The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 20 July 1942, takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Lieutenant Colonel William Edward Leonhard, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Director of Installations, Headquarters, U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Wiesbaden, Germany. Lieutenant Colonel Leonhard planned and supervised construction of five new runways in Berlin and numerous base developments in the United States and United Kingdom zones of German during the Berlin Airlift. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Lieutenant Colonel Leonhard and his dedicated contributions in the service of his country reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Armed Forces.