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Lets see some US NAVY Good Conduct Medals !!


KASTAUFFER
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Here's LCDR Morris's Good Conduct group and a post I did several years ago on him, including a newsreel clip of him and other survivors getting off a bus at NAS Sunnyvale (CA)  after their rescue. 

 

 

morris medals.jpg

Edward Morris2.jpg

morris medals 3.jpg

 

 

USS Macon Crew Edward Ross Morris.jpg

 

ACMM (Aviation Chief Machinist Mate) "Chick" Solar, SC1c  (Ship's Cook, first class) Bill Herndon (kneeling), and AMM1c  Ed Ross Morris on Port Catwalk of USS Macon (ZRS-5) circa 1933-1935.  Solar enlisted in the Navy on March 29, 1917 and served 31 years, retiring on January 1, 1948. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor and also survived the crashes of the first and last of the Navy's four dirigible airships, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) on September 4, 1925 and USS Macon (ZR-5) on February 12, 1935.  Morris and Solar both lived long enough to see the wreckage of USS Macon located and filmed by an underwater exploration team a few months before their deaths in 1990 at ripe old ages.

 

Ed Morris on USS Macon.jpg

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Nice medals and pictures. Great to see some new GCMs on this thread. By the way, I don‘t think the name „Extra“ has a German origin. Can‘t think of any German name that would sound similar in any way. His parents probably just wanted a unique name for him.

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  • 1 month later...

Latest good cookie.  While, unnamed and the other medals incomplete, the ID tag is named to John Rodney Hendricks, a career Navy man.  Chief Torpedoman's Mate Hendricks enlisted in 1922 and was active until 1943 when he was moved into Fleet Reserve until retirement in 1953.  Of note, he was aboard the USS Hammann when it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes while trying to repair / salvage the USS Yorktown.  In the after action report he is listed as one of the men who, using the Hammann's gig, helped pick up survivors, including the Gunnery Officer who was hanging on lines from the Yorktown.     

Hendrick Medals.jpg

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Radioman 2nd class with Torpedo Squadron Eight, MIA at Midway in June, 1942. The newspaper article is from 1943 after his status was changed from MIA to KIA. Location of his Purple Heart and DFC are unknown.

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Casper_Star_Tribune_Thu__Mar_25__1943_sm.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here is an interesting medal rack with a named Navy GCM awarded to a Hospital Corpsman. He served during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He served with the 1st Marine Division in Korea from 1951 to 1952.

 

parkergcm.JPG.569a12a2c117a4eecf67eda026dd1d05.JPG

278197737_parker(4).jpg.cabc51aa2c09a630909576095ef36c88.jpg

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Kaigun Shosa

My most recent acquisition. A 6 bar NGCM to William M. Shoemaker.  CSC: 6408

Medal dated 7 Mar 1888 (USS Pensacola)

1st Bar: 7 Mar 1891 (USS Pensacola)

2nd Bar: 29 Jan 1894 (USS Ranger)

3rd Bar: 19 Apr 1897 (USS Montgomery)

4th Bar: 21 Apr1900 (USS Montgomery)

5th Bar: 6 Oct 1904 (USS Alabama)

6th Bar: 6 Oct 1908 (USS Franklin)

 

Since he was on the USS Montgomery during the Spanish American war, I'm assuming he is entitled to the 1898 West Indies campaign and a Sampson Medal? 

William Shoemaker 2a.jpg

William Shoemaker planchet.jpg

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aerialbridge

A six bar GCM from the 1940's is impressive, but that early one is tremendous.   I wonder if he rode horses.    If you don't mind, how'd you find such a medal?

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While I don't actively seek out medals, nor USN for that matter, I couldn't pass this photo up when I saw it.  Sadly, no name on on any of the three photos I have of this sailor.

IMG_7302.jpg

IMG_6634.jpg

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Kaigun Shosa
On 5/18/2021 at 1:57 AM, aerialbridge said:

A six bar GCM from the 1940's is impressive, but that early one is tremendous.   I wonder if he rode horses.    If you don't mind, how'd you find such a medal?

Hi Shawn,

I got it from a long time collector out on the east coast that I know. Hope to see  you at the next SOCALOMS meeting whenever we return to meeting in person.

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aerialbridge
On 5/20/2021 at 6:26 PM, ASMIC2971 said:

 

While I don't actively seek out medals, nor USN for that matter, I couldn't pass this photo up when I saw it.  Sadly, no name on on any of the three photos I have of this sailor.

 

Great photo of a Chief Quartermaster, prob. pre 1920 since no WWI Victory medal.

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aerialbridge
On 5/20/2021 at 6:32 PM, Kaigun Shosa said:

Hi Shawn,

I got it from a long time collector out on the east coast that I know. Hope to see  you at the next SOCALOMS meeting whenever we return to meeting in person.

