Henry A. Kissinger
![Henry A. Kissinger](https://www.legion.org/sites/legion.org/files/styles/scalecrop150x209/public/legion/distinguished-service-medal/1974_Kissinger_LOC.jpg?itok=pT4Nb0Ls)
A year after he received the Nobel Peace Prize, Kissinger received The American Legion's Distinguished Service Medal.
The National Executive Committee recognized the scholar, author and historian for "his untiring efforts toward the disengagement of hostile forces in the trouble spots of the world and thereby decreasing the possibilities of nuclear confrontation." As secretary of state for presidents Nixon and Ford, Kissinger was also credited with helping create conditions that have "successfully set the stage for negotiations which would bring all mankind to that lofty and long-sought goal of peace with honor."
Kissinger became a U.S. citizen in 1943, five years after his German Jewish family fled Bavaria for New York to avoid Nazi persecution. During World War II, the Army leaned on him to help "de-Nazify" his homeland. In 1946, Kissinger began teaching at the European Command Intelligence School, where he served for a time even after leaving the Army.
Besides serving Nixon and Ford as secretary of state, Kissinger was their national security adviser from 1969 to 1975.
The Harvard-educated diplomat is known for his roles in detente with the Soviet Union, establishing relations with China, and the Paris Peace Accords that led to the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam. He negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks (SALT) and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. More recently, he offered advice to President George W. Bush on Israel and the Middle East, including the Iraq war.
After leaving public service, Kissinger founded an international consulting firm. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Connecticut and New York.
For more on Kissinger, click here (http://www.henryakissinger.com).