Naval Academy Sports Medal, silver, “Pistol ’42”, “M.V. Shively ’43”

United States Naval Academy Sports Medal, silver, hand-engraved “M.V. Shively ’43/Pistol ’42”. Marked “BB&B/Sterling; split brooch. Only awarded annually in gold, silver and bronze grades in each sport, so a scarce medal.

Captain Morris Vinton Shively served for a year in the Marine Corps Reserve (1938-1939) before entering the Naval Academy. Upon graduation, he was commissioned into the Marine Corps, ultimately retiring as a captain in April 1950. In 1944, he was an artillery officer on Saipan. In March, 1945, he commanded a battery on Iwo Jima (10th 155mm Gun Battalion), earning a Bronze Star “For meritorious Achievement in connection with operations against the enemy while serving as a battery commander with a Provisional Field Artillery Group attached to a Marine Amphibious Corps Landing Force on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands. Captain Shively efficiently and successfully disembarked his battery from aboard ship without loss of personnel or materiel and occupied a position under heavy enemy artillery and machine gun fire, and through his untiring efforts made available much needed fire support from medium artillery…”. Shively died in 1994 in Cerrito, California.