ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Framed artifact assemblage dedicated to U.S. Navy Lieutenant (LT) and Medal of Honor (MOH) recipient Father Vincent Robert Capodanno. The artifact assemblage consists of a military issue, cloth patch U.S. Navy insignia for the U.S.S. Capodanno (FF-109), a non-military issue, commemorative U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps (Christian faith) insignia, a military issue, U.S. Navy Officer rank insignia- Lieutenant O-3 ((LT) full color), a non-military issue, commemorative U.S. Navy Medal of Honor (MOH) pin, a non-military issue, commemorative U.S. Navy Branch Insignia pin, and a handwritten label. The label reads, "Father Vincent R. Capodanno / Lt., U.S. Navy / Feb. 13, 1929 - Sept. 4, 1967 / Medal of Honor / Recipient". Servant of God Father Vincent Robert Capodanno was a U.S. Navy Roman Catholic Chaplain and a posthumous recipient of America's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor (MOH), for actions during the Vietnam War. In December 1965, Father Capodanno received his commission as a Lieutenant (LT) in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps and was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Marine Division in Vietnam in April 1966. At 4:30a.m., on 4 September 1967, during Operation Swift in the Thang Binh District of the Que Son Valley, Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying giving last rites. Wounded in the face and hand, he went to help a wounded Corpsman only yards from an enemy machine gun and was killed. The U.S.S. Capodanno (FF-109) was named in honor of LT Capodanno. The Capodanno was commissioned 17 September 1973 and was decommissioned 30 July 1993, when it was sold to the Nation of Turkey. It became the first (1st) vessel in the U.S. fleet to receive a Papal blessing when it was blessed by Pope John Paul II in Naples, Italy on 4 September 1981. The framed artifact assemblage was left at The Wall by an anonymous donor between April - June 1988. (Source: Father Vincent Capodanno Biography- www.vincentcapodanno.org)

FRAMED ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. NAVY LIEUTENANT (LT) AND MEDAL OF HONOR (MOH) RECIPIENT FATHER VINCENT ROBERT CAPODANNO. THE OBJECT CONSISTS OF A BLACK METAL AND TRANSPARENT GLASS FRAME, WITHIN WHICH A BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER BACKGROUND IS TRIMMED AT THE UPPER AND PROPER RIGHT- AND LEFT-HAND EDGES BY SEGMENTS OF GOLD FABRIC BRAID AFFIXED TO THE PAPER VIA PIECES OF FOLDED ADHESIVE MASKING TAPE. AT THE CENTER OF THE PAPER BACKGROUND IS A MILITARY ISSUE, CLOTH PATCH U.S. NAVY INSIGNIA FOR THE USS CAPODANNO (FF109). THE INSIGNIA CONSISTS OF A RED, BLUE, LIGHT BLUE, YELLOW, BLACK, WHITE, AND GRAY FABRIC PATCH IN THE FORM OF A CIRCULARLY SHAPED RED DISC WITH AN EMBROIDERED YELLOW AND BLACK EXTERIOR BORDER (INTENDED TO REPRESENT LINE OR ROPE ON A MARINE VESSEL) AND AN AFFIXED BLUE SCROLL AT THE LOWER EDGE WITH AN EMBROIDERED BLACK BORDER AND AN INSCRIPTION AT THE CENTER OF THE SCROLL IN EMBROIDERED WHITE, ARCHED, BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS