Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued both to United States military personnel and to military and political figures of foreign governments. The Legion of Merit is one of only two United States decorations to be issued as a neck order (the other being the Medal of Honor), and the only United States decoration to be issued in award degrees (much like an Order of Chivalry or an Order of Merit).

Notable recipients

The Legion of Merit was the first American decoration awarded to citizens of other nations.

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Awardees included:

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• Chief Commander:
• China's Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek
• Soviet Marshal Zhukov
• Commander:
• Brazil's Brigadier General Amaro Soares Bittencourt was the first to receive the medal in a degree.
• General Alfred John Gardyne Drummond de Chastelain, OC, CMM, CH, CDwas appointed Commander of the Legion of Merit in 1995, and in 1999, he was made a Companion of Honour. He is the former Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada) for the Canadian Armed Forces and he is the Chairman of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning since November 1995 for the Northern Ireland peace process.
• Officer:
• First recipients were Colonel Johanes K. Meijer of the Royal Netherlands Army, Major Herbert J. Thompson of the British Army, and Major Stephan M. Dobrowalski of the Polish Army.
• At the beginning of the North African campaign, General Lyman L. Lemnitzer accompanied General Mark Clark by submarine to North Africa. Upon arrival, about 60 officers were awarded the Legion of Merit and were among the first awarded the medal. By some misunderstanding as to the rules governing the awards, these 60 American officers were awarded the degree of Officer. According to Lemnitzer, President Roosevelt was quite annoyed but did not rescind the awards. These were the only U.S. officers awarded the Legion of Merit with a degree.
• Legionnaire/Legion of Merit:
• First award to Lieutenant Anna A. Bernatitus, heroic Navy Nurse who served at Bataan and Corregidor.
• David H. Hackworth - Highly decorationed Vietnam veteran who was awarded several Silver Stars and twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
• Paul X. Rinn, commanding officer of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58), for leading his crew to save their mine-damaged warship in the Persian Gulf in 1988.
• William C. Rogers III, commanding officer of the USS Vincennes (CG-49), for the action in which his cruiser shot down an Iranian airliner in 1988.