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serviceEst. 2025
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
DSC
INHERENTLY VALOR
Base Points
85
Valor Points
85
Precedence
#2
Tier
2
Medal Gallery
Army distinguished service cross medal
US-DSC-OBVERSE-TWO
US-DSC-REVERSE
About This Medal
Summary
The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the United States Army's second highest military decoration for soldiers who display extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree that they are above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations, but which do not meet the criteria for the Medal of Honor. The Army Distinguished Service Cross is equivalent to the Navy Cross of the United States naval services, the Air Force Cross of the United States Air Force and Space Force, and the Coast Guard Cross of the United States Coast Guard; collectively, these awards are known as the "service crosses". Prior to the creation of the Air Force Cross in 1960, airmen were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The Distinguished Service Cross was first awarded during World War I. In addition, a number of awards were bestowed for actions which took place before World War I. In many cases, the medal was awarded to soldiers who had received a Certificate of Merit for gallantry; at the time, this certificate was the only other honor for gallantry the Army could present to combatants in lieu of a Medal of Honor...
How It Is Awarded
The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army (or in the Air Force, before 1960), distinguishes themselves by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing/foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from their comrades.
^ "Distinguished Service Cross". edocket.access.gpo.gov.
See also: Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Note that the inclusion of one, or more, Oak Leaf Clusters signifies each additional Distinguished Service Cross awarded to that recipient.
Name
Service
Rank
Repeat DSC
Notes
Creighton W. Abrams Jr.
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Chief of Staff
Edward Almond
US Army
LTG
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Division and Corps commander in World War II and Korea.
Vernon Baker
US Army
1LT
later upgraded to the Medal of Honor
Robert H. Barrow
US Marine Corps
General
Commandant of the US Marine Corps.
Robert S. Beightler
US Army
MG
Commanding General of Ohio Army National Guard's 37th Infantry Division
Thomas Blamey
Australian Army
General
later Australia's first Field Marshal
Larry "Scrappy" Blumer
US Army Air Forces
MAJ
Richard Bong
US Army Air Forces
MAJ
Medal of Honor recipient with 40 confirmed aerial victories.
Herman Bottcher
US Army
CPT
veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Battalion
Lewis H. Brereton
US Army Air Service
LTG
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Maurice Britt
US Army
CPT
also a Medal of Honor and Silver Star recipient, first recipient of top four valor decorations in WWII
John D. Bulkeley
US Navy
VADM
also Medal of Honor and Navy Cross recipient
Joseph Burlazzi
US Army
John Francis Burnes
US Marine Corps
CPT
Marine officer in World War I.
Douglas Campbell
US Army Air Service
with four Oak Leaf Clusters
Bill Carpenter
US Army
Modesto Cartagena
US Army
most decorated Hispanic soldier of the Korean War
Richard Cavazos
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
first Hispanic full general
Arthur S. Champeny
US Army
with two Oak leaf Clusters
only person to receive the DSC in three different conflicts: WWI, WWII and Korean War
Llewellyn Chilson
US Army
with two Oak Leaf Clusters
Vasily Chuikov
Red Army
Army General (General Armii)
hero of WWII Battle of Stalingrad
Mark W. Clark
US Army
GEN
Commander of 5th Army Group
William J. Cullerton
US Army Air Forces
WWII flying ace
Alan "Ace" Cozzalio
US Army
helicopter pilot
William Orlando Darby
US Army
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Daniel Daly
US Marine Corps
also Medal of Honor recipient
Dwight F. Davis
US Army
Secretary of War
Samuel David Dealey
US Navy
Commander
Medal of Honor and four-time Navy Cross recipient.
Ray C. Dickop
US Army
1LT
General John Pershing, Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, compiled a list of 100 greatest American heroes of World War I which included 1LT Ray Dickop.
William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan
US Army
MG
Director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and first recipient of top three decorations in single war.
Otto Dowling
US Navy
Captain
Led response to the Lake Denmark explosion.
Jesus S. Duran
US Army
Later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
Robert L. Eichelberger
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Commanded I Corps and the Eighth Army in the Southwest Pacific Area during World War II.
Henry E. Emerson
US Army
LTG
Robert M. Emery
US Army
1LT
Sam Ervin
US Army
PVT
United States Senator and chairman of the Watergate hearings.
Manuel J. Fernandez
US Air Force
Flying ace.
Geoffrey Cheney Ferris
US Army
2LT
Wendell Fertig
US Army
COL
WWII Guerilla Leader 10th Military District, Philippine Islands.
