to sneer at decorations is often much easier than to earn them.
it is true that more decorations, from the victoria cross down, have been awarded in this war than in the hundred years before it. it may be stated that for each of these distinctions given a man, ten others should now be wearing the bit of ribbon which signifies the award, if justice could only be done. many a high-minded chap is lying out there, with only a small wooden cross to mark his last resting place, who, if the truth were but known, earned the finest that we had to give. and thousands of gallant others there are with naught but their khaki to distinguish them as soldiers of liberty, who have, with a smile on their lips and with no thought of awards or rewards in their minds performed feats of the noblest courage and self-sacrifice.
it was an inspiration of genius that made napoleon institute the legion of honor. by that act he proved himself a student of human nature, as well as the greatest military leader of perhaps any age. for most men who are normally constituted would rather receive a decoration honestly earned for gallantry on the field, than accept a reward in money for the same deed. while it is true that:
ambition has but one reward for all:
a little power, a little transient fame,
a grave to rest in, and a fading name;
a large proportion of humankind are so constituted that for "a little transient fame" they are willing, aye, even anxious, to risk getting only "a grave to rest in."
the difficulty lies in deciding who is most worthy of these coveted awards, for in the excitement of battle courageous acts are common, and often unobserved. for the occasional man who has unjustly received an award, there are thousands whose bravery should be rewarded, but who, for one reason or another, are overlooked. all who show courage and resource cannot be chosen for the bit of ribbon, so the attempt is made to choose the most conspicuous examples. and in this choosing it is inevitable that fallible human nature must often err, but the erring rarely goes to the extent of recommending someone who is wholly unworthy.
someone has sneeringly remarked that the surest way to a decoration is to court the favor of one's commanding officer who usually puts in the recommendations for award; but there must be few officers commanding units who would be so unwise as to alienate the loyalty of their men by picking favorites in this manner. and men are not so depraved that there are many who would desire the recognition of the multitude without at least fair grounds for that recognition and praise. you might suppose that at the base or at home, where recognition is given rather for general good work than for special acts of honor, favoritism is more common. but it may safely be stated that decorations in all fields are usually honestly earned.
the saddest mistake is when a man has performed some lofty, noble, self-sacrificing act, yet receives no reward but his consciousness of duty well done.
i was one day assisting colonel b—— to hold a board on a disabled soldier to decide the amount of his disability and his right to pension. his left arm was missing, and colonel b——, in his sympathetic manner, asked him how he had lost it. the facts were that he and his officer, being one night out on a scouting trip in no man's land, were both wounded by rifle fire, the officer the more seriously. the private put his officer on his shoulders and carried him through a shower of machine-gun bullets to a place of safety in a shellhole near their own parapet, one of the bullets smashing the man's arm on the way. in the morning both were pulled in by comrades, and sent to the hospital. the officer died on the way without regaining consciousness, and the private's left arm had to be amputated. he alone knew the details of his heroic work, and he received an ordinary pension for a v.c. deed. he told his story at the colonel's request, in a quiet, modest, uncomplaining manner which gave it the stamp of truth. his case is one of many like it where no adequate reward has been given for great heroism; but their total avoidance is impossible.
sergeant-major d—— took part in the battle of the somme, and did such excellent work under dangerous surroundings that he was recommended for a decoration, which recommendation was approved. in the usual course of events it was published in divisional orders that sergeant-major d—— had been awarded the military medal. but then the powers bethought themselves that he, being a warrant officer, should have been given instead the military cross, and as a result the whole order was cancelled, and he was given nothing. however, at the battle of vimy ridge, he was a lieutenant in our battalion. some months previously he had been given his promotion, really against his own desires as he said that he could do better work in the junior position—a not very common form of modesty in the army. after this battle he was chosen for courageous and able work, and was awarded the military cross. thus he at last came into his own.
the blank highlanders held the lines to the right of a certain canadian battalion. they planned to put on an important raid, but, being short a certain necessary section, they asked the loan of an officer and twenty men of this section of the canadians on their left. the canadians were glad of the honor of aiding this well-known scottish unit in their raid. twenty men gaily joined them, but for some reason the men were sent in charge of two officers, the regular officer of the section and a subaltern. the officer in charge remained at the scottish h.q., while his subaltern took part in the raid. so effectually did the canadians aid the scots that the latter were very high in their praise of the canadians, and put in a recommendation that "the officer in charge of this canadian section be awarded the m.c. for gallantry," intending the award for the subaltern who had assisted them on the field.
but the "officer in charge of the canadian section" was he who had remained at the h.q. by some twist in this recommendation he received, and accepted, the m.c. which had been meant for his junior who had really done the gallant work for which the decoration was given. the subaltern did not get even a mention in dispatches, and at a later date he was killed while fighting bravely.
the canadian battalion to which the two officers belonged were so annoyed, and so ashamed of the decorated officer, that no word was said of the mistake to their scottish friends. the officer was allowed to wear without comment his unearned award, but his stay with his battalion came to an abrupt end shortly afterward.
but it may be repeated safely that mistakes such as the above are very, very rare, and that most of those who win recognition on the field may wear their ribbons with pride and without shame.
