Legion of Honour living when the honour was approved. Collective appointments can be made to cities, institutions or companies. A total of 64 settlements in France have been decorated, as well as five foreign cities: Liège in 1914, Belgrade in 1920, Luxembourg City in 1957, Volgograd in 1984, and Algiers in 2004. French towns display the decoration in their municipal coat of arms. Organisations to receive the honour include the French Red Cross ('), the ' (Abbey of), the French National Railway Company ('), the ' (Prefecture of Police of Paris), and various " (National (Elite) Colleges) and other educational establishments. The military
Legion of Merit Marine Corps and Air Force) or Commander (Navy and Coast Guard) (O-5), and above. About the 1980s, the Legion of Merit began to be awarded more frequently to senior ranking warrant officers (W-4 and W-5), as well as to senior enlisted service members (E-8 and E-9), usually as a retirement award. The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) was established in 1969 as a "junior" version of the Legion of Merit. The MSM is awarded more frequently and to lower ranking military personnel than the Legion of Merit, so that today the award of the Legion of Merit to officers in pay