Army Command Sgt. Maj. David L. Yates II has been awarded the Legion of Merit Medal, the nation’s fifth highest medal.

The medal is awarded to members of all the U.S. Armed Forces for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The performance must have been such as to merit recognition of key individuals for service rendered in a clearly exceptional manner.

Yates, the son of David L. and Carolyn O. Yates of Waterford, is commander of Company A, as well as director of the sergeants major course at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. Yates has 26 years of military service and, as command sergeant major, holds the highest rank in the Army’s enlisted force.

He was awarded the Legion of Merit for his service as command sergeant major of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment (“Wolfhounds”), 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, from December 2003 to March 2008.

The regiment deployed to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, for one year, beginning in February 2004. Upon returning, the regiment began training for deployment to Iraq in August 2006.

During this six-month deployment, Yates was stationed with his battalion at a forward operating base near Al-Hawijah, Iraq, just south of Kirkuk, along the pipeline that carries oil to the refineries in Tikrit.

In addition to the Legion of Merit, Yates has received three awards of the Bronze Star Medal, three awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, three awards of the Army Commendation Medal, seven awards of the Army Achievement Medal, nine awards of the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with Star, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Iraq Campaign Medal.

In his 26 years in the Army, Yates has served as drill sergeant, platoon sergeant, first sergeant and command sergeant major in Afghanistan, Germany, Iraq, Korea, California, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.

He is married to Sheila M. Yates and is a 1983 graduate of Oxford Hills High School in Paris.