Valor Tales

The Victoria Cross (VC) is Britain’s highest honor. As with the American Medal of Honor (MoH), it is not only the country’s highest award overall, but is awarded solely for combat bravery. Both awards were instituted about the same time, with the VC being created in 1856 and the MoH in 1861. Since then 1,358 VCs have been awarded compared to 3,524 MoHs. While there have been 19 double MoH recipients, only three men have earned a second VC. These are my subject today. Arthur Martin-Leake, VC & Bar, VD Photo Circa 1902 Arthur Martin-Leake hailed from Hertfordshire, England where he was born in 1874. Schooled as a physician, he enlisted with the Imperial Yeomanry during the Second Boer War that started in 1899. The Yeomanry was a volunteer mounted infantry force that first left for South Africa in 1900. The Boers were Dutch-speaking inhabitants of the eastern parts of South Africa that did not take kindly to British rule. During the First Boer War, the Boers had won some i...

AMERICAN AWARDS - A Brief History America, fiercely against many European military traditions, did not have a formal system for any awards or decorations for decades after its forming. In fact, they were so anti-European, that the US Navy didn’t have the rank of admiral until the Civil War (nearly 100 years after the country’s founding) because it was too Imperial. There were two Revolutionary War-era awards however. Both were awarded in exceptionally small numbers (three awards each) and neither were awarded beyond the end of the war. The oldest, and first, American award was the Fidelity Medallion. It was awarded to the soldiers who captured British Major John Andre. Andre was famously the British point of contact for Benedict Arnold (a disaffected American general who turned traitor and gave Britain intelligence in exchange for a British generalcy). Only three men of the New York Militia received the award and it was never bestowed again. Often referred to (incorrectly) as A...

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...

Aaron Fisher was born the son of a Civil War veteran just before the turn of the 20th Century. His father, being black, had served with the Colored Troops during the war. Fisher, following in his father’s footsteps enlisted with the Army in 1911. Initially assigned to the segregated 9th Cavalry Regiment he was then assigned to the 24th Infantry Regiment, another segregated unit. By 1916 he’d been promoted to Corporal and was taking part in General Pershing’s in service along the Mexican border. They joined the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa into Mexico. After that, Fisher and the 24th Infantry was sent to guard Camp Logan near Houston, still under construction. Here the all-black regiment was met with significant animosity by the local white population. Fisher had been transferred to the 366th Infantry Regiment and promoted to Sergeant before 150 black soldiers of the 24th Infantry, protesting against discrimination they’d received, went on a march into Houston on ...

As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the largest amphibious assault in human history, I’d like to highlight one man amongst the 150,000+ there on June 6, 1944. Of the tens of thousands of Americans that fought on D-Day, 12 received Medals of Honor. Nine of those awards were made posthumously. The subject of my article is one of those posthumous awards. Most people will have heard the name Theodore Roosevelt, I mean he is a legendary American historical figure. His face is one of only four on Mount Rushmore, and the only one from the 20th Century. He influenced American military and foreign policy all through today. He was a staunch conservationist and we have many national parks and the entirety of the US Forest Service due to him. He was also a true badass, surviving an assassin’s bullet to his chest, but not before giving a 50 page speech over the course of 90 minutes before seeking medical help. However, President Teddy Roosevelt’s contributions to today’s subject are purel...

Today's valor tale is another two for one. This time, the two men being honored were a team of air aces from the First World War. Frank Luke and Joseph Wehner were aviation pioneers that together logged 24 kills in the air over Europe. There were four men awarded Medals of Honor for their exploits in the air during World War I. Two were posthumous for men trying to resupply the Lost Battalion. The other two were given to air aces. An ace is a fighter pilot who has downed five or more enemy airplanes. One of those was to a very famous aviator you're sure to have heard of, the celebrated top American ace of the war, Captain Eddie Rickenbacker. The last recipient is one of the subjects of today's story, Lieutenant Frank Luke. Frank Luke was born in Phoenix, in the Arizona Territory, and grew up in a family with eight brothers and sisters. A skilled athlete, he enlisted into the Aviation Section of the US Army Signal Corps shortly after America's entry to the War...