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289:, and other senior government officials. In addition, the medal may also be awarded to other service members whose direct and individual contributions to national security or national defense are recognized as being so exceptional in scope and value as to be equivalent to contributions normally associated with positions encompassing broader responsibilities.
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The
Defense Distinguished Service Medal is the United States Department of Defense's highest non-combat related military award and it is the highest joint service decoration. The Defense Distinguished Service Medal is awarded only while assigned to a joint activity. Normally, such responsibilities
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with wings outspread facing left grasping three crossed arrows in its talons and on its breast is a shield of the United States. The pentagon and eagle are enclosed within a gold pieced circle consisting, in the upper half of 13 five-pointed stars and in the lower half, a wreath of
222:, which is presented to United States Armed Forces service members for exceptionally distinguished performance of duty contributing to the national security or defense of the United States. The medal was created on July 9, 1970, by President
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This decoration takes precedence over the
Distinguished Service Medals of the services and is not to be awarded to any individual for a period of service for which an
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1155:. Decorations and Awards: U.S. Armed Forces and Department of Defense Decorations. The Institute of Heraldry. Archived from
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on the right. At the top is a suspender of five graduated gold rays. The reverse of the medal has the inscription "
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deserving of the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal are held by the most senior officers such as the
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233:. President Nixon awarded the first medal, on the day the Executive Order was signed, to General
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Additional awards of the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal are denoted by oak leaf clusters.
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The medal is gold in color and on the obverse it features a medium blue
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1389:"Defense Distinguished Service Medal Criteria, History and Recipients"
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Exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility
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Awards and decorations of the United States
Department of Defense
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Joint awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces
1134:
Air Force
Personnel Center Defense Distinguished Service Medal
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1178:"Jeremy Boorda - Recipient - Military Times Hall Of Valor"
1391:. Usafeenlistedheritage.org. 1970-07-09. Archived from
1228:"Lt. Gen. Flynn retires from DIA, 33-year Army career"
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Recipients of the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal
1341:. Senior Leader Services Portal, USMC. Archived from
237:, who was retiring from the US Army after serving as
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198:Distinguished Service Medal (Air and Space Forces)
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320:pentagon (point up). Superimposed on this is an
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254:Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal
250:United States Department of Homeland Security
177:Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal
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1288:"Daniel James , Jr., Awards and Citations"
271:Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
16:US Defense Department military decoration
239:Chief of Staff of the United States Army
1492:Homeland Security Distinguished Service
306:Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
203:Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
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1709:Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary
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1316:. Nimitz.berkeley.edu. Archived from
1205:. Marine Corps Museum. Archived from
1153:"Defense Distinguished Service Medal"
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243:Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
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220:United States Department of Defense
212:Defense Distinguished Service Medal
61:United States Department of Defense
25:Defense Distinguished Service Medal
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188:Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
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193:Navy Distinguished Service Medal
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1265:. p. 4A. Archived from
341:TO", all in raised letters.
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1516:Defense Meritorious Service
1366:. Naany.org. Archived from
287:Deputy Secretary of Defense
279:Director of the Joint Staff
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151:Distinguished Service Cross
43:Distinguished service medal
10:
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1808:Awards established in 1970
1625:Armed Forces Expeditionary
1528:Joint Service Commendation
1467:Joint military decorations
505:Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr.
357:(first enlisted recipient)
71:United States Armed Forces
1697:Inherent Resolve Campaign
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846:William J. Flanagan Jr.
673:George E. R. Kinnear II
1649:Southwest Asia Service
1552:Joint Meritorious Unit
1109:. 2016. Archived from
1006:Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.
775:J. H. Binford Peay III
565:James A. Winnefeld Jr.
196:Air and Space Forces:
159:Air and Space Forces:
1733:Korea Defense Service
1011:Leighton W. Smith Jr.
971:Carl Epting Mundy Jr.
790:Nancy Elizabeth Brown
697:Stanley A. McChrystal
649:James L. Holloway III
451:Victor E. Renuart Jr.
86:for subsequent awards
1781:Armed Forces Reserve
1757:Humanitarian Service
1745:Armed Forces Service
1673:Afghanistan Campaign
1425:at Wikimedia Commons
881:Jonathan W. Greenert
876:Harold W. Gehman Jr.
831:Mark E. Ferguson III
709:Thomas Hinman Moorer
553:Thomas D. Waldhauser
339:SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
283:Secretary of Defense
1061:Bradley A. Heithold
1026:Stephen J. Townsend
891:Huntington Hardisty
836:James R. Fitzgerald
780:Philip M. Breedlove
751:Carlisle A.H. Trost
745:Patricia Ann Tracey
637:Harry B. Harris Jr.