SPELLING THE PHRASE, "USS CAPODANNO FF 109". TRAVERSING THE CENTER OF THE RED DISC (RUNNING FROM THE LOWER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND TO THE UPPER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER) IS AN EMBROIDERED LIGHT BLUE STRIPE BEARING SEVEN (7) EMBROIDERED WHITE AND BLACK, FIVE (5)-POINTED STARS. CENTERED AT THE LOWER EDGE OF THE DISC, DIRECTLY ABOVE THE AFFIXED SCROLL, IS AN EMBROIDERED YELLOW CRUCIFIX TRIMMED IN BLACK. SURMOUNTING THE LIGHT BLUE STRIPE AT THE CENTER OF THE RED DISC IS AN EMBROIDERED REPRESENTATION OF A KNIGHT IN GRAY AND BLACK ARMOR CARRYING A GRAY TRIDENT IN HIS RIGHT HAND, MOUNTED ATOP A WHITE AND BLACK HORSE BEARING A BLUE AND GOLD SADDLE, REINS, ETC., WITH A BLUE PLUME EXTENDING FROM THE KNIGHT'S HELMET AND A BLUE BANNER TRAILING BEHIND THE KNIGHT AND HORSE FROM THE TIP OF THE TRIDENT. THE FABRIC PATCH INSIGNIA APPEARS TO BE AFFIXED TO THE BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER BACKGROUND VIA SOME INDETERMINATE METHOD. AT THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE FABRIC PATCH INSIGNIA IS A NON-MILITARY ISSUE, COMMEMORATIVE U.S. NAVY CHAPLAIN CORPS (CHRISTIAN FAITH) INSIGNIA COMPRISED OF A POLISHED SILVER METAL CRUCIFIX. AT THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE OF THE FABRIC PATCH INSIGNIA IS A MILITARY ISSUE, U.S. NAVY OFFICER RANK INSIGNIA- LIEUTENANT O-3 ((LT) FULL COLOR) COMPRISED OF TWO (2) SILVER COLORED, RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, ARCHED AND BEVELED, POLISHED METAL BARS CONNECTED BY NARROW CROSS BARS AT THE UPPER AND LOWER OBJECT EDGES. BOTH THE CHAPLAIN CORPS AND RANK INSIGNIA APPEAR TO BE AFFIXED TO THE BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER SUBSTRATE VIA PIN POSTS AT THEIR RESPECTIVE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACES. AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FABRIC PATCH INSIGNIA IS A NON-MILITARY ISSUE, COMMEMORATIVE U.S. NAVY MEDAL OF HONOR (MOH) PIN CONSISTING OF A NAVY BLUE ENAMEL AND GOLD COLORED METAL DEVICE IN THE FORM OF A FIVE (5)-POINTED STAR TIPPED WITH TREFOILS AND CONTAINING A CROWN OF LAUREL AND OAK. AT THE CENTER OF THE STAR IS A REPRESENTATION IN RAISED RELIEF OF A HELMETED SOLDIER IN PROFILE, FACING TO THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE. AT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE FIVE (5)-POINTED STAR, ALSO EXECUTED IN RAISED RELIEF, IS AN AMERICAN EAGLE WITH WINGS OUTSTRETCHED AND CLUTCHING A ROLLED SCROLL IN ITS TALONS. THE STAR IS SUSPENDED FROM AN EIGHT (8) PANEL BLUE ENAMEL RIBBON FIELD, TRIMMED IN GOLD, BEARING A GLORY AT THE LOWER, CENTER PANEL CONTAINING THIRTEEN (13) FIVE (5)-POINTED GOLD STARS ARRANGED IN SIX (6) HORIZONTAL ROWS. THE MEDAL OF HONOR PIN ALSO APPEARS TO BE AFFIXED TO THE BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER SUBSTRATE VIA A PIN POST(S) AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE FABRIC PATCH INSIGNIA IS A NON-MILITARY ISSUE, COMMEMORATIVE U.S. NAVY BRANCH INSIGNIA PIN CONSISTING OF A SILVER AND GOLD COLORED METAL DEVICE IN THE FORM OF TWO (2) GOLD, CROSSED, FOULED