Valor Tales

One thing that frequently appears while researching military bravery is that it often is a trait that runs in families. It is not uncommon to see that sons and fathers or brothers have acquitted themselves on the field of battle with such heroics that they have received similar valor awards as their family. Whether this is due to a familial bond over selfless service or if it’s a genetic trait and is literally in their blood is a debate for another writer. I merely report on these incredible stories. One such father-son pair of heroes is Francis Scanland Sr and Francis Scanland Jr. Both men served in the US Navy and they both received the Navy Cross, the US’s second highest award for combat valor, during the Second World War. They are perhaps the only father-son pair to receive the Navy Cross in WWII. Interestingly, they were both also at the same rank (Commander) when they were so awarded. For brevity and clarity’s sake, I’ll refer to them as Senior and Junior herein. Senior w...