The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Chief Machinery Repairman Lewis J. Van Heusen, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States while serving on board U.S.S. SPERRY (AS-12) from September 1957 to 15 November 1958. Realizing that formation of ice on submarine snorkel valves has long been known as a factor limiting submarine cold-water operations, Chief Van Heusen, on his own initiative, worked untiringly to perfect an electrically heated waterproof blanket encasing the snorkel head valve. This device solved the head valve icing problem, but did not prevent the formation of ice in the snorkel mast. Persevering in the attainment of a better remedy, he succeeded in devising a warm salt-water spray which has given excellent results in the most rigorous laboratory tests and in service at sea.