MPage Posted April 7, 2022 Share #1 Posted April 7, 2022 Regarding the solid blue ribbon, my first thought was that it's the rare Bailey Medal (1885-1917/18) although it could well be a Nicaraguan Medal of Merit, which I've only seen awarded to Marines. This sailor was in the service long enough to get either. Does anyone know if any USN personnel received the Nicaraguan medal, and if so, if there is a list available? Be advised that the color is darker than it appears in the photo. I've seen variations of blue, in old Silver Lifesaving Medals' ribbons, but I doubt this is it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted April 7, 2022 Share #2 Posted April 7, 2022 Yes, they did earn the Nicaraguan Medal of Merit, so that's entirely possible. Really unusual group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPage Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share #3 Posted April 7, 2022 With the absence of a Second Nicaraguan Campaign ribbon, I'm going to go out on a limb and conclude that this is the Bailey Medal. Also, from what little I've seen on the internut, the few Navy men I could find who were recipients of the Nicaraguan Medal of Merit were officers, captain and above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygary Posted April 7, 2022 Share #4 Posted April 7, 2022 Can someone tell me what the Bailey Medal is? I tried looking it up but came up with nothing except a medal for doctors specializing in tropical medicine that was created in 1945. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPage Posted April 7, 2022 Author Share #5 Posted April 7, 2022 25 minutes ago, jerseygary said: Can someone tell me what the Bailey Medal is? I tried looking it up but came up with nothing except a medal for doctors specializing in tropical medicine that was created in 1945. It was a medal awarded to naval apprentices who had the highest scores on an examination, for seamanship. I've read that it was limited to one apprentice per year, although I've read period articles from around WWI which stated that the number of awardees per year was two (west coast and east coast). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseygary Posted April 7, 2022 Share #6 Posted April 7, 2022 Thanks, you learn something new every day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPage Posted April 8, 2022 Author Share #7 Posted April 8, 2022 Well, what do you know - I finally found a pic of the elusive Bailey Medal, along with a pic of...The Bluejacket Gold Medal, which apparently was awarded by a private entity, I suppose like the American Spirit Honor Medal. Anyway...Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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