Description

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Original United States of America Legion Of Merit – Commander Grade. Features a 58mm wide five-pointed red enamel Maltese cross with ball-tipped finials, the arms with white panels, a green enamel wreath between the arms with a bow at the base, crossed outwards-pointing arrows between each arm, with loop and ring for ribbon suspension; the face with a circular central blue enamel medallion bearing thirteen gilt stars within a border of silver clouds; the reverse with a circular central ring inscribed ‘ANNUIT • COEPTIS’ (He [God] has favoured our undertaking – from the Great Seal of the United States) and dated ‘MDCCLXXXII’ (1782 – the date that George Washington founded the Badge of Military Merit, from which the Legion of Merit claims descent, crossed outwards-pointing arrows between each arm encircled by a ribbon inscribed ‘UNITED • STATES • OF • AMERICA’; comes with the full neck ribbon with press stud fasteners.

The Decoration was instituted by Act of Congress on 20 July 1942 to be awarded to ‘personnel of the Armed Forces of the United States and of the Government of the Commonwealth Philippines and personnel of the armed forces of friendly foreign nations who, since the proclamation of an emergency by the President on 8 August 1939, shall have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services’.