Aaron R. Fisher
US Army
366th Infantry Regiment officer
Edward Fuller
US Marine Corps
Capt
James M. Gavin
US Army
LTG
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Hobart R. Gay
US Army
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Andrew Goodpaster
US Army
GEN
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
John Campbell Greenway
US Army
BG
Rough Rider in Spanish-American War.
Henry Gunther
US Army
SGT
Last casualty of World War I.
Jeannette Guyot
French Resistance
David H. Hackworth
US Army
COL
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Controversial author. Ten Silver Stars, eight Bronze Stars and eight Purple Hearts.
Alexander Haig
US Army
GEN
US Secretary of State.
Virginia Hall
OSS
civilian
Frank Kerr Hays
Army Air Service
WWI ace
John L. Hines
US Army
GEN
Army Chief of Staff
Courtney Hodges
US Army
GEN
Commanded First Army in World War II.
Robert L. Howard
US Army
COL
Medal of Honor and Silver Star recipient, all in the same 1967–68 tour.
Clarence R. Huebner
US Army
LTG
one Oak Leaf Cluster
Commanded the 1st Infantry Division and V Corps during World War II.
LeRoy P. Hunt
US Marine Corps
Col
Frank O'Driscoll "Monk" Hunter
US Army Air Service
MG
four Oak Leaf Clusters
World War I flying ace.
Isadore Jachman
US Army
Staff Sergeant
later upgraded to Medal of Honor
Henry Johnson
US Army
SGT
later upgraded to Medal of Honor, African American soldier in WWI
Rene Joyeuse
Free French Forces and OSS
Captain
Roy Judkins
US Army
Specialist sixth class
For action in Vietnam War as explosives disposal specialist
Ivan Kamera
Red Army
Colonel General (General-Polkovnik)
WWII artillery general
Charles L. Kelly
US Army
Dust Off pilot, Vietnam, posthumous
George C. Kenney
US Army Air Service, US Army Air Forces
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Young-Oak Kim
US Army
COL
For action in WW2, later became first Asian-American to command a combat battalion in the Korean War.
Robert C. Kingston
US Army
GEN
Combat Veteran of Korea and Vietnam
Salvador J. Lara
US Army
later upgraded to the Medal of Honor
Curtis LeMay
US Army Air Forces
GEN
Air Force Chief of Staff.
Douglas MacArthur
US Army
GA
with two Oak Leaf Clusters
also received Medal of Honor, 7 Silver Stars, and 3 French Croix de Guerre.
Gordon H. Mansfield
US Army
CPT
Deputy Secretary of Department of Veterans Affairs
Peyton C. March
US Army
GEN
Army Chief of Staff
Anthony McAuliffe
US Army
GEN
Led defense of Bastogne.
Barry McCaffrey
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
John McNulty
US Marine Corps
Navy Cross recipient.
James Megellas
US Army
LTC
Also received 2 Silver Star, 2 Bronze Star with "V" and 2 Purple Heart, considered one of the most decorated combat officers in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division
Louis Gonzaga Mendez Jr.
US Army
COL
Battalion commander, 82nd Airborne Division.
Billy Mitchell
US Army Air Service
BG
Kyle A. Morgan
US Army
Dudley W. Morton
US Navy
CAPT
Distinguished submarine captain, also a four-time Navy Cross recipient
Henry Mucci
US Army
Kenneth Muir
British Army
Major
Also British Victoria Cross recipient
Audie Murphy
US Army
MAJ
Medal of Honor recipient.
Michael Ollis
US Army
SSG
Later upgraded to Medal of Honor
John "Gatling Gun" Parker
US Army
BG
with three Oak Leaf Clusters
George S. Patton
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Legendary general
George Patton IV
US Army
MG
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Keith Payne
Australian Army
WO2
also Commonwealth Victoria Cross recipient
Thomas Payne
US Army
SGM
later upgraded to the Medal of Honor
John J. Pershing
US Army
GAS
Commander of the American Expeditionary Force and Army Chief of Staff
Pascal Poolaw
US Army
First Sergeant
The United States' most decorated Native American. Four Silver Stars and three Purple Hearts.
Chesty Puller
US Marine Corps
LtGen
Five-time Navy Cross recipient.
Howard Knox Ramey
US Army
William John Read
Royal Australian Navy
Lt
WWII Coastwatcher
Eddie Rickenbacker
US Army Air Service
CPT
with six Oak Leaf Clusters
a seventh Oak Leaf was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor
Matthew B. Ridgway
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Chief of Staff and NATO Supreme Allied Commander
Keller E. Rockey
US Marine Corps
LtGen
Bernard W. Rogers
US Army
GEN
US Army Chief of Staff and NATO Supreme Allied Commander.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
US Army
BG
Also Medal of Honor recipient.
