Criteria The Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States without degree for exceptionally outstanding conduct in the performance of meritorious service to the United States. ... The Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States without degree for exceptionally outstanding conduct in the performance of meritorious service to the United States. The performance must merit recognition by individuals in a key position which was performed in a clearly exceptional manner. MoreHide
Comments Lieutenant, Junior Grade Warren Calavan Gill, United States Coast Guard, was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Governm... Lieutenant, Junior Grade Warren Calavan Gill, United States Coast Guard, was awarded the Legion of Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States in the pre-assault training of officers and men for small boat operations and as Commander of an assault force during the assault on Sicily in 1943. His effort and enthusiasm inspired in the small boat flotillas a spirit of determination that was largely responsible for their success.
General Orders: U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office MoreHide
Criteria The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty status for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The Navy Cross may be awarded to any person who, while serving with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor.... The Navy Cross may be awarded to any person who, while serving with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of the Medal of Honor. MoreHide
Comments The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Warren Calavan Gill, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism and dist... The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Lieutenant, Junior Grade Warren Calavan Gill, United States Coast Guard, for extraordinary heroism and distinguished service in the line of his profession as Officer in Charge of small boats for the amphibious assault at Salerno, Italy, on 10 July 1943. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Gill, while directing the lowering of small boats from U.S.S. LST THREE HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN (LST-357), which was under enemy fire, was seriously wounded. Despite his wounds he continued with utmost intrepidity to efficiently carry on his duty as commander of the assault flotillas, giving last-minute instructions to the officers and crews. He then collapsed and his injuries were found to be so severe that many months of hospitalization will be required for recovery. Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Gill's heroism was an inspiration to all officers and men of the flotilla. Because of this and the patient and thorough instruction he had carried out in the landing technique throughout the training periods and the landings in Algeria and Sicily, the performance of this boat in the assault was most admirable. The conduct of Lieutenant, Junior Grade, Gill throughout this action reflects great credit upon himself, and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. MoreHide
Criteria The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, kill... The Purple Heart may be awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who, while serving under competent authority in any capacity with one of the Armed Forces, has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may die of wounds received in armed combat or as a result of an act of international terrorism. MoreHide
Comments
packed me full of shrapnel 24 months worth of operations and didn't get it all. my crew on landing craft all wia, the 25 soldiers on board all were wia also
Criteria The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal decoration awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (when operating under the control of the Navy) in the grade of captain (or colonel in th... The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal decoration awarded to members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard (when operating under the control of the Navy) in the grade of captain (or colonel in the Marine Corps) and below who have actively participated in ground or surface combat. MoreHide
Criteria The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty status for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Criteria The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty status for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Description (Sicily Campaign 9 July to 17 August 1943) In preparation for the invasion of Sicily the Allies captured the islands in the Sicilian strait, with aerial bombardment forcing the capitulation of Pantell(Sicily Campaign 9 July to 17 August 1943) In preparation for the invasion of Sicily the Allies captured the islands in the Sicilian strait, with aerial bombardment forcing the capitulation of Pantelleria on 11 June 1943. By that time Allied air power had begun the attack on Sicily by bombing defenses and airfields. The invasion itself got under way on the night of 9/10 July with airborne landings that were followed the next day by an amphibious assault. The enemy offered strong resistance, but the Allies had superiority in the air and soon had planes operating from Sicilian bases to support Montgomery’s Eighth Army and Patton’s Seventh.
Interdictory operations against communications in Italy and between Italy and Sicily convinced the enemy that it would be impossible to move strong reinforcements. By 17 August 1943 the Allies were in possession of the island, but they had not been able to prevent a German evacuation across the Strait of Messina. ... More
Description (Sicily Campaign 9 July to 17 August 1943) In preparation for the invasion of Sicily the Allies captured the islands in the Sicilian strait, with aerial bombardment forcing the capitulation of Pantell(Sicily Campaign 9 July to 17 August 1943) In preparation for the invasion of Sicily the Allies captured the islands in the Sicilian strait, with aerial bombardment forcing the capitulation of Pantelleria on 11 June 1943. By that time Allied air power had begun the attack on Sicily by bombing defenses and airfields. The invasion itself got under way on the night of 9/10 July with airborne landings that were followed the next day by an amphibious assault. The enemy offered strong resistance, but the Allies had superiority in the air and soon had planes operating from Sicilian bases to support Montgomery’s Eighth Army and Patton’s Seventh.
