New Bedford Medallion Found in Unusual Way [PHIL-OSOPHY]

A few days ago, I received a letter in the mail from an old friend with something very unusual inside. It was a tarnished silver R.O.T.C. merit medallion that had inscribed along the sides New Bedford High School 1938. On the back, it said Made by the Robbins Company in Attleboro, MA.

My old friend is Mike Moose, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, retired. We met in Charlottesville, Virginia back in 1970, when Mike was one of the 'jocks' on WUVA, the University of Virginia's radio station, and I rocked a little further up the dial. Over the years, Mike and a close, loyal group of WUVA alums and I have stayed in touch.

Mike told me he was in one of those Army/Navy souvenir shops in Fayetteville, North Carolina, looking at sabers and military regalia, when he happened to glance into a box filled with all kinds of medals, military badges and decorations. That's when he pulled the R.O.T.C. medallion from New Bedford out randomly.

So now that the medallion is back in New Bedford, I plan to show the school officials at the high school, and together decide where the best place would be for it. I'll also contact the New Bedford Military Museum folks to get their input.

I wonder who it belonged t,o and how did it manage to find its way to a box filled with other awards so far from here?

I'll let you know what transpires from here forward.

Phil Paleologos is the host of The Phil Paleologos Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Contact him at phil@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @PhilPaleologos.