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CW3 Christopher Vitatoe
to remember
Bandholtz, Harry (H.H.), MG USA(Ret).
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Contact Info
Last Address Constantine
Date of Passing May 07, 1925
Location of Interment Constantine Township Cemetery - Constantine, Michigan
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
United States Army General. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, his military career included service in the Spanish-American War and service with the Second United States Infantry regiment during the Philippine-American War. Following the capture of insurrectionist Emilio Aguinaldo and the defeat of the Filipino forces, he served as governor of Tayabas Province, which is now known as Quezon, in 1902 and 1903, and as assistant chief of the Philippine Constabulary. He was promoted to Brigadier General and Chief of the constabulary forces, a post that he held from 1907 until he left in 1913. He was also Chief of Staff of the 27th Infantry Division, the commander of the 58th Brigade 29th Infantry Division and Provost Marshal General and American representative to the Inter-Allied Military mission to Hungary. On August 11, 1919, General Bandholtz arrived in Budapest as one of four generals to become the Inter-Allied Control Commission for Hungary, primarily to supervise the disengagement of Romanian troops from Hungary. He became famous when, on the night of October 5, 1919, as President of the Day of the Commission, mainly through bluff, armed only with a riding crop, he prevented a group of Romanian soldiers from removing Transylvanian treasures from the National Museum.
Service Career 1882-1923
MG Harry H. Bandholtz’s distinguished service career featured valorous actions during the Spanish-American War in 1898 and 13 years in the Philippines, which included 6 years as the Chief of the Philippine Constabulary; and culminated as Provost Marshal General of the American Expeditionary Force in France during World War I. In that position, he laid the foundation for the establishment of today’s Military Police Corps by instituting the first Military Police School and by introducing formal operating instructions for the military police. MG Bandholtz is considered the “Father of the MP Corps”.
Mexican Service Campaign (1911-1919)
From Month/Year
April / 1911
To Month/Year
June / 1919
Description The Mexican Service Medal is an award of the United States military which was established by General Orders of the United States War Department on December 12, 1917. The Mexican Service Medal recognizes those service members who performed military service against Mexican forces between the dates of April 12, 1911 and June 16, 1919.
To be awarded the Mexican Service Medal, a service member was required to perform military duty during the time period of eligibility and in one of the following military engagements.
Veracruz Expedition: April 21 to November 23, 1914
Punitive Expedition into Mexico: March 14, 1916 to February 7, 1917
Buena Vista, Mexico: December 1, 1917
San Bernardino Canyon, Mexico: December 26, 1917
La Grulla, Texas: January 8 – January 9, 1918
Pilares, Chihuahua: March 28, 1918
Nogales, Arizona: November 1–26, 1915, or August 27, 1918
El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua: June 15 – June 16, 1919
The United States Navy issued the Mexican Service Medal to members of the Navy and Marines who participated in any of the above actions, as well as to service members who served aboard U.S. naval vessels patrolling Mexican waters between April 21 and November 26, 1914, or between March 14, 1916, and February 7, 1917.
The Mexican Service Medal was also awarded to any service member who was wounded or killed while participating in action any against hostile Mexican forces between April 12, 1911 and February 7, 1917.
Although a single decoration, both the Army and Navy issued two different versions of the Mexican Service Medal. The Army Mexican Service Medal displayed an engraving of a yucca plant, while the Navy version depicts the San Juan de Ulúa fortress in Veracruz harbor. Both medals displayed the annotation "1911 - 1917" on the bottom of the medal.
The Mexican Service Medal was a one time decoration and there were no service stars authorized for those who had participated in multiple engagements. For those Army members who had been cited for gallantry in combat, the Citation Star was authorized as a device to the Mexican Service Medal. There were no devices authorized for the Navy's version of the decoration.
A similar decoration, known as the Mexican Border Service Medal also existed for those who had performed support duty to Mexican combat expeditions from within the United States.