By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Cheon Ki-chil, 55, a former sergeant major of the ground component command of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), has been conferred with a top U.S. military decoration for his contribution to the alliance between the two militaries, a CFC official said Tuesday.
It is the first time ever for a sergeant major to receive a U.S. order of merit, the official said.
CFC Commander Gen. B. B. Bell bestowed the Legion of Merit on Cheon, who took up his post in July 2004, he said.
Bell strongly recommended the Pentagon to decorate Cheon for successfully ``bridging'' the two militaries by initiating various goodwill exchange programs to help promote understanding between the two sides, said the official.
``It's a great honor that I became the only sergeant major who has received the top U.S. order of merit,'' Cheon was quoted by the Korea Defense Daily as saying. ``I'm more grateful that Gen. Bell strongly supported it. That means Bell puts the highest emphasis on the Korea-U.S. alliance than any other alliance in the world.''
The Legion of Merit is sixth in the order of U.S. military decorations. It is issued both to U.S. military personnel and to foreign military and political personnel considered to have performed outstanding services.
Cheon was replaced by Sgt. Maj. Lee Yu-man and is to retire from the military June 30, he added.