Interdictory operations against communications in Italy and between Italy and Sicily convinced the enemy that it would be impossible to move strong reinforcements. By 17 August 1943 the Allies were in possession of the island, but they had not been able to prevent a German evacuation across the Strait of Messina. ... More
Description The European-Mediterranean-Middle East Theater was a major theater of operations during the Second World War (between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946). The vast size of Europe, Mediterranean and MThe European-Mediterranean-Middle East Theater was a major theater of operations during the Second World War (between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946). The vast size of Europe, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre saw interconnected naval, land, and air campaigns fought for control of the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The fighting in this theatre lasted from 10 June 1940, when Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, until 2 May 1945 when all Axis forces in Italy surrendered. However, fighting would continue in Greece – where British troops had been dispatched to aid the Greek government – during the early stages of the Greek Civil War.
The British referred to this theatre as the Mediterranean and Middle East Theatre (so called due to the location of the fighting and the name of the headquarters that controlled the initial fighting: Middle East Command) while the Americans called the theatre of operations the Mediterranean Theatre of War. The German official history of the fighting is dubbed 'The Mediterranean, South-East Europe, and North Africa 1939–1942'. Regardless of the size of the theatre, the various campaigns were not seen as neatly separated areas of operations but part of one vast theatre of war.
Fascist Italy aimed to carve out a new Roman Empire, while British forces aimed initially to retain the status quo. Italy launched various attacks around the Mediterranean, which were largely unsuccessful. With the introduction of German forces, Yugoslavia and Greece were overrun. Allied and Axis forces engaged in back and forth fighting across North Africa, with Axis interference in the Middle East causing fighting to spread there. With confidence high from early gains, German forces planned elaborate attacks to be launched to capture the Middle East and then to possibly attack the southern border of the Soviet Union. However, following three years of fighting, Axis forces were defeated in North Africa and their interference in the Middle East was halted. Allied forces then commenced an invasion of Southern Europe, resulting in the Italians switching sides and deposing Mussolini. A prolonged battle for Italy took place, and as the strategic situation changed in southeast Europe, British troops returned to Greece.
The theatre of war, the longest during the Second World War, resulted in the destruction of the Italian Empire and altered the strategic position of Germany resulting in numerous German divisions being deployed to Africa and Italy and total losses (including those captured upon final surrender) being over half a million. Italian losses, in the theatre, amount to around to 177,000 men with a further several hundred thousand captured during the process of the various campaigns. British losses amount to over 300,000 men killed, wounded, or captured, and total American losses in the region amounted to 130,000.... More
Description (Tunisia Campaign 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943) Having gained Algeria, the Allies quickly turned eastward, hoping to take Tunis and Bizerte before the Germans could send reinforcements into Tunisia(Tunisia Campaign 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943) Having gained Algeria, the Allies quickly turned eastward, hoping to take Tunis and Bizerte before the Germans could send reinforcements into Tunisia. But the drive broke down short of the goal. In February 1943, after Rommel had been driven into Tunisia, the Axis took the offensive and pushed through Kasserine Pass before being stopped. With Ninth and Twelfth Air Forces in the battle, the Allies drove the enemy back into a pocket around Bizerte and Tunis, where Axis forces surrendered in May. Thus Tunisia became available for launching an attack on Sicily as a preliminary to an assault on Italy.... More
Criteria The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, ... The European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal was awarded for for qualifying service within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946, under any of the following conditions: On permanent assignment within the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater; or, For service in a passenger status or on temporary duty status for 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service in active combat in the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat. MoreHide
Description On 9 November 1942, Commander Roger C. Heimer (USCG) anxiously peered into the distance as word was passed that enemy aircraft were approaching. His vessel, the transport Samuel Chase (APA-26), for thOn 9 November 1942, Commander Roger C. Heimer (USCG) anxiously peered into the distance as word was passed that enemy aircraft were approaching. His vessel, the transport Samuel Chase (APA-26), for the past day had repelled successfully several enemy air attacks. Moments seemed like hours as everyone on the bridge strained to identify the planes. Finally they could be seen clearly, they were German dive bombers. As the dive bombers screamed out of the sky Heimer prepared Chase to get underway. His ship's gunners maintained a scathing fire on the aircraft as they released their bombs. Bombs missed the Chase on two separate occasions by just yards but they damaged the nearby transport Dempo. At dusk a torpedo plane approached the large Coast Guard transport. The plane came under immediate fire but banked behind an anchored British transport. With Chase now underway, Heimer began maneuvering the nearly five hundred foot vessel in a narrow bay to avoid the aircraft. Coming from behind the transport the torpedo plane flew toward the Chase just over the water and released its torpedoes. Heimer managed to steer the transport so that both torpedoes missed the stern by 100 yards. These tactical maneuvers won the ship's crew high praise and Heimer a bronze star.