 

Jimbo, forgot that was you-  how’ve you been?  Hopefully Rio Hondo will open up again sometime this summer so the meetings can resume.  I'm not much for Zoom calls.   If you're gonna be there, let me know, and then at least one other USN collector gonna be there.   Looking forward to the January annual "show" and buffet, assuming the 2020 plague hasn’t killed “buffets”.    I found a few things for you on Baltimore native William Marcellus Shoemaker (1840-1922) and your recent very early GCM addition. Ancestry shows an obit, so newspapers.com should have one.  Per his March 8, 1888 reenlistment rendez-vous at NY, NY,  when he got his first good conduct medal at age 48 after 12 years, he was 5’10” (tall for his day) and had red hair.  It references “CSC 6408 Pensacola Eng. Yeo.  March 7/88”.  Exactly what you'd want it to- nice when things match up.  Besides his USS Montgomery Sampson he very possibly had a Span Am Campaign since they were just starting to issue them the year before he retired in 1909 after 33 years…  at age 69!  Makes me feel young.   A medal like this well worth getting his service record from St. Louis whenever they reopen.   The article on Shoemaker’s retirement claims he served on only 5 ships over 36 years.   It mentions 4 of the ships on your bars, but instead of Franklin, it says Brooklyn.  Interesting coincidence- another Baltimorean who enlisted the month after Shoemaker, but as a 16-year-old apprentice, not a 36-year-old civil engineer, and retired in 1907 as a CPO after 30 years, also had a six-bar good conduct medal, whereabouts unknown.  He got it in 1883 and his CSC is in the low 3900s.  He was on 33 different ships, including receiving stations-- basically the closest thing to a shore station in 30 years were old Civil War era USNA training ships.   I have the “other” medal, so the opposite situation as yours.   These two old salts probably knew each other in Baltimore, local USWV,  fraternal orgs, etc.  Interesting that Shoemaker's father laid down the Baltimore street car lines,  my sailor's father ran a bar- important civic contributions, both.   ;-)   Neither ever married, but had several surviving siblings.  When I see really old, split groups like these,  pure speculation, but I figure they divided the medals and other stuff up between kin.  Shoemaker’s last duty was the Baltimore recruiting station and sailors from there were the honor guard for my sailor’s funeral in Baltimore several years later per his service file that I had copied in living color by Geoff at Golden Arrow.   Who says you don't buy the medal for the story, if the "story" is verifiable service history.

 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146268515/william-marcellus-shoemaker

 

shoemaker.jpg

 

Articles referencing Willie Shoemaker's Span Am service on USS Montgomery and retirement.  Guess nobody here got the horse-riding reference from post #219.

 

 

shoemaker span am.jpg

shoemaker retired.jpg

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This one came as bars only which I mounted to an unnamed GCM - CSC 35175 (No name yet) came with USN Cuban Pac 824 and USN Mexico 8870.

 

Any assistance ID'ing this Sailor would be very helpful

 

Bill

CSC 35175.JPG

CSC 35175 2.JPG

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Kaigun Shosa

Hey Shawn,

Wow! You found all of that info just by his engraving. I'm glad you were able to find this info and share it here on the forum. If I need a Private Detective, I'll let you know. Ha..

Yeah, hopefully we will be able to get back to Rio Hondo next month! I too, don't do zoom call.

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On 5/16/2021 at 6:30 PM, Kaigun Shosa said:

My most recent acquisition. A 6 bar NGCM to William M. Shoemaker.  CSC: 6408

Medal dated 7 Mar 1888 (USS Pensacola)

1st Bar: 7 Mar 1891 (USS Pensacola)

2nd Bar: 29 Jan 1894 (USS Ranger)

3rd Bar: 19 Apr 1897 (USS Montgomery)

4th Bar: 21 Apr1900 (USS Montgomery)

5th Bar: 6 Oct 1904 (USS Alabama)

6th Bar: 6 Oct 1908 (USS Franklin)

 

Since he was on the USS Montgomery during the Spanish American war, I'm assuming he is entitled to the 1898 West Indies campaign and a Sampson Medal? 

William Shoemaker 2a.jpg

William Shoemaker planchet.jpg

 

This is one hell of a sweet medal. Shoemaker is list in the Sampson Medal book as a Chief Yeoman on the USS Montgomery. You'll need to access his service file in St. Louis in order to find documentation on his West Indies Medal and any other campaign medals.

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William Samuel Sivel was born in Pennsylvania in 1887 passed away 1944 in California. He served roughly from 1917 to 1938. What’s interesting is he took his original good conduct and had it reengraved with most if not all the ship’s he served on and stations he served at.

03a00227161013d1bb8d0a7c45772f95.jpg

Back:
Good conduct medal
Wm. Saml. Sivel CEM
Service No. 1925400
C.S.C. No. 67197
USS Prairie
USN training sta. S.D. Cal
USS Omaha
USS V-1 sub
USS V-3 sub
USS 41 sub
USS hale 133
USS Tenn.
USS Altair

a2ac0377bb38489ed03b448cdb833041.jpg

Rim:
USS destroyer base San Diego Cal
USS Chandler 206
d35dea1264b582591ec99a28248a6671.jpg









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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aerialbridge
On 5/24/2021 at 12:52 PM, USMCR79 said:

This one came as bars only which I mounted to an unnamed GCM - CSC 35175 (No name yet) came with USN Cuban Pac 824 and USN Mexico 8870.

