New The 1992-Series Awards, L to R-- First Row: Order ofMilitary … · 2016. 1. 22. · The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America The 1992-Series Awards, L to R-- First

The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

The 1992-Series Awards, L to R-- First Row: Order of Military Gallantry 2nd Cl., Order of Military Duty (lst- 4th CI.), Order

of Faithful Service (lst-4th CI.), Emblem of Honor. Second Row: Emblem of Combat, Emblem of Innovation, Emblem of

Efficient Leadership, Emblem of Efficient Training, Emblem of Perfection, Medal of Independence, Medal of Accession,

Land Forces Medal, Naval Forces Medal, Air Forces Medal. Third Row: Order of Military Gallantry 1st Class.

sash) 21 April 1977. 24 July 1975. Indonesia

Sudan Order of Honour (collar & star) 29 April 1975. Guinea

France Legion of Honour (star & sash) 27 October 1975: Spain

Oman Order of Oman (collar) 20 December 1975. Kuwait

Iran Order of Pahlavi (collar, star & sash) 13 November 1975 Pakistan

Venezuela Order of Simon Bolivar (collar, star &

Diagam Tanda Kehormatan (star &

sash) 08 October 1977. Order of Peoples Fidelity (star & sash)

08 July 1978.

Order of Isabella The Catholic (collar,

star & sash) 23 October 1980.

Order of Mubarak The Great (collar) 15 February 1982.

Order of Pakistan (collar, star & sash)

16 April 1984.

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Volume 53 Number 5

S. Korea

Japan

G.B.

Lebanon

Niger

Syria

R.S.A.

Oman

Egypt Italy

Qatar Qatar Saudi Arabia Tunisia

Order of Mugunghwa (collar, star & sash) 21 April 1984. Order of The Chrysanthemum (collar, star & sash) 1984. Order of the Bath -Civil (collar, star & sash) 12 November 1985. Order of Merit (star & sash) 08 November 1986. Order of the Lion (star & sash) 11 May 1991. Order of Ommayad (star & sash) 25 December 1991. Order of Good Hope (star & sash) 10 April 1995. Order of Oman (collar, star & sash) 1995 Order of Independence (collar) Order of the Republic (collar, star & sash) Order of Independence (collar) Order of Merit (collar) The Greater Badr (collar) Order of Independence (star & sash)

Orders, Decorations and Medals, Spink (Promotional Brochure), circa 1995.

Spink & Son Ltd., Orders, Decorations, Medals and Presentation

Gifts (Promotional Brochure), circa 1996. Correspondence with Steve Dix, Spink & Son Ltd., 2000 - 2002.

In Memory

Michael R. "Ralph" Lauro, OMSA No. 4236, died suddenly while on a consulting assign- ment for DuPont. He died on July 10th in Los Angeles. Ralph was one of those rare persons who spent their entire working career with a single company, DuPont, where his skills, dedica-

tion, and leadership were held in highest regard. Ralph brought this same level of dedication to his duties when he applied for and was selected to fill a vacant seat as a Planning Commissioner in Foster City, California.

In addition to the above, he was also awarded the fol- lowing:

o:o Badge of the Arab-Spanish Friendship Association °:o Star and sash of the Conseil Internationale du Sport

Militaire o:o Medal Sauvegard of the Giber Foundation °:o Medal of the Iranian Society for Combating Drought

Also on display are the British awards of Emir Abdullah Bin Jassim Bin Hamad A1Thani (ruler 1916-49):

o:° Order of St. Michael & St. George (collar, star &

sash). o~o Order of the Indian Empire (neck badge). °:° 1935 King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. o:° 1936 King George VI Coronation Medal.

Bibliography

Ralph and his family lived in Foster City many years ago, and following his successful career, Ralph and his wife chose to return to Foster City as their permanent home.

Ralph brought the same dedication he displayed in his professional life to his job as the Business Manager for OMSA for many years. Most recently, upon his return to Foster City, Ralph quickly became a regular at the local military shows, most notably the "Napredak" show in San Jose and the California Military Museum fund raising military show in Roseville.

