Reprimanded
General to Be Awarded US MedalRetired South Korean
Major-general Han Chul-yong, former commander of the 5679 Intelligence Unit,
who was reprimanded for accusing the Ministry of National Defense of
ignoring warning reports prior to the June 29 West Sea clash, is to be
awarded the US "Legion of Merit." A ministry source said that it
had opposed the award as Han had been reprimanded over the incident, but the
USFK had replied this was not related to that and a presentation ceremony
would be held soon. Nov 02
Colonel
Carl Eifler has died aged 95- Set
up and commanded Detachment 101, the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS)
unit operating behind the lines in Burma during the Second World War.Awarded
the Air Medal and the Legion of Merit for his bravery.
Posthumous
medal awarded to reservistAmy Huther and the family of Major
Robert Raneri accepted a Legion of Merit Medal, which was being
awarded posthumously to Raneri, her late fiance. The medal, the highest
peacetime award that a soldier can receive, was given to Raneri, 37, for his
over 17 years of service in the U.S. Army Reserves. Framingham
Metro West Daily News, MA March 2003
Posthumous
medal awarded to Cheshire's Sgt. PetithoryThe U.S.
military's highest peacetime honor was presented posthumously to Army Sgt.
1st Class Daniel H. Petithory who was killed at the age of 32 in Afghanistan
on Dec. 5, 2001, after a U.S. bomb missed its intended target and struck
American troops and Afghan anti-Taliban fighters. He was awarded the Silver
Star and the Purple Heart after his death for his actions in Afghanistan.
The friendly-fire incident also claimed the lives of Staff Sgt. Brian C.
Posser of California and Master Sgt. Jefferson D. Davis of Tennessee, and
left 19 American troops injured. The Legion of Merit award was approved by
Congress on July 20, 1942, and an executive order establishing the award was
signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Oct. 24, 1942. The award may be
presented for wartime endeavors; the peacetime medal is presented to those
whose service is recognized as "an extremely difficult duty performed
in an unprecedented and clearly exceptional manner," according to
information about the award. The first recipient of the medal was a Navy
nurse, Lt. Ann Agnes Bernatitus, who was honored for her work during the
World War II campaign on Bataan and Corregidor from December 1941 to April
1942. The Legion of Merit is the first award ever to be presented to
non-American military personnel. Foreign recipients of the honor include
Nationalist China's Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and Maj. Stephan M.
Dobrowalski of the Polish army. North
Adams Transcript, MA - 27 May 2003
Maj.
Gen. Albert Bartlett "A.B." Crowther has died aged 104Albert Bartlett "A.B." Crowther, a recipient of the French Legion
of Honor was 104. Crowther's military decorations also include the Legion of
Merit and the Military Valor Cross of the Italian government. San
Antonio Express-News Apr 03
Late
WWII POW Honored With Medal in ArkFor more than two
years as a prisoner of war in Germany, Ewell Ross McCright secretly recorded
and saved a precious piece of history - information that would help expose
Nazi atrocities and connect veterans and their families with the past. The
World War II bombardier filled four ledgers with the backgrounds and war
injuries of 2,194 soldiers. He hid the records under floorboards in one POW
camp and secretly carried them with him in place of food on a forced 34-mile
march to another camp. Nearly 60 years after McCright was freed and 14 years
after his death, his family received the Legion of Merit medal in
honor of the risky but valuable work he performed. "Because of (McCright's
ledgers) veterans have found former POW roommates, adult children have felt
connected with their fathers' pasts and 11 former POWs have received Purple
Hearts," said U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark, who lobbied for the
posthumous honor and presented McCright's sister, Marie Hall of Benton, with
the medal. miami.com 22 Oct 04
UMNS#
04541-James Townsend, retired Air Force chaplain, diesThe
Rev. James (Jim) E. Townsend, 73, who was instrumental in establishing the
first endowed professorship for pastoral care at United Methodist-related
Africa University in Zimbabwe, died Nov. 16 in Nashville, Tenn. He also
served in Korea, Germany and Vietnam during his 20 years as a United
Methodist chaplain. During his service in the military, he was twice awarded
the Legion of Merit, the nation's second highest service medal; the Air
Force Commendation Medal and National Service Defense Medal. For his
service in the Vietnam War, he received the Bronze Star Medal, the
Vietnam Service Medal with five Campaign Stars, the Vietnam Cross of
Gallantry with Palm, the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal and the
Outstanding Unit Award with Valor Device and three Oak Leaf Clusters. wfn.org
18 Nov 04
Brig General
awarded Legion of Merit medalGen. James F. Marshall of
Shawnee was officially pinned with the Legion of Meritmedal.
