The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Commander [then Lieutenant Commander] James E. Walsh, United States Naval Reserve, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Commanding Officer of a beach battalion during the invasion of Italy in 1944. Commander Walsh landed with the first wave and, although under constant enemy gunfire, daringly directed the beaching and retracting of landing craft at the beachhead for the follow-up convoys.