For the Imperial German decoration colloquially known as the "Blue Max" and bearing a French-language inscription meaning "for merit", see
Pour le Mérite. For the Romanian medal, see
Medal for Merit (Romania).
The Medal for Merit was the highest civilian decoration of the
United States in the gift of the president. Created during
World War II, it was awarded by the
President of the United States to civilians who "distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services" in the war effort "since the proclamation of an emergency by the President on September 8, 1939". Awards to civilians of foreign nations were eligible "only for the performance of exceptionally meritorious or courageous act or acts in furtherance of the war efforts of the United Nations."[1] It was last awarded in 1952.
The medal is made of gold-finished bronze and enamel and is worn on the left chest from a ribbon.[3]
History
The Medal for Merit was created by
Public Law 77-671 and its awarding codified by
Executive Order 9286 - Medal for Merit on 24 December 1942, later amended and restated by
Executive Order 9857A of 27 May 1947. Created during
World War II, and awarded to "civilians of the nations prosecuting the war under the joint declaration of the United Nations and of other friendly foreign nations", the medal has not been awarded since 1952.[3]
Civilians of foreign nations could receive the award for the performance of an exceptionally meritorious or courageous act or acts in furtherance of the war efforts of the
Allies against the
Axis Powers. The first person to receive this medal who was not an American citizen was Sir
Edward Wilfred Harry Travis Director of the British
Government Code and Cypher School in World War II, on 12 January 1946. The next foreign civilian to receive the medal was
Edgar Sengier, the director of the Belgian
Union Minière du Haut Katanga during World War II. Sengier was awarded the Medal for Merit on 9 April 1946.[5] The next foreign civilian to receive the medal was the Canadian spymaster
William Stephenson in November 1946.[6] Stephenson had the code name "Intrepid" during World War II. Some writers consider Stephenson to be one of the real life inspirations for the fictitious character "
James Bond".
Another recipient was Sir
Robert Watson-Watt, a British pioneer of radar, who created a chain of radar stations around the UK which enabled advance information to be available to the
Royal Air Force of incoming German aircraft and was instrumental in the winning of the 1940
Battle of Britain. He was sent to the US in 1941 to advise on air defense, after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. He was awarded the US Medal for Merit in 1946.
All proposed awards were considered by the Medal for Merit Board, consisting of three members appointed by the president, of whom one was appointed as the chairman of the board. This medal cannot be awarded for any action relating to the prosecution of World War II after the end of hostilities (as proclaimed by Proclamation No. 2714 of 31 December 1946), and no proposal for this award for such services could be submitted after 30 December 1946. The last medal of this type was awarded in 1952 after a long delay in processing.
^Kelly's Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes. Vol. 81 (1955 ed.).
London: Kelly's Directories. 1955. p. 802.
LCCN08005253.
OCLC660092690.
^Read, Phyllis J.; Witlieb, Bernard (1992).
The Book of Women's Firsts: Breakthrough Achievements of Almost 1,000 American Women.
Random House Information Group.
ISBN978-0-679-40975-5.
OCLC1147994498 – via
Google Books. Mary Shotwell Ingraham was the First woman to receive a U.S. Medal of Merit (1946); a founder of the United Service Organizations (USO) (1941). As a founder and former vice president of the USO (an organization that supplies social, recreational, and welfare facilities for the armed services), Ingraham was awarded the Medal for Merit by President Harry S. Truman.