CHENEY AWARD

COLONEL RUTH CHENEY STREETER, USMCWR Co-Founder of the Cheney Award From Who's Who in Marine Corps History website

 

Cheney Award From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.      The Cheney Award is presented each year in memory of 1st Lt. William Cheney, who was killed in an air collision over Italy in 1918. It was established in 1927 and awarded to an airman for an act of valor, extreme fortitude or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest, performed in connection with aircraft, but not necessarily of a military nature.

 

HISTORY via email from Lockhard M. Row, 1-11-06      This first installment is comprised of the only two pictures I think I have access to of William Cheney. They are from material I am collecting as part of trying to see if I can write a book about the Cheney Award. The whole family is fascinating.      William Cheney's mother, Mary Lyon Cheney Schofield (a hugely interesting person) and William's sister, Ruth Cheney Streeter, (Mrs. Thomas W. Streeter), set up the Cheney Award and the fund that supports the award.      Just to provide a hint as to the unusual nature of this family, I offer the following.      Mary Cheney, as she is often called, traveled extensively and in important circles. She had met the Kaiser, against whom the Great War was waged, and prior to hostilities commented that she detested him.      Ruth Cheney was a colonel in the marines. That must have been no minor accomplishment for a lady born in 1895.

 

ONLINE RESOURCES      If you search for"Cheney Award" +history -Frances using Google, (1-12-06), you will find 168 links, not all of them referring to the William Cheney Award. It is only possible to glean a little of the history of the award itself by visiting some of the websites.

COLONEL RUTH CHENEY STREETER, USMCWR (DECEASED)      This page on the Who's Who in Marine Corps History offers a very complete history of one of the founders of the Cheney Award. The story of her service in the Marine Corps is interesting in and of itself and well worth reading. You can access the page by clicking on the title above..

 

CHENEY AWARD Lifesaving loadmaster receives award Article by Master Sgt. Ron Tull Air Force Print News "8/30/02 – WASHINGTON - An Edwards C-17 loadmaster received the 2001 Cheney Award from Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. John Jumper in a ceremony at the Pentagon Aug. 20. Tech. Sgt. Thomas Fields, the noncommissioned officer in charge of standardization and evaluation for the 418th Flight Test Squadron, saved the life of a fellow loadmaster during a test flight in January 2001."      These paragraphs serve to introduce the story which announces that the Cheney Award has been awarded for 2001. At the end of the article, you will find a brief mention of Lt. William Cheney, for whom the award was named. You can access the page by clicking on the title above.

 

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