Navy secretary presents medal to Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd. Washington, D.C., Oct. 15. Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, U.S.N. Retired, and members of his second Antarctic Expedition were presented with silver medals today by Secretary of the Navy Claude A. Swanson. Congress authorized the award of the medals on June 2, 1936. In the photograph, left to right: Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd, Rear Admiral William H. Leahy, Chief of Naval Operations, Secretary Swanson, and William C. Haines, U.S. Weather Bureau Meteorologist and a member of the expedition. 10/15/37