Army & Navy – MEDALS: The Mailbag Cluster

It is not only G.I.s who think U.S. decorations are too lavish and too hit-or-miss. Last week a general joined their ranks.

In India, Major General Howard Davidson, commander of the Tenth Air Force, pinned “The Mailbag Cluster” on a message-center clerk. His feat: making “100 missions to & from the post office.”

In his citation West Pointer Davidson read: “These missions, involving extreme operational hazards such as rough roads, cattle, goats, chickens, children and adverse weather, were carried out with courage, coolness, and determination, despite the expectation, probability and eventuality of long, fruitless waits for mail. On several occasions he encountered delays ranging up to one hour, sorely testing his patience, endurance and fortitude.”