Navy Cross

Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for Sailors and Marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross, the Air and Space Forces' Air Force Cross, and the Coast Guard Cross.
The Navy Cross is bestowed by the Secretary of the Navy and may also be awarded to members of the other armed services, and to foreign military personnel while serving with the U.S. Naval Service. The Navy Cross was established by Act of Congress (Public Law 65-253) and approved on February 4, 1919.
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 U.S. award for valor at the time. 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 Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, because it was awarded for both combat heroism and for "other distinguished service". Congress revised this on 7 August 1942, making the Navy Cross a combat-only decoration that follows the Medal of Honor in order of precedence. Since the medal was established, it has been awarded more than 6,300 times. It was designed by James Earle Fraser. Since the 11 September 2001 attacks the Navy Cross has been awarded 47 times, with two of them having the name of the recipient held in secret. One of those secret awardings was due to Marine Gunnery Sergeant Tate Jolly's actions during the 2012 Benghazi attack.
Criteria
The Navy Cross may be awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces while serving with the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (when a part of the Department of the Navy) who distinguishes themselves in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor. The action must take place under one of three circumstances:
In combat action while engaged against an enemy of the United States; or,
In combat action while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force; or,
In combat action while serving with friendly foreign forces, who are engaged in armed conflict in which the United States is not a belligerent party.
The act(s) 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's action(s) 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. Past Navy Cross awards for merit, such as to 9th Chief of Naval Operations Fleet Admiral Ernest King, were unaffected by the change in criteria.
Wear
The Navy Cross originally 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 order of precedence, placing the Navy Cross above the Distinguished Service Medal in precedence. Since that time, the Navy Cross has been worn after the Medal of Honor and before all other awards.
Additional awards of the Navy Cross are denoted by gold or silver inch stars affixed to the suspension and service ribbon of the medal. A gold star would be issued for each of the second through fifth awards, to be replaced by a silver star which would indicate a sixth award. To date no one has received more than five awards.
Description and symbolism
Medal
Obverse:
The medal 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 the medal, a bronze cross pattée, one and a half inches wide, are crossed anchors from the pre-1850 period, with cables attached. The letters USN are evident amid the anchors.
The earliest version of the Navy Cross (1919–1928) featured a more narrow strip of white, while the so-called "Black Widow" medals awarded from 1941 to 1942 were notable for the dark color due to over-anodized finish. The medal is similar in appearance to the British Distinguished Service Cross.
Service Ribbon
The service ribbon is navy blue with a center stripe of white identical to the suspension ribbon of the medal. The blue alludes to naval service; the white represents the purity of selflessness.
Notable recipients
United States Navy
Samuel Adams (naval officer) (three awards)
James Thomas Alexander, 35th Naval Governor of Guam
Adelbert Althouse, 27th and 29th Naval Governor of Guam
Jackson D. Arnold
Barry K. Atkins
William B. Ault
Bernard L. Austin, (two awards)
John Arnold Austin, namesake of
Matthew Axelson
Edward L. Beach Jr.
Richard Halsey Best
Claude C. Bloch
John Bradley
William F. Bringle
Robert P. Briscoe
William H. Brockman Jr.
