The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Captain Irving Terrill Duke, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as an Operations Officer of a joint Army-Navy staff during the planning and later occupation of Attu and Kiska, Territory of Alaska, May to August 1943. Captain Duke skillfully correlated the movements of the various elements of the assault forces and contributed in a large measure to the success of the operations.