July 2014 - Argghhh!

Now, of course, I wonder who is working the parallel countermeasure development? Besides our enemies? Because once someone knows it can be done, they'll start trying to do it. FIRST EVER Guided .50 Cal Bullet

There are 43 Medals awarded for actions on this day in our history militant. Not surprisingly, we open with the Civil War and the most dramatic day of the Battle of Gettysburg - the last day and Pickett's Charge. 31 Medals today in 1863 alone, with 12 others in the beyond for 43 total for this one day in history. As I've noted before in other posts - today, most of these would be Bronze Stars w/V, Silver Stars, or Distinguished Service Crosses. Especially all the flag captures going on. That...

The Medal makes it's first appearance during the War with Spain, with some sailors doing some mine-clearing. MORIN, WILLIAM H. Rank and organization: Boatswain's Mate Second Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 23 May 1869, England. G.O. No.: 500, 14 December 1898. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Marblehead at the approaches to Caimanera, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 26 and 27 July 1898. Displaying heroism, Morin took part in the perilous work of sweeping for and disabling 27 contact mines during this period....

Say what I will about Jarheads, it still takes balls to go boating on the ocean in a tracked vehicle. PACIFIC OCEAN (July 8, 2014) An amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) assigned to Combat Assault Company, 3rd Marine Regiment, embarks the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) following small boat operations during the at-sea phase of exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2014. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating...

U.S. Army Spc. Zac Moore, a mortarman with Mortar Platoon, 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, sights in an 81 mm mortar tube at an observation post overlooking the Darwazgay Pass in Zabul province, Afghanistan, June 23, 2014. Moore was part of a joint air assault mission conducted with Afghan National Army soldiers assigned to the 1st Kandak, 2nd Battalion, 205th Corps. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Whitney Houston, U.S. Army National Guard/Released)

The Medal waits until 1876 to show itself, during the Interim Awards, 1871-1898 period, with a sailor saving a drowning shipmate. This is another of those circumstances where today they would be awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for heroism not involving combat. I know for you regular readers that gets a little tiresome to read - but take one for the Googlers, who may read only one in the whole series. COREY, WILLIAM Rank and organization: Landsman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1853, New York, N.Y. Accredited...

Today the show opens during the Civil War with four Medals awarded, including one tough Quartermaster and that Civil War classic, the flag capture. CLARK, JOHN W. Rank and organization: First Lieutenant and Regimental Quartermaster, 6th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: Near Warrenton, Va., 28 July 1863. Entered service at: Vermont. Born: 21 October 1830, Montpelier, Vt. Date of issue: 17 August 1891. Citation: Defended the division train against a vastly superior force of the enemy; he was severely...

There are 19 Medals awarded for actions on this day. As is usual when there are this many on a given day, the bulk come from the 19th Century to prior to WWI, when the award criteria (and the entire award system) were different. The Medal spread itself all over on this day. The Civil War, the Indian Campaigns, the China Relief Expedition, World War II and Vietnam.