Film legend Maureen O’Hara was presented with a 24-carat gold Marine Corps pendant and a picture of their emblem earlier this week, as a symbol of praise and gratitude for her role in a great war-time role in the film “To the Shores of Tripoli,” which helped boost recruitment.

During the “Maureen O’Hara Classic Film Festival” in Glengarriff, Co Cork, a retired marine captain presented the talented actress with two letters from former commandant of the Marine Corps, General James T Conway, who retired last year, and the second is signed by the current commandant, General James F Amos.

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The Marines Corps credits the film and the O’Hara as being the single greatest recruitment tools in 1942 during World War II, due to the popularity of the actress drawing in large audiences to see the film.

The film was shot at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, used serving marines as extras, and contains authentic scenes of marines in combat training and ground drills, according to the Examiner.

In the movie, O’Hara played a navy nurse in what turned out to be one of the last pre-Pearl Harbor service films. The movie has since then been recognized and fully endorsed by the Marine Corps because of its unusual way of portraying the soldiers accurately.

After filming, O’Hara was often invited by commanding officers of the Navy and Marine Corps bases to be their guests at several military functions and has since remained to be a favorite among the US Marines.