Ironman Lee was quite a Marine. Great story put up by Dick Culver about some of his exploits.
In one of Col Lee's bio's it stated his Navy Cross had a Silver Star in it which noted that was his second award. What would be used to denote his third Navy Cross and how was Col Pullers five Navy Crosses shown.
Second and subsequent awards of any medal are indicated by Gold Stars for members of the Naval Service and Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters for Army/Air Force. A Silver Star/Oak Leaf Cluster is used to indicate 5 awards of the same medal. Colonel Puller's Navy Cross had 4 gold stars attached to it to indicate 5th Award. Had he been awarded 6 Navy Crosses the medal would have had 1 Silver Star attached to it. Hope that helps.
I suspect there is a connection. Some mother liked old Vernon softshoe routine and named her kid after him, or maybe a distant cousin?
Were both Vernon's born in Stillwater, as FM 1/C Castle was from Stillwater.
Jim
I just now ran across your forum on Carlson's Raiders marine Vernon Castle. Vernon's platoon leader wrote of the raiders activity in the Solomon Islands in his book 'bless 'em all:'. I bought a copy from Jim Gleason who was one of the youngest Raiders.
Our family of nine children grew up on the adjacent farm from the Castles, two miles west of Jet Oklahoma. They were a family of six children born 1920 to 1938 and our family, Blackledge was a family of nine children born 1921 to 1937. Most are still living as of 2011. Vernon is listed as Stillwater Oklahoma apparently because he was going to school there at Oklahoma A&M were he enlisted in the marines.
Youtube has video of the marines loading the bodies for their return trip home from the Makin atoll in 1999. Very interesting and moving as an 88 year old native who helped bury them was still living.
Video
PM
Originally Posted by Long Island