This was just one minor incident of the Coast Guard's involvement in the invasion of North Africa in November 1942. The invasion was the first offensive operation that the United States undertook against Germany during World War II and was then the largest amphibious operation ever undertaken. Dubbed Operation "Torch" this strategically important expedition allowed the Coast Guard with its unique experiences to play a significant role.
The campaign to capture North Africa was made necessary because by the summer of 1942, Adolf Hitler had succeeded in defeating most of Europe, was driving the Russian army toward Moscow and along with Italy controlled most of the Mediterranean. His forces had taken the French colonial possessions in North Africa and also Greece and Crete making the Aegean Sea unsafe for British ships. Because of these tremendous gains by the Axis powers and despite the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed in December 1941, to defeat Germany before Japan.
At a Christmas-time meeting the two decided to strike Germany in 1942. They discussed both direct and indirect approaches. Landings in Northern France were, however, impossible for more than a year due to the shortage of men and ships. The critical shortage of landing craft also stalled any invasion for months and caused the United States to redirect its ship building industry to the detriment of combat vessels in the Pacific.
While all the preparations were being made by the Allies the situation in North Africa remained a complicated issue. Morocco and Algeria were both French colonial possessions. The German Army, however, had occupied most of France since mid-1940 when France surrendered. The surrender provided that three-fifths of France be turned over to Germany. The French formed a new government at Vichy. The colonial possessions of France, however, remained free but still semi-loyal to France. With this uncertain relationship existing between the Vichy Government and the North African colonies, the United States had to be cautious. An unopposed landing would be preferred, but to broker this without the Vichy Government finding out was difficult. To complicate matters further, the French Navy, including several capital ships occupied ports in North Africa--their potential opposition to the Allied landing posed a grave threat to the success of the operation.
In July 1942, the Combined Chiefs of Staff made the decision to invade North Africa. Two months later an invasion force had been created and divided into three separate task forces. The all American Western Task Force carrying 35,000 troops was scheduled to land on the Atlantic coast of French Morocco and capture Casablanca and Port Lyautey [now Kenitra]. The Center Naval Task Force composed of British ships and 39,000 American troops was to capture Oran. The Eastern Task Force escorted by British warships comprised 23,000 British and 60,000 American Troops whose goal was the capture of Algiers.
Due to the immense size of the landings it was important that they be carefully coordinated and that everything run smoothly. The Coast Guard's primary role as it had been in the Guadalcanal campaign was to facilitate the landing of troops. During the planning stages of the operation several thousand Coast Guard and Navy men were trained to handle landing craft. They practiced landings at the newly created Amphibious Force Training Center at Little Creek, Virginia, and also at Solomons, Maryland. Army and Navy amphibious doctrine differed and the training allowed the differences to be hammered into one coordinated system. Over 3,000 men were trained to handle landing craft specifically for the impending invasion.
The initial objectives of Operation Torch were the capture of the major airfields and ports of North Africa. This would allow the allies to continue operations from the ground, from the air and from sea. It would also deny their use to the Germans. All this was to be accomplished within 24 hours in a three-pronged assault: an expedition to Morocco and landings in Algeria.
The capture of Morocco was the job of the Western Task Force. Under the command of Rear Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, it comprised nearly 100 ships. The ground units of the Western Task Force that went ashore in Morocco were under the command of Major General George S. Patton Jr. The task force was split into three groups for the initial landings. The principal objective was a major assault fourteen miles north of Casablanca at Fedala. This landing, carried out by the Center Attack Group, planned an advance on Casablanca and to later join with the forces landed from the Northern Attack Group that was making a secondary landing at Port Lyautey [Kenitra] sixty-five miles north of Casablanca. The Southern Attack group steamed southwest to make a third landing at Safi, 125 miles from Casablanca. This allowed the Allies to also move on Casablanca from the south.