The Legion of Merit medal was awarded to Marshall in the degree of
officer for revolutionizing Air National Guard support to war-fighting
commands through dozens of initiatives.news-star.com
11 Jan 05
World
War II vet gets replacements for medals stolen by home burglarsA highly decorated 86-year-old World War II
veteran said he felt violated when burglars slipped into his Reno home
in January and made off with his prized medals, including a Bronze
Star with Combat V and his Legion of Merit award. Salvia said
he’s most proud of the Bronze Star with Combat V, earned while he was
captain of a destroyer mine sweeper on Jan. 7, 1945. Of the eight other
destroyers in the squadron, three were sunk by the Japanese, he said. He
also covets his Legion of Merit medal, earned while working as an
adviser to Argentina for the Navy for four years. Other medals replaced
include: the Commendation medal, World War II Victory medal, American
Defense Service medal with one bronze star, Asiatic Pacific Campaign
medal with one bronze star, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
medal and the National Defense Service medal. rgj.com 3
Jul 04
Lives
to remember: Pilot had 'vast experience' and a passion for flyingWhen Glenn Alden Leister joined the Army in 1956, he thought it was for six
months. He ended up staying for 26 years. Leister was a retired Army
lieutenant colonel and a master Army aviator. During his service, he was
awarded numerous medals. He flew two tours of duty in Vietnam and earned 19
Air medals, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and a Bronze
Star with one oak leaf cluster. But in addition to courageous flying,
Leister worked to better his craft and its students. He received a Legion
of MeritLegion
of Merit for developing procedures used in air traffic control, flight
advisory and flight assistant to users of national airspace. newsadvance.com
18 Mar 06
Coast
Guard honors its own for Hurricane Katrina rescuesAlmost 100 of the U.S. Coast Guard's pilots, engineers, divers, ship
captains and crews who helped with Hurricane Katrina rescues were honored
for their actions. The highest honors, the Legion of Merit, went to
Capts. David R. Callahan and James D. Bjostad, both assigned to the Mobile
Coast Guard base. Callahan commands the Aviation Training Center and Bjostad
leads Sector Mobile. "I'm in charge of the boats. He does the
planes," Bjostad said. Petty Officer Jay Leahr of Cincinnati, Ohio,
received the Distinguished Flying Cross, for rescues on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. Leahr, a rescue swimmer, recalled flying 11 sorties
into the Gulfport area, saving people who had not evacuated from apartments.
timesdaily.com 12 May 06
Coast
Guard honors heroes of KatrinaThe highest of the four
awards presented -- the Legion of Merit -- went to Capt. David
Callahan, commanding officer of the Coast Guard Aviation Training Center,
and Capt. James Bjostad, commanding officer of Coast Guard Sector
Mobile. They received the award for their outstanding leadership in the
aftermath of Katrina. The Distinguished Flying CrossMeritorious Service Medal was
pinned on 13 Coast Guard members, and 61 service members received the Air
Medal. All Coast Guard stations involved in the Katrina effort are
credited with making a total of 33,544 rescues, according to officials.
Normally, in an average year, the entire Coast Guard saves about 5,500
people. al.com 13 May 06
Elliott
earns Legion of Merit, a rare honor for reservistsDavid
Elliott is exceptional among many outstanding individuals who have
retired from the service. When he retired from the Naval Reserves at 51
after 38 years (eight on active duty and 30 in the Reserves), he was
awarded the Legion
of Merit.A captain in the reserves, Elliott began
designing a volunteer unit of engineers that could go in after Marines
had cleared an area in Iraq and analyze the local situation, especially
if a plane had been shot down. The impetus for the unit was to improve
survivability of both personnel and equipment. The work that
led to Elliott's receiving the Legion of Merit came out of this first
idea as well as his work at Raytheon. What Elliott wanted to do was to
make the Navy work more like a business - more efficient, less wasteful
- by using its resources to the maximum capacity. It is very rare for a
reservist to be given that award - the sixth highest among U.S.
military awards. Only two other reservists have received the award in
the past 22 years. Elliott's Legion
of Merit came from the kind of heroism that occurs not
necessarily on the front lines of battle but in everyday life. His
citation says it all: "Captain Elliott's extraordinary vision, dynamic
leadership and inspiring devotion to duty highlights the culmination of
30 years of honorable and dedicated service and has reflected great
credit upon him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the
United States Naval Reserve." winfieldcourier.com 23 Feb
08
Top
honour for Pakistan navy officer
The US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael G Mullen presented
Pakistani Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Afzal Tahir with the Legion of
Merit
medal in recognition of his efforts in promoting bilateral co-operation
in regional maritime and security affairs. These efforts
allowed
US and coalition vessels to successfully conduct maritime security
operations within the Bahrain-headquartered US Fifth Fleet's area of
operation. Pakistan became the first regional country to lead one of
three coalition maritime task forces when it commanded Bahrain-based
Command Task Force (CTF) 150, from April to August last
year. As
members of this task force, Pakistani navy ships operate as part of
CTF-150 in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and
parts of the Indian Ocean. Coalition forces conduct maritime
security operations under international maritime conventions to ensure
security and safety in international waters so that all commercial
shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. CTF
150,
established near the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, is
comprised of naval ships from numerous other coalition nations,
including Germany, France, the UK and the US. gulf-daily-news.com 29
Jan 07
Army
General Kim Awarded US MedalLt. Gen. Kim Jin-hoon, former commanding general of South Korean Army's special
forces, was conferred the Legion of Merit, a top U.S. military decoration, by
U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. B. B. Bell Saturday, according to the Army.
The U.S.
military honored Kim's contributions to enhancing the alliance between South
Korea and the United States when he served as the special forces commander
between November 2005 and October 2007, the service said. koreatimes.co.kr 9 Mar 08
C7F Presents Former JMSDF Chief with Legion of MeritVice Adm. Doug Crowder, commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, presented retired Vice Adm.
Kazunari Doke with the Legion of Merit during a ceremony held aboard the 7th
Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) March 14. Doke, who served as
commander in chief, Self Defense Fleet, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force
(JMSDF) from March 2006 to March 2007, said he was excited to receive such a
high honor. During his time as
commander in chief of the Self Defense Fleet for the JMSDF, Doke participated in
more than 20 bilateral fleet and command post exercises, including ANNUALEX and
Keen Edge, which covered a wide range of operational scenarios. Additionally, he
oversaw the JMSDF's inaugural participation in multilateral exercises with the
April 2006 Goodwill Exercise, which helped strengthen the security cooperation
between Japan and its neighbors. news.navy.mil 14 Mar 08
