Mansfield Area Marines Sponsors
We are currently seeking additional sponsorship from companies or individuals to further assist in our goals for assisting Marines.
All contributions are tax deductible
All contributions are tax deductible
$1,000.00 Distinguished Service Sponsor
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The Navy Distinguished Service Medal was established by an Act of Congress and approved on February 4, 1919 and, like the Navy Cross, was made retroactive to April 6, 1917. During this period there was confusion about what criteria constituted the award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and what criteria constituted the award of the Navy Cross. At the outbreak of World War II, laws governing the award of naval decorations were changed with Public Law 702, which placed the Navy Cross above the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and clearly limited the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service and not for acts of heroism. The first Navy Distinguished Service Medal was awarded, posthumously, to Brigadier General Charles M. Doyen, USMC.
$500.00 Silver Star Sponsor
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The Silver Star Awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States or while engaged in military operations involving conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The level of gallantry required, while of a high degree, is less than that required for the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross or Navy Cross. The Silver Star is derived from the Army’s “Citation Star”, a 3/16" dia. silver star device which was worn on the ribbon bar and suspension ribbon of the “appropriate Army campaign medal” by any soldier cited in orders for gallantry in action. Although most applicable to the World War I Victory Medal, it was retroactive to all Army campaign medals dating back to the Civil War.
The actual Silver Star Medal was instituted in 1932 with the first award presented to General Douglas MacArthur, the Army’s then-Chief-of-Staff. The Silver Star was designed by Rudolf Freund of the firm of Bailey, Banks and Biddle. On August 7, 1942, the award was extended to Navy personnel and, later that year, authorized for civilians serving with the armed forces who met the stated criteria specified in the initial regulation.
$250.00 Bronze Star Sponsor
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The Bronze Star Medal Authorized on February 4, 1944, retroactive to December 7, 1941. It is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight.
The Bronze Star was originally conceived by the U.S. Navy as a junior decoration comparable to the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious actions by ground and surface personnel. The level of required service would not be sufficient to warrant the Silver Star if awarded for heroism or the Legion of Merit if awarded for meritorious achievement. In a strange twist of fate, the Bronze Star Medal did not reach fruition until championed by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II. Marshall was seeking a decoration that would reward front line troops, particularly infantrymen, whose ranks suffered the heaviest casualties and were forced to endure the greatest danger and hardships during the conflict. Once established, the Bronze Star Medal virtually became the sole province of the Army in terms of the number of medals awarded.
Although Marshall wanted the Bronze Star Medal to be awarded with the same freedom as the Air Medal, it never came close to the vast numbers of Air Medals distributed during the war. The only exception was the award of the Bronze Star Medal to every soldier of the 101st Airborne Division who had fought in the Normandy invasion, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge or were wounded.
The Bronze Star Medal Authorized on February 4, 1944, retroactive to December 7, 1941. It is awarded to individuals who, while serving in the United States Armed Forces in a combat theater, distinguish themselves by heroism, outstanding achievement or by meritorious service not involving aerial flight.
The Bronze Star was originally conceived by the U.S. Navy as a junior decoration comparable to the Air Medal for heroic or meritorious actions by ground and surface personnel. The level of required service would not be sufficient to warrant the Silver Star if awarded for heroism or the Legion of Merit if awarded for meritorious achievement. In a strange twist of fate, the Bronze Star Medal did not reach fruition until championed by General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff during World War II. Marshall was seeking a decoration that would reward front line troops, particularly infantrymen, whose ranks suffered the heaviest casualties and were forced to endure the greatest danger and hardships during the conflict. Once established, the Bronze Star Medal virtually became the sole province of the Army in terms of the number of medals awarded.
Although Marshall wanted the Bronze Star Medal to be awarded with the same freedom as the Air Medal, it never came close to the vast numbers of Air Medals distributed during the war. The only exception was the award of the Bronze Star Medal to every soldier of the 101st Airborne Division who had fought in the Normandy invasion, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge or were wounded.
$150.00 Meritorious Service Sponsor
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Meritorious Service Medal Authorized on January 16, 1969 and awarded to members of the Armed Forces for noncombat meritorious achievement or meritorious service after that date. The Meritorious Service Medal evolved from an initial recommendation in 1918 by General John J. Pershing, the Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. He suggested that an award for meritorious service be created to provide special recognition to deserving individuals by the U.S. government. Although the request by General Pershing was disapproved, it was revisited several more times during World War II and afterwards. During the Vietnam War the proposal to create the medal received significant attention and was eventually approved when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the executive order on January 16, 1969. The Meritorious Service Medal cannot be awarded for service in a combat theater. It has often been the decoration of choice for both end of tour and retirement recognition for field grade officers and senior enlisted personnel.
$100.00 Friends of Mansfield Area Marines Sponsor
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The Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal is awarded for outstanding performance, based on good conduct and faithful service for three- year periods of continuous active enlisted service. This medal is worn after the Prisoner of War Medal and before the Selected Marine Corps Reserve Medal.
The Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal was established by the Secretary of the Navy on July 20, 1896. The medal is awarded to an enlisted Marine for obedience, sobriety, military proficiency, neatness and intelligence during three years of continuous active service. The Marine receiving the award must have had no convictions by court martial and no more than one nonjudicial punishment during the three-year period. For the first award, the medal may be awarded to the next-of-kin in those cases where the individual is missing in action or dies of wounds received in combat. A Marine may also receive the medal if separated from the service as a result of wounds incurred in combat.