Phil H. Bucklew (two awards)
John D. Bulkeley (also a Medal of Honor (MOH) and 2 Army Distinguished Service Crosses (DSC)s)
Arleigh A. Burke
Creed Burlingame (3 awards)
Richard E. Byrd (also an MOH)
Robert Carney
Charles P. Cecil (two awards), namesake of
Gordon Pai'ea Chung-Hoon
Bernard A. Clarey (three awards)
George Thomas Coker
James J. Connell
Richard L. Conolly
Walter W. Coolbaugh, namesake of
Ralph W. Cousins
William P. Cronan, 19th Naval Governor of Guam
William Michael Crose, 7th Governor of American Samoa
Randy "Duke" Cunningham
Winfield Scott Cunningham
Maurice E. Curts
Slade Cutter (four awards)
Roy M. Davenport (five awards)
Albert David (two awards and an MOH)
Arthur C. Davis, (three awards)
Samuel David Dealey (four awards, an Army DSC and an MOH)
James Charles Dempsey, (two awards)
Dieter Dengler
Clarence E. Dickinson, (three awards)
Danny Dietz
Glynn R. "Donc" Donaho (four awards)
Mark L. Donald
William P. Driscoll
Thomas M. Dykers, (two awards)
Laurance T. DuBose, (three awards)
Thomas Eadie (two awards and an MOH)
Henry E. Eccles
Richard S. Edwards
Joseph F. Enright
Harry D. Felt
William Charles Fitzgerald namesake of
Eugene B. Fluckey (four awards and an MOH)
Luis Fonsecai
James Shepherd Freeman
Neldon Theo French namesake of
Ignatius J. Galantin
William Gilmer, 22nd and 24th Naval Governor of Guam
George William Grider, U.S. Representitve to the 89th Congress
Robert Halperin
William Halsey, Jr. one of four WWII Fleet Admirals and namesake of and
Robert W. Hayler (three awards), namesake of
Arthur Ray Hawkins (three awards)
Henry Kent Hewitt (two awards)
Lenah H. Sutcliffe Higbee, (first female recipient), namesake of
William A. Hodgman, 23rd Naval Governor of Guam
Gilbert C. Hoover, (three awards)
John Howard Hoover
Frederick J. Horne
John Howard
Royal E. Ingersoll
Jonas H. Ingram (also an MOH)
Richard H. Jackson
Edward C. Kalbfus
Draper Kauffman (two awards)
Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (member of the Kennedy family and brother of the 35th U.S. President
Ernest J. King, 9th Chief of Naval Operations, one of four WWII Fleet admirals and namesake of
Thomas B. Klakring (three awards)
Norman Jack "Dusty" Kleiss
Hugo W. Koehler
Edmond Konrad (two awards)
George Landenberger, 23rd Governor of American Samoa
John H. Lang
Harris Laning
William D. Leahy one of four WWII Fleet Admirals and namesake of
Gatewood Lincoln, 22nd Governor of American Samoa
Elliott Loughlin (two awards)
Marcus Luttrell
Harold John Mack
John S. McCain Sr.
David McCampbell (also an MOH)
Benjamin McCandlish, 36th Naval Governor of Guam
Pete McCloskey
John McCloy (also two MOH)
C. Wade McClusky
Donald L. McFaul
Charles H. McMorris, namesake of
Luke McNamee, 10th and 12th Naval Governor of Guam, and 21st Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Doris "Dorie" Miller (first African American recipient), namesake of and
Marc Mitscher (three awards)
John Anderson Moore (three awards)
Dudley W. "Mush" Morton, (four awards)
Jesse W. Naul Jr. (also two Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC)s)
Louis McCoy Nulton
Edward "Butch" O'Hare (also an MOH)
Richard H. "Dick" O'Kane, (three awards and an MOH)
Chick Parsons (two awards)
Edwin Taylor Pollock
John Martin Poyer, 12th Governor of American Samoa
Lawson P. Ramage (two awards and an MOH)
DeWitt Clinton Ramsey
Joseph M. Reeves
George S. Rentz, namesake of
Frederick Lois Riefkohl
Samuel B. Roberts
Samuel Robison
Dean Rockwell
Maurice H. Rindskopf
Tony F. Schneider, (two awards)
Frank Herman Schofield
David F. Sellers
Benedict J. Semmes, Jr.
