To earn a Navy Cross the act to be commended must be performed in the presence of great danger or at great personal risk and must be performed in such a manner as to render the individual highly conspicuous among others of equal grade, rate, experience, or position of responsibility.

Here’s how: James Webb, running for Senator from Virginia as a Democrat, refused to allow his campaign to reference his Navy Cross.

I don’t claim to have inside knowledge of the workings of the Webb campaign, and it is entirely likely that fear of swiftboaters was not among Webb’s reasons for avoiding running on his record of courage under fire.  Read more