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18 Medal Valor Group of Mustang CDR James Henry Norwood (5/14/01-5/14/94), regretfully given away in 1955 at San Francisco.


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The original medals of CDR James Henry “Hank” Norwood are the missing part of an otherwise extensive group of articles, uniforms, ribbons, original service records, citations and photos that his three surviving daughters had kept since his death nearly 21 years ago. Nine of his twenty-six years in the Navy were as a “China Sailor” on three different ships in the pre-WW II Asiatic Fleet. Below is CDR Norwood’s group as I recreated and mounted it with his original commander’s and boatswain insignia and garrison cap device. The Second Nicaraguan and Yangtze Medals are both ring suspension, unnumbered, older strikes. The China Service is a ring suspension US Mint strike that was found as a planchet only and is now put to good use. The Mexican Border Service is a 1930’s N.S. Meyer strike. The others are period medals. His group would also include the Navy Unit Commendation and Combat Action ribbons.

 

 

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The three identifiable medals of Hank’s original group are his named Good Conduct Medal dated “1931” delivered 6/24/33 on the USS Blackhawk; Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal no. 4672 delivered 12/12/31 on the USS Tulsa and Yangtze Service Medal no. 6048 delivered 12/10/34 on the USS Blackhawk. Scans follow of the receipts for these, his 1949 Navpers 553 “Separation from Service” document and the page of his July 1946 written application for transfer to the regular navy as a commissioned officer (he held a permanent warrant as chief boatswain) that lists his “awards, decorations and medals”.

 

 

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In the words of his youngest daughter, Cathy, here is what happened to Hank Norwood’s medal group sixty years ago. As background for the story, he and his wife had separated in the late 1940’s due to “unintentional friction caused by in-laws on both sides” as Cathy describes it. Following his forced retirement from the Navy in 1949 due to medical reasons, he lived in Oregon. By the mid-50’s, he was living with his sister and brother-in-law at their house on Beck Ave. in Salem. Hank’s wife and daughters were living with his mother-in-law in San Francisco.

 

“After mama's death in the fall of 1954, sometime (I believe) in 1955, we moved to 809 South Van Ness (second building from the corner of 19th and South Van Ness) in San Francisco. There was a bakery (a large brick building) on the corner of South Van Ness. It was on the same side of the street as our flat, but just across the street. The father of the family who rented the lower flat, worked at the bakery. When the baking was being done, you could smell the wonderful aroma of fresh baked bread.

 

The large Victorian house had been partitioned into 4 flats. Grandmother rented the upper flat on the right of the building. For a while, our rental included a garage underneath the building. The garage was later partitioned off to make room for other renters.

 

The landlord, Mr. Page, owned a bar directly across the street from the building where our flat was located. Mr. Page was always very respectful and ready to help with whatever we needed. He employed a maintenance man by the name of Luigi who would be sent over to our house anytime anything needed to be fixed.

 

During the move to 809 South Van Ness, the movers initially brought our huge metal trunks, suitcases and packed boxes into the garage, taking only the furniture and essentials up to the flat. There were so many things and much that needed to be looked through and given away -- there wasn't room in the flat for all of the stuff. It's possible that Luigi was in the garage helping the men move the trunks and boxes up to our flat, but he was not the person who ended up with the medals.

 

Later, at grandmother's request, Mr. Page sent some guys over from the bar to bring the trunks and large boxes upstairs to our flat. From the best that we can remember, it was during this time that one of the guys, who came over to help, said something like, "oh -- look at ALL those medals." Jenny and I vaguely remember that they were mounted in a wooden case. We think Lydia was upstairs helping grandmother, so it would have been the three of us in the garage (Trudy, Jenny and me). One of us responded by asking the man if he wanted them. He said yes and took them.”

 

Cathy was about 14 at the time; her twin sisters Jenny and Trudy were about 16. Sixty years later, Cathy and Jenny are about the kindest most generous ladies you’d ever hope to meet, so I can say they haven’t changed from when they were kids. But, they do regret innocently giving away their dad’s medals to a stranger that was impressed by them sixty years ago. The only medal that survives with the rest of Hank’s large group is his knob- suspension, China Service (extended) (service on the USS Alpine) in its brown envelope, undoubtedly because that medal was represented by a 5/16 inch bronze star on the drape of Hank’s ring suspension China Service medal (service on the USS Finch) that was in the wooden case along with its seventeen brothers that left home in 1955.

 

 

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Hank’s eldest daughter, Lulie, who passed away at 34 years of age in 1970 following a short-illness, once wrote, “I know more about my father’s medals than I know about my father”. Hank tried to make up for the time he lost with his three remaining daughters when they were growing up. To his credit, he never mentioned his medals nor gave the girls any guilt about them when they reunited with their dad as young women in 1964, until his dying day, still sharp as a tack, on his 93rd birthday in 1994.

 

 

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