Although CM3 Marvin Shields, United States Navy
was not a graduate of the Naval Academy,
I dedicate this page to this Patriot who gave the
ultimate in up-holding the traditions of the
"United States Navy"
He was the only Seabee to be awarded the
"Congressional Medal Of Honor"
CM3 Marvin Glenn Shields
Entered service at:
Seattle, Washington
Rank and organization:
Construction Mechanic Third Class U.S. Navy
Seabee Team 1104
Place and date of Heroic action:
Dong Xoai, Republic of Vietnam, 10 June 1965
The United States Navy has honored his memory
with a ship in his name
USS Marvin Glenn Shields DE-1066
30 December 1939 - 10 June 1965
At The Wall:
Panel 02E - Row 007
"Congressional Medal Of Honor Citation"
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life
above and beyond the call of duty.
Although wounded when the compound of Detachment A342,
5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces,
came under intense fire from an estimated reinforced Viet Cong Regiment
employing machine guns, heavy weapons and small arms, Shields
continued to resupply his fellow Americans who needed ammunition
and to return the enemy fire for a period of approximately 3 hours,
at which time the Viet Cong launched a massive attack at close range
with flame throwers, hand grenades and small-arms fire.
Wounded a second time during this attack, Shields nevertheless
assisted in carrying a more critically wounded man to safety, and then
resumed firing at the enemy for 4 more hours.
When the Commander asked for a volunteer to accompany him in an
attempt to knock out an enemy machine gun emplacement which was
endangering the lives of all personnel in the compound because of the
accuracy of its fire, Shields unhesitatingly volunteered for this
extremely hazardous mission.
Proceeding toward their objective with a 3.5-inch rocket launcher,
they succeeded in destroying the enemy machine gun emplacement,
thus undoubtedly saving the lives of many of their fellow
servicemen in the compound.
Shields was mortally wounded by hostile fire while returning
to his defensive position.
His heroic initiative and great personal valor in the face of intense
enemy fire sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the
"United States Naval Service"
Established in 1845, the Naval Academy is the undergraduate
college for the Navy that prepares young men and women to
become professional officers in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The Mission of the Naval Academy
To develop midshipmen morally, mentally, physically,
and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and
loyalty in order to provide graduates who are dedicated to a
career of naval service and have potential for future development
in mind and character to assume the highest responsibilities of
command, citizenship and government.
THE HONOR CONCEPT
THE BRIGADE OF MIDSHIPMEN
Midshipmen are persons of integrity
They stand for that which is right
They tell the truth and ensure that the full truth is known
They do not lie
They embrace fairness in all actions
They ensure that work submitted as their own is their own,
and that assistance received from any source is authorized
and properly documented
They do not cheat
They respect the property of others and ensure that others
are able to benefit from the use of their own property
They do not steal
HONOR TREATISE
THE BRIGADE OF MIDSHIPMEN
As a Brigade we cherish the diverse backgrounds and
talents of every midshipmen yet recognize the common
thread that unites us, the trust and confidence of the
American people.
They have appointed us to defend our country by
developing our minds, our bodies, and most especially,
our moral character.
It is our responsibility to develop a selfless sense of duty
that demands excellence both of ourselves, and of those
with whom we serve.
We must honor our loyalties without compromising our
ultimate obligation to the truth.
Our leadership must set a standard that reflects loyalty
to our goals and the courage to stand accountable for
all our actions, both those that lead to success and to
those that end in failure.
We will never settle for achieving merely what is expected
of us but will strive for a standard of excellence that
reflects the dedication and courage of those who have
gone before us.
When we attain our goal, we will raise our expectations,
when we fall short, we will rise up and try again.
In essence, we espouse leadership by example,
a leadership that will inspire others to follow wherever
we may lead.
Countless challenges and trials lie before us.
We believe that those with the strongest moral foundation
will be the leaders who best reflect the legacy of the
United States Naval Academy.
This is our call as midshipmen, it is a mission we proudly accept.
A Brief History
When the founders of the United States Naval Academy
were looking for a suitable location, it was reported that then
Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft decided to move
the naval school to "the healthy and secluded" location of
Annapolis in order to rescue midshipmen from
"the temptations and distractions that necessarily connect
with a large and populous city."
The Philadelphia Naval Asylum School was its predecessor.
Four of the original seven faculty members came from Philadelphia.
Other small naval schools in New York City, Norfolk, Va., and
Boston, Mass. also existed in the early days of the United States.
The United States Navy was born during the American Revolution
when the need for a naval force to match the British Royal Navy
became clear.
But during the period immediately following the Revolution, the
Continental Navy was demobilized in 1785 by an economy-minded Congress.
The dormancy of American seapower lasted barely a decade when,
in 1794, President George Washington persuaded the Congress to
authorize a new naval force to combat the growing menace of
piracy on the high seas.
The first vessels of the new U.S. Navy were launched in 1797,
among them were the United States, the Constellation,
and the Constitution.
In 1825, President John Quincy Adams urged Congress to
establish a Naval Academy "for the formation of scientific and
accomplished officers.
" His proposal, however, was not acted upon until 20 years later.
On September 13, 1842, the American Brig Somers set sail
from the Brooklyn Navy Yard on one of the most significant
cruises in American naval history.
It was a school ship for the training of teenage naval apprentice
volunteers who would hopefully be inspired to make the Navy a career.
However, discipline deteriorated on the Somers and it was determined
by a court of inquiry aboard ship that Midshipman Philip Spencer,
and his two chief confederates, Boatswains Mate Samuel Cromwell
and Seaman Elisha Small, were guilty of a
"determined attempt to commit a mutiny".
The three were hanged at the yardarm and the incident cast doubt
over the wisdom of sending midshipmen directly aboard ship to
learn by doing.
News of the Somers mutiny shocked the country.
Through the efforts of the Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft,
the Naval School was established without Congressional funding,
at a 10-acre Army post named Fort Severn in Annapolis, Maryland,
on October 10, 1845, with a class of 50 midshipmen and seven professors.
The curriculum included mathematics and navigation, gunnery and steam,
chemistry, English, natural philosophy, and French.
In 1850 the Naval School became the United States Naval Academy.
A new curriculum went into effect requiring midshipmen to study at the
Academy for four years and to train aboard ships each summer.
That format is the basis of a far more advanced and sophisticated
curriculum at the Naval Academy today.
As the U.S. Navy grew over the years, the Academy expanded.
The campus of 10 acres increased to 338.
The original student body of 50 midshipmen grew to a brigade size of 4,000.
Modern granite buildings replaced the old wooden structures of Fort Severn.
Congress authorized the Naval Academy to begin awarding bachelor of
science degrees in 1933.
The Academy later replaced a fixed curriculum taken by all midshipmen
with the present core curriculum plus 18 major fields of study, a wide variety
of elective courses and advanced study and research opportunities.
Since then, the development of the United States Naval Academy has
reflected the history of the country.
As America has changed culturally and technologically so has the
Naval Academy.
In just a few decades, the Navy moved from a fleet of sail and steam
powered ships to a high-tech fleet with nuclear-powered submarines
and surface ships and supersonic aircraft.
The academy has changed, too, giving midshipmen state - of - the - art
academic and professional training they need to be effective United States
Naval Officers in their future careers.
The Naval Academy first accepted women as midshipmen in 1976,
when Congress authorized the admission of women to all of the service
academies.
Women comprise about 13 to 14 percent of entering plebes, or freshmen,
and they pursue the same academic and professional training as do their male
classmates.
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