every child gets a trophy

@joedoakes8778

3 жыл бұрын

@@masterchiefsseachest1983 I'm glad you mentioned that...all the services seem to be getting carried away with the medal thing.

5:08 I have seen paperwork for a Navy Corpsman wounded in WW1 who received a Purple Heart in 1932. You say only Army personnel received the Purple Heart before WW2, were exceptions made for former sailors since they couldn't wear wound stripes on civilian clothing?

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

The Sailor in question was likely assigned to the Marines, & they were assigned to the Army 2nd Division. Several hospital corpsmen received the Distinguished Service Cross - the Army equivalent to the Navy Cross. If they have the Purple Heart to their Soldiers, they'd have also given it to their Marines & Sailors.

Do you think the navy will follow the army in implementing V,C,R devices which indicate the number of times that specific device was awarded (Bronze, silver, gold, bronze w/ wreath, silver w/ wreath, gold w/ wreath)?

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

It's DoD wide

How does WW2 US and British Navy decorations compare?

@georgea.567

3 жыл бұрын

I will try and give a rough approximation. I would say a British Mention in Despatches would be equivalent to a Navy Commendation medal/Bronze Star. A Distinguished Service Cross for Officers and a Distinguished Service Medal for enlisted is equivalent to the Silver Star. A Distinguished Service Order for officers and a Conspicuous Gallantry Medal for enlisted is equivalent to the Navy Cross. The Victoria Cross is equivalent to the Medal of honor. The Legion of Merit is a little difficult to place since in WW2 it could be awarded for valor in combat, in which case I would say it is sort of a mix between the British DSC and DSO mentioned earlier. For example I have seen commanders of Minesweepers be awarded the Legion Of Merit with a V device in WW2. In the Royal Navy a similar ranking officer would probably be awarded a DSC. I have also seen Captains of Battleships and Cruisers be awarded Legions of Merits with a V device, in which case a Royal Navy equivalent would be awarded the DSO. When awarded for meritorious service it's more equivalent to some of the lower level Orders of Chivalry such as an MBE/OBE. A US Navy Distinguished Service Medal is about equivalent to a CBE/CB/KCBE/KCB/GBE/GCB. Instead of adding more stars for each award like on a Navy Distinguished Service medal, British officers would be rewarded with increases in Rank of Chivalry. For example let's say a Royal Navy Admiral was made a Companion of the Bath (CB) for distinguished service in the Mediterranean in 1942. 3 years later he distinguishes himself again in the Pacific and is rewarded by being made a Knight Commander of the Bath (KCB) A higher rank in the Order of the Bath. A US Navy Admiral would just be given a star to wear on his Navy Distinguished Service Medal to denote his second award, so it gets kind of difficult at this point. For non combat bravery the British Empire Medal is equivalent to the Navy Commendation Medal. The George Medal is like the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. While the George Cross is like a mix between the Navy and Marine Corps medal and the Medal of Honor. I know it's pretty confusing but I hope I cleared it up a bit for you.

Please clarify I heard if enlisted personnel won the medal of honor officers are required to salute first true or false?

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

It is universal custom - but not regulation - that all ranks salute Medal of Honor recipients. And, for the record, the medal is not "won" - it's not the result of a competition. "Earned," "awarded," "received" are better ways to describe it.

What about the hour glass?

@masterchiefsseachest1983

3 жыл бұрын

That goes on the Armed Forces Reserve Medal - a campaign & service medal, but a personal decoration

Navy Cross with 4 gold stars, how unusual would that be?

@JohnFourtyTwo

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like you're talking about Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.

@EldarKinSlayer

3 жыл бұрын

@@JohnFourtyTwo he is the only one I can think of, he is also only person I can think of that enlisted as a USMC Private and retired a USMC Lt General.

@JohnFourtyTwo

3 жыл бұрын

@@EldarKinSlayer I believe you're right. In the Navy, Admiral Jeremiah Boorda did the same thing going from Seaman to Admiral and his last post was Chief of Naval Operations. Also, did you know there are 19 people who received two Medals of Honor before the regulation was changed to one award only? www.cmohs.org/recipients/lists/double-recipients

How did you manage 30 yrs with no warfare device?

@richardpcrowe

5 ай бұрын

I remember when i was a chief aboard USS Constellation between 1975 and 1978. I would have been qualified for the Surface Warfare Specialty device except - at that time, there was a requirement for a sailor to have been a member of a damage control party to qualify to wear the device. I didn't really care all that much since I wore the avy Aircreman wings. However, it seems like a lot more sailors wear the Surface Warfare Device than they did when the device was first introduced.

@TriggerTravels

5 ай бұрын

@@richardpcrowe This guy was Deff in when he could have earned a warfare device. Only people I ever saw without one were reservists. But I also knew a full bird captain who retired with the medals/ ribbons so I guess anything is possible.

Purple Heart medal A.K.A enemy marksman medal, or forgot to duck medal. (:

@jwjones1979

3 жыл бұрын

or the "Shit! They saw me!" medal.

Nice video I do Ration Reviews on my channel

i would have liked to see your medal rack