• Among the first awards of the Distinguished Service Medal for service in World War I, were those to the Commanding Officers of the Allied Armies: • Marshal
Ferdinand Foch • Marshal
Joseph Joffre • General
Philippe Petain of France • General
Louis Franchet d'Espèrey of France • General Sir
Arthur Currie of Canada • General Sir
John Monash of Australia • Field Marshal
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig of Britain • General
Armando Diaz of Italy • General
Cyriaque Gillain of Belgium • General
John Joseph Pershing of the United States •
Field Marshal Živojin Mišić of Serbia More than 2,000 awards were made during World War I, and by the time the United States entered World War II, approximately 2,800 awards had been made. From July 1, 1941, to June 6, 1969, when the Department of the Army stopped publishing awards of the DSM in Department of the Army General Orders, over 2,800 further awards were made. Prior to World War II the DSM was the only decoration for non-combat service in the U.S. Army. As a result, before World War II the DSM was awarded to a wider range of recipients than during and after World War II. During World War I awards of the DSM to officers below the rank of brigadier general were fairly common but became rare once the
Legion of Merit was established in 1942. Until the first award of the
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal in 1965,
United States Air Force personnel received this award as well, as was the case with several other Department of the Army decorations until the Department of the Air Force fully established its own system of decorations.
Notable recipients Because the Army Distinguished Service Medal is principally awarded to general officers, a list of notable recipients would include nearly every general, and some admirals, since 1918, many of whom received multiple awards, as well as a few civilians and sergeants major prominent for their contributions to national defense. General
Martin Dempsey, former
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, holds the record for receiving the greatest number of awards of the Army Distinguished Service Medal, at six. He also received three awards of the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal as well as one award each of the
Navy Distinguished Service Medal, the
Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, and the
Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal, for a total of twelve Distinguished Service Medals. Generals of the Army
Douglas MacArthur and
Dwight Eisenhower are tied with five awards each received of the Army Distinguished Service Medal. They also each received one award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, for a total of six DSMs each. General
Lucius D. Clay (Four Star) received three Army DSM awards for his service that included Commanding General, U.S. Army Forces (European Theater) and Military Governor of Germany. During his tenure, Gen. Clay solved his greatest challenge: the Soviet Blockade of Berlin, which was imposed in June 1948. Gen. Clay triggered the Berlin Airlift, which served the city residents during the harsh winter of 1948–1949. He is also a recipient of the Legion of Merit. General
Norman Schwarzkopf received two awards of the Army DSM and one award each of the Defense DSM, Navy DSM, the Air Force DSM and the Coast Guard DSM, for a total of six DSMs. General
Lloyd Austin received four awards of the Army DSM and five awards of the Defense DSM for a total of nine DSMs. Among notable recipients below flag rank are: X-1 test pilot
Chuck Yeager and X-15 test pilot
Robert M. White, who both received the DSM as U.S. Air Force majors; director
Frank Capra, decorated in 1945 as an army colonel; actor
James Stewart, decorated in 1945 as an Army Air Forces colonel (later Air Force Brigadier General); Colonel
Wendell Fertig, who led Filipino guerrillas behind Japanese lines; Colonel (later Major General)
John K. Singlaub, who led partisan forces in the Korean War; and Major
Maude C. Davison, who led the "
Angels of Bataan and Corregidor" during their imprisonment by the Japanese, and Colonel William S. Taylor, Program Manager Multiple Launch Rocket System. Among notable civilian recipients are
Harry L. Hopkins,
Robert S. McNamara and
Henry L. Stimson.
