The Legion of Merit is a military award of the United States. It can be bestowed upon servicemen of the Armed Forces of the United States, as well as to servicemen of friendly states for exceptional and outstanding merits and achievements in service.

Recommendations for creation of a medal for meritorious service in an emergency were put forward as early as 1937. However, it was only after the United States entered World War II that this idea came to fruition. On December 21, 1941, it was proposed to establish the Medal of Merit. On April 3, 1942, the project was submitted to the US Secretary of Defense for consideration, while the original name was changed to the Legion of Merit. On July 20, 1942, the US Congress approved the project.

The new medal was to be awarded to the military personnel of the United States and the Commonwealth of the Philippines, as well as to the military personnel of the allied countries in World War II.

There are four degrees of the Legion of Merit that are awarded to members of armed forces of foreign nations. However, US military personnel can qualify only for the rank of legionnaire. The award is mainly intended for generals and senior officers, but in special cases it can also be bestowed upon junior officers.

Dmitry Ivanovich Smirnov was one of the recipients of this order. He was born on June 26, 1901 in the village of Klimovo, Kostroma Governorate.

When the Japanese Armed Forces attempted to test the strength of the Soviet borders and in 1939 attacked Mongolia, which was an ally of the USSR, Smirnov was among those who came to the aid of the Mongolian people. For his service, he received the first foreign award — the Mongolian Order of Military Merit, and then was presented to another— the Order of the Red Star.

For fighting in the Great Patriotic War, Dmitry Smirnov received the Order of the Red Banner, the commander’s Order of Kutuzov, and the Order of Suvorov.

For the liberation of Belarus and Ukraine and for the battles with the enemy on German soil, the USSR awarded him the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, and Bohdan Khmelnytsky.

On July 21, 1944, Major General Smirnov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.

For the liberation of allied Poland, on behalf of the Polish people, he received the Order of Virtuti Militari, the Cross of Grunwald, the medals “Victory and Freedom” and “For Oder, Neisse and Baltic”.