Two Soldiers and a Marine

Some critics contend that the Medal of Honor was sometimes awarded early in the war for less than the prescribed "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty." But there were no critics of last week's awards of Medals of Honor (Nos. 86, 87, and 88) to three country boys.

Soldier of Fortune. Major Gregory Boyington, aged 31, of Okanogan, Wash., had shot down 26 Jap planes--six as a Flying Tiger, 20 as a Marine pilot in the South Pacific--without ever having been given a medal (TIME, Jan. 17) not even one of the 100,000 Air Medals which have been strewn (chiefly by the Army Air Forces) around the globe. Last week, three months after he had failed to return from a mission, Boyington's medal came through.

Farmer. Second Lieut. Ernest Childers, aged 26, of Broken Arrow, Okla., three-quarters Creek Indian, one-quarter Irish, was a big, silent farm hand and mechanic. He learned to walk at five months, to ride a pony at six years, could draw an accurate bead on a tomato can at 50 yards when he was seven. Last September after the Salerno landing his battalion was pinned down by machine-gun and mortar fire. Disregarding a broken instep, the big Indian advanced alone, killed two Germans who fired at him from a nearby house. Then he slipped behind a machine-gun nest, killed its two occupants, picked off another German in another nest, captured one more. This week he was on his way home to marry a farmer's daughter.

Footballer. Captain Maurice L. ("Footsy") Britt, aged 24, of Lonoke, Ark., played football at the University of Arkansas, later was an end for the Detroit Lions. Last week he was in Lawson General Hospital, Atlanta, recuperating from the loss of his right arm, shot off at Anzio two months ago. His medal was won in another Italian action last November. Despite many wounds in his side, chest, face and hands, Footsy Britt advanced with eight men, personally killed five Germans, wiped out a machine-gun nest, fired five clips (75 rounds) of carbine ammunition, more rifle ammunition, threw 32 grenades.

Said the citation: "His bold, aggressive actions, . . . were largely responsible for repulsing a German counterattack which, if successful, would have isolated his battalion and destroyed his company."

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