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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



This medal bears the same relation to the 

 Mexican Service Medal that the Spanish War 

 Medal bears to the Spanish Campaign Medal, 

 having been given to those who were ready and 

 who were engaged in work aiding the further- 

 ance of our policy, but who did not succeed in 

 participating in any actual engagements; so 

 the sheathed sword is again appropriate, and 

 the medal is exactly the sameas the Spanish 

 War Medal, except that the inscription sub- 

 stitutes "Mexican Border" for "Spanish War." 

 The colors of the ribbon are also the same, 

 green and yellow, but the arrangement in this 

 case is suggestive of the Mexican flag with its 

 three stripes of equal width. 



19. The Mexican Service Medal was 

 awarded to all officers and men who took part 

 in the Vera Cruz Expedition of 1914; in the 

 punitive expedition under General Pershing in 

 19 16-17 ; in the other authorized expeditions into 

 Mexico which occurred about the same time; 

 and in the various engagements along the 

 border since 191 1 in which there were casual- 

 ties among the American forces. 



The last incident for which this medal is 

 authorized was the expedition under General 

 Erwin, which entered Mexico at Juarez in 

 June, 1919. This medal was designed by Col. 

 J. R. M. Taylor, U. S. A. On the obverse 

 "is a Mexican yucca plant in bloom, with 

 mountains in the background. The green 

 edges of the ribbon suggest Mexico, the na- 

 tional colors of that country being green, 

 white and red. 



20 and 21. Lh?E-Saving Medals. — These are 

 bestowed by the Treasury Department, under 

 authority of an act of Congress of 1874, on 

 persons who at the risk of their own lives 

 save persons from drowning within the United 

 States waters or from an American vessel. 

 They can be awarded either to civilians or to 

 members of the military and naval forces. 

 There are two of these medals — one in gold 

 suspended from a red ribbon, the other in 

 silver with a blue ribbon. These medals are 

 worn on the Army uniform on occasions of 

 ceremony, but no service ribbons are per- 

 mitted. 



NAVY MEDALS 



£2. The Navy Cross is a personal decora- 

 tion established by Congress in February, 1919, 

 and can be awarded to any one in the naval 

 service who distinguishes himself by ex- 

 traordinary heroism or other distinguished 

 service not justifying the award of the Medal 

 of Honor or the Distinguished Service Medal. 

 It was designed by the sculptor, Mr. J. E. 

 Fraser, of New York City. 



23. The New Medal of Honor has just 

 been approved by the Navy Department, to 

 take the place of the old one which dated from 

 the Civil War. It is of solid gold and was de- 

 signed by Tiffany & Company, of New York 

 City. Prior to this war about 750 Navy Medals 

 of Honor had been awarded. 



24. The Navy Distinguished Service 

 Medal is a decoration and can be given to any 

 one serving with the Navy "who shall distin- 

 guish himself by specially meritorious services 



in a duty of great responsibility." It was estab- 

 lished by act of Congress in February, 1919. 

 It was designed by the jewelry firm of White- 

 head & Hoag and is suspended from a ribbon 

 in the Navy colors, blue and gold. 



25. The Old Naval Medal oe Honor. — 

 (For the conditions under which this was 

 awarded see preceding article.) This design is 

 the original one and dates from the time of the 

 Civil War. The central medallion represents 

 Minerva warding off Discord. The same de- 

 sign was also in use during the Civil War by 

 the Army (see No. 6), with the exception that 

 the anchor was replaced by a trophy of arms 

 surmounted by an eagle. Originally the ribbon 

 for this medal had thirteen vertical stripes of 

 red and white with a narrow band of blue 

 across the top (No. 6). The present ribbon 

 (see No. 22) was adopted by the Navy in 1913. 



26. The Civil War Medal was awarded for 

 service in the Navy or Marine Corps during 

 the Civil War. The obverse shows the famous 

 battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac. 

 The ribbon is the same as for the Army. 



27. The Marine Corps Good Conduct 

 Badge is given to any enlisted man of the Ma- 

 rine Corps who has served one full enlistment 

 of four years with marked attention to his 

 duties and is recommended by his commanding 

 officer for obedience, sobriety, industry, cour- 

 age, neatness, and proficiency. Having re- 

 ceived one such badge and on any subsequent 

 recommendation at the end of a four years' 

 term of service, he is given a bar to be worn on 

 the ribbon of the badge. The obverse bears a 

 ship's anchor and chain, and in the center a 

 marine standing at the breech of a rapid-fire 

 gun, and on a scroll the motto of the Marine 

 Corps, "Semper Fidelis." The reverse has the 

 inscription "Fidelity - Zeal - Obedience" in a 

 circle inclosing the name of the recipient, the 

 date of his enlistment, and the name of the 

 ship on which he served. 



28. The Meritorious Service Medal was 

 awarded to the personnel of the Navy or Ma- 

 rine Corps who rendered particularly hazard- 

 ous or meritorious service during the Spanish 

 War. It was authorized by act of Congress in 

 1901 and was given to the crew of the Merri- 

 mac -for their attempt to block the harbor of 

 Santiago ; to the naval officers who reconnoi- 

 tered Santiago from the land side to ascertain 

 the whereabouts of Cervera's fleet; to the 

 crews of the ships which cut cables under fire 

 and to the boats' crews which saved the lives 

 of sailors from the sinking Spanish ships at 

 the battle of Santiago. On the reverse is placed 

 the name and rank of the recipient and the 

 event and' date for which awarded. 



29. The Navy Good Conduct Medal is 

 given to enlisted men of the Navy, under the 

 same conditions as the Good Conduct Medal 

 for the Marine Corps. The obverse shows the 

 old frigate Constitution, launched in 1797. The 

 reverse is the same as the Marine Corps badge. 



30. The Spanish American War Medal 

 was awarded to all officers and men of the Navy 

 and Marine Corps who served afloat in the 

 theater of active naval operations, or on shore 

 in Cuba, Porto Rico, the Philinpines, or Guam 

 between May 1, 1898, and August 16, 1898. 



