Originally stationed in Bushey Park, London, the WAC’s accompanied SHAEF in its move to France. Arriving in Normandy on D-Day +20, they were assigned to the Forward Echelon, Communications Zone, manning switchboards recently vacated by the Germans. These women worked out of tents, cellars, prefabricated huts and switchboard trailers. Her next assignment was to Headquarters, Special Intelligence, Forward SHAFE, APO 1, where she worked on many classified projects.

While in France and later in Germany, Nan collected battlefield facts for future planning, was a combat intelligence analyst staff officer, and helped write the history of one of the outstanding engineering feats of the war: construction of the petroleum pipeline system. This system was constructed at a rate of 70 miles a day, extending from the beaches to the fighting fronts. When the first Allied troops entered Paris, the pipeline was only 35 miles behind them.

On July 29, 1944 she was wounded by a German sniper, becoming one of only 16 WAC’s to receive the Purple Heart (Figure 3). The majority of these wounded WAC’s received their wounds as a result of shrapnel injuries encountered from exploding V-1 attacks on England. Maj or Rice’s other awards include the Bronze Star (Figure 4); Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster (Figure 5); the Army Good Conduct Medal (Figure 6); WAC Service Medal; Army of Occupation Medal with Germany Clasp; and the National Defense Medal. She also was entitled to the American Campaign Medal; the European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze stars (Normandy Campaign, Northern France Campaign, the Ardennes Campaign and the Rhineland Campaign); and the World War II Victory Medal (see the cover). In addition, she held a sharpshooter qualification badge with pistol bar.

Figure 3: The naming on Major Rice’s Purple Heart. Figure 5: The naming on Major Rice’s Army Commendation Medal

Figure 4: The naming on Major Rice’s Bronze Star. Figure 6: The naming on Major Rice’s Good

Conduct Medal

3 8 JOMSA

In 1945 Frances received a battlefield commission to Lieutenant while serving as Chief, At’my Service Clubs and Tours Branch during the transfer of the Red Cross Clubs and the troop phase-down. This assignment was with the Office of Special Services, Headquarters, ETOUSA, APO 757 (Frankfurt, Germany). Nan remained in Europe until 1947 returning to the Pentagon, Washington, DC. where she served as club program director in Special Services with the Department of the Arl~y’s, Office of Special Services. These duties were followed by three years recruiting and training college women to take over the club programs in Korea, Guam, Alaska, Hawaii, Europe and the Caribbean. Her remaining assignments were in comptroller and manpower functions at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1957, Frances W. Rice resigned from the Army to marry Lieutenant Colonel Jean Shute, a career Army officer. They had one child, Jean Derby Shute.

Nan received an M.A. degree in public administration from George Washington University in 1961, followed by post-graduate studies at American University. She was very active in veterans affairs, holding life memberships in the Disabled American Veterans, the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Military Order of the Purple Heart. Nan’s husband died in August 1981 and she died on September 24, 2002. Both are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

The Army acknowledged the contributions of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II by granting numerous individual corps members various awards. WAC Director Oveta Culp Hobby received the Distinguished Service Medal. Sixty-two WACs received the Legion of Merit, awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of duty. This group included both officer and enlisted personnel. Three WAC’s received the Air Medal, ten women received the Soldier’s Medal for heroic actions (not involving combat). Lastly, the Bronze Star was awarded to 565 women for meritorious service overseas. Frances W. (Nan) Rice Shute was one of many remarkable women who served their country’s needs during World War II and we are indebted for their service.

The author would like to express his appreciation to Ms. Mary Kathleen Rice, San Antonio, Texas for her support and assistance without which this story would not have been written.

References:

Bellafaire, Judith A. The Women’s Army Corps: A Commemoration of

World War II Service. (CMH Publication 72-15). Washington, D.

C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1990.

Ostler, George and J. S. Coulson. The Little OxJbrd Dictionary of

Current English, 3rd edition. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1941

Rice Family Book Three: Tennessee & Connecticut Lineages, Enfield,

Connecticut: Wintersmith Books,

(Continued from page 35)

andBadges in 1991. In it, he refers to the medals being "given to a soldier’s family upon his demise... Some feel areas with heavy Masonic population influenced this medal." Unfortunately, Lee Bishop and J. Robert Elliott provided another source for the mis-identification in their "American Society Medals," where it is listed as the "GAR Death Badge."

