Wasting Time

I was wasting time on the net today and clicked a link to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.  I stumbled across a section of the site dedicated to men who won the Medal twice.  Considering how difficult it is to win it once, and the fact that most of those who win it die in the process, it seems to me that a second award would be unheard of.  Not so.  19 men have won it twice.  I noticed that of the 19 double winners, 7 were marines, 4 were in the army and the rest were in the Navy.  I expected the marines would be well represented. I was a little surprised the army would have so few.  What really blew me away was the navy.  8 double CMOH awards for the Navy, Wow!  I thought it even more interesting that all of the awards were pre-WWII.  These Navy guys weren't SEALs they were just regular deck monkeys.

I clicked on one.  It reads:

Lafferty participated in the transfer of two torpedoes across an island swamp and then served as sentry to keep guard of clothes and arms left by other members of the party. After being rejoined by others of the party who had been discovered before the plan could be completed, Lafferty succeeded in returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp.

I guess you get a MOH for each torpedo you transfer.  Compare that to one of the Marines.

Hoffman was attempting to organize a position on the north slope of the hill when he saw 12 of the enemy, armed with 5 light machineguns, crawling toward his group. Giving the alarm, he rushed the hostile detachment, bayoneted the 2 leaders, and forced the others to flee, abandoning their guns. His quick action, initiative, and courage drove the enemy from a position from which they could have swept the hill with machinegun fire and forced the withdrawal of our troops.

Lets check another Marine.

 Pvt. Kelly ran through our own barrage 100 yards in advance of the front line and attacked an enemy machinegun nest, killing the gunner with a grenade, shooting another member of the crew with his pistol, and returning through the barrage with 8 prisoners.

Marines are awarded medals for acts of bravery in battle.  In the Navy you can get the MOH for, "returning to the mother ship after spending 24 hours of discomfort in the rain and swamp." Incidentally they didn't accomplish the mission.  Apparently you get the fist MOH for being off the ship 24 hours and the second for being in the rain.  The Marines have a special term for being off the ship for 24 hours, shore leave.