Jump to content

Colonel Merritt Edson's Medal of Honor


Dave
 Share

Recommended Posts

Most people have heard of Merritt Edson, or at least "Edson's Raiders". Colonel Edson earned the Medal of Honor on 13/14 September 1942 with the following citation:

 

For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the 1st Marine Raider Battalion, with Parachute Battalion attached, during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands on the night of 1314 September 1942. After the airfield on Guadalcanal had been seized from the enemy on 8 August, Col. Edson, with a force of 800 men, was assigned to the occupation and defense of a ridge dominating the jungle on either side of the airport. Facing a formidable Japanese attack which, augmented by infiltration, had crashed through our front lines, he, by skillful handling of his troops, successfully withdrew his forward units to a reserve line with minimum casualties. When the enemy, in a subsequent series of violent assaults, engaged our force in desperate hand-to-hand combat with bayonets, rifles, pistols, grenades, and knives, Col. Edson, although continuously exposed to hostile fire throughout the night, personally directed defense of the reserve position against a fanatical foe of greatly superior numbers. By his astute leadership and gallant devotion to duty, he enabled his men, despite severe losses, to cling tenaciously to their position on the vital ridge, thereby retaining command not only of the Guadalcanal airfield, but also of the 1st Division's entire offensive installations in the surrounding area.

 

To follow is Edson's Medal of Honor. It is currently held at the National Museum of the Marine Corps and these photos were taken and posted with their direct permission.

Enjoy!

Dave

 

eds1.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave, you have certainly been privileged to have access to these spectacular awards, and we are privileged that you have shared them with us. Thank you.

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave,

Wow, this is the first time I've seen the engraving on the reverse of his medal. Thanks again for sharing the images of these rare and historic medals!

Mike

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave,

 

Seems you were privy to a treasure trove

 

 

No...the Marines have the treasure trove, as it should be. I just happened to be there and asked nicely to photograph what I could! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's Edson's Navy Cross. Unfortunately, at some point in it's life (it looks maybe only 15 or so years ago) someone removed the ribbon and brooch (or it might have already been done, if it had been removed from a bar) and replaced the ribbon - with a bit of velcro for a display. I gave the curator a good ribbing about the replaced ribbon and velcro and she did assure me that was no longer the museum's way of storing or retaining medals ("Not everyone in the past was good at caring for medals...")

eds4.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another remarkable photograph. Simply amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

For an interesting comparison, here's John Basilone's medal:

 

post-162020-0-41814300-1461427893.jpg

 

The differences in format and style are obvious. No, THE PRESIDENT OF THE/UNITED STATES on Edson's. On Basilone's all the lines are straight. There are decorative arrows on Basilone's pointing to TO and USMC. The fonts are different.

 

Basilone and Edson both received their medals from Gen. Vandegrift in Australia on May 21, 1943, along with Paige, and, I think, Vandegrift himself. To the best of my knowledge, MoHs presented overseas were not engraved. I'm wondering if that was the case with the pieces presented to these Marines at that time and that they later had them engraved. Basilone's format is similar to others from WWII Marines. Perhaps he had his engraved when he was back in the states. Edson could have done the same, or he could have had it done privately in Australia. It would be interesting if there was a way to find out.

 

Regardless, these photos contribute tremendously to the body of knowledge about the MoH.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Comparing format on these engraved medals is an apples to oranges deal, as more than one engraver was employed and each had their own style and techniques...there seemed to be little regulation on this, studying USN/USMC PHs and GCMs show at least a half dozen distinct hands. Some more stylish that others, some added lines or curves and such to underline and accent.

 

I've often wished we knew more about how many engravers were actually employed at a time. I suppose a in-depth study of named medals would be possible, and narrow down the years they were employed. The engraving on Basilone's is quite familiar and I believe done by a long-time official engraver of USN/USMC awards

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dave

 

Thanks for showing the pics you have taken of these historic medals. I truly appreciate it!

 

Kurt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kurt Barickman

Great threads Dave! Thanks for sharing those great close-ups of items most of us are unable to access.

 

Kurt

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Comparing format on these engraved medals is an apples to oranges deal, as more than one engraver was employed and each had their own style and techniques...there seemed to be little regulation on this, studying USN/USMC PHs and GCMs show at least a half dozen distinct hands. Some more stylish that others, some added lines or curves and such to underline and accent.

 

I've often wished we knew more about how many engravers were actually employed at a time. I suppose a in-depth study of named medals would be possible, and narrow down the years they were employed. The engraving on Basilone's is quite familiar and I believe done by a long-time official engraver of USN/USMC awards

 

 

I would LOVE to find out about who engraved the Marine Purple Hearts. That's one I'm lacking info on. The Navy ones I've been able to pin down, to include the actual engraver (by name) of many of the more stylistic early Type 1 engraved PHs.

 

I have a hunch that Basilone's might have been reissued to his NOK when he was killed. Just a hunch... I did ask to photograph his posthumous PH, but it's in the Commandant's dining room at the Pentagon and that was more hassle than I was willing to go through to photograph it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

firefighter

Dave you are one lucky person. Not many people get to see so much military history and heroism up close.Conl Edson's MoH is so matter of factly, AWARDED TO. Amazing stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic photos. Keep them coming. A note in regards to the medal inscription comparison with Basilone's, There is a reason why the inscriptions were different styles. Edson and Vandegrift DID NOT receive their medals until later on. If you look at the many photos from the actual ceremony, only Basilone and Paige received actual medals. Edson and Vandegrift were given only the ribbon bars as only two medals could be quickly found at the time. It was decided, probably by Vandegrift himself, that the two lower ranking marines were to actually receive the medals while the higher ranking men, Edson and the general himself, would be presented with the ribbon bars. It wasn't until much later that Edson and Vandegrift finally received their actual medals.

