US NAVY PRESENTATION SWORD NAMED TO MEDAL OF HONOR

Outstanding and historically significant Presentation US Naval Officer Sword named to a Medal of Honor recipient Floyd Bennent. The sword was manufactured by The Harding Uniform & Regalia Co. of Boston Mass. The sword retains almost 100% of the gilting with a beautifully etched blade that reads "From The People of Boston Malcolm E. Nichols, Mayor. Independence Day, July 4th 1926". to the reverse and to the obverse :To Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett U.S.N. First by Air to Conquer the North Pole." Rayskin grip is also in near mint condition with wire wrap. Grip is still tight and just as solid as the day it was made. Bennett was born in Warrensburg, New York, in 1890. He was an automobile mechanic before he enlisted in the Navy in 1917, during World War I. Bennett attended flight school, learned to fly and was rated as an Aviation Pilot. Bennett served with Richard E. Byrd on an aviation survey of Greenland in 1925, on which Byrd came to respect his ability as a pilot. North Pole flight Byrd named Bennett as his pilot for an attempt to reach the North Pole by air in 1926. The expedition was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Edsel Ford, Vincent Astor and T. F. Ryan. Bennett was at the controls on May 9 as the two men made their attempt, in a Fokker tri-motor called the Josephine Ford. They returned to their airfield in Spitzbergen on that day. During the flight, the aircraft's engine developed an oil leak. Bennett advised turning back but Byrd decided to continue the flight. Byrd and Bennett were lionized as heroes in America. Both Bennett and Byrd received the Medal of Honor, as well as the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for this feat. Upon their arrival in the United States, Byrd was awarded the Hubbard Medal of the National Geographic Society and Bennett was awarded a gold medal from the society in recognition of their achievement. Post North Pole flight Byrd and his team had been leading candidates to win the large Orteig Prize in 1927, to be awarded for the first nonstop flight between France and the United States. Once again, Byrd named Bennett as his pilot for the attempt. However, Bennett was seriously injured during a practice flight and the airplane, a Fokker F-VIIb-3m named America, was badly damaged when it crashed on take-off. Byrd and his fellow pilot George O. Noville were also slightly injured in the crash. Following this failure by Bennett and Byrd, Charles Lindbergh won the Orteig Prize, flying from Long Island, New York, nonstop to Paris, France.Bremen FlyersThe Bremen was a German aircraft which had just completed the first successful transatlantic aeroplane flight from east to west, but was damaged and unflyable after a landing on a peat bog on Greenly Island, Canada at the end of that non-stop flight from Europe, on April 13, 1928. Floyd Bennett and Bernt Balchen flew a Ford Trimotor to pick up the three stranded Bremen Flyers. Bennett had developed pneumonia following a previous crash. His condition worsened during the rescue, and he died shortly afterward, while in hospital in Quebec City, on April 25, 1928. Balchen was paid $10,000 ($158,000 today) for the effort, an amount that was passed to Bennett's widow. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington County, Virginia. Honors Bennett and Byrd became national heroes upon their return from the Arctic when they arrived in New York on June 22, 1926. They received numerous honors from both governments and private organizations. Congress voted to award both men the Medal of Honor by a special act passed on December 21, 1926. The medals were presented to Byrd and Bennett at the White House by President Coolidge on February 25, 1927. Shortly after his return to the United States, Bennett was promoted from Chief Aviation Pilot to the warrant officer rank of Machinist. Bennett's date of rank as a warrant officer was May 9, 1926 – the date of his historic flight.Bennett received the following awards during his career in the Navy: Medal of Honor Distinguished Service Medal Good Conduct Medal World War I Victory Medal Medal of Honor citation: Rank and organization: Machinist, U.S. Navy. Born: October 25, 1890, Warrensburg, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. Other Navy award: Distinguished Service Medal.Citation: For distinguishing himself conspicuously by courage and intrepidity at the risk of his life as a member of the Byrd Arctic Expedition and thus contributing largely to the success of the first heavier-than-air flight to the North Pole and return. Distinguished Service Medal citation: The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Distinguished Service Medal to Aviation Pilot Floyd Bennett, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States. His courage and ability contributed largely to the success of the first heavier-than-air craft flight to the North Pole and return.