Awards of
World War IIThe Distinguished Service Medal may be awarded to any member of the United States Armed Forces whose performance, while performing duties of high responsibility, can be characterized as outstanding.
Materials
Bronze, gold plated, enamel.
Artist
Eimar Embury III and Gaetano Cecere.
Award recipient
Any member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Reasons for awarding
Actions performed while on duty involving high responsibility and can be described as outstanding.
The award was established by executive order of United States President Woodrow Wilson in 1918. To date, approximately 5,000 awards of the U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal have been made. The award is considered a military leadership award, as approximately 83% of awards have been made to service members ranging from colonel to general. The award's statute itself stipulates that it is awarded for "performance of duties involving high responsibility," and service in high military rank is precisely what entails.
The award was established by the U.S. Congress after America's entry into World War I. The fact is that at that time, the United States military awards system effectively lacked military decorations. The only award, the Medal of Honor, recognized exceptional heroism, while soldiers needed to be recognized for less significant actions, including outstanding service. Therefore, on July 9, 1918, two awards were established for the US Army, one of which was the Distinguished Service Medal. The Distinguished Service Medal consists of a circle covered in blue enamel, bearing the inscription "For Distinguished Service" and the date "1918" in Roman numerals. The center of the circle is a relief image of the US coat of arms, an eagle holding arrows in one talon and a palm branch in the other. The reverse side of the medal depicts guns, with a scroll superimposed on them, intended for engraving the recipient's name. The Medal for Distinguished Service is attached to a buckle with an eyelet, through which is pulled a moiré ribbon with five stripes, a wide white one in the center, two thin blue stripes along its edges, and then two wide purple ones.