Name/Title
StereographEntry/Object ID
2023.055.3.0170Description
A black and white stereograph. Image is of a group of soldiers dressed in uniform, standing at attention while being presented medals. Above the image "W266 (Star)" is printed, below the image "V19230 General Pershing Decorating Officers of 89th Div., Treves, Germany." is printed, to the left of the image "Keystone View Company Copyrighted, Underwood & Underwood, Inc. Manufacturers MADE IN U.S.A. Publishers" is printed, to the right of the image "Meadville, Pa., New York, N. Y., Chicago, Ill., London, England." is printed. On the reverse the following is printed:
V19230
GEN. PERSHING DECORATING OFFICERS OF 89TH DIV., TREVES
The Commanding General of the Ameican Expeditionary Forces, John J. Pershing, is here pinning upon the tunics of these youthful warriros the ribboned Distinguished Service Crosses which are their reward for "extrordinary heroism in action." How extroadinary their heroism had to be in every case in order to win this high honor is proven by the fact that of over two million American soldiers in France, nearly all of whom did their best to perform their full duty, only 5,133 had been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross up to November 11, 1919, and only 93 had been given an oak leaf cluster to wear on the ribbon of the Distingusiehd Service Cross, equivalent to a second citation fo the medal itself.
The 89th Division stood well up among the American combat divisions in awards of the coveted distinction, 137 of its officers and men having recieved it. The division receiving the hightest numbers was the 2nd, which had 673 crosses and 13 oak leaf clusters.
In addition to the decorations of our own government, many other decorations for bravery in action were conferred upon our men by foreign governments, particularly by France and Great Britain, while not a few French and British soldiers recieved our Distinguished Service Cross for acts of gallantry performed while fighting shoulder to shoulder with our men. Thus were exchanged between the Allied amies those tokens of mutual admiration for valor which we may confidently hope will help to keep alive in coming years the comradeship of common service in high cause between the three great nations whose continued frienship is thbest, indeed, the only, guarantee of the futur safety of civilization.
Copyright by The Keystone Veiw CompanyCollection
Photograph Collection