397:George W. Casey Jr.
322:American bald eagle
216:military decoration
1601:Antarctica Service
1262:Detroit Free Press
1255:(15 August 1986).
1139:2011-06-16 at the
1056:Ronald J. Zlatoper
1041:Charles E. Wilhelm
1016:Vincent R. Stewart
956:Wesley L. McDonald
896:John C. Harvey Jr.
841:Mark P. Fitzgerald
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763:Maurice F. Weisner
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679:Samuel J. Locklear
625:William E. Gortney
535:Curtis Scaparrotti
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523:William H. McRaven
511:Gregory G. Johnson
481:Peter W. Chiarelli
457:John Shalikashvili
415:Timothy J. Keating
379:Raymond T. Odierno
348:Notable recipients
275:Combatant Commands
146:Next (higher)
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1421:Media related to
1314:"2000 ADM Larson"
1051:Robert F. Willard
1021:Harry D. Train II
966:Michael H. Miller
951:William C. McCool
936:Charles R. Larson
931:Isaac C. Kidd Jr.
921:David E. Jeremiah
866:Douglas M. Fraser
816:Michael P. DeLong
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643:Thomas B. Hayward
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607:William J. Fallon
589:Bantz J. Craddock
391:James B. Busey IV
355:Ramon Colon-Lopez
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166:Coast Guard Cross
94:Currently awarded
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667:Joseph D. Kernan
583:William A. Brown
577:Jeremy M. Boorda
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403:William J. Crowe
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559:William E. Ward
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385:Dennis C. Blair
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475:John R. Allen
473:
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465:(four awards)
464:
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447:(four awards)
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435:(four awards)
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428:
427:Richard Myers
425:
423:(four awards)
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417:(four awards)
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411:(four awards)
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405:(four awards)
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381:(five awards)
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369:(five awards)
368:
365:
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361:Jonathan Howe
359:
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235:Earle Wheeler
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224:Richard Nixon
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201:Coast Guard:
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164:Coast Guard:
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112:Earle Wheeler
109:
107:First awarded
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1479:
1397:. Retrieved
1393:the original
1383:
1372:. Retrieved
1368:the original
1358:
1347:. Retrieved
1343:the original
1333:
1322:. Retrieved
1318:the original
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1291:
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1267:the original
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1232:the original
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1211:. Retrieved
1207:the original
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1185:. Retrieved
1181:
1172:
1161:. Retrieved
1157:the original
1147:
1129:
1118:. Retrieved
1111:the original
1106:
1094:
1076:
911:Rick Husband
906:Grace Hopper
861:Tommy Franks
797:(two awards)
785:Frank Bowman
771:(two awards)
765:(two awards)
759:(two awards)
753:(two awards)
747:(two awards)
741:(two awards)
735:(two awards)
729:(two awards)
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711:(two awards)
705:(two awards)
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687:(two awards)
681:(two awards)
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639:(two awards)
633:(two awards)
627:(two awards)
621:(two awards)
615:(two awards)
609:(two awards)
603:(two awards)
597:(two awards)
595:Walter Doran
591:(two awards)
585:(two awards)
579:(two awards)
573:(two awards)
547:Kurt W. Tidd
469:John Abizaid
463:Hugh Shelton
445:Colin Powell
373:Wesley Clark
367:Lloyd Austin
363:(six awards)
343:
334:
315:
308:is awarded.
291:
263:
247:
211:
209:
102:July 9, 1970
57:Presented by
1100:"Issuances"
871:John Galvin
703:Mark Milley
613:Noel Gayler
99:Established
67:Eligibility
49:Awarded for
1797:Categories
1399:2013-09-26
1374:2012-10-28
1349:2014-04-09
1324:2013-09-26
1273:2018-12-09
1238:2018-12-16
1213:2012-10-28
1163:2018-12-09
1120:2018-09-29
1086:References
691:Jim Mattis
487:Vern Clark
433:Peter Pace
312:Appearance
172:Equivalent
156:Navy Cross
141:Precedence
302:Air Force
241:and then
1187:23 March
1137:Archived
318:enameled
267:Chairman
260:Criteria
110:General
218:of the
1298:4 June
327:laurel
285:, the
277:, the
186:Army:
149:Army:
114:(1970)
91:Status
79:Clasps
1562:Joint
1114:(PDF)
1103:(PDF)
331:olive
231:11545
214:is a
19:Award
1300:2015
1189:2018
298:Navy
294:Army
269:and
210:The
39:Type
1253:UPI
304:or
252:'s
226:in
1799::
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245:.
1452:e
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1123:.
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