Samuel W. Koster received a DSM, but this was rescinded due to his involvement in covering up the
My Lai massacre Notable American and foreign recipients include:
United States Army •
General of the Armies John J. Pershing – Commander of the
American Expeditionary Forces •
General of the Army George C. Marshall –
US Army Chief of Staff (two awards) • General of the Army
Douglas MacArthur –
Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (five awards) • General of the Army
Dwight D. Eisenhower –
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (five awards) • General of the Army
Omar N. Bradley –
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (four awards) •
General John Abizaid – Commander
US Central Command • General
Creighton Abrams – US Army Chief of Staff (five awards) • General
Lloyd Austin – Commander US Central Command (four awards) • General
Julius W. Becton Jr. – African American combat veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. • General
J. H. Binford Peay III – Commander US Central Command (two awards) • General
Tasker H. Bliss – US Army Chief of Staff • General
George W. Casey Jr. – US Army Chief of Staff (two awards) • General
Richard E. Cavazos - Commander United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) (two awards) • General
Peter W. Chiarelli – US Army Vice Chief of Staff • General
Mark W. Clark – Commander of the
United Nations Command (four awards) • General
Lucius D. Clay – Commanding General European Theater and Military Governor of Germany (three awards) • General
J. Lawton Collins – US Army Chief of Staff (four awards) • General
Bantz J. Craddock – Commander US European Command • General
Malin Craig – US Army Chief of Staff (three awards) • General
Martin E. Dempsey – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (six awards) • General
Oliver W. Dillard – African American infantry officer and combat veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars (two awards) • General
Ann E. Dunwoody – First female US Army four-star general
United States Army Materiel Command (two awards) • General
John W. Foss – Commander Training and Doctrine Command (three awards) • General
Tommy Franks – Commander US Central Command (two awards) • General
John Galvin – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe • General
Alfred Gruenther – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (four awards) • General
Alexander Haig – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe • General
Carter Ham – Commander of
United States Africa Command • General
John J. Hennessey – Commander
United States Readiness Command • General
John L. Hines – US Army Chief of Staff • General
Harold K. Johnson – US Army Chief of Staff (two awards) • General
George Joulwan – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe • General
Lyman L. Lemnitzer – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (four awards) • General
Peyton C. March – US Army Chief of Staff • General
Edward C. Meyer – US Army Chief of Staff • General
Mark Milley – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (four awards) • General
Lauris Norstad – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe • General
George S. Patton – Commander US 3rd Army (three awards) • General
David Petraeus – Commander International Security Assistance Force (three awards) • General
Colin Powell – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (two awards) • General
Dennis Reimer – US Army Chief of Staff • General
Matthew B. Ridgeway – US Army Chief of Staff (four awards) • General
Bernard W. Rogers – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe • General
Peter Schoomaker – US Army Chief of Staff (three awards) • General
Norman Schwarzkopf – Commander of
Operation Desert Storm (three awards) • General
John Shalikashvili – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff • General
Hugh Shelton – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (three awards) • General
Eric Shinseki – US Army Chief of Staff (two awards) • General
Joseph Stilwell – Commander of the
China Burma India Theater • General
Maxwell D. Taylor – US Army Chief of Staff • General
James Van Fleet – Commander US 8th Army in Korea • General
Jonathan M. Wainwright – Commander Allied Forces Philippines • General
Walton Walker – Commander US 8th Army in Korea (two awards) • General
William Westmoreland – US Army Chief of Staff (four awards) • General
Earle G. Wheeler – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (two awards) • Lieutenant General A.C. Roper – Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Northern Command •
Lieutenant General John B. Coulter (three awards) • Lieutenant General
Harris W. Hollis – Commanding General, 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions in South Vietnam • Lieutenant General
Henry E. Emerson – Commander XVIII Airborne Corps • Lieutenant General
Charles Flynn – 25th Infantry Division • Lieutenant General
Mark P. Hertling – Commanding General of US Army Europe • Lieutenant General
Kenneth W. Hunzeker • Lieutenant General
John C. H. Lee – Commanding General
Army Service Forces Europe WWII • Lieutenant General
