The Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was a military award which was created by the United States War Department in June 1915. The medal recognizes those service members who performed garrison occupation duty in Cuba, following the close of the Spanish-American War.
To be awarded the Army of Cuban Occupation Medal, a service member must have performed duty within the geographical borders of Cuba between the dates of July 18, 1898 and May 20, 1902. The medal was primarily awarded to members of the United States Army, but was available to other branches of service under certain circumstances.
The first Army of Cuban Occupation Medal was awarded to Major General Leonard Wood. A similar post Spanish-American War occupation medal was the Army of Puerto Rican Occupation Medal. The Army of Cuban Pacification Medal was a similarly named decoration, but was awarded for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Cuba seven years after the close of the Spanish-American War.
Famous quotes containing the words army of, army, cuban and/or occupation:
“Roach, foulest of creatures,
who attacks with yellow teeth
and an army of cousins big as shoes ...”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
“I have been up to see the Congress and they do not seem to be able to do anything except to eat peanuts and chew tobacco, while my army is starving.”
—Robert E. Lee (1807–1870)
“Because a person is born the subject of a given state, you deny the sovereignty of the people? How about the child of Cuban slaves who is born a slave, is that an argument for slavery? The one is a fact as well as the other. Why then, if you use legal arguments in the one case, you don’t in the other?”
—Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)
“... possibly there is no needful occupation which is wholly unbeautiful. The beauty of work depends upon the way we meet it—whether we arm ourselves each morning to attack it as an enemy that must be vanquished before night comes, or whether we open our eyes with the sunrise to welcome it as an approaching friend who will keep us delightful company all day, and who will make us feel, at evening, that the day was well worth its fatigues.”
—Lucy Larcom (1824–1893)