Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal
The Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal is a decoration of the United States Merchant Marine (USMM). The decoration is the highest award which can be bestowed upon members of that service. It is awarded to any seaman in the USMM who, on or after September 3, 1939, has distinguished himself during the war by outstanding conduct or service in the line of duty. Regulations state that not more than one medal shall be issued to any one seaman, but for each succeeding instance sufficient to justify the award of a medal, there will be awarded a suitable insignia to be worn with the medal.
| Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal | |
|---|---|
 Obverse and reverse of the medal | |
| Type | Individual Award |
| Awarded for | Outstanding conduct or service in the line of duty. |
| Presented by | United States Maritime Administration |
| Eligibility | Merchant Marine seamen |
| Established | April 11, 1942 |
| Total | 152 |
| Total awarded posthumously | 30 |
 Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal ribbon | |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Merchant Marine Meritorious Service Medal |
As the Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal is considered a federal service decoration, it may be worn on the uniforms of active, reserve and retired uniformed service members.
Design notes and description
Designed by Paul Manship, subsequent awards of the medal are represented by 5/16th inch gold stars affixed to both the suspension ribbon and the ribbon bar. Original awards have P. M. on the reverse of the suspension device.
The medal is in gold-plate with a diameter of 41.9mm. It is composed of a silver 8-point ball tip star superimposed on a gold compass with a square eagle-anchor suspension device. The ribbon is blue, white, red, white, blue.
Recipients
United States Merchant Marine Academy awardees
The first medal was awarded to Edwin F. Cheney on Oct.8,1942 by Franklin D.Roosevelt at the White House with Admiral Emery S.Land
- Midshipman Francis A. Dales
- Midshipman Elmer C. Donnelly
- Midshipman Edwin Joseph O'Hara - awarded posthumously
- Midshipman Walter G. Sittmann
- Midshipman William M. Thomas, Jr.[1]
- Midshipman Phil Cox Vannais
- Midshipman Frederick R. Zito
- Midshipman Carl M. Medved
- Third Mate Edward Michael Fetherston
SS Mayaguez incident
- First Officer Clinton Harriman[3]
- Third Officer Karl Lonsdale[3]
- Yeoman Storekeeper Robert Griffin,[3]
- 2nd Asst. Engineer Michael Saltwick[3]
- Fireman Watertender Hermino Rivera[3]
- Oiler Epifanio Rodriguez[3]
In addition, the above six Mariners were also awarded the Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award.[3]
Other awardees
- Captain Elis R. Johanson
- Third Officer Frederick August Larsen Jr.
- Chief Engineer Albert M. Boe
- Chief Engineer Thomas J. McTaggart
- Radio Operator Kenneth W. Maynard
- Master Paul H. Browne
See also
References
- "Cadet-Midshipman William M. Thomas Merchant Marine Distinguished Service Medal". www.usmm.org. Retrieved 2018-09-28.
- "Merchant Marine Heroes - Citations for Distinguished Service Medal during World War II". www.usmm.org.
- Egnor, Russ (September 1975). "Medal Winners". Sealift. XXV (9): 19. Retrieved 25 March 2020.