Navy Cross

Navy Cross
Awarded by United States Department of the Navy
Type	Medal
Awarded for	Extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force and going beyond the call of duty.
Status	Currently awarded
Statistics
First awarded	1917
Precedence
Next (higher)	Medal of Honor
Equivalent	Army: Distinguished Service Cross Navy: Navy Cross Air Force: Air Force Cross
Next (lower)	Distinguished Service Medals: Defense, Homeland Security, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard
Navy Cross ribbon

The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all branches of United States military as well as members of foreign militaries. It was established by Act of Congress (Pub.L. 65-253) and approved on February 4, 1919. The Navy Cross is equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross (Army) and the Air Force Cross.

History

The Navy Cross was instituted in part due to the entrance of the United States into World War I. Many European nations had the custom of decorating heroes from other nations, but the Medal of Honor was the sole American award for valor at the time.^[1] The Army instituted the Distinguished Service Cross and Distinguished Service Medal in 1918, while the Navy followed suit in 1919, retroactive to 6 April 1917. Originally, the Navy Cross was lower in precedence than the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, because it was awarded for both combat heroism and for "other distinguished service." ^[1] Congress revised this on 7 August 1942, making the Navy Cross a combat-only award and second only to the Medal of Honor. Since its creation, it has been awarded more than 6,300 times.^[1]

It was designed by James Earle Fraser.

The first actual recipient of the Navy Cross is unknown because initial awards were made from a lengthy list published after World War I. The most recent recipient is Gun­nery Sergeant John S. Mosser, USMC, a native of Texas, who was awarded in a cer­e­mony at Recon Point in Camp Schwab in Oki­nawa, Japan on 18 December 2009 for actions in Afghanistan on 26 June 2008. Mosser, of 3rd Recon­nais­sance Bat­tal­ion, 3rd Marine Divi­sion, III Marine Expe­di­tionary Force is credited with braving enemy fire repeatedly to rescue and treat wounded comrades. Then, “With the entire patrol desperately pinned down,” he devised a plan to break contact and extract his team, according to his medal citation. He is credited with saving 22 lives. ^[2]

Criteria

The Navy Cross may be awarded to any member of the armed forces while serving with the Marine Corps, Navy, or Coast Guard (in time of war only) who distinguishes himself or herself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor. The action must take place under one of three circumstances:

1. While engaged in action against an enemy of the United States
2. While engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force
3. While serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

To earn a Navy Cross, the act to be commended must be performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal risk and must be performed in such a manner as to render the individual highly conspicuous among others of equal grade, rate, experience, or position of responsibility. An accumulation of minor acts of heroism does not justify an award of the Navy Cross. As originally authorized, the Navy Cross could be awarded for distinguished non-combat acts, but legislation of 7 August 1942 limited the award to acts of combat heroism.

Wear

Originally the Navy Cross was the Navy's third-highest decoration, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal. On 7 August 1942, Congress revised the precedence, making the Navy Cross senior to the Distinguished Service Medal. Since that time the Navy Cross has been worn after the Medal of Honor and before all other decorations.

Additional awards of the Navy Cross are denoted by gold award stars, five-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, affixed to the ribbon. On the theoretically possible occasion of a servicemember being awarded the Navy Cross on six occasions, a silver award star would be used to indicate the feat. (Currently, no serviceman has been the recipient on more than five occasions; Roy Milton Davenport received five awards, and General "Chesty" Puller received five awards.)

Description and symbolism

Reverse of the Navy Cross

The award has been found similar in appearance to the British Distinguished Service Cross.^[1] The earliest awards (1919–1928) featured a more narrow strip of white, while the so-called "Black Widow" medals awarded from 1941–1942 were notable for the dark color due to over-anodized finish.

Obverse

The Navy Cross is a modified cross pattée one and a half inches wide (the ends of its arms are rounded whereas a conventional cross patée has arms that are straight on the end). There are four laurel leaves with berries in each of the re-entrant arms of the cross. In the center of the cross a sailing vessel is depicted on waves, sailing to the viewer's left. The vessel is a symbolic caravel of the type used between 1480 and 1500. Fraser selected the caravel because it was a symbol often used by the Naval Academy and because it represented both naval service and the tradition of the sea. The laurel leaves with berries refer to achievement.

Reverse

In the center of a bronze cross pattée one and a half inches wide, crossed anchors from the pre-1850 period, with cables attached. The letters USN appear amid the anchors.

Ribbon

The ribbon is navy blue with a center stripe of white. The blue alludes to naval service and the white represents the purity of selflessness.

Notable recipients

• United States Navy Hospital Corpsman - The largest collective group awarded a total of 174 Navy Crosses.

