William Elitson of the U.S.S. Olympia

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

1-10-1900

Description

"Notice this sailor is wearing a Christian Endeavor pin directly above the “Dewey Medal” awarded to sailors who fought in the Battle of Manila Bay. The Olympia was Dewey’s flagship." A History of the Floating Societies of the Christian Endeavor by Robert A. Danielson. First Fruits Press: 2014. p. 43.

"It is also important not to underestimate the importance of the Christian Endeavor pin and its significance. It appears that these were simple regulation Christian Endeavor pins, and not items designed especially for the Floating Societies. Since they appear in a number of photos, they were apparently permitted on naval uniforms and were also worn with a certain degree of pride. Antoinette Jones is quoted in an article as saying that a sailor told her, 'five years ago it was a rare thing to find a Christian man in the naval service, but that now it was not a rare thing to see a Christian Endeavor pin on a sailor’s uniform.'" A History of the Floating Societies of the Christian Endeavor by Robert A. Danielson. First Fruits Press: 2014. p. 31.