The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Captain Edmund M. Ragsdale, United States Navy, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Repair Officer at our Casablanca 8 November 1942 and Palermo naval operating bases during the occupation of Sicily. Captain Ragsdale planned and supervised temporary repairs to the badly damaged U.S.S. HAMBLETON with extremely limited facilities. He perfected methods of fitting out landing ships for side stowage and of launching pontoon causeways to facilitate unloading on beaches, and also operated a captured shipyard for the maintenance of vital advance naval units.