Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster awarded to Lt. Col. Colin L. Powell
date: label: Date
content: August 8, 1972
name: label: Issued by
content: United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775
label: Received by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
label: Subject of
content: United States Department of Defense
notes: label: Caption
content: Lt. Col. Colin Powell was first awarded the Legion of Merit in 1969 for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding service in the Republic of Vietnam. He received his second Legion of Merit in 1972 while stationed in D.C. The second award of this medal is denoted by the oak leaf cluster on the ribbon.
label: Description
content: One (1) Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster awarded to General Colin L. Powell. It is designed in the shape of the five-armed "Maltese Asterisk" with five distinctive "arrowhead" shaped arms and ten pointed crosses with gold balls at the end of each point. Surrounding each of the five points is a gold design of swords and a green border. At the center of the medallion is a blue circle with thirteen stars. On the reverse of the medallion on the outer scroll is the engraved inscription “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” and in the center circle, “ANNUIT COEPTIS MDCCLXXXII”. This translates to "He [God] Has Favored Our Undertakings". The medal is suspended from a double-sided silk crimson and white silk ribbon with a bronze oak leaf cluster attached.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Government
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2022.101.1.56
objectType: label: Type
content: medals
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: enamel on gold with silk (textile)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 3 1/8 × 1 7/8 × 3/16 in. (7.9 × 4.8 × 0.5 cm)