Puzzled by Army medals for Navy sub crew in WW2

[DeepSix]

Don't know where else to ask this, but this seems a somewhat logical place.

In Silent Victory, Blair says that Mike Fenno and Trout were assigned to a special mission to Corregidor shortly before that island fell to the Japanese. Upon arrival, Trout needed ballast, and the Filipinos needed to evacuate gold and silver. Trout carted a large amount of gold and silver back to Pearl Harbor - as ballast! - and then Blair says that Fenno was awarded the *Army* DSC and his crew was awarded the *Army* Silver Star.

I'm puzzled. Why Army medals instead of Navy medals?

Thanks.

[blue3golf]

Usually with an inter-service medal it is because whoever is receiving it is under that branch of service's command, basically whoever your attached to at the time is who you get the award from.

[DeepSix]

Ah, ok. Thanks; that's interesting because Trout was based at Pearl Harbor and AFAIK under command of Pacific Fleet. I guess for this particular mission she was considered to be under command of USAFFE.

Thanks again. :up:

[Tigrone]

The Silver Star is awarded in all combat services: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, & Coast Guard. The Service Crosses can be awarded outside the service. General Chesty Puller, the most famous Marine, recieved the Army's Distinguished Service Cross along with his five Navy Crosses. Courage is where you find it.

[DeepSix]

...
General Chesty Puller, the most famous Marine, recieved the Army's Distinguished Service Cross along with his five Navy Crosses....

Didn't know that, but from what I do know about Puller it makes sense.

Also, I read more and figured out that MacArthur was apparently the one responsible for awarding medals to Trout's crew. I can't remember the details off the top of my head, but there were a couple other times when he wanted to award interservice medals to others as well. Some of the Navy brass stepped in and prevented it, and also prevented one of their own from making "dockside" presentations - ostensibly because they felt such presentations should go through the proper review boards (which Mac bypassed), but I think some of it was probably political as well.

Thanks for the info on how DSCs are awarded; courage is indeed where you find it.

[Threadfin]

One of the main reasons that dock side awards were frowned upon is it could jeopardize the code breaking. By awarding the medals so soon some believed the dockside awards would reveal that the Admirals (Fife, Lockwood, Christie) had already obtained confirmation, which would perhaps lead to suspecting the Americans were reading the Japanese code.

[DeepSix]

:yep: In hindsight it's kinda funny, though, given some of the colossal blunders made by a few over eager junior officers, the press, and politicians. If some of *those* gaffs didn't let the cat out of the bag, nothing could. :lol: But again - hindsight.