MovieChat Forums > Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957) Discussion > Cpl. Allison actions worthy of a Congres...

Cpl. Allison actions worthy of a Congressional Medal of Honor (spoilers)


At the end of the movie Cpl. Allison removes the breeches from the guns while under heavy fire, saving many lives in the invasion force. After the movie was over I started to wonder if this was the type of heroism and bravery that would be worthy of a Congressional Medal of Honor, if it had been real.

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Being outside dancing around during the bombing is so stupid that it would negate any chance of a medal. And from that distance any bomb would knock him off his feet from the air pressure.

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Medals are awarded more for the severity of the situation than for the serviceman's response to it. If it's a Medal of Honor (not "Congressional" Medal of Honor) situation, the responding serviceman who happens to be nearby (and does his best to rise to the occasion) might be recognized with the MoH. But if it's only a Bronze Star situation, the bravest serviceman in the world can only do so much with it, and is only likely to be awarded the Bronze Star (political/medal-quota factors aside; see Gov. Bob Kerrey and Sec. John Kerry).

In Allison's case, his nomination might be complicated by the fact that it was U. S. Naval fire that he was threatened by - not the enemy's. Could be he'd only qualify for a non-combat heroism award, like the Navy and Marine Corps Medal (no small award, mind you).

In any event, Allison's action would probably prompt a recommendation for a Silver Star, at most (not a MoH, or even a Navy Cross) - not because of the slightest lack of heroism or initiative on his part. Rather, he could only do so much with the circumstances he was confronted by. They simply weren't MoH circumstances, that being no fault of or reflection against Allison. Besides, his actions were witnessed by absolutely no one - not even the nun, nor even the Japs, let alone an American officer; with no American officer on hand to witness and report Allison's actions, and recommend a decoration for them, that pretty well negated any possibility of any medal at all.

In war, battlefield heroism often goes unwitnessed and/or unreported. When that happens, it provides the serviceman with a sobering and valuable life's lesson: that, like virtue, sometimes valor is its own reward.

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[deleted]

Everything you say is true, which makes Allison a heroic fellow and a sterling Marine, well deserving of the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. But there are several critical elements missing that would be required to award him a Medal of Honor, beyond the standing ovation from the nearby Marines:

1) Enemy fire.
2) Combat circumstances commensurate with a Medal of Honor.
3) An on-scene officer to write him up for the MoH.
4) Witnesses to his actions under fire (i.e. beyond scavenging for food and blankets for the nun) that could be exhaustively interviewed.

Don't get me wrong - he was a helluva guy and a fine representative of the Corps. And if he were to get well-earned recognition for his heroism, that'd be fine by me. But it's not even in the ballpark for an MoH.

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I'm reviewing old IMDb posts of mine and I want to correct the error of not thanking you properly for your great answer. Sometimes the time between my original post and an answer means I don't find it till much later.

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It HAS been a while! 😀 Thanks for the feedback.

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I was thinking he should get some kind of a medal. Do you receive a Purple Heart for any battle wound, including Friendly Fire? Because he was hit by Friendly Fire.

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