At the end of his studies, Fathollah Minbashian returned to homeland, entering War School. He graduated top of his class, and became a major. He returned to the United States in 1951, as the Americans had qualified him to go to their war school, the Command and General Staff College of the US Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Again, he was top of his class, and he was offered to join the US army, but refused and returned to homeland.In 1970, while on an official visit to the United States as Commander of the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces, General Minbashian received the US Legion of Merit.