Recipients of the Legion of Merit

The Legion of Merit is a decoration of the United States of America and is awarded to foreign military personnel in four grades and to U.S. military personnel without distinction of degree. The following are recipients within the award.

Officer

 * At the beginning of the North African campaign, General Lyman L. Lemnitzer accompanied General Mark Wayne 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 (or service personnel of any rank) awarded the Legion of Merit with a degree.
 * In 1945, Lieutenant Colonel William E. Fairbairn, Ex British General Service Corps who transferred to United States as "Officer in rent" to train SOE Agent and later OSS, for his achievements in training OSS personnel, Fairbairn eventually rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel by the end of the war, and received the U.S. Legion of Merit (Officer grade) at the specific request of "Wild Bill" Donovan, founder of the U.S. O.S.S. Known as the teacher of Close Combat fighting in camp X and teaching defendu, an Special Forces close combat system. Following his instruction at Camp X, Fairbairn was rejoined by his pupil Col. Applegate to form the United States "The School for Spies and Assassins", called with code Camp B, now known as Camp David. Not much known by Public because Fairbairn had brutal techniques and had release a few special forces technique to public in United States that considered as danger if the technique known by Criminals. Later all his record was abandoned to hide all his technique to be known by enemy or the terrorist. Some people considered him as British agent in disguise and one of Ian Flemings character of James Bond. Fairbairn also teacher of Lt. Colonel Robert T. Frederick, the designer of Army Special Unit knife V-42 stiletto which based on Fairbairn - Sykes commando knife. Fairbairn also a friend of Captain Dermot Michael "Pat" O'Neill, the First US Special Service Force's close-combat instructor.
 * In 1945, Colonel Movlid Visaitov, commander of the 255th Separate Chechen-Ingush Cavalry Regiment and the 28th Guards Regiment. Visaitov was the first Soviet officer to shake hands with General Bolling at the Elbe River.
 * Group Captain Harry Day, senior Officer at numerous POW camps during World War II, and significantly helped American POWs endure the captivity, as well as organizing escape operations. He received the award on July 5, 1946.
 * In 1946, Commodore Alfred Victor Knight of the Royal Australian Navy was awarded the commendation for honorary services. The citation described him as a 'forceful leader' who, by his 'splendid co-operation in the conduct of a vital training programme, aggressive determination and untiring energies ... contributed materially to combined large-scale operations'.
 * In 1947, Colonel Valentine Patrick Terrel Vivian head of counter-espionage, Section V, and Vice-Chief of the S.I.S. or MI6. The citation reads, as deputy director of a special British agency in the European Theater of Operations from January 1943 to June 1945, rendered exceptionally devoted and meritorious service to the Allied armies, by American forces in a special province of military operations, and continuing it through the long period of preparation for the Normandy invasion and during the march into Germany, Colonel Vivian made an outstanding contribution to Allied military and to the enemy's defeat.
 * In 1948, then Brigadier General John Frederick Boyce Combe was made an Officer of the Legion for his contribution "to the over-all success Allied forces in Italy" during World War II.
 * In 1948, Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera VSV, USP Sri Lanka Air Force
 * In 1952, then Commander Emilio S. Liwanag of the Philippine Navy was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit for services in the Philippine liaison office with the United Nations Command during the Korean War.
 * In 1960 Major General Mian Hayaud Din was made an Officer of the Legion for his role as Chief of the Pakistan Military Mission to the United States from 1955 to 1960.
 * In 1996, Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire of the Canadian Army was made an Officer of the Legion for his role as Commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda during the civil war and subsequent genocide.
 * in 18 December 1980 Major General Shlomo Inbar, Israel Army was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit for his exceptionally meritorious conduct in the outstanding performance of duties as Defense and Armed Forces Attache, Embassy of Israel to the United States of America, from July 1977 to August 1980.
 * In 1990, Colonel Stanisław Wożniak from Poland was made an Officer of the Legion of Merit for his exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services.
 * In 2006, Lieutenant General Nick Houghton, British army, "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq."
 * Lieutenant General Tariq Khan became the fourth Pakistani officer to receive the award for meritorious services as a liaison officer at CENTCOM during Operations Enduring Freedom (December 9, 2007).
 * In 2008, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy Head of the Royal Air Force, for his part in Operation Telic / Operation Iraqi Freedom.
 * Lieutenant General Sir James Dutton, Royal Marines, "in recognition of meritorious, gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Afghanistan".
 * Major General Colin Boag, British Army, "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq" (March 2008).
 * Lieutenant General James Bucknall, British Army, "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services during coalition operations in Iraq" (July 2009).
 * Major General Mohamed Elkeshky, Egyptian Army Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attaché to the United States. (2013)

Legionnaire
''When the Legion of Merit is awarded to members of the Armed Forces of the United States it is awarded without reference to degree. The medal and ribbon of this forth degree (Legionnaire) is used for such purpose though.'' • 2