Hunter Liggett • Lieutenant General
Edward J. O'Neill – with 1 bronze oak leaf cluster in lieu of subsequent award of medal • Lieutenant General
Ricardo Sanchez – Commanding General V Corps (two awards) • Lieutenant General
Eric Schoomaker – 42nd Surgeon General of the United States Army • Lieutenant General
William Wilson Quinn – Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor • Lieutenant General
Nadja West – 44th Surgeon General of the United States Army •
Major General Gladeon M. Barnes – Chief of Research and Engineering • Major General
Chester V. Clifton – Military Aide to Presidents Kennedy and Johnson • Major General
William E. Cole – Commander 351st Field Artillery 1917–18 • Major General
William J. Donovan – founder of the
Office of Strategic Services • Major General
James L. Dozier – deputy chief of staff at NATO's Southern European land forces • Major General
Lawrence J. Fuller – deputy director of the
Defense Intelligence Agency • Major General
Charles M. Gettys – commanding general, 23rd Infantry Division • Major General
George W. Goethals – engineer of the
Panama Canal • Major General
William C. Gorgas – Surgeon General of the Army • Major General
Patrick J. Hurley • Major General
Edward Mann Lewis • Major General
Henry Balding Lewis • Major General
Robert McGowan Littlejohn • Major General
Viet Xuan Luong – United States Army, Japan • Major General Franklin Lane McKean - Commander 96th ARCOM, Fort Douglas • Major General
Charles R. Miller • Major General
Mason M. Patrick • Major General
Lowell Ward Rooks - Commander of the 90th Infantry Division • Major General
Maurice Rose – commanding general 3rd Armored Division • Major General
John K. Singlaub • Major General
Charles F. Thompson • Major General
Darren L. Werner - Commanding General Tank, Automotive and armament Command • Major General
Arthur R. Wilson • Major General
Cedric T. Wins •
Brigadier General Sherwood Cheney – chief of the Army Transport Service during World War I • Brigadier General
Charles G. Dawes – Vice President of the United States • Brigadier General
Anna Mae Hays – chief of the
United States Army Nurse Corps and first female US Army general • Brigadier General
Frank T. Hines – director of the
Veterans Administration • Brigadier General
Howard Knox Ramey • Brigadier General
Frank Merrill • Brigadier General Greg Parker • Brigadier General
Russell W. Volckmann •
Colonel Frank Capra – movie director (received as a colonel,
Army of the United States in WW II) • Colinel Laurie Buckhout – political candidate and business executive • Colonel
Harvey Williams Cushing – neurosurgeon • Colonel
Horatio B. Hackett – Assistant administrator of the
Public Works Administration; noted architect and businessman; football official and player • Colonel
Oveta Culp Hobby – director of the
Women's Army Corps during World War II • Colonel
Herbert H. Lehman – Governor of New York and United States Senator • Colonel
Floyd James Thompson – The longest-held prisoner of war in American history • Lieutenant Colonel
Clarence O. Sherrill •
Major David A. Reed – U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, 1922, for service as a major in World War I • Major
Forsyth Wickes – socialite, philanthropist and collector • Chaplain
Francis P. Duffy – chaplain of the "
Fighting 69th" • Major
Herbert O. Yardley – cryptologist •
Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel A. Dailey •
Command Sergeant Major Adam Nash •
Command Sergeant Major John P. McDwyer • Sergeant First Class
Kyle F. Salone Jr. United States Navy •
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz –
Chief of Naval Operations • Fleet Admiral
William F. Halsey – Commander of the
3rd Fleet •
Admiral William S. Benson - Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
William J. Crowe, Jr. – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff • Admiral
William Fechteler - Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
Albert Gleaves - Commander of the Asiatic Fleet • Admiral
Jonathan Greenert - Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
Thomas C. Kinkaid - Commander Sixteenth Fleet • Admiral
William V. Pratt - Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
U. S. Grant Sharp Jr. - Commander US Pacific Command • Admiral
Raymond A. Spruance – Commander of the
5th Fleet (later Ambassador to the
Philippines) • Admiral
Harold Rainsford Stark - Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
Carlisle Trost – Chief of Naval Operations • Admiral
Henry B. Wilson - Commander of the Atlantic Fleet •
Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley • Vice Admiral
Henry Kent Hewitt (with oak leaf cluster) •
Rear Admiral Hilary P. Jones • Rear Admiral
Charles P. Plunkett United States Marine Corps • General
Paul X. Kelley • General
Vernon E. Megee, • General
Peter Pace – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff • Major General
Graves B. Erskine • Major General
Smedley Butler • Major General
John A. Lejeune United States Air Force Note – includes Army Air Service, Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces •
