Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Share #1 Posted May 13, 2018 These don't turn up often (or ever). There were approximately 125 issued from 1927-1940 almost all to DSC, DSM or MOH winners. The medal was revived in 1988 with much different criteria. The new ones also look like they came out of a cracker-jack box. I have the nearly full list of recipients from the NJ state archives. This one is a beauty. Enameled on the front and engraved on the back. "To Chris L. Edell Seagirt July 13 19130 From Gov. Larson" Chris Edell was presented with a Distinguished Service Cross in 1929 for bravery in October 1918 with Company C, 303rd Engineers, 78th Division. He went on to have an illustrious career. He was elected Sheriff of Passaic County, New Jersey. He was New Jersey commander of the VFW, a delegate to the Democratic Party convention that nominated FDR in 1944, and National Commander of the Army and Navy Legion of Valor. In this role he met with President Truman in 1949. He died an untimely death in 1952. He was called the "Fightingest Veteran for Veterans in the U.S.A." in his obituary. A bronze memorial to him was erected to at the Passaic County Courthouse in Paterson, NJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #2 Posted May 13, 2018 The reverse: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted May 13, 2018 When he received his DSC in 1929 he showed up in the newspaper, mostly because he was standing next to a young Jimmy Doolittle who was presented with a DFC and OLC at the same time. He had just completed the first "blind" (instrument only) flight in history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #4 Posted May 13, 2018 The medal comes with many other things that belonged to Edell, including his named and numbered Purple Heart. Sadly the DSC is not here. I believe he was probably buried with it. He had no children and was unmarried. He also was clearly very proud of his DSC. I may get an unnamed example to display with the group. The miniature one is a nice early example, clearly his. The book is a history of his unit, Company C, 303rd Engineers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #5 Posted May 13, 2018 Sheriff Edell with Hop-A-Long Cassidy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #6 Posted May 13, 2018 Naming on PH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #7 Posted May 13, 2018 He should technically have an Oak Leaf on his PH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #8 Posted May 13, 2018 Book about his Unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #9 Posted May 13, 2018 303rd Engineers certificate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #10 Posted May 13, 2018 Original DSC citation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #11 Posted May 13, 2018 DSC certificate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #12 Posted May 13, 2018 There was some delay in the award of his DSC (he did not get it until 1929). Here is a letter from his Congressman in 1924 addressing this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 13, 2018 Author Share #13 Posted May 13, 2018 The bronze monument to Edell at the Passaic County Courthouse. The plaque was made by the well known Paterson artist, Gaetano Frederici. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medalman90 Posted May 16, 2018 Share #14 Posted May 16, 2018 This is really a phenomenal group. I also learned a bit about the Jersey DSM that I didn’t know previously. Thanks for sharing. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share #15 Posted May 19, 2018 Article about Edell's Bronze memorial at the Passaic Court House. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share #16 Posted May 19, 2018 Just a few of the lapel pins that came with the group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share #17 Posted May 19, 2018 In 1943-44, Edell was State (Department) Commander for New Jersey of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Here is his badge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share #18 Posted May 19, 2018 Reverse of VFW Medal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 19, 2018 Author Share #19 Posted May 19, 2018 In his capacity as Department Commander for New Jersey, Edell is quoted in the New York Times in connection with the infamous "Patton slaps a Soldier" scandal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted May 19, 2018 Share #20 Posted May 19, 2018 Beautiful group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefighter Posted May 20, 2018 Share #21 Posted May 20, 2018 Amazing stuff. I never knew the NJ DSM was that old. Now I know where the AF got its AFOUA ribbon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share #22 Posted May 20, 2018 The NJ DSM was originally created in 1858. It was very sparingly issued. From 1927 to 1938 it was issued to about 100 WWI veterans. I am in the process of putting a spreadsheet together of these men. Many (like Edell) were DSC winners. Others were MOH, DSM and Silver Star winners. A few were high ranking NJNG officers with no federal award. The medal seems to have been in abeyance from 1938-1988. Governor Kean brought it back in 1988 but with totally different award criteria.. Today it is quite common. The modern one's don't come close to these old ones in terms of looks. Here's the new one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 20, 2018 Author Share #23 Posted May 20, 2018 Many of the medals issued between 1927-1938 were awarded by the Governor during the summer at Sea Girt. (Like Edell's.) Sea Girt was the site of the "Little White House", the governor's summer mansion on the Jersey Shore. It was also the location of the NJNG HQ. The NJ NG MIlitia Museum is still there today. The House was torn down in 1971. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share #24 Posted May 27, 2018 The Passaic County Historical Society has been a big help. Here is Mr. Edell's obit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion27 Posted May 27, 2018 Author Share #25 Posted May 27, 2018 Page 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now