Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-03
DANIELS KNEW NO
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ing the distinguished medal to comma nder
of ships sunk by submarine or mines.


ing the distinguished medal to comma nder
Of ships sunk by submarine or mines.
QUALITIES THAT MAKE THE HERO.
I'm tho stillcto attack Of submarine
warfare" said Mr.. Daniels, "it is not tho
fact that a man strikes or IL struck that
his true mcttle and true naval leadership
shows. The question is. Docs he play the
part Of the man, with chivalry and
thought only Of others and his country
And has he by preparation and foresight
done all that is possible to meet any and
every emergency? And when he faces =
court Of his brother officers. do they find
that he has measured up in the terrible
ordeal TO the high naval traditional
Admrsls Mayo and Gleaves and Vice
Admiral Grant recommended commanding
officers under them for distinguished med
ais who displayed these high qualities
when their ships, struck by mines or tor
pedocs were sunk or damaged.
The board of awards approved their
recommendations. The greatest thing
that n man ever does in this world is to
turn stumbling block into stepping
stone. II medals are not given for this
sort OF noble courage and GOODNESS and
direction in supreme danger, what on
earth are they designed for
Referring to Admiral Sims statement
that he had not recommended any en-
listed men for medals because Eve had
nothing 10 give them" the secretary
called the committees attention 10 the act
creating the awards which he said made no
distinction between admiral captain and
enlisted man.
REWARDS KNOW NO RANK.
ut is the service he renders. The ser
vice in peril, and not his rank that counts, =
he added. There are occasions when ship
Is threatened with danger and when for
the moment, its safety and protection
depends on an enlisted man and he is
then in a position of great responsibility,
and il he performs his duties at that mo-
ment with courage and devotion, he is
fully entitled to the recognition of his
conduct by the distinguished service
medal.
Referring TO the bcstowal of that
medal on Admiral Benson because of his
services as chief of naval operations, Mr..
Daniels declared he would give the same
medal that goes to that great and dis
tinguished Office to the humblest sailor
lad, who, when placed in a position Of
great responsibility in a time that tested
the stuff of which man is made, met the
life in jeopardy in order that his ship and
the lives of others might be preserved =
With that in mind, he ordered further
study of navy records when he found that
only II9 enlisted men Of the 500, 900 in
the navy during the war had been recon-
mended for any high honor. be explained.
As the result of this study, az vet uncom-
plete, he said, Is additional enlisted men
were awarded the distinguished service
medal and 6S more men were put on the
list of navy crosses.
DENIES MORALE "snoT TO PIECES
Emphatic denial WAS made by the aecre-
tary of Admiral Sims statement that the
policy followed in awarded medals had
"shot TO pieces the navys morale
at is an insult To the splendid men of
the navy to say that the morale of the
service could be seriously impaired by
any question of awards to individuals"
the secretary said on that point
They are made of sterner stuff than
to be ratified by a matter so unlmportant
in comparison with their devotion To their
duties. Their loyalty is in no sense de-
pendent upon medals
Explaining Admiral Sims mention of
message from the secretary asking what
recommendation had been made for
"Bagley (Mr. Daniels brother-in-law1
and other officers of the Jacob Jones and
other destroyers that were attacked"
Mr.. Daniels said the note was written late
ono afternoon after all officers in charge
Of reports had left the department and
was written as the easiest way of getting
the information. There was not at that
time and never has been, Mr.. Daniels de-
clared, any question of favoritism or
relationship in the matter Of his relations
with commander Bagley.
Mr. Daniels said he had no criticism
of the work of the board of awards headed
by Rear Admiral Austin NJ Knight, and
that its recommendations were faithfully
made on the basis of the meager informa-
ton