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thedrifter
09-12-06, 11:29 AM
September 18, 2006
The Lore of the Corps
Combat ‘V’ instituted by Army during WWII

By Robert F. Dorr
Special to the Times

The bronze “V” distinguishes an award for combat from one for peacetime achievement.

The combat distinguishing device may be attached to the ribbon of six Marine Corps decorations: the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

The process of distinguishing combat from noncombat heroism had its origins in February 1944, when thousands of soldiers, sailors and Marines were fighting in Europe and the Pacific. That month, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Bronze Star Medal.

From the outset, the Navy and Marine Corps intended the Bronze Star to be a morale booster for service members. Thousands were given the award for meritorious service or achievement in 1944 and 1945.

However, the Bronze Star was also awarded to Marines for gallantry in action that fell short of the standard required for the Silver Star Medal. As more Bronze Stars were awarded as a “lesser” Silver Star, the services sought a way to distinguish a Bronze Star for combat heroism from one for achievement or service.

The Army authorized a bronze ¼-inch-high “V” to attach to the ribbon of a Bronze Star when that award was given for combat heroism. Following suit, the Navy and Marine Corps adopted the “V” device.

In February 1946, the Navy announced that “all personnel who have been awarded the Legion of Merit or the Bronze Star Medal for services or acts performed in actual combat with the enemy are hereby authorized to wear a combat distinguishing device upon both the service ribbon and the suspension ribbon of the medal.”

A year later, the Navy changed the language of this provision by replacing the phrase “for services or acts performed in actual combat with the enemy” with the words “for acts or services involving direct participation in combat operations.”

Regulations governing awards and decorations in the Navy and Marine Corps have retained this wording. This means that a Marine who wears a “V” on the ribbon of a decoration or medal may have performed an individual act of combat heroism. On the other hand, that “V” also may simply reflect that the Marine participated directly in combat operations.

This “direct participation” language makes sense if one remembers that naval warfare — on land, at sea and in the air — is often fought over the horizon: Sailors and Marines in combat may never see the enemy they fire upon. Requiring “actual combat with the enemy” would prevent many deserving service members from receiving the “V.”

The “V” may be worn on any of the six medals named above provided it is expressly authorized by an award citation.

Robert F. Dorr, an Air Force veteran, lives in Oakton, Va. He is the author of “Chopper,” a history of helicopter pilots. His e-mail address is robert.f.dorr@cox.net. Fred L. Borch retired from the Army after 25 years and is now working as the regimental historian for the Army JAG Corps. He is the author of “Kimmel, Short and Pearl Harbor.” His e-mail address is borchfj@aol.com.

Ellie