Sailor receives war medals--59 years later.More than 50 years have passed since Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Aviation Ordnanceman (abbreviated as AO) is a United States Navy occupational rating. Aviation Ordnancemen operate and handle aviation ordnance equipment. They are responsible for the maintenance of guns, bombs, torpedoes, rockets, and missiles. Royce Hall Royce Hall is a building on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Designed by the Los Angeles firm of Allison & Allison (James Edward Allison, 1870-1955, and his brother David Clark Allison, 1881-1962) in the Italian Romanesque Revival style and completed (inset) earned three Distinguished Flying Cross medals and 13 Air Medals for his bravery and service in WW II. The 79-year-old Navy veteran finally received those awards, along with recognition for his dedication to duty, during a special ceremony held at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay is a base of the United States Navy in Camden County, in southeast Georgia. It is the Atlantic homeport for US ballistic missile submarines. , Ga., on 12 May. "America owes its freedom to men like Mr. Hall who selflessly put themselves in harm's way to defend America in her greatest time of need," said RAdm. Gerald Talbot, CO, Submarine Group 10. "The awards he is receiving today are only a small and brief reminder of the battles in which they were earned." A native of Swainsboro, Ga., Hall enlisted in the Navy in 1940 at the age of 17, and served as a torpedo plane gunner throughout the war. He left the Navy as a highly decorated veteran, earning two Presidential Unit Citations, American Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon (CAR) is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps, and which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy (or Colonel in the Marine Corps), have actively and American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created in 1942 by order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Originally issued as the “American Theater Ribbon”, the decoration was intended to recognize those , as well as several other awards. He only recently found out he had earned the awards which he received at this ceremony. "I ran into a friend at a reunion and took note of his medals," said Hall. "He commented that I should have them, too. I decided to find out more." Hall, a member of the Navy League of the United States The Navy League of the United States, commonly referred to as The Navy League, is a national association made up of retired members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Merchant Marines, and civilians , enlisted the help of his local chapter and 1st District Congressman Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) to find out if he was, indeed, authorized to wear the medals. Sixteen well-earned medals later, Hall has received the recognition he rightly deserved. "Mr. Hall served all over the map," said Kingston. "From the Marianas to Leyte Gulf, he was there. We owe eternal appreciation to Mr. Hall and his peers for the freedom we have today." In front of hundreds of Kings Bay Sailors, veterans and family members, Kingston presented Hall the Air Medal, with gold and silver stars for the second through thirteenth awards, for his "meritorious service while participating in aerial flight, while serving as torpedo plane gunner over the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east and in the South Pacific area of operations An operational area defined by the joint force commander for land and naval forces. Areas of operation do not typically encompass the entire operational area of the joint force commander, but should be large enough for component commanders to accomplish their missions and protect their from April 3, 1942, to November 3, 1944." Kingston then presented Hall his second medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, with gold stars for the second and third awards, for his "unyielding devotion to duty in the face of hazardous flying conditions, while serving as torpedo plane gunner over the Gulf of Mexico and in the South Pacific during WW II." "I humbly accept these awards in remembrance of all of the MIAs [missing in action], KIAs [killed in action] and shipmates Shipmates was an American syndicated television show that ran for two seasons from 2001 - 2003. Reruns later ran on the cable channel Spike TV. The show was created by Hurricane Entertainment and the executive producer was John Tomlin. Chris Hardwick was the host. from all services who paid the price and gave their service during the war," said Hall. "I am grateful to be able to share one of the proudest moments of my life with everyone here. My generation charges you to defend our freedom and legacy during your watch." Hall took part in several key missions during WW II, including the battles for Leyte Gulf, the Marianas Islands and Samar, Philippines. Other awards include the American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created in 1941 by Executive Order of President Franklin Roosevelt. The purpose of the American Defense Service Medal is to recognize those members of the U.S. with Fleet Clasp, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars, Navy Good Conduct Medal with one bronze star, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the Honorable Service Lapel Button. After his discharge from the Navy in 1947, Hall moved to California's Napa Valley where he ran a successful construction business before retiring. Hall's first wife of 48 years, Phyllis, passed away from cancer. He returned to Georgia with his second wife, Faye, in 1994 and settled in Brunswick, not far from where he grew up as a boy. Still a humble man, Hall doesn't see himself as a hero. After all, he says he only saw 10 days of combat. "You'd think I won WW II." A hero indeed. By JO2 Jennifer Spinner, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay Public Affairs |
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