Army, with the encouragement of then-President Theodore Roosevelt, created a series of badges for wear on the uniform commemorating prior service in designated campaigns. Congress repeatedly showed a reluctance to authorize official medals commemorating service by the armed forces. On rare occasions, Congress authorized special commemorative medals for heroes of dramatic naval victories, but these went chiefly to the vessels' commanding officer and were not medals intended for wear on the naval uniform. American Sailors and Marines were without official medals or other visible signs of their overseas service or combat for the first 120 years of the Navy's existence, since orders, medals and decorations were seen as the trappings of royalty and empire and ran contrary to the republican spirit present at the founding of our country.
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