Category: For Gallantry

For Gallantry, Military History, The Vietnam War, United States Marine Corps, United States Navy History, United States Navy News

For Gallantry – US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Canley to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions at Hue City in 1968

John Canley

The President of the United States, Donald Trump signed into law a Bill on Monday 29 January 2018,  authorising the award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to US Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Canley (Retired).

Canley was previously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the Battle for Hue City between 31 January and 6 February 1968. During that time amongst many acts of gallantry, Canley carried a number of wounded Marines to safety under heavy fire, temporarily assumed command of his Company when the Company Commander was wounded and dropped a satchel charge into an enemy position. The medal will be presented at a future ceremony by President Trump.

US Navy Medal of Honor

In order for an existing gallantry award to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor both the US House of Representatives and US Senate must first waive the five (5) year limit for recommending the medal (in this case via Bill H.R.4641). The US Secretary of Defense must then endorse the recommendation and provide it to the President for final approval.

Canley, now 80 years old and living in Oxnard, California, is the latest veteran awarded the Naval version of the Medal of Honor. The most recent recipient is another Vietnam veteran, Private First Class Gary Rose (later Captain) who had his existing Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) upgraded to the Army version of the Medal of Honor for his actions treating over 60 wounded soldiers, whilst himself being wounded multiple times, during in Operation ‘Tailwind’ in Laos in May 1970. The medal was presented to him in October 2017.

You can find out more about the Naval version of the Medal of Honor here: http://www.navy.mil/ah_online/moh/index.html

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On this day – Queen Victoria approves the introduction of the Victoria Cross (VC) awarded for gallantry ‘in the face of the enemy’ – 29 January 1856

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross, Britain’s (and some Commonwealth countries) highest award for gallantry for members of the Armed Forces, was officially constituted by warrant on this day in 1856.

Since that time the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals have been awarded since the Second World War.

As of 2018, there are six (6) living recipients of the Victoria Cross, three (3) living recipients of the Victoria Cross for Australia and one (1) living recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand. They are:

  • Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank VC, 210 Sqn RAF (awarded  for his actions in the Battle of the Atlantic in 1944)
  • Sergeant Bill Speakman VC, Black Watch attached to King’s Own Scottish Borderers (awarded for his actions in Korea in 1951)
  • Captain Rambahadur Limbu, VC, MVO, 2nd Battalion, 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles (awarded for his actions in Borneo in 1965)
  • Warrant Officer Class 2 Keith Payne VC, AM, Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (awarded for his actions in South Vietnam in 1969)
  • Corporal Willie Apiata VC, New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment (awarded for his actions in Afghanistan in 2004
  • Lance Sergeant Johnson Beharry, VC, CNG, 1st Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (awarded for his actions in Iraq in 2005)
  • Corporal Mark Donaldson VC, Australian Special Air Service Regiment (awarded for his actions in Afghanistan in 2008)
  • Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC, MG, Australian Special Air Service Regiment (awarded for his actions in Afghanistan in 2010)
  • Corporal Dan Keighran VC, 6th Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (awarded for his actions in Afghanistan in 2010)
  • Corporal Joshua Leakey VC (shown below), 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (awarded for his actions in Afghanistan in 2015)

Joshua Leakey VC

The largest collections of VCs in the world are held by the Ashcroft Collection in Britain (established in 1986) which now contains 210 medals and the Australian War Memorial, which has 69 medals on public display.

You can find out more about the Ashcroft Collection here: http://www.lordashcroftmedals.com/

You can find out more about the AWM collection here: https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/vic_cross