 

Any assistance ID'ing this Sailor would be very helpful

 

Bill

CSC 35175.JPG

CSC 35175 2.JPG

 

 

Bill,  Do you mind posting scans of the back of the four bars?   IDing this sailor should be doable with the muster roll and/or ship's log for USS Duncan, a Cassin class destroyer with 5 officers and 98 men in commission from 8/30/13 to 10/24/14 and then 1/22/16 to 8/1/22.  I'm guessing the date of the Duncan bar is between 1916 and 22, based on being the sole newer pin back bar and being on top as last in.   The muster roll and ship's log for the date engraved on the back, which should be his end of enlistment, should be recorded with his name and CSC# 35175.   My mustang great-uncle whose name-engraved WWI sword, scabbard, gold monogrammed '21 Elgin and medals (Mine Laying) I'm happy as a clam to own,  was a plank owner at Boston on Duncan until her first decommissioning in 1914 and earned his crow as a QM3c on Duncan.   IMO worth doing the research yourself in DC or hiring someone to do it, since you'd not just be IDing the GCM bars but probably the Cuban and Mexico medals which certainly bumps their historic and monetary value.   Also increase your chances to find the medal since a name is a lot better than just a five digit number.  Good luck.

 

USS Duncan.jpg

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aerialbridge
3 hours ago, Sweazy21 said:

William Samuel Sivel was born in Pennsylvania in 1887 passed away 1944 in California. He served roughly from 1917 to 1938. What’s interesting is he took his original good conduct and had it reengraved with most if not all the ship’s he served on and stations he served at.

Back:
Good conduct medal
Wm. Saml. Sivel CEM
Service No. 1925400
C.S.C. No. 67197
USS Prairie
USN training sta. S.D. Cal
USS Omaha
USS V-1 sub
USS V-3 sub
USS 41 sub
USS hale 133
USS Tenn.
USS Altair
Rim:
USS destroyer base San Diego Cal
USS Chandler 206









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Sweazy, that sure ain't a GI good conduct planchet, but cool as heck.    Reminds me of rice writing.  If the engraver charged by the letter, it took a chunk of change to do that.    

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1 hour ago, aerialbridge said:

 

 

Bill,  Do you mind posting scans of the back of the four bars?   IDing this sailor should be doable with the muster roll and/or ship's log for USS Duncan, a Cassin class destroyer with 5 officers and 98 men in commission from 8/30/13 to 10/24/14 and then 1/22/16 to 8/1/22.  I'm guessing the date of the Duncan bar is between 1916 and 22, based on being the sole newer pin back bar and being on top as last in.   The muster roll and ship's log for the date engraved on the back, which should be his end of enlistment, should be recorded with his name and CSC# 35175.   My mustang great-uncle whose name-engraved WWI sword, scabbard, gold monogrammed '21 Elgin and medals (Mine Laying) I'm happy as a clam to own,  was a plank owner at Boston on Duncan until her first decommissioning in 1914 and earned his crow as a QM3c on Duncan.   IMO worth doing the research yourself in DC or hiring someone to do it, since you'd not just be IDing the GCM bars but probably the Cuban and Mexico medals which certainly bumps their historic and monetary value.   Also increase your chances to find the medal since a name is a lot better than just a five digit number.  Good luck.

 

USS Duncan.jpg

I don't have scans but here is the info:

 

USS Duncan CSC35175 September 1, 1917

 

Navy Yard Norfolk CSC35175 August 4, 1919

 

USS Rochester CSC35175 May 5, 1921

 

Receiving Barracks Hampton Roads CSC35175 May 5, 1925

 

Thanks for the assist

 

Bill

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  • 3 weeks later...

Here’s a grouping for Henry Grosmick Jr. The Good Conduct is engraved for the receiving station US Navy Yard Philadelphia and dated October 1, 1924. There’s also a USS Camden and 1932 bars. The WWI Victory medal has a Grand Fleet bar, but the great thing about this medal is the rim is engraved with his name. The second Nicaraguan campaign medal is numbered M No. 6457. 
 

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9E1628C8-A587-4863-ABAE-E5113FAA56A9.jpeg.4885b42df5ca44b6a53a9df7b9bc9a0f.jpeg92EA1E07-D860-41B7-BF54-420FB94CECEF.jpeg.b14569a63be3198aca6351dd85ccac4e.jpeg06FDE07F-AC59-42ED-A9F2-E5B1BC2AF58A.jpeg.8509650fa4be7b6ea8fd830a724c4d88.jpeg

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Here’s a single medal engraved “George L. Crain, USS Wilmington Sept 14, 1912”. The bar says “Des Moines”. 
 

0E4E66BC-02D6-40E5-9277-C68A5C89EF92.jpeg.6cd00f98719e01935b3795ed4913a036.jpeg

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