Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been awarded the Legion of Honor, one of the US’s highest military honours, by U.S. President Donald Trump for “exceptionally meritorious service” as India’s leader.
On Monday, the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, was assigned to Modi on behalf of Trump. The medal is seldom presented and can only be bestowed by the President of the United States. Generally, it is granted to heads of state or heads of government.
The award was won by India’s ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, on behalf of the Prime Minister. The Legion of Merit Degree Chief Commander was also awarded at the same ceremony on Monday to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On September 18, Trump had previously awarded the Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, to Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Kuwaiti Amir. Before that, in 1991, the medal was last awarded.
The Legion of Merit, Degree Chief Commander, is a domed, heraldic-shaped, five-pointed American white star plaque bordered by purple-red enamel, with 13 white stars rising from a circle of clouds on a blue field. A laurel wreath with pierced, crossed arrows pointing outwards between each arm of the star and the wreath is behind the star. The reverse with the words “United States of America” is etched.
The Modi award citation claimed that it was awarded “for exceptionally meritorious service as the Prime Minister of the Republic of India between May 2014 and August 2020.”
The “steadfast leadership and vision of Modi has accelerated the emergence of India as a global power and raised the strategic partnership between the United States and India to tackle global challenges,” it said.