"When war came in the Pacific, those of us who follow the military profession had a job to do for which we had been trained all our lives," said Nimitz, receiving the Distinguished Service Medal at The American Legion's national convention in 1945. "Not so with the great majority of those who made up the conquering American forces. Overwhelmingly this war was fought and won by amateurs: citizen sailors, soldiers and Marines.

At The American Legion's national convention in 1945, National Commander Edward Scheiberling hailed Eisenhower for leading more than 5 million U.S. and Allied fighting men "in the world's greatest combat effort to freedom's most memorable victory. To this supreme war effort you gave a leadership that fired your troops to immortal daring. It also inspired all of us on the homefront to carry on with increased devotion.

"We are proud to count you as a life member of our Abilene, Kan., post."

In 1919, after fathering for the creation of The American Legion, Roosevelt fought off all efforts to be elected national commander. A quarter of a century later, his widow, Eleanor, accepted a Distinguished Service Medal on her husband's behalf.

At The American Legion's 1945 convention, Past National Commander Roane Waring said Stimson was widely known as "a distinguished soldier of World War I, a cabinet member under three presidents and our wartime secretary in America's greatest crisis. But we of the Legion know and admire him well as a Legionnaire."

A man not without critics, especially for his post-Depression domestic policies, Roosevelt enjoyed the support of the military during his dozen years as commander in chief. A few months after his death, The American Legion awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal.

Presenting the Distinguished Service Medal to Hope in 1946, Past National Commander John R. Quinn called the entertainer "the personal jester of every man and woman in uniform ... Wherever they were - in foxhole, Quonset hut, jungle or warship - he administered the toxin of cheer and laughter. ... He has flown one-half million miles to perform in the din of the front lines as well as in the hush of hospitals."

A longtime public servant who served nearly 12 years as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary of state, Hull was too ill to attend the 1946 Legion national convention to receive the Distinguished Service Medal. Accepting the award on his behalf was Assistant Secretary of State John Hilldring, who said The American Legion always had Hull's "earnest support and affection."

Awarding the Distinguished Service Medal to the FBI director in 1946,Past National Commander Frank Belgrano Jr. said that thanks to Hoover's work, "not one single act of enemy saboteurs or espionage agents was successful. On the first day of World War I, 62 dangerous enemy agents were arrested. Within the first 24 hours of World War II, 1,700 key figures of the enemy's fifth column were taken into custody, and this figure rose to more than 16,000 before the war was over."

As director of the Selective Service System, Hershey was responsible for the veteran status of many of the Legionnaires he addressed at the 1946 convention. Presenting him with the Distinguished Service Medal, incoming National Commander Paul Griffith recognized Hershey for growing the military during World War II.

A strong proponent of The American Legion, Hearst received one of five Distinguished Service Medals in 1946. The National Executive Committee unanimously resolved that Hearst "has been a constant champion of the rights of veterans for the past 26 years, and has demonstrated an intense patriotism in his unselfish support of the program and principles of The American Legion."