 

Mark Costa

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fantastic photos. Keep them coming. A note in regards to the medal inscription comparison with Basilone's, There is a reason why the inscriptions were different styles. Edson and Vandegrift DID NOT receive their medals until later on. If you look at the many photos from the actual ceremony, only Basilone and Paige received actual medals. Edson and Vandegrift were given only the ribbon bars as only two medals could be quickly found at the time. It was decided, probably by Vandegrift himself, that the two lower ranking marines were to actually receive the medals while the higher ranking men, Edson and the general himself, would be presented with the ribbon bars. It wasn't until much later that Edson and Vandegrift finally received their actual medals.

 

Mark Costa

I really enjoyed your comments about the MoH ceremony in Australia on May 21, 1943. I've seen the photo a hundred times and never noticed that only Paige and Basilone were actually wearing medals. Duh! If I had noticed I probably would have just assumed that Vandegrift and Edson had removed theirs for some reason or hadn't actually been presented theirs yet. You have excellent observation skills!

 

Because of the difference in engraving between Edson and Basilone I decided to see if I could locate Paige's and Vandegrift's pieces for comparison. I think I know where Paige's medal is and, if I am correct, I'll try to get a copy of the engraving. Don't know yet about Vandegrift's. Perhaps a forum member knows and could share that info.

 

Anyway, while researching Paige I came across the following quote from him:

 

" 'On May 21, 1943, in Australia, General Alexander Archer Vandegrift, commanding general of the First Marine Division, hung the Medal of Honor around my neck," Paige recalled. "I remember his exact words: 'Son, you are the first enlisted Marine in my division to be awarded this medal.' And as we shook hands, he glanced at my ribbons and said, 'I see you were also in China. I need men like you to stay with the division. I need your experience, so if you don't mind I would like to keep you around for a while longer.' "

 

"At the same parade in Australia, a photo was taken of Gen Vandegrift, Col Merritt Austin Edson, Second Lieutenant Mitchell Paige and Sergeant John Basilone. All had been awarded Medals of Honor: Vandegrift (for the Guadalcanal Campaign) and Edson, who commanded the 1st Marine Raider Battalion (for heroism on Bloody Ridge), had been presented theirs earlier. Paige and Basilone received theirs at the parade."

 

" 'An interesting aside to the photo is the fact that photographers wanted pictures of all of us, but Colonel Edson didn't have his medal or ribbons with him. All he had were his marksmanship badges.

 

" 'While he was at the command post, he saw the medals that were to be presented, so he borrowed the ribbon from my box. The photo shows old 'Red Mike' in all his glory, with shooting badges and the ribbon for my Medal of Honor, which he returned later.' "

- See more at: https://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/mitch-paige-forgotten-hero#sthash.Ez47xCdZ.dpuf

 

I no longer have Paige's book so I don't know if these comments were from that or some place else.

 

I also came across a captioned photo of the four MoH men from that date (I think this is the photo you are referring to since it shows only Paige and Basilone with a cravat around their neck. It appears Vandegrift could have a MoH ribbon bar as his top award but Edson is turned a little too far to the left to see any of the appurtenances he is wearing):

 

post-162020-0-94451600-1461965250.jpg

 

Interestingly, the caption specifically states that only Paige and Basilone received their MoHs that day. It notes that Vandegrift had received his at the White House on February 5, 1943, three months earlier! It further states that Edson had received his medal on December 31, 1943. That's impossible as this picture was taken on May 21, 1943, so I'm assuming "1943" should be "1942" and Edson had already received his medal, which ties in with Paige's comments previously noted.

 

While the Vandegrift WH presentation should be fairly easy to verify, I'm assuming Edson's presentation was in the SW Pacific somewhere. I have not been able to find a specific reference to his presentation date anywhere on-line.

 

I also don't have Edson's book any more and I am hoping a forum member who does have this and/or Paige's autobiography can check and see what information they give on the actual presentation dates.

 

Also, again, if anyone knows where Vandegrift's medal is or has a photo of the engraving it would be most appreciated if you would share.

 

Thanks!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here are a coupe of photos that might be of interest. One of Edson receiving his MOH and the other of the Basilone / paige presentations showing Edson and the general at a better angle to see their ribbons.

 

Mark Costa

post-2602-0-23289100-1461983898.jpg

post-2602-0-31853000-1461983908.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark,

Great pix. They seem to confirm Paige's comments. In addition, I found on-line FDR's day-by-day schedule and for Feb 4, 1943, not Feb 5, 1943, at 11:00 am, the presentation to Vandegrift of the MOH is confirmed. Your photo of Edson is obviously taken at a different location than the May 1943 ceremony. Any idea where it was taken? Edson, in your photo, appears to be in a different uniform than in the May 1943 Australia ceremony.

 

Thanks for your help on this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mark,

I think that photo confirms that only Paige and Basilone were presented their medals on May 21, 1943. Too bad that the caption didn't give more info but I suppose wartime censorship had something to do with that. The date on the photo is 9Mar43 but I know that doesn't necessarily equate to Edson's actual presentation date.

Thanks for posting these and helping to correct history!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...