Maurice Rose
US Army
MAJ
Robert Rosenthal
US Army Air Forces
LTC
also recipient of 16 other valor and service awards, WWII B-17 pilot
Andrew Summers Rowan
US Army
Alfredo Santos
Philippine Army
Major
also received the Silver Star, both for his actions during the WWII Battle of Bataan
Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.
US Marine Corps
Gen
Commandant of US Marine Corps.
Oliver Prince Smith
US Marine Corps
Gen
Isabel Stambaugh
US Army Nurse Corps
hit by shelling in WWI field hospital, continued her duties
Joseph Stilwell
US Army
GEN
Commander of the China Burma India Theater.
Maxwell D. Taylor
US Army
GEN
Army Chief of Staff.
Gerald C. Thomas
US Marine Corps
Gen
Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps.
James A. Van Fleet
US Army
GEN
with two Oak Leaf Clusters
Commanded Eighth Army in Korea.
John Paul Vann
US State Department
Civilian
Former US Army Lieutenant Colonel.
Jesús Villamor
Philippine Army Air Corps
Captain
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Walton Walker
US Army
GEN
with one Oak Leaf Cluster
Died in Korea.
Robert B. Williams
US Army Air Forces
Richard Winters
US Army
MAJ
"Band of Brothers"
George Frederick Wootten
Australian Army
MAJGEN
Jarion Halbisengibbs
US Army
SSGT
Awarded during his valor during the Global War on Terror
Alvin York
US Army
MAJ
Later upgraded to the Medal of Honor
Edward F. Younger
US Army
chosen to select the Unknown Soldier for the US after WWI
^ "Roy Judkins". Hall of Valor: Medal of Honor, Silver Star, U.S. Military Awards. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
^ "COL Young Oak Kim". Military Hall of Honor.
^ Milley, Mark; O'Keefe, Gerald (22 June 2018). "Distinguished Service Cross" (PDF). Washington, DC: Headquarters Department of the Army. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
^ Halbissengibbs, Jarion. "Hall of Valor Project". Hall of Valor. Sightline Media Group. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
History & Changes Over Time
The Distinguished Service Cross was established by President Woodrow Wilson on January 2, 1918. General John J. Pershing, commander-in-chief of the expeditionary forces in France, had recommended that recognition other than the Medal of Honor be authorized for the United States Army for valorous service rendered in like manner to that awarded by the European armies. The request for the establishment of the medal was forwarded from the secretary of war to the president in a letter dated December 28, 1917. The act of Congress establishing this award (193-65th Congress), dated July 9, 1918, is contained in 10 U.S.C. § 3742. The establishment of the Distinguished Service Cross was promulgated in War Department General Order No. 6, dated January 12, 1918.
The first style of the Distinguished Service Cross was designed by Captain Aymar E. Embury II, Engineers Officer Reserve Corps, and World War I artist Lieutenant J. Andre Smith. The first medals were struck by the United States Mint from a sculpture by Gaetano Cecere, who went on to design the Soldier's Medal. It was decided that minor changes were needed to make the medal more attractive. In light of the urgency in supplying the decorations to General Pershing, the first one hundred medals were struck from the original design. They were sent on the understanding that replacements in the second design (also numbered from 1 to 100) would be provided once they were available. Embury made the modifications with the plaster model for the second (and current) version made by John R. Sinnock, who also sculpted various other medals, including the Purple Heart.
Army Regulation (AR) 670–1, governing the wear and appearance of army uniforms and insignia, and its associated guide specify that the Distinguished Service Cross appears second in the order of precedence of U.S. military decorations, preceded only by the Medal of Honor. Policy for awards, approving authority, supply, and issue of decorations is contained in AR 600-8-22. 10 U.S.C. § 3991 provides for a 10% increase in retired pay for enlisted personnel who have been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and retired with more than 20 years of service.
^ a b c d "Personal Decorations – Distinguished Service Cross". Institute of Heraldry. Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
^ a b c Borch III, Fred L. (2013). "Distinguished Service Cross". Medals for Soldiers and Airmen: Awards and Decorations of the United States Army and Air Force. McFarland. pp. 30–42. ISBN 9780786474127.
^ "Wear of Decorations, Service Medals, Badges, Unit Awards, and Appurtenances". Army Regulation 670–1: Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army. January 26, 2021. pp. 50–55. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
^ "Order of precedence by category of medal" (PDF). Department of the Army Pamphlet 670–1: Guide to the Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms and Insignia. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army. January 26, 2021. pp. 259–262. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
^ Army Regulation 600–8–2: Military Awards (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Army. March 5, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