Ralph was highly respected by his fellow OMSA mem- bers and he will be greatly missed.

John M. Souza, Jr., OMSA No. 358, passed away

recently. John joined OMSA in September of 1954 and

most recently lived in Lowell, Massachusetts.

A1-Malki, Ibrahim Ahmed, Decorations of Qatar, circa 1978. HRH General Khaled Bin Sultan, Patrick Scale, Desert Warrior,

1995. The State Tour of Asia, Ministry of Information, 1984. Law Number 12, 1992, Orders, Decorations, Medals and Badges

for the Qatar Defence Force. Law Number 5, 1978, Civil and Military Decorations.

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The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

The Story Behind the Return of the Netherlands Bronze Cross and Flying Cross

Colonel Fred L. Borch, U.S. Army, LM No. 74/OMSA No. 4468

O n January 23, 2002, in the Ridderzaal (Hall of

Knights) in The Hague, Netherlands, Dutch De-

fense Minister Frank De Grave presented the Bronzen

Kruis (Bronze

Cross) to a

Dutch marine. In

the same cer-

emony, Minister

De Grave also

pinned the

Vliegerkruis

(Flying Cross) on

a Dutch and an American pilot.

This was a unique

event for two rea-

sons: first, these are the first gal-

lantry awards

made by the

Netherlands in al-

most 50 years:

the Bronze Cross

had not been awarded for 39 years and the Flying Cross

for nearly 48 years. Additionally, as the award of the

Flying Cross is the first to be awarded to an American

since World War II, this fact makes these awards es- pecially interesting. What follows is the story behind

these new Dutch gallantry awards.

Netherlands Defense Minister Frank de Grave with (frotn left to righO Maj. Williatn

Thomas, USAF (Flying Cross), Maj. Marcel Duivesteijn, RNAF (Flying Cross) and

Corporal Dirk Vonk, RNMC (Bronze Cross).

History of the Bronze Cross and the Flying Cross

From 1815 (the beginning of the Kingdom of the Neth-

erlands in its present form) until May 1940, the Dutch

had a single decoration for gallantry: the Militaire

Willems-Ordre (Military Order of William). On June

11, 1940, a month after the German invasion of the Low

Countries, the Dutch Government, then in exile in Lon-

don with Queen Wilhelmina at its head, established the

Bronze Cross. All officers, non-commissioned officers,

and men of the Netherlands armed forces (including

members of the merchant marine) could receive the

new decoration. Personnel could receive the award

for distinguishing "themselves by courageous actions

and valiant conduct in the presence of the enemy" that,

while not sufficient for the award of the Military Order

of William, nevertheless were of a very high character.

The Cross, then roughly equivalent to the U.S. Distin-

guished Service

Cross/Navy

Cross and Silver

Star, could be awarded for ei-

ther a single act

of gallantry or

sustained brav-

ery over a period

of time. Addi- tionally, foreign

military personnel

and civilians were

eligible if an

award to them

was in the inter-

ests of the Neth-

erlands.

Stuck in the

shape of a cross paty, the Bronze Cross was modeled

after the Dutch "Metal Cross" awarded to soldiers and

volunteers fighting Belgian rebels between 1830 and

1831. The Bronze Cross measures 29ram x 29mm, and its arms have raised edges. The obverse has a

"W" (for Wilhelmina) in its center, which is surrounded on the left and right by sprays of oak and laurel. A

royal crown tops the "W." The reverse has the date

"1940" in its center and, like the obverse, it too is sur-

rounded on the left and right by sprays of oak and lau-

rel. The four arms of the cross are inscribed with the

words: "Trouw--Aan--Koningen--En--Vaderland."

("Loyalty--To--Queen [Wilhelmina]--and--Father-

land"). Second and subsequent awards of the Bronze

Cross are reflected by the Arabic numerals ("2 .... 3"

etc.) on the ribbon. The ribbon, which measures 37mm

in width, is orange with a 6 mm dark blue stripe in the

center. During the war, the cross was struck in bronze

by the London firm of J.R. Gaunt & Son. Post-war

Bronze Cross production has been by the Royal Dutch

Mint.

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