Laureled Sons of Dartmouth

A Final Summary of War Citations and Awards

WITH THIS SUCCINCT summary of decorations won by Dartmouth men which have been written up in Laureled Sons ofDartmouth this column comes to an end. Subsequent awards will be written up in the Class Notes and perhaps, on occasion, in special news items.

It must be understood at once that this summary of awards does not give at all a complete picture. Such a picture could not be given for another few months as the Alumni Records office is still receiving information on the records of Dartmouth men in the war. All citations and awards received by me through the normal channels of clippings or letters have been written up in this column.

One thing most obvious is that Dartmouth men did a magnificent job in the war, medals or no medals. Many of these awards were won in combat and many of the men lost their lives in winning them. Others were given for meritorious service in non-combat areas. All were, I am sure, richly deserved. We, who fought the war on the Hanover front, are very proud of the alumni who were fortunate enough to fight the war in active theatres.

I think all that remains is to give a few figures: Distinguished Flying Cross: (Navy and Army). . . . 100 and 21 clusters. Army Air Meral. . . . 171 and 346 clusters. Navy Air Medal. ... 43 Silver Star Medal. ... 74 Navy Cross (highest award in the Navy). ... 12 Legion of Merit. ... 37 Distinguished Service Cross. ... 11 Croix de Guerre. ... 12 Bronze Star Medal. ... 139 Purple Heart Medal. ... 45 Brazilian Southern Cross Medal. ... 1 British Distinguished Flying Cross. ... 1 British Military Cross. ... 1 British African Cross. ... 1 British Empire Medal. ... 1 Citations.... 31 United States Good Conduct Medal. ... 4 (there were probably hundreds). Meritorious Service Plaque. ... 2 Red Star of the Partisan Army. ... 1 Navy and Marine Corps Medal. ... 2 President's Medal. ... 1 Combat Infantryman Badge. ... 8 Russian War of Liberation. ... 1 Red Banner Medal. ... 1 Bronze Service Arrowhead. ... 1 Expert Infantry Badge. ... 1 Soldiers Medal. ... 1 Commendation Ribbon. ... 6 Distinguished Civilian Service Award. ... 1

CAPTAIN JOHN T. SMITH '30, USN, received the Bronze Star Medal for valuable services set forth in a citation signed by Vice Admiral M. A. Mitscher, USN, Commander, First Carrier Task Force, Pacific. Captain Smith, Flight Surgeon, distinguished himself in connection with operations against the enemy during the period 15 March 1944 to 10 April 1945, while serving as Senior Medical Officer of an aircraft carrier.

COLONEL RUSSELL B. LIVERMORE '15, AUS, Infantry, has been awarded the Legion of Merit with the following citation: "For exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performances of outstanding services in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations from July 1943 to 23 October 1944. As Commanding Officer of a special reconnaissance battalion of the OSS, Colonel Livermore planned and activated the training and work program of the Italian, French and Balkan Operational Groups. .... He personally took part in a number of missions into enemy held territory. Under his leadership the Operational Groups developed into units whose vital services were material contributions to Allied Air and Naval forces who successfully used intelligence gathered by them. Their recognition and accomplishments tell the story of the contribution to the invasions of Italy and Southern France and operations carried on in the Balkans."

MAJOR EDWARD H. TRUEX JR. '32, Chief of the Aural Rehabilitation Section of the Army's Deshon General Hospital, has been awarded a citation for the Army Commendation Ribbon from the Third Service Command for "meritorious and outstanding performance of duty."

MAJOR RICHARD W. TUCKER '36, AUS, won an Army Commendation Rib- bon for "exceptionally meritorious service in the performance of outstanding duty during the period 1 May 1944 to 8 March 1946," as assistant Fiscal Director, Panama Canal Department.

ENSIGN JOHN M. DENISON '44, USNR, has won the Navy Air Medal "For distinguishing himself by a meritorious series of acts while participating in aerial flights as the pilot of a U. S. Navy fighter plane during the Allied invasion of Southern France in August 1944."

CAPTAIN F. H. BONTECOU '45, USAAF, who flew eighty round trips over the "Hump," and who wears three battle stars, won the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Army Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.

MAJOR MARTIN J. WATERS JR. '35, AUS, has had a most interesting war career as is witnessed by the following decorations: the Distinguished Unit Badge and Oak Leaf Cluster for service as a First Lieutenant with "Merrill's Marauders" in the North Burma Campaign, February to August 1944; the Bronze Star Medal for holding a platoon road-block position for fourteen days against continuous attack by a vastly numerically superior enemy force during the above campaign; the British Military Cross for crawling out into intense machine-gun and 50 mm grenade fire to rescue a wounded British officer (during temporary duty with British 3rd Com mando Brigade, January, 1945); and finally a letter of commendation from his C.O for his performance of duty as Captain of a Chinese Paratroop Company in China May-August, 1945.

THE LEGION OF MERIT is awarded to Col. Russell B. Livermore '15 (then Lt. Col.) (right) by Maj„ Gen. William J. Donovan at Caserta, Italy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct as Commanding Officer of a special battalion of the OSS in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations.

FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE as the pilot of a fighter plane during the invasion of southern France, Ens. John M. Denison '44, left, is awarded the air medal by Capt. D. E. Cummings, of the Dartmouth NROTC unit, at a Hanover ceremony.