See also: Category:Recipients of the Navy Cross

United States Navy

James Thomas Alexander, Captain, 27th Naval Governor of Guam Adelbert Althouse, 27th and 29th Naval Governor of Guam Barry K. Atkins William B. Ault Matthew Axelson John "Jack" "Doc" Bradley Phil H. Bucklew (two awards) John D. Bulkeley Charles P. Cecil (two awards), namesake of USS Charles P. Cecil (DD-835) Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon Bernard A. Clarey (three awards) George Thomas Coker William P. Cronan, 19th Naval Governor of Guam William Michael Crose, 7th Governor of American Samoa Randy "Duke" Cunningham Slade Cutter (four awards) Roy Milton Davenport (five awards) Albert David (two awards) Samuel David Dealey (four awards) Dieter Dengler Danny Dietz

Glynn R. "Donc" Donaho (four awards) William P. Driscoll Joseph F. Enright William Charles Fitzgerald namesake of USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62) Eugene B. Fluckey (four awards) James Shepherd Freeman William Gilmer, 22nd and 24th Naval Governor of Guam Robert Halperin William F. Halsey, Jr. Arthur Ray Hawkins (three awards) William A. Hodgman, 23rd Naval Governor of Guam John Howard Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Ernest J. King George Landenberger, 23rd Governor of American Samoa John H. Lang Gatewood Lincoln, 22nd Governor of American Samoa Marcus Luttrell Harold John Mack David McCampbell Benjamin McCandlish, Commodore, 36th Naval Governor of Guam.[3]

Pete McCloskey Donald L. McFaul[4] Luke McNamee, Admiral, 10th and 12th Governor of Guam, and 21st Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence.[5] Doris "Dorie" Miller (first African American recipient) Marc Mitscher (two awards) John Anderson Moore (three awards) Dudley W. "Mush" Morton (four awards) Edward "Butch" O'Hare Richard H. "Dick" O'Kane (three awards) Chick Parsons (two awards) Edwin Taylor Pollock George S. Rentz Samuel B. Roberts Dean Rockwell Tony F. Schneider (two awards)[6] Rodger W. Simpson (two awards) Raymond A. Spruance George L. Street, III Robert J. Thomas[7] Corydon M. Wassell Ivan Wettengel, 25th Naval Governor of Guam Adam Williams (actor, awarded as Adam William Berg)

United States Marine Corps

Robert H. Barrow Gregory "Pappy" Boyington Daniel Daly Ray Davis

William A. Eddy Merritt A. Edson (two awards) Guy Gabaldon Henry Louis Larsen (two awards) William Edward Campbell March Karl Marlantes Raymond Murray (two awards)

Lewis "Chesty" Puller (five awards) Kenneth L. Reusser (two awards) John Ripley William H. Rupertus Harry Schmidt Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Alexander Vandegrift Lew Walt (two awards) Jim Webb John Basilone

United States Army

Stephen J. Chamberlin

United States Coast Guard

Frederick C. Billard Elmer Fowler Stone [8]

Non-citizen recipients

Letter from Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels confirming that the Navy Cross was conferred on Ernesto Burzagli in 1919. Captain Burzagli was an officer in the Royal Italian Navy.

The Secretary of the Navy has only occasional opportunities to confirm that the Navy Cross has been awarded to a non-American recipient. Slightly more than 100 such honors have been extended to men who were not citizens of the United States.

• Gordon Bridson, New Zealand (1943).^[9]
• Ernesto Burzagli, Italy (1919).
• Harold Farncomb, Australia (1945).^[10]
• Israel Fisanovich, Soviet Union (1944), Soviet Navy submarine commander ^[11]
• Peter Phipps, New Zealand (1943).^[12]
• Ronald Niel Stuart, first Royal Navy officer to receive both the American Navy Cross and the British Victoria Cross.^[13]

See also

• Awards and decorations of the United States military

United States Navy portal

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "The Navy Cross". Naval Historical Center. January 24, 2001. http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/navcross.htm. Retrieved August 12, 2009. 
2. ^ Cordero, Lance Cpl.Jeffrey (January 14, 2010). "Marine earns Navy Cross for actions in Afghanistan". 6883 Commercial Dr.Springfield, Va: Official U.S. Marine Corps Web Site. http://www.marines.mil/unit/mcbjapan/Pages/2010/100108-cross.aspx. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
3. ^ "Benjamin Vaughan McCandlish". Military Times. Gannett Government Media. 2011. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. http://www.webcitation.org/5ylYegwii. Retrieved May 18, 2011. 
4. ^ http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=4080
5. ^ "Admiral M'Namee Dead in Newport: Former Head of Mackay Radio, Adviser at 1919 Paris Peace Parley, in Navy 42 Years". The New York Times. The New York Times Company (New York City): p. 15. December 31, 1952. 
6. ^ University of New Mexico NROTC Sun Line Vol.IV No.1 November 1965
7. ^ http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=4448
8. ^ United States Coast Guard: Commander Elmer Fowler Stone biography
9. ^ Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: Bridson bio notes
10. ^ Australian Dictionary of Biography: Farncomb bio notes
11. ^ Heroes of the Soviet Union (in Russian language, same data in English)
12. ^ Royal New Zealand Navy: Phipps bio notes
13. ^ Snelling, Stephen. (2002). The Naval VCs, p. 142.

References

• "Navy Cross". Service Medals and Campaign Credits of the United States. United States Navy. http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/navcross.htm. Retrieved July 10, 2007. 

External links

• Navy Cross – Criteria, Background, and Images
• SECNAVINST 1650.1H 2006 2–22 Page 57