The Center Attack Group was the most important of the three groups attacking Morocco. Twelve transports and three cargo vessels carried nearly 19,000 men and over 1700 vehicles for the assault. For the entire operation there were 3,000 men assigned to the landing craft. As the transport force steamed to Fedala it formed up into four columns--the Coast Guard manned ships Leonard Wood and Joseph T. Dickman headed two of the four transport columns. The majority of the men were scheduled to make landings at four separate beaches near the town the next day.
Shortly after 12 am on the 8th of November, Leonard Wood arrived at the staging area followed by the other transports and began loading the numerous landing craft for the assault. The landing would not be easy. The beaches were rocky, huge swells were frequent, and due to the long sloping beaches the transports had to lie far from shore to discharge troops. Special beach marking boats left the Leonard Wood and Joseph T. Dickman to locate and direct the landing craft to the areas safe for landing. These "scout boats" would show a light to seaward to guide the boats from the transports. Getting men and supplies to the beach in a timely manner were extremely important. Dickman's 35 landing craft were divided, half carrying troops ashore and half to carry supplies to the beach.
The Dickman carried over 1,400 men of the 3rd Division and the officers and men of Western Task Force Headquarters. The landing plans called for twenty extra boats from other vessels to supplement those from the Dickman. These craft became detached during the maneuvers and did not arrive before the initial waves left the transport. A reorganization of the landing schedule allowed a sufficient number of men and material to arrive at the beach assembly area without hardship to the landing. The destroyer Murphy (DD-603) covered the landing of Dickman's boats. The boats reached the beach within range of a battery north of Fedhala at Pont Blondin. Upon reaching the beach, the fort became alert to their presence, began firing on the boats and struck the destroyer. The trip to the beach and the return trip was made under fire but not a single boat was lost.
As the Dickman unloaded men and supplies the batteries on the beach increasingly became a huge concern. They could potentially do extensive harm to the transports and mar the landing. Shortly after 5 am the cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40) was alerted to spotlights ashore and stood by to assist the landing if necessary. A few minor incidents occurred but nothing to greatly alarm those on the beach. At day break, however, the shore batteries began to open fire--the first real sign that the French were not going to welcome the allies with open arms. The Brooklyn moved in to silence the batteries, maneuvering just outside the transport area. In just over one hour the cruiser fired over 750 6-inch rounds, several times steaming into the waves of Dickman's landing boats and firing over the landing craft with each salvo. Other vessels also moved quickly to attack the shore batteries which were silenced and failed to do any real damage to the landing.
The Joseph T. Dickman performed well but the Leonard Wood had a much more difficult time during the landing. Her boats made the landing on Red 2 beach close to the city. The control destroyer Wilkes (DD-441) that was to mark the line of departure for the landing lay too far west of her correct position. The first four waves of landing craft steered for this vessel in complete darkness. The scout boat likewise added to the bad luck. While laying east of the beach where a rock reef began, the boat was approached by a mysterious craft thought to be hostile. The scout boat cut its cable to avoid the strange vessel and drifted to a position off the rocks. The first four boat waves which made up the initial assault were guided to the rocks by blinker and ran full force on them. The troops were disembarked over the rocks. Many of the boats were too damaged to return due to broken propellers, bent rudders and holes. Twenty-one of the thirty-two boats were lost in the landing. Others were lost due to shell fire or were broached by the surf after beaching.
The loss of the boats stalled the landing of men and equipment but getting the men to the beach was just the first task. Moving them beyond the beach was the next. To do this more efficiently the Coast Guard provided men for beach master duty. These officers and men not only helped supervise the unloading of the transports but acted as the beach-head traffic cops to supervise the unloading of supplies on the beach. This was one of the most crucial jobs for the success of the assault. On the beach the soldiers were extremely vulnerable and later in the day they came under fire from aircraft. One plane managed to strafe one of the Dickman's boats. Two of the boat's crew were wounded and engineman Paul Clark placed the men on board a destroyer and completed the boat's mission. He was awarded a Navy Cross for his actions. Another Coast Guardsman was awarded a silver star for the treatment of wounded on the beach.