General of the Air Force Hap Arnold – commander of the Army Air Forces • General
Jimmy Doolittle • General
Edwin W. Rawlings • General
Joseph McNarney • General
Hoyt S. Vandenberg –
Air Force Chief of Staff and
Director of Central Intelligence • General
George C. Kenney • General
Curtis Lemay – Air Force Chief of Staff • General
Carl Spaatz – Air Force Chief of Staff • General
Michael E. Ryan • Lieutenant General
Claire Lee Chennault (with oak leaf cluster) – Leader of the
Flying Tigers • Major General
Billy Mitchell, USAAC – Military air power prophet • Brigadier General
Chuck Yeager – Legendary test pilot • Colonel
Bernt Balchen, USAF – Legendary Norwegian-American pilot and arctic explorer. • Captain
John Birch, USAAF – Missionary, guerilla leader and namesake of the
John Birch Society • Brigadier General
Darr H. Alkire Civilians •
Grace Banker – Chief telephone operator of mobile for the
American Expeditionary Forces •
Bernard Baruch – Chairman, War Industries Board, 1918 •
Evangeline Booth – General of the
Salvation Army •
James F. Byrnes -
Secretary of State during World War II •
Jacqueline Cochran – Aviator and founder of the
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) •
Henry Pomeroy Davison – Director of the
American Red Cross •
Jane Delano – Founder of the
American Red Cross Nursing Service •
James Forrestal –
Secretary of Defense •
Hugh Frayne – chairman, labor division of the War Industries Board •
Harry Augustus Garfield – U.S. Fuel Administrator •
Harry Hopkins – Presidential aide to Franklin Roosevelt. •
Edward N. Hurley – Chairman,
American Shipping Board •
Robert McNamara – Secretary of Defense •
Edwin B. Parker – Member of the War Industries Board and arbiter with Germany, Austria and Hungary following World War I •
Hannah J. Patterson – Resident director of the Women's Committee of the
Council of National Defense •
Anna Howard Shaw – Head of the Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense •
Edward R. Stettinius – Director general of purchases for the War Department •
John F. Stevens – Engineer of the
Panama Canal and the
Great Northern Railway •
Henry L. Stimson – Secretary of War • Maude Cleveland (Woodworth) – Chief of the home communication and casualty service, Red Cross, at Brest, France
Foreigners •
Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby, General (later Field Marshal), British Army • HM
Albert I,
King of Belgians •
Alan Brooke, 1st Viscount Alanbrooke, field marshal, British Army •
Pietro Badoglio, general, Italian Army •
William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, general, British Indian Army (during secondment to Australian Army, later promoted to Field Marshal) •
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, General (later Field Marshal), British Army • Sir
Winston Churchill KG, OM, PC, CH, FRS – British Minister of Munitions (later Prime Minister) •
Harry Crerar, lieutenant general, Canadian Army •
Andrew Cunningham, 1st Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope, Admiral of the Fleet, Royal Navy • Sir
Arthur Currie, lieutenant general, British Army, commanding Canadian Corps •
Georges de Bazelaire, major general, VII Army Corps of the French Army during World War I • Sir
Francis de Guingand, major general, British Army •
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, general, French Army (later a
Marshal of France) • Sir
Miles Dempsey, general, British Army • Sir
John Dill, field marshal, British Army •
Ferdinand Foch, Marshal of France, French Army •
Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, field marshal, British Army •
Arthur T. Harris, air chief marshal, Royal Air Force (later a
Marshal of the Royal Air Force) •
Chiang Kai-shek, general, Chinese Army •
Mariano Goybet, general, French Army •
Charles Mangin, general, French Army •
Paul Maistre, general, French Army • Sir
Richard McCreery, general, British Army • Lord
Alfred Milner, British Secretary of State for War •
Živojin Mišić, field marshal, Serbian Army • Sir
John Monash, general, Australian Army •
Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, field marshal, British Army • Sir
Frederick E. Morgan, lieutenant general, British Army •
Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, admiral, Royal Navy (later
Admiral of the Fleet) •
Henri Petain, Marshal of France, French Army •
Alexander Pokryshkin, Marshal of the Soviet Air Force •
Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford,
Marshal of the Royal Air Force •
Sir William Robertson, 1st Baronet, field marshal, British Army •
Frederick Sykes,
Chief of the Air Staff (United Kingdom) •
Tanaka Giichi, general, Imperial Japanese Army •
Arthur Tedder, 1st Baron Tedder, air chief marshal, Royal Air Force (later
Marshal of the Royal Air Force) •
Sir Henry Worth Thornton, major general, British Army (American-born) •
Gerald Trotter, brigadier-general, British Army •
Sir Thomas Montgomery-Cuninghame, 10th Baronet of Corsehill, brevet lieutenant colonel, military attache, British Army •
Uehara Yūsaku, field marshal, Imperial Japanese Army •
Maxime Weygand, general, French Army •
Harold St. John Loyd Winterbotham, British ==See also==