Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-14
ALL ARMY HONOR MEN
MAY RECEIVE BADGES
Few More Than Five Hundred Who
Have Received Certificates
Now Living.

Not many more than zoo men, who
served as privates or non-commissioned
officers of the United States Army. can
boast Of certificates of merit. awarded
only to enlisted men who have distin-
guished themselves in the ssrvice- But
this recognition OF merit runs back to
the time Of the war with E1exico. when
eligibility was confined to non-commis-
stoned officers.
About 700 of Uncle Sans regular sol
1878, from which time until the present
an available record has been kept. Nearly
200 Of these men. It is estimated. are now
dead Not more than 125 it,f them are
still N the service.
PERHAPS there were 900 certificates OF
merit granted from March 3, 1sfT. the
time of the original order, until 1878.
Prob ably this is an overestirIate, In view
of tire fact that only non-conmissioned
officers were entitled to aspire to Che GER
tificste of merit prior to February 8. 1891,
when the law was revised and modified
to i2lcIude all enlisted men among the
eigiples. i
Badges Are Authorized.
January IL, 1905, badge with ribbon
was authorized by Congress IS the visible
insignia of the certificate of iderit- These
badges were to be issued to chose entitled
to them and still in the service as part
Of their uniform. No arrafiSement was
mad, to provide badges for those certih-
cate Of honor men who had LETT the
service.
A recent order Of the adjusant general
of the army makes 1t posstDie 1or Ger
tificate of honor men who Kave left the
service to obtain badges to complete the
nara phernalia of the honor. Those VINO
have been awarded certificates OF merit.
and who have left the service. may OBJ
tain them at cost OF aair II 80, no, sd,nt pJ
general. The badges are Tiade, by the
mint in Philadelphia.
Certificates of merit are sWarded only
for i. distinct act of courage. although
the deed may not have been done in mill
tary action Efficient efforts to save gov
ernEient property in the course or IRE
brought recognition to one Soldier Many
have received the honor for uie rescue Oh
comrades from drowning. But, OF course.
the greater number mark some gallant
act on the firing line. -
One Was Deserter Later.
ore record of a certificate of merit in
dicates that it was issued ts: a non-com-
81.
missoned officer for a spleasid exhibition
Of courage against great odds, in the
rescue Of his superior Officer from death
at the hands of foes. The record con-
tains. however note Of the Fact that the
homo. man afterward enlisted as a cook
| under another name than chat he had
been known by. and was subsequently a
dese,ter. He had evidently been broken
for some procedure during: his soldier
career that more than offset his gallantry
under fire, and had tried to hide himself
under an assumed name in the army. per-
haps deserving when discovered to escape
punishment.
Many officers Of the army are proud to
wear the badge Of the certificate of merit.
Not as army officers did they distinguish
themselves to attain the reward, but they
marx deeds done when In the; ranks. from
which, they have subsequently, risen. Pos
session Of certificate of merit adds 81 a
month TO the pay of the pessessor