Distinguished Service Medal (U.S. Air and Space Forces)

Distinguished Service Medal

Type	Military medal
Awarded for	Exceptionally meritorious service in a duty of great responsibility
Presented by	United States Department of the Air Force^[1]
Eligibility	United States Air Force airmen and United States Space Force guardians
Status	Currently awarded
Established	6 July 1960
First awarded	30 November 1965

Service ribbon

Precedence
Next (higher)	Department of Defense: Defense Distinguished Service Medal Department of Homeland Security: Homeland Security Distinguished Service Medal
Equivalent	Army: Distinguished Service Medal Naval Service: Navy Distinguished Service Medal Coast Guard: Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal
Next (lower)	Silver Star Medal

The Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a military decoration of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force and is presented to airmen and guardians to recognize distinguished and exceptionally meritorious service to the United States while serving in a duty or position of great responsibility. The Distinguished Service Medal was created by an act of the United States Congress on July 6, 1960 and was first awarded in 1965. Prior to the creation of the Distinguished Service Medal in 1960, United States Air Force airmen were awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal.^[2]

The Distinguished Service Medal is equivalent to the Army's Distinguished Service Medal, Naval Service's Navy Distinguished Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Distinguished Service Medal.

The interpretation of the phrase "great responsibility" means that this medal is generally awarded only to officers who hold at least the rank of major general. However, as is customary for most military decorations, the requirements for the Distinguished Service Medal are interpreted more liberally when awarded upon retirement. As a result, it is the typical decoration for a retiring brigadier general, and in recent years it has also been awarded to the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force upon retirement. Cases of the award of this decoration to an individual who was not a general officer, or the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, are unusual.^[3] Two notable exceptions are astronauts Colonel Buzz Aldrin and Colonel David Scott (who flew on Gemini 8, Apollo 9, and Apollo 15) who was awarded the medal twice.^[4]^[5]

Recipients during the medal's first 6 years included General Emmett E. "Rosie" O'Donnell Jr. (a United States Air Force four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, Pacific Air Forces from 1959 to 1963). O'Donnell also led the first B-29 Superfortress attack upon Tokyo during World War II after the 1942 Doolittle Raid. Another early recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal was Major General Osmond J. Ritland, USAF, who received his medal on November 30, 1965, upon his retirement.^[6]

Additional awards are denoted with oak leaf clusters.^[2]

This award is comparable to the Department of the Air Force Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service given to civilian employees of the Department of the Air Force.

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Notable recipients

General of the Army and General of the Air Force Henry H. Arnold
General Creighton Abrams – US Army Chief of Staff
General Philip M. Breedlove – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. – First African-American general officer in the United States Air Force
General Ira C. Eaker – Eighth Air Force Commander
General John W. Foss – Commander US Army Training and Doctrine Command
General Andrew Goodpaster – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General Lyman Lemnitzer – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General David C. Jones – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Richard Myers – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Peter Pace – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Colin Powell – Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Joseph Ralston – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General Bernard W. Rogers – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf – Commander US Central Command
General Eric Shinseki – US Army Chief of Staff
Admiral Jonathan Greenert – Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral Carlisle Trost – Chief of Naval Operations
Lieutenant General Brent Scowcroft – National Security Advisor
Major General Michael Collins – Command Module Pilot for Apollo 11
Major General Susan Pamerleau (USAF) (Ret.) – United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas
Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart – Actor and Air Force Reserve officer
Brigadier General Bud Day – Medal of Honor – Air Force Cross – Silver Star
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager – Legendary test pilot
Colonel Buzz Aldrin – Second man on the Moon
Colonel Frank Borman – Astronaut and Chairman of Eastern Airlines
Colonel David Scott – Seventh man on the Moon
Colonel John A. Warden III – Architect of First Gulf War air campaign

References

^ "Production publication" (PDF). static.e-publishing.af.mil. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-01-27. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
^ ^a ^b Air Force Personnel Center Air Force Distinguished Service Medal Archived 2011-06-17 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Fact Sheet: Air Force Distinguished Service Medal". Air Force Personnel Center, Randolph Air Force Base. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010.
^ "Awards and Citations of Buzz Aldrin". Magazine. Military Times/Gannett. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
^ "Dr. David R. Scott". www.nasa.gov.
^ "Major General Osmond J. Ritland Inducted 1989" (PDF). Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers. Air Force Space Command. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-22.

v t e Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force
Decorations	Medal of Honor Air Force Cross Distinguished Service Silver Star Medal Legion of Merit Distinguished Flying Cross Airman's Medal Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal Air Medal Aerial Achievement Air and Space Commendation Air and Space Achievement
Unit awards	Presidential Unit Citation Gallant Unit Citation Meritorious Unit Air and Space Outstanding Unit Air and Space Organizational Excellence
Service medals	Combat Action Medal Combat Readiness Air Force Good Conduct Space Force Good Conduct Remote Combat Effects Campaign Medal Air and Space Campaign Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal
Service ribbons	Outstanding Airman of the Year Air and Space Recognition Overseas Service Short Tour Overseas Service Long Tour Air and Space Expeditionary Service Air and Space Longevity Developmental Special Duty NCO PME Graduate Basic Training Honor Graduate Marksmanship Air and Space Training