Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-11-27
Deeds of Heroism Remembered By the Government
Nations Medal Of Honor
Men Out Of All Wars Are
Probably Under ESQ Today

/ WASHINGTON QP9.-Military medals
and the bright bits of ribbon that
betoken them have lost their SAVIOR
somewhat for the ordinary beholder
in these postwar days of many deco
rationS
| But scattered over the country are
some $50 men, most of them bent
with age, who may wear in their but
tonholes a tiny rosette of red, white
and blue, or a button of blue, studded
with white stars, which marks them
as the bravest of the brave-the
Medal of Honor men of the army.
No one knows exactly how many
living men are entitled to wear this
highest of American tributes to sol
dierly valor. Their ranks are thin
ming fast now as the days of the war
between the states are shadowed by
with it's 100000 young Americans in
France and it's countless acts Of hero
ism, added but go names to the gall
liant living company
/ But in the yellowing records of the
war department, set down in cold Off
/ cial language that yet fails to obscure
/ the glowing, thrilling record of human
! daring "above and beyond the call Of
duty" it narrates, is the long story
( these heroes have written on the
! brightest page of American history. 1t
begins in 1868 and closes with the end
of hostilities in the World war; to be
taken up again and carried forward
only when Americans again are called
to battle.
| There are 1889 names on that great
muster roll of the bravest, the first
entry being set down March IS, 1868.
Checking and rechecking against PEN
sion office returns has disclosed 249
known survivors. A pitifully large
i proportion of the older heroes have
been forced to take advantage Of the
act of congress that conferred on
honor medal holders who had reached
the age Of 65 an added pension OF
$40 month. That there are others
4 who have not applied for this pay
ment is not to be doubted.
Before the act of 1861 which cre-
ated the congressional medal of honor
no valor decoration was provided for
the American army. Certificates OF
merit could be given to enlisted men
only. Officers were debarred. In
theory, dating back to the birth Of
the American democracy, all monarch
ial customs had been abolished, in
cluding the comforting of orders, title
or rank.
!! Even when the medal act was put
through more than two years elapsed,
before awards were made under 1t.
So the first entry is for six men OF
the Ohio volunteer infantry - Ser
geants Elihu H. Mason, 22nd regi-
ment; Jacob Parrott, 33rd regiment,
; and William Pittenger End regiment;
! Corporal william H. Reddick, 33rd
regiment, and Privates William Bin
singer and Robert Buffum 21St reg1-
ment. This is their citation:
zone of % men (including two
civilians) who by direction OF General
/ Mitchell Cor BuelD penetrated nearly
; 200 miles south into the cnemy's ter
, ritory and captured a railroad train
at Big Shanty,, Ca, in an attempt
to destroy the bridges and track be-
7 tween Chattanooga and Atlanta
While this is the first award, q pre-
ceding act of heroisnl for which
: award was made nearly 35 years later
is recorded in the case of Assistant
Surgeon Bernard j. D. Irwin. He re-
ceived his medal in 1894, but 1t was
for courage displayed in action against
hostile Indians in 1861.
, During 1868 only 20 Of the precious
medals were awarded, all to volun-
teers. In 1864, volunteers received "a
and regulars three In 1865, the num-
her of volunteer awards leaped up to
1854, of which S64, all to men OF one
regiment and awarded not for valor
in action, we're later stricken from the
list, while one regular won a medal
in that year. From then on, year
= by year, medals were conferred for
, past action or during the later wars
- in small numbers until the World
: war bulge of 80, a third of which
y were awarded posthumously, came
= = Lieut.. Col Charles w. Whittelsey,
> commander of the Lost Battalion in
. Meuse -Argonne, and Private Thomas
. Neibaur, Co. M, 18TH infantry, were
i the first to receive the medal in the
World war Whittelsey is the only
: World war medal holder known by
n the war department to have died since
e the war. Others included such out
e standing heroes as SergeatltS Samuel
: Woodfill and Alvin G. York.
~