Medal for Merit

American  

noun

1. a medal awarded by the U.S. to a civilian for distinguished service to the country: discontinued after World War II.

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Example Sentences

Last week in Washington, Elmira Wickenden, 57, became the first nurse and the third woman to receive the Medal for Merit,* the highest honor that the nation can bestow on civilians for wartime service.

From Time Magazine Archive

He was awarded the Medal for Merit for his war work in Navy radio and sound research, including sonar.

From Time Magazine Archive

As the nation's top cryptanalyst, i.e., breaker of secret codes, William Friedman is one of very few men in U.S. history to receive both the Medal for Merit and the National Security Medal.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last month he was awarded the War Department's Medal for Merit for his morale-building efforts in World War II.

From Time Magazine Archive

These included the Presidential Medal for Merit, then the government’s highest civilian honor, presented by General Groves and Bob Sproul at a Berkeley ceremony in early 1946.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik