On 5 August 1942 the War Department Bulletin No. 40 published the medal. On 29 October 1942, President Roosevelt, in Executive Order 9260 instituted the rules for the Legion of Merit and commanded the President's approval for the award. However, at the appeal of General George C. Marshall, approval authority for U.S. appointees was given to the War Department in 1943. President Eisenhower revised approval authority in Executive Order 10600 on 15 March 1955. Title 10, United States Code 1121 contains the current requirements.
The motto taken from the Great Seal of the United States "ANNUIT COEPTIS" (He [God] Has Favored Our Undertakings) along with the date of America's first decoration, the Badge of Military Merit, now recognized as the Purple Heart, "MDCCLXXXII" (1782) is on the reverse side of the medal. The design of the ribbon is the same as the Purple Heart Ribbon.