ANCHORS SURMOUNTED BY A SILVER AMERICAN EAGLE FROM THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES (I.E. A SHIELD WITH A CHIEF BEARING STARS OVER A FIELD WITH STRIPES. THE SUPPORTER OF THE SHIELD IS A BALD EAGLE WITH WINGS OUTSTRETCHED AND FACING TO THE PROPER RIGHT-HAND SIDE. THE EAGLE CLUTCHES A BUNDLE OF THIRTEEN (13) ARROWS IN ITS LEFT TALON WHILE THE RIGHT TALON CLUTCHES AN OLIVE BRANCH). AS WITH THE OTHER PIN DEVICES INSIDE THE FRAME, THE U.S. NAVY BRANCH INSIGNIA PIN APPEARS TO BE AFFIXED TO THE BLACK CONSTRUCTION PAPER SUBSTRATE VIA A PIN POST AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE. AT THE LOWERMOST EDGE OF THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE, IMMEDIATELY BELOW THE U.S. NAVY BRANCH INSIGNIA PIN, IS A HANDWRITTEN LABEL IN BLUE INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SEGMENT OF WHITE, LINED NOTECARD READING, "FATHER VINCENT R. CAPODANNO / LT., U.S. NAVY / FEB. 13, 1929 - SEPT. 4, 1967 / MEDAL OF HONOR / RECIPIENT". THE FRAME DOES NOT POSSESS ANY FORM OF BACKING BOARD AT THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE, AND THE CONTENTS OF THE FRAME ARE HELD IN PLACE ONLY BY SILVER COLORED METAL PRESSURE CLIPS. SERVANT OF GOD FATHER VINCENT ROBERT CAPODANNO WAS A U.S. NAVY ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPLAIN AND A POSTHUMOUS RECIPIENT OF AMERICA'S HIGHEST MILITARY DECORATION, THE MEDAL OF HONOR (MOH), FOR ACTIONS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR. IN DECEMBER 1965, FATHER CAPODANNO RECEIVED HIS COMMISSION AS A LIEUTENANT (LT) IN THE U.S. NAVY CHAPLAIN CORPS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO THE U.S. MARINE CORPS 1ST MARINE DIVISION IN VIETNAM IN APRIL 1966. AT 4:30A.M. ON 4 SEPTEMBER 1967, DURING OPERATION SWIFT IN THE THANG BINH DISTRICT OF THE QUE SON VALLEY, FATHER CAPODANNO WENT AMONG THE WOUNDED AND DYING GIVING LAST RITES. WOUNDED IN THE FACE AND HAND, HE WENT TO HELP A WOUNDED CORPSMAN ONLY YARDS FROM AN ENEMY MACHINE GUN AND WAS KILLED. THE U.S.S. CAPODANNO (FF-109) WAS NAMED IN HONOR OF LT. CAPODANNO. THE CAPODANNO WAS COMMISSIONED 17 SEPTEMBER 1973 AND WAS DECOMMISSIONED 30 JULY 1993, WHEN IT WAS SOLD TO THE NATION OF TURKEY. IT BECAME THE FIRST (1ST) VESSEL IN THE U.S. FLEET TO RECEIVE A PAPAL BLESSING WHEN IT WAS BLESSED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II IN NAPLES, ITALY ON 4 SEPTEMBER 1981. (SOURCE: FATHER VINCENT CAPODANNO BIOGRAPHY- WWW.VINCENTCAPODANNO.ORG) ACCORDING TO VIVE CATALOG NOTES PREPARED BY MRCE COLLECTIONS STAFF, AN NPS RANGER'S TAG ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED WITH THE OBJECT READ, "6/91".

Text of the embroidered inscription upon the fabric patch insignia and of the handwritten label is transcribed in full, as follows: [Fabric patch insignia, obverse object surface, embroidered inscription] "USS CAPODANNO FF 109" / [Label, obverse object surface, handwritten inscription] "Father Vincent R. Capodanno / Lt., U.S. Navy / Feb. 13, 1929 - Sept. 4, 1967 / Medal of Honor / Recipient"

Item Weight: 600.0g
Item Length: 36.5cm
Item Width: 29.0cm
Item Depth: 2.0cm (Frame depth)