Forrest P. Sherman
Rodger W. Simpson (two awards)
Harold Page Smith
Charles P. Snyder
Raymond A. Spruance
Giles C. Stedman
George L. Street, III (also an MOH)
Felix Stump (two awards)
John Thach (two awards)
Robert J. Thomas
John H. Towers
Charles R. Train
Richmond K. Turner
Frank B. Upham
Stanley W. Vejtasa, (three awards) also a USN fighter ace
Corydon M. Wassell
Ivan Wettengel, 25th Naval Governor of Guam
James E. Williams, (also an MOH and two Silver Stars)
Adam Williams (awarded as Adam William Berg)
Royce Williams
Clark H. Woodward
Harry E. Yarnell
United States Marine Corps
Robert H. Barrow (also an Army Distinguished Service Cross (DSC))
John Basilone (also a Medal of Honor (MOH)), namesake of
Victor Bleasdale (two awards and an Army DSC)
John F. Bolt
Gregory "Pappy" Boyington (also an MOH)
Martin Brandtner (two awards)
James Carson Breckinridge
Marion Eugene Carl (two awards)
Evans Carlson (three awards)
Clifton B. Cates (also two Army DSCs)
Brian Chontosh
George R. Christmas
Julius Cogswell, (also an Army DSC)
Alfred A. Cunningham
William H. Dabney
Joseph W. Dailey
Daniel Daly (also two MOHs and an Army DSC)
Ray Davis (also an MOH)
James Devereux
William A. Eddy
Merritt A. Edson (two awards and an MOH)
John W. Frederick, Jr., (Vietnam War POW)
Raymond Frybarger, Jr., namesake of
Guy Gabaldon
Patrick “Bob” Gallagher
Roy Geiger (two awards)
Herman H. Hanneken (two awards and an MOH)
Robert M. Hanson (also an MOH)
Myron Harrington, Jr.
Leo D. Hermle (also an Army DSC)
Thomas Holcomb
Edward Buist Hope, (also an Army DSC)
Henry L. Hulbert (also an MOH and an Army DSC)
George Victor Jmaeff
Bradley Kasal
Treddy Ketcham
Victor H. Krulak
Henry Louis Larsen (two awards)
Kurt Chew-Een Lee
Justin LeHew
William K. MacNulty
Victor Maghakian
William Edward Campbell March
Karl Marlantes
John McNulty (U.S. Marine Corps) (also an Army DSC)
Raymond Murray (two awards and an Army DSC)
Peter J. Ortiz (two awards)
Rafael Peralta
Edwin A. Pollock
Lewis "Chesty" Puller, (five awards and an Army DSC)
Paul A. Putnam
John H. Quick (also an MOH and an Army DSC)
Kenneth L. Reusser (two awards)
John Ripley
Harold C. Roberts (three awards)
Ford O. Rogers
James Roosevelt
William H. Rupertus
John H. Russell, Jr.
Al Schmid
Harry Schmidt
Harold G. Schrier
Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. (also an Army DSC)
Robert Taplett
Alexander Vandegrift (also an MOH)
Lew Walt (two awards)
Jim Webb
John H. Yancey (two awards)
George Yarborough, namesake of
Jeremiah Workman
United States Army
Stephen J. Chamberlin
Rex T. Barber
Thomas George Lanphier, Jr.
John W. Mitchell
John U.D. Page
United States Coast Guard
Frederick C. Billard
Raymond Evans
Elmer Fowler Stone
Philip F. Roach
Non-U.S. recipients
Nikolai Basistiy, Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1943)
Gordon Bridson, New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Navy, 1943)
Ernesto Burzagli, Italy (Royal Italian Navy, 1919)
Harold Farncomb, Australia (Royal Australian Navy, 1945)
Donald Gilbert Kennedy, New Zealand (British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defence Force, 1945)
Israel Fisanovich, Soviet Union (Soviet Navy, 1944)
Émile Henry Muselier, France (Free French Naval Forces, 1919)
Peter Phipps, New Zealand (Royal New Zealand Navy, 1943)
Ronald Niel Stuart, first Royal Navy officer to receive both the American Navy Cross and the British Victoria Cross (Royal Navy, 1927)
Tran Van Bay, South Vietnam (Army of the Republic of Vietnam, 1967)
Nguyen Van Kiet, South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam Navy, 1972)
, Soviet Union (Soviet Navyn, 1944)
See also
Military awards and decorations
Military awards of the United States Department of the Navy
List of recipients of the Navy Cross in the Vietnam War
Notes
References
Further reading
SECNAVINST 1650.1H 2006 2–22 Page 57
External links
Navy Cross – Criteria, Background, and Images
Awards and decorations of the United States Coast Guard
Awards and decorations of the United States Marine Corps
Awards and decorations of the United States Navy
Awards established in 1919
Courage awards
Works by James Earle Fraser (sculptor)