Air Force Crosses are both for actions in aerial combat

in Southeast Asia.

Conclusion

While it is the youngest gallantry decoration in the pyramid of honor, the history of the Air Force Cross and its recipients is already rich and varied. Its link with the award cri:eria and design of the Army Distinguished Service Cross make it a unique decoration. The fact that the Air Force Cross may be awarded for non-combgo~ valor makes it doubly unique. Finally, while the Air Force is about airframes and flying, the story of its recipients proves that the extraordinary heroism of airmen occurs on the ground as well. All in all, a great history worth telling.-,°

Endnotes:

1. For a comprehensive history of the Soldier’s Medal, see Fred Borch and William R. Westlake, The Soldier ~ Medal: A Histo~3, of the U.S. Army’s Highest Award for Non-Combat Valor. Tempe. Ariz: Botch & Westlake Publishing (1994). 2. The Army Commendation Medal was first known as the Commendation Ribbon with Pendant. This is because the award began as a ribbon-only award in 1945; the "medal" or pendant was added to the ribbon in 1948. See, Fred L. Borch, "For Military Merit: A History of the Army Commendation Medal," The Medal

Collector 46:5-22 (June 1995). 3. For example, see U.S. Air Force Far East Command General Orders. 4. Memo, The [Army] Judge Advocate General to The Quartermaster General, Subject: "AF proposal to redesignate certain medals as Air Force Cross and Airman’s Medal," August 12, t957. 5. Public Law 165, 93rd Congress, July 9, 1918. 6. The recipients were Captains Tilford W. Harp and Denms W. Traynor. See discussion of recipients, ~nfra. 7. The recipients were 1 st Lieutenant Urban L. Drew and Lieutenant Colonel William J. Sloan. 8. The Commission of Fine Arts, established by Congress on May 17, 1910, is an independent agency that advises the Federal and District of Columbia governments on matters of art and architecture. In Executive Order 3524 of July 28, 1921, then President Warren G. Harding directed that all designs of coins and medals be submitted

to the Commission for approval--which explains why Cox’s proposed design was submiued to the Commission in January 1960. 9. Report of the Commission of Fine Arts, 1 July 1958 to June 30, 1963, p. 64. 10. Letter, David E. Finley, Chairman. Commission of Fine Arts, to Colonel James S. Cook, Jr., Chief, Heraldic Branch, Office of the Quartermaster General, Deptartment of the Army, Jan. 27, 1960.

11. Ultimately, Thomas Hudson Jones, an employee of the Institute of Heraldry, took Cox’s sketch and sculpted the new award in plaster. The Air Force then submitted the plaster cast to the Commission, which gave final clearance in mid-1961. Jones (1892-1969), an accomplished sculptor, not only made the plaster model of the Air Force Cross, but designed a large number of U.S. decorations and medals during his career. These included: the Airman’s Medal, Army of Occupation of Germany Medal, Korean Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. He also designed the obverses

14

of the American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific and European-African- Middle Eastern Campaign Medals. Jones also submitted the award winning design for the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

12. Memo, Lieutenant Colonel James S. Cook, Jr., Chief, Heraldic Branch. Office of Quartermaster General to Chief, Awards Branch, Personnel <Services Division, Department of the Air Force, Subject: Proposed Air Force Decorations (Distinguished Service Cross;

Airman’s Medal), June 25, 1958. 13. Memo, Chief, Personnel Service Division, U.S. Air Force to Office of Quartermaster General, Department of Army, Subject: Ribbon 1or Air Force Cross Medal, April 25, 1961. t4. Letter, L,eutenant Colonel R.D. Norton, Chief, Awards Branch, U.S. A~ !-’o~e t~ Otflc~ c,f Quartermaster General Heraldic Officer, Subject: Air Force Cross, April 10, 1962. 15. Letter, Lmutenant Colonel George Kelley, Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army to Chief, Awards Branch, Department of the Air Force, Subject: Decoration, Air Force Cross, September 12, 1962. 16. Letter, Lieutenant Colonel George Kelley. Institute of Heraldry, U.S. Army to Purchasing and Contracting Office, U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, Subject: Decoration, Air Force Cross, October 8, 1962.

17. Memo, Cook to Chief, Awards Branch, United States Air Force, June 25, 1958. 18. Memo, Benjamin W. Fridge, Special Assistant for Manpower, Personnel & Reserve Forces, Department of the Air Force to Secretary of the Air Force [Eugene M.] Zuckert, May 1 1963.

19. Memo for Record, G.E. Catloth, Technical Division, Air Force Awards Branch, Subject: Air Force Cross, December 10, 1962. 20. For a new and comprehensive history of the Air Force Cross, including all citations of recipients, see Fred L. Borch and Jeffrey B. Floyd. For Extraordina~y Heroism: A Histo~3, of the Air Force

Cross. Tempe, Ariz.: Borch and Westtake Pubhshing (2004) (forthcoming)

In the News

A framed set of medals awarded to American World War I ace First Lieutenant Jacques Swaab was sold at auction at Bonhams and Butterfields of San Francisco on December 9, 2003. The group consisted of a Distinguished Service Cross numbered 6256; a Silver Star numbered 9839 with a small oakleaf cluster; a Purple Heart numbered 69539; a Aero Club of America Medal of Merit; a World War I Victory Medal with three clasps and 10 stars; a New York State Conspicuous Service Cross numbered 2055 and a New York World War I Service Medal. Also in the frame were a pin of the 22rid Aero Squadron, his service ribbons, a photograph and identification cards. The lot also included a number of certificates, documents and photographs. It sold at $16,000.

Swaab, from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the top- scoring ace of the 22nd Aero Squadron with 10 confirmed victories. He died on July 7, 1963.

Contributed by S. G. Yasinitsky

JOMSA

Medals of the French Foreign Legion Museum

Gene Klann

Military museums can be a veritable goldmine of information and a visual delight for medal collectors. Colorful displays, items on exhibit that are seldom seen in collector circles, the connections made between the medals and historical persons and events, and little known details found in the descriptions, all provide for the well known "medal collector’s rush." The French Foreign Legion Museum in Aubagne, France, offers all this and more. The two-story museum is located on Quartier Vienot, a small French military base that also serves as the headquarters of the Legion. Because the Legion has been involved in virtually all of the France’s military campaigns since its genesis in 1831, the museum contains a wide variety of French medal displays, facts, and related materials.

Figure 1: Mannequin of Legionnaire in the foyer of the museum.

The museum’s foyer area had changed considerably since my last visit in 1978. The first item that now greets the visitor is a full sized mannequin of a legionnaire dressed in the traditional pioneer "buffalo-hide" leather apron and shouldering an axe. He is wearing a group of three medals: the Military Valor Medal with bronze star, the Overseas Medal with two bars, and the National Defense Medal in Bronze with bar Legion Etrangere (Figure 1).

Figure 2: Valor medal groups to Legionnaires.

On the wall next to the mannequin is a huge wooden frame that contains the valor medal groups of 60 decorated legionnaires who were missing in action (Figure 2). These groups include either single medals or a combination of the following four medals: the war crosses (Croix de Guerre) from both world wars, the war cross for operations outside of France (Croix de Guerre T.O.E.), and the Military Valor Cross. All groups are preceded with the name and rank of the recipient. The

Vol. 55, No. 2 15

Figure 3: Display that includes the ~nedals of General Louis Gaultier.

Figure 4: French campaign medals in the Room of Honor.

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