So, what is the "GAR funeral badge" really? It is

the Malta Jewel of the Knights Templar, a Masonic

organization. In the Knights Templar hierarchy, the Malta

Jewel represents the second level order (the first-level

order is the Order of the Temple and the third-level, or

highest, order is the Illustrious Order of the Red Cross).

The Malta Jewel has been in existence at least since the

1880s and has been manufactured in a variety of styles.

Some have plain gold centers, others have the centers

enameled in various colors, some have enameled eagles

in the center, some will have top bars, etc.

Why the confusion over this simple badge? The 1880s saw a tremendous expansion of fraternal organizations, and it was common for a man to join several societies. He might join the GAR based on his military service, the Knights Templar based on his church connections, and another society offering mutual insurance benefits. Most of these organizations had medals and badges for their members to wear. When a man had a formal portrait taken, it was not uncommon to see him wearing all of his society regalia. It is comlnon to see men of the period wearing both GAR and Masonic regalia, which can lead to false assumptions about the origins and use of many badges. These portraits, however, did not lead modern authors to an obvious question -"Why are so many living individuals photographed wearing a "GAR funeral badge?"

The answer is that they were not. They were wearing the Malta Jewel, symbolic of their position in the Knights Templar.

Vol. 61, No. 4 (July-August 2010) 39

POLAND - THREE NEW COMMEMORATIVE STARS ESTABLISHED

LUKASZ GASZEWSKI

lllll

Figure 1: From left to right: obverses of the Congo, Chad and Mediterranean Stars; at the right the com~non reverse for all of the com~nemorative stars.

By instruction dated February 12, 2010 the President of Poland, Lech Kaczynski (1949-2010), established three new military decorations commemorating the participation of the Polish Armed Forces in missions to Congo, Chad and on the Mediterranean. The information was gazetted on March 4, in Dziennik Ustaw #32, the official periodical of the Polish Parliament.

The Congo Star that will be conferred on Polish members of the military contingent in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Gabon. The star inscribed KONGO is worn on a ribbon of gold yellow with blue and yellow (outer) edge stripes (the national colors of the Democratic Republic of Congo). Each contingent is denoted by a bronze clasp with a numeral.

Commemorative stars were instituted by an Act of Parliament of June 14, 2007. They are conferred on members of military missions or contingents abroad. All military and civilian personnel who have served for at least one day in the prescribed area are eligible. The first two stars, the Afghanistan Star, and the Iraq Star were established by a presidential instruction of July 31, 2007 (see "New Military Awards of Poland," JOMSA January- February 2008).

The stars are in the form of a four-pointed star of bronze, measuring 44 x 44 mm (1 3/4"), with crossed swords and laurel sprays between the arms. The obverse bears a cipher RP (Rzeczpospolita Polska - Republic of Poland) and the name of the country or operational theater below. On the reverse there is a Latin inscription PA�I/SERVIO (I serve peace). The ribbon is 35 mm (1 3/8") wide and is different for each star, the common part being a central 4 mm red stripe, flanked by 2mm white stripes.

As of April 2010 five commemorative stars have been established: (1) the Afghanistan Star; (2) the Iraq Star; (3) the Congo Star; (4) the Chad Star; (5) the Mediterranean Star. The three new commemorative stars are as follows (Figure 1):

The Chad Star will be conferred on the Polish members of the contingent in the Republic of Chad and the Central African Republic. The star inscribed CZAD is worn on a black ribbon with the edges of the Republic of Chad tricolor of red, yellow and blue (outer). Each contingent is denoted by a bronze clasp with a numeral.

The Mediterranean Star is intended for individuals

who participated in operation Active Endeavor, in

safeguarding the ships on the Mediterranean Sea against

terrorists and attacks by hijackers, under the auspices of

the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The star inscribed

MORZE/SRODZIEMNE (Mediterranean Sea) is worn on a sea green ribbon with white and NATO blue (outer)

edges. On the ribbon there is a bronze clasp inscribed

ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR.

The presidential instructions come into effect three months after being gazetted. The confering of the first stars is planned for August 15, 2010, National Army Day.

The author would like to thank Mr: Tadeusz Jeziorowski from the Greater Poland Military Museum, Poznan for the first information about the new stars.

40 JOMSA