The Order of Military Merit ( pt, Ordem do Mérito Militar) is an award of the Brazilian Army, established on 11 July 1934 by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...

. The order is presented in five grades and recognizes distinguished service and exceptional contributions to Brazil by members the Brazilian Army and the armies of friendly nations. The grades, in descending order, are: * BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Gra-cruz

Grand Cross * BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Grande Oficial

Grand Officer * BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Comendador

Commander * BRA Ordem do Merito Militar Oficial

Officer *

Knight

Notable recipients

Edward Almond Lieutenant General Edward Mallory Almond (December 12, 1892 – June 11, 1979) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in World War I, World War II, where he commanded the 92nd Infantry Division, and the Korean War, where he commanded ...

, American *

Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...

, American *

Kaúlza de Arriaga Kaúlza de Oliveira de Arriaga, OA, GCC, OC, OIH (18 January 1915 – 2 February 2004) was a Portuguese general, writer, professor and politician. He was Secretary of State (junior minister) of the Air Force between 1953 and 1955 and commande ...

, Portuguese, ''Grand Officer'' *

Amaro Soares Bittencourt Amaro Soares Bittencourt (1885–1963) was a diplomat, a military and civil engineer and a general officer of the Brazilian Army, who attained the Brazilian Army rank of General of Division or in its original Portuguese "General de Divisão" ( ...

, Brazilian *

Waldemar Levy Cardoso Waldemar Levy Cardoso (December 4, 1900 – May 13, 2009) was the last living Marshal of the Brazilian Army. Biography Cardoso was of Jewish Algerian-Moroccan descent and was born on Rua Evaristo da Veiga in Rio de Janeiro. He graduated ...

, Brazilian *Frank P. Connelly, Jr. American *

Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...

, French *

Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz Divisional general Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz (born 1 June 1952) is a Brazilian military officer who previously held the post of Force Commander of the United Nations' peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (known by its ...

, Brazilian * Ciro Ferreira Gomes, Brazilian *

Hernán Terrazas Céspedes Hernán Terrazas Céspedes (3 December 1926 – 6 November 2020) was a Bolivian general who served as Mayor of Cochabamba during the era of dictatorships in Bolivia. Early in his military career he was stationed in the Rocha Regiment and, as a ...

, Bolivian, Grand Officer. *

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, American, ''Grand Cross'' (August 5, 1946) *

John W. Foss John William Foss (February 13, 1933 – April 25, 2020) was a United States Army general, and commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. Military career Foss was born in Hutchinson, Minnesota on February 13, 1933. He b ...

, American, ''Grand Cross'' * Paul L. Freeman, Jr., American *

Leonard T. Gerow Leonard Townsend Gerow (July 13, 1888 – October 12, 1972) was a general in the United States Army who served with distinction in both World War I and World War II. A 1911 graduate the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Gerow served with the Uni ...

, American *

William C. Gribble, Jr. William C. Gribble Jr. (born May 24, 1917 in Ironwood, Michigan – June 2, 1979) graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1941 and was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers. During World War II, he served on the staff of the 340th ...

, American * Elvin R. Heiberg III, American *

Jonas H. Ingram Admiral (United States), Admiral Jonas Howard Ingram (October 15, 1886 – September 9, 1952) was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II. He commanded the United States Atlantic Fleet during World War II and was ...

, American *

Allan Ker Major Allan Ebenezer Ker VC (5 March 1883 – 12 September 1958) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...

VC, Scot *

Thomas B. Larkin Lieutenant General Thomas Bernard Larkin (December 15, 1890 – October 17, 1968) was a military officer who served as the 32nd Quartermaster General of the United States Army. Early life Larkin was born in Louisburg, Wisconsin and attended th ...

, American *

Lyman Lemnitzer Lyman Louis Lemnitzer (August 29, 1899 – November 12, 1988) was a United States Army general who served as the fourth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1960 to 1962. He then served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1 ...

, American *

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party, ...

, Brazilian *

George C. Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

, American, ''Grand Cross'' *

Joseph T. McNarney Joseph Taggart McNarney (August 28, 1893 – February 1, 1972) was a four-star general in the United States Army and in the United States Air Force, who served as Military Governor of occupied Germany. Early life Joseph Taggart McNarney was ...

, American *

Raymond T. Odierno Raymond Thomas Odierno (8 September 1954 – 8 October 2021) was an American military officer who served as a four-star general of the United States Army and as the 38th chief of staff of the Army. Prior to his service as chief of staff, Odiern ...

, American, ''Grand Officer'' *

James Garesche Ord Major General James Garesche Ord (October 18, 1886 – April 17, 1960) was a United States Army officer who briefly commanded the 28th Infantry Division and was Chairman of the Joint Brazil–U.S. Defense Commission during World War II. Early l ...

, American, ''Grand Officer'' *

General Raheel Sharif General Raheel Sharif (Urdu: ; born 16 June 1956), is a retired four-star army general of the Pakistan Army who served as the 9th Chief of Army Staff from 29 November 2013 to 29 November 2016. After his retirement as Pakistan's army chief, he ...

, Pakistani, ''COAS Army'' *

Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Lemuel Cornick Shepherd Jr. (February 10, 1896 – August 6, 1990) was a four-star general of the United States Marine Corps. A veteran of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, he was the 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps. As Co ...

, American ''Grand Officer'' (1959) *

Walter Bedell Smith General Walter Bedell "Beetle" Smith (5 October 1895 – 9 August 1961) was a senior officer of the United States Army who served as General Dwight D. Eisenhower's chief of staff at Allied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) during the Tunisia Campaign ...

, American, ''Grand Cross'' (September 6, 1947) *

Gordon R. Sullivan Gordon Russell Sullivan (born September 25, 1937) is a retired United States Army general, who served as the 32nd Chief of Staff of the Army and as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sullivan also served as acting Secretary of the Army. Aft ...

, American *

Richard Horner Thompson Richard Horner Thompson (September 24, 1926 – February 21, 2016) was a United States Army general. Early life Thompson was born on September 24, 1926 in New York City, New York and died on February 21, 2016 in Fairfax, Virginia. Military care ...

, American *

Tércio Pacitti Tércio Pacitti (September 9, 1928 in Atibaia - June 18, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro), São Paulo, Brazil was an electronic engineer and computer scientist in Brazil. Biography Pacitti was born in Atibaia-SP, Brazil, son of Antônio Pacitti and ...

, Brazilian *

Togo D. West, Jr. Togo Dennis West Jr. (June 21, 1942 – March 8, 2018) was an American attorney and public official. A Democrat, he was the third person to occupy the post of Secretary of Veterans Affairs during the Bill Clinton administration serving from 19 ...

, American * Frederick L. Wieseman, American *

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

, Brazilian * Lieutenant-General

Paul Wynnyk Lieutenant-general (Canada), Lieutenant General Paul Francis Wynnyk, (born June 29, 1964) is a former Canadian Army officer who served from 2016 to 2018 as Commander of the Canadian Army. On July 16, 2018, he was named Vice Chief of the Defence St ...

, Canadian ''Grand Officer'' (July 28, 2018), *

Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza (born ''Bertrand Maria José Pio Januário Miguel Gabriel Raphael Gonzaga de Orléans e Bragança''; 2 February 1941, in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Vichy France) is the head of the Vassouras branch of the House of Orlé ...

, Brazilian

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Military Merit Orders, decorations, and medals of Brazil * Brazilian Army 1934 establishments in Brazil Awards established in 1934