The Coast Guard transports in the Center Attack Group worked all day to unload equipment and supplies for the men on the beaches. The trips to the beach were treacherous. The men in the boats have to contend with the fire from shore and the endless strafing from the air. Additionally boats were lost in the high and turbulent surf. Eventually the surf reached as much as twelve feet and the landings were made directly in Fedhala. For fifty hours without a break the Coast Guardsmen made steady trips to unload men and supplies, only stopping when their boats were lost. Chief Boatswain's Mate Harry E. Meekins from the Joseph T. Dickman stated that success was due to the fact that "most of us were surfmen from Coast Guard stations along the beaches . . . where we learned how to handle boats in all kinds of weather."
In Morocco the French forces never did staunchly resist. The greatest threat to the landing, the French naval vessels, never sortied from the harbor in Casablanca. The Battleship Massachusetts, heavy cruisers and destroyers formed a covering group to neutralize them. Shelling the French vessels from sea they were quickly put out of action. The landing craft likewise found their greatest enemy to be the rocky beaches and the heavy surf rather than the enemy. A seaman 1st Class on board the Leonard Wood commented " The opposition was spotty. They'd fire at us until we got near them, and then the French would surrender. It was obvious they didn't want to fight us."
While the landings were taking place off Morocco, the Coast Guard manned transport Samuel Chase under the command of Commander Roger C. Heimer (USCG) sailed with the Eastern Naval Task Force to attack Algiers. The British provided the naval vessels for this operation with the exception of four transports, one of them the Samuel Chase. The Eastern Task Force, carrying 72,000 officers and men, had followed the normal route for Malta-bound vessels in order to fool the enemy spotters. While in route a German submarine torpedoed the American Transport Thomas Stone and missed the Chase by 50 yards. Commander Heimer proposed to take the Stone in tow and likewise offered to take off the troops but each request was denied because the orders were clear--crippled vessels in the convoy were to be left behind.
The Chase was part of Group "Charlie" designated to land on four beaches twelve miles east of Algiers. The transports arrived just before midnight on 8 November. The Chase had her boats in the water in 55 minutes. The first waves of landing craft reached the beach fifteen minutes after midnight. By daybreak the boats were making steady trips to the beach with supplies and men. That afternoon the surf became rough and most of the boats from the transports were lost--according to Heimer because of their poor design.
While lying off Algeries the expedition's transports were attacked daily first by bombers and then by torpedo planes. The landing craft maintained their runs to the beach despite the attacks. The immense size of the Chase made her look formidable to the attacking aircraft and thus she received a disproportionate amount of the enemy's attention. The crewmen of the Coast Guard manned transport were commended by the British for their anti-aircraft defense and were credited with shooting down three planes. So intense was the fire that the British nicknamed the Chase the "Battleship"
Fierce French resistance never materialized. The French units in North Africa were divided between those loyal to the Vichy Government and the "Free French." The land forces, overall, made almost no resistance. The naval units offered the only opposition but could have contested the landings much more than they did. Most of the fighting was over by 11 November, at which time the Germans took over control of unoccupied France.
Operation TORCH proved to be the turning point in the Allies' war against Germany. After the loss of French Morocco, Germany remained on the defensive for the rest of the war. The capture of North Africa allowed the allies to begin to plan and prepare for than assault on Sicily where once again the Coast Guard would play a significant role in the amphibious landings.... More
Criteria The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or,... The American Campaign Medal was awarded for For thirty days service outside the Continental United States but within the American Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941, and March 2, 1946; or, an aggregate service of one year within the Continental United States during the same period under the following circumstances: On permanent assignment outside the continental limits of the United States; or, On permanent assignment as a member of a crew of a vessel sailing ocean waters for a period of 30 consecutive days or 60 non-consecutive days; or, For service outside the continental limits of the United States in a passenger status or on temporary duty for 30 consecutive days or 60 non consecutive days; or, For service in active combat against the enemy and awarded a combat decoration or furnished a certificate by the commanding general of a corps, higher unit, or independent force that the individual actually participated in combat; or, For service within the continental limits of the United States for an aggregate period of one year. MoreHide
