Leahy believed in his right to go anywhere in New Guinea , in pursuit of gold , and he was accorded the right to penetrate the Highlands by the Administration . The Highlands communities that he interacted with paid a high price for this . His diaries record that he and his party were responsible for 41 deaths between 1930 and 1934 . In 1936 , revelations of these deaths led to an inquiry , led by ADO ( '' Appeal Deciding Officer '' ) Jim Taylor . He concluded that Leahy had acted in self-defence , and viewed such deaths as inevitable if prospectors were afforded the right to explore territories beyond the control of the colonial authorities . During the Second World War he joined the Royal Australian Air Force as a flight lieutenant and was assigned to the US chief engineer to build an airstrip in Telefomin . For his services during the war Leahy was awarded the US Medal of Freedom with bronze palm in 1948 , appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire ( MBE ) in 1952 and made an honorary member of the Explorers Club in 1959
US Medal of Freedom
Medal of Freedom (1945)
Mick Leahy (explorer)