{"id":740,"date":"2018-03-23T19:53:04","date_gmt":"2018-03-23T19:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moebergfilm.org\/?p=740"},"modified":"2018-03-23T19:53:04","modified_gmt":"2018-03-23T19:53:04","slug":"the-oss-gold-medal-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/2018\/03\/23\/the-oss-gold-medal-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"The OSS Gold Medal Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The OSS Gold Medal Ceremony<br \/>\nOSS GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 BLOG<br \/>\n_____________<\/p>\n<p>Morris \u201cMoe\u201d Berg and the 13,000 heroic men and women of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) finally received a well-deserved Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday, March 21st during a moving ceremony in the U.S. Capitol\u2019s Emancipation Hall. In true OSS style, the ceremony went on in spite of a Federal Government shutdown for a snow emergency.<\/p>\n<p>Along with Charles Pinck, President of the OSS Society, leaders of the U.S. House and Senate delivered remarks honoring the OSS members during a live streaming of the event. Members of the OSS and their extended families came from all over the U.S. and attended receptions in their honor Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. More congressional members spoke during the Wednesday evening rooftop reception.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style>\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-740 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/medal-8\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"250\" height=\"250\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/medal-8.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/medal-8.png 250w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/medal-8-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/7\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7-300x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/7.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The medal was finally bestowed after many years of lobbying spearheaded by the OSS Society under the fine leadership of Charles Pinck, whose father had served in the OSS in China. The Congressional medal, the nation\u2019s highest civilian distinction, was conferred collectively and recognizes the members of the OSS, the WWII intelligence agency and CIA predecessor for their superior service and major contributions during World War II. The OSS included both military personnel and civilians. Women comprised more than one-third of the OSS personnel and many of America\u2019s leading scientists and scholars also served. One side of the medal represents the range of work undertaken by the OSS and features the inscription \u201cOSS\u201d with a woman, a paratrooper, and a man in a suit. The design features the dates \u201c1942-1945\u201d the years during which the OSS operated. The reverse side of the medal features the OSS Spearhead inscribed with code words related to important OSS missions and agents. AZUSA was one of the code words representing a mission Moe Berg participated in.<br \/>\nU.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell\u2019s included Moe Berg in his remarks delivered during the ceremony: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=34O_OzoTcFY\">Watch Here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs we\u2019ve been hearing today, the ranks of the Office of Strategic Services included quite the cast of characters. There was \u2018Wild Bill\u2019 Donovan, the visionary leader intent on \u2018sowing the dragon\u2019s teeth\u2019 and breeding chaos behind enemy lines. There were celebrities like Marlene Dietrich, and future celebrities like Julia Child; all-star academics, like Arthur Schlesinger\u2026..I\u2019m partial to the story of Moe Berg, an Ivy Leaguer turned journeyman Major League Baseball catcher who gave up trying to hit curveballs and started throwing curveballs to the Nazis. Moe parachuted into occupied Yugoslavia, and he eavesdropped on German physicists.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Singer Songwriter Mark Russell delighted the ceremony audience with his rendition of \u201cWild Bill,\u201d a satirical song about the leader of the OSS. The OSS was created in 1942 by the legendary General William \u201cWild Bill\u201d Donovan to coordinate American intelligence efforts, in its heyday the OSS deployed more than 13,000 operatives in addition to four future CIA directors. Pioneers of sabotage, intelligence gathering, supplying resistance movements, capturing high-value targets and infiltrating enemy strongholds, OSS agents were in Gen. Donovan\u2019s words \u201cglorious amateurs\u201d who undertook \u201csome of the bravest acts of the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-749\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5.jpeg\" alt=\"5\" width=\"1280\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5.jpeg 1280w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5-300x151.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5-768x386.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5-1024x514.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/5-1080x543.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Accepting the medal on behalf of all the brave OSS men and women, was William Clarke, an OSS &amp; CIA veteran. He told the audience that around 100 OSS members are still alive.