The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting Legion of Merit to Rear Admiral Charles Abraham Park, United States Coast Guard, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Chief Operations Officer of the Coast Guard from July 1942 to October 1945. A leader of great administrative ability he skillfully coordinated the work of the various divisions of the Officer of Operations so that the requirement for aids to navigation, beach patrol, communications, port security, inspection of merchant marine vessels and regulation of merchant marine personnel were developed to provide maximum assistance and benefit to the Allied military forces and protecting the civil lives and property in the United States ports. By his forceful direction and careful supervision of his command he contributed materially to the brilliant achievements of the Coast Guard and to the successful prosecution of the war.