Navy Distinguished Service Medal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Navy Distinguished Service Medal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Awarded by United States Navy | |
| Type | Medal |
| Awarded for | "distinguishing oneself with exceptional meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility. |
| Status | Currently Awarded |
| Statistics | |
| Established | 4 February 1919 |
| First awarded | Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen, USMC 13 March 1919 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | Army - Distinguished Service Cross Navy - Navy Cross Air Force - Air Force Cross |
| Same | Distinguished Service Medal: Defense, Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard |
| Next (lower) | Silver Star |
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps which was first created in 1919.[1] The decoration the Navy and Marine Corps equivalent to the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal. The Navy Distinguished Service Medal was originally senior to the Navy Cross, until August 1943 when the precedence of the two decorations was reversed.
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is bestowed upon members of the Navy or Marine Corps who distinguish themselves by exceptionally meritorious service to the United States government in a duty of great responsibility.[1] The term “great responsibility” implies senior military responsibility, and the decoration is normally only bestowed to senior Navy Flag and Marine Corps General Officers. The decoration is rarely awarded to enlisted personnel, and then only to those who hold extremely senior enlisted positions such as the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy. Additional awards of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal [2] are annotated by gold award stars.
The first award of the decoration was a posthumous presentation to Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen, USMC, on March 13, 1919.
[edit] Notable recipients
- Jeremy Michael Boorda (with 2 gold stars)
- Charles W. Dyson
- Daniel V. Gallery
- Roy Alexander Gano
- John L. Hall, Jr.
- Frank B. Kelso II (with 2 gold stars)
- Mildred H. McAfee
- Michael Mullen (with 1 gold star)
- Chester W. Nimitz (with 3 gold stars)
- Eli Thomas Reich (with gold star)
- Harry Schmidt (with 2 gold stars)
- David W. Taylor
- Patricia A. Tracey
- Pedro del Valle
- Alexander Vandegrift
- Theodore S. Wilkinson
- Elmo Zumwalt (with 2 gold stars)
[edit] See also
- Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
[edit] References
- ^ a b TITLE 10, Subtitle C, PART II, CHAPTER 567, § 6243. U.S. Code. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
- ^ TITLE 10, Subtitle C, PART II, CHAPTER 567, § 6247. U.S. Code. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.
