The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal to Brigadier General Archie Franklin Howard, United States Marine Corps, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility from 31 July 1943 to 12 May 1944, as Island Commander at Guadalcanal and later at New Georgia, Solomon Islands. General Howard demonstrated an impressive talent for exercising command under the principles of unified command, using on his staff officers of Army, Navy and Marine Corps organizations stationed on the Island. He obtained their complete loyalty and confidence and promoted an exceptionally high standard of efficiency. Particularly at Guadalcanal, General Howard’s duties involved unusually difficult and complex command and logistical problems and it was through his resourcefulness, perseverance and industrious manner that an efficient, consistently dependable system was developed. In both assignments, General Howard displayed tactical and administrative ability of the highest degree and was conspicuously successful in welding all Services at these important military bases into smooth-functioning commands.