<br \/>\nThe OSS was America\u2019s first effort to implement a system of strategic intelligence during World War II and provided the basis for the modern-day American intelligence and special operations communities. Present day Special Operations Forces trace their lineage to the OSS. The CIA, the Navy SEALs, the Army Special Forces, and the Air Force Special Operations Command all have their precursors in the OSS. The U.S. Department of State\u2019s Bureau of Intelligence and Research also traces its creation to the OSS Research and Analysis Branch.<\/p>\n<p>Also speaking at the ceremony were Representatives Robert Latta (OH) and Marcy Kaptur (OH), Nancy Pelosi, (House Democratic Leader) Senators Roy Blunt (MO), Mark Warner (VA), Angus King, (ME), Mitch McConnell, (Majority Leader) and Paul Ryan, (House Speaker).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-746\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2.jpeg\" alt=\"2\" width=\"290\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2.jpeg 960w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2-225x300.jpeg 225w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/2-768x1024.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 290px) 100vw, 290px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pictured is Eugene Polinsky, navigator in the Air force special operations group known as the &#8220;Carpetbaggers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-747\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3.jpg\" alt=\"3\" width=\"323\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3.jpg 640w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/3-510x382.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 323px) 100vw, 323px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pictured is Robert Holmstrom displaying with fellow &#8220;Carpetbagger&#8221; Bill Becker the silk maps they carried to be informed about the typography of their missions.<\/p>\n<p>The OSS was America\u2019s first effort to implement a system of strategic intelligence during World War II and provided the basis for the modern-day American intelligence and special operations communities. Present day Special Operations Forces trace their lineage to the OSS. The CIA, the Navy SEALs, the Army Special Forces, and the Air Force Special Operations Command all have their precursors in the OSS. The U.S. Department of State\u2019s Bureau of Intelligence and Research also traces its creation to the OSS Research and Analysis Branch.<\/p>\n<p>Also speaking at the ceremony were Representatives Robert Latta (OH) and Marcy Kaptur (OH), Nancy Pelosi, (House Democratic Leader) Senators Roy Blunt (MO), Mark Warner (VA), Angus King, (ME), Mitch McConnell, (Majority Leader) and Paul Ryan, (House Speaker).<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-750\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6.jpeg\" alt=\"6\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6.jpeg 1280w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6-300x225.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6-768x576.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6-510x382.jpeg 510w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/6-1080x810.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Family members enjoyed reuniting with other OSS families who had served together on their missions. The family members of Lt. Col Gerhard L Bolland met the family of William Colby, an OSS member who like others later became the head of the CIA.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-745\" src=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1.jpeg\" alt=\"1\" width=\"1280\" height=\"768\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1.jpeg 1280w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1-300x180.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1-768x461.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1-1024x614.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/1-1080x648.jpeg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At the reception following the ceremony Representative Will Hurd (TX), who had been in the CIA, spoke about his appreciation of the clandestine nature of serving in the OSS.<br \/>\nAt the reception many relatives of the OSS members bemoaned the fact that it took 73 years for this Congressional medal to finally be awarded, and they regretted that their deceased family members could not partake in the Congressional recognition.<br \/>\nThe stories of these courageous OSS men and women will finally be memorialized when The National Museum of Intelligence and Special Operations opens in the future.<\/p>\n<p>We hope the documentary film of Moe Berg will contribute to this important effort.<\/p>\n<p>Click to see the <a href=\"http:\/\/nationalintelligencemuseum.org\/NMISO%20Brochure.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Museum of Intelligence and Special Operations<\/a> Brochure.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The OSS Gold Medal Ceremony OSS GOLD MEDAL CEREMONY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 BLOG _____________ Morris \u201cMoe\u201d Berg and the 13,000 heroic men and women of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) finally received a well-deserved Congressional Gold Medal on Wednesday, March 21st during a moving ceremony in the U.S. Capitol\u2019s Emancipation Hall. In true OSS [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=740"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/740\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=740"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=740"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jawidesign.com\/test\/moeberg_dev\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=740"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}