---
title: Elvin Bell - Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Distinguished Heroism
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-owi-elvin-bell-navy-marine-corps-medal-1943/
description: A sheet headed 'Bearers' shows a portrait of Mess Attendant Elvin Bell, with panels of Dorie Miller at a machine gun.
section: Collection
---

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3. Elvin Bell - Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Distinguished

**Content note:** A page of portraits and rescue scenes of Black US Navy messmen that uses the period term 'Jap' for Japanese aircraft. This object is shown as it was published. [Why](https://propagandaarchive.org/about/#as-it-was)

[![Elvin Bell - Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Distinguished Heroism, 1943 US cartoon: A sheet headed 'Bearers'](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/us-owi-elvin-bell-navy-marine-corps-medal-1943.jpg)](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/images/us-owi-elvin-bell-navy-marine-corps-medal-1943.jpg)

# Elvin Bell - Awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for Distinguished Heroism

A sheet headed 'Bearers' shows a portrait of Mess Attendant Elvin Bell, with panels of Dorie Miller at a machine gun, Bell rescuing shipmates aboard the carrier Lexington and Charles French towing a raft past sharks, plus a small sailor saying 'These messmen are a solid mess-jack!!'. The tell is testimonial: named Black sailors' deeds are offered as the argument for the group's war contribution.

## Propaganda techniques used in this cartoon

[Testimonial](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/testimonial/) [Transfer](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/transfer/)

## Text on the object

Original (English) · read from the image, not independently checked

```
BEARERS
Mess Attendant DORIE MILLER, HERO OF PEARL HARBOR RECEIVED THE NAVY CROSS FOR HIS BRAVERY. AFTER CARRYING A WOUNDED OFFICER TO SAFETY BELOW, MILLER RETURNED, MANNED A MACHINE GUN, AND BLASTED AWAY AT JAP BOMBERS UNTIL HIS AMMUNITION WAS EXHAUSTED.
Mess Attendant ELVIN BELL AWARDED THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS MEDAL FOR DISTINGUISHED HEROISM.
Charles French MESSMAN ABOARD THE S.S. "GREGORY" - "THE ONE MAN TUGBOAT" - TOWED A RAFT FULL OF HIS SHIPWRECKED MATES TO SAFETY, THROUGH SHARK INFESTED WATERS!
THESE MESSMEN ARE A SOLID MESS-JACK!!
BELL, THE HEROIC MESSMAN, WENT BELOW, INTO THE MOST DANGEROUS PART OF THE STRICKEN CARRIER "LEXINGTON," AND RESCUED THREE OF HIS INJURED COMRADES.
Alston for OWI
82
```

[← It's Either That, or Time off Until a Day Nursery Is Organized!](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-owi-either-that-or-time-off-until-a-day-nursery-1943/) [Frederick Douglass - Statesman, Abolitionist, Champion of the People →](https://propagandaarchive.org/collection/us-owi-frederick-douglass-statesman-abolitionist-1943/)

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