The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Lieutenant Commander George Howell Patterson, 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 the Advanced Amphibious Training Base at Bizerte, Tunisia, from May to July 1943. Lieutenant Commander Patterson solved numerous problems and established base facilities despite destruction by the enemy of a major portion of equipment and installations prior to our occupation of Bizerte.