U.S. Ambassador to Peru Brian A. Nichols on December 5 presented the U.S. Department of Defense's Legion of Merit medal to Peruvian Armed Forces officers Rafael Garcia Panta, Rodolfo Garcia Esquerre and Jorge Chaparro Pinto.
General Rafael Garcia Panta served as Army Attaché in Washington D.C. from March 2013 to January 2015. He is currently the Commander of the 32nd Infantry Brigade in Trujillo (La Libertad region).
Peruvian Air Force (FAP) Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia Esquerre served as Air and Defense Attaché in Washington D.C. from February 2012 to January 2014. He is currently the FAP Director of Staff.
Peruvian Air Force (FAP) Major General Jorge Chaparro Pinto served as Air and Defense Attaché in Washington D.C. from April 2014 to January 2016. He is currently the FAP Deputy Inspector General and will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General in January 2017.
About the Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is the sixth in the order of precedence of U.S. Military awards. It was established during the Second World War to honor U.S. or foreign military personnel who distinguish themselves by exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services.
The awarding of these medals reinforces the close cooperation ties binding the United States and Peru’s Armed Forces, which also include:
- six Peruvian Assistant Attachés serving as Liaison Officers in the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern), Army South (USARSO), Joint Interagency Task Force South, as well as Navy 3rd and 4th Fleets;
- two Peruvian Army instructors at the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHINSEC) in Fort Benning, Georgia;
- four Peruvian students at the U.S. Naval and Air Force academies;
- four Peruvian cadets and marine guards in U.S. military service and academies;
- one U.S. Naval Infantry officer in Ancon and one U.S. Air Force officer in the FAP Logistics Department.
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