The Distinguished Service Medal is the highest non-valorous military and civilian decoration of the United States military which is issued for exceptionally meritorious service to the government of the United States in either a senior government service position or as a senior officer of the United States armed forces or other Uniformed services. There is also the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service which is the highest medal that can be awarded to a career government employee.
The Distinguished Service Medal was authorized by Presidential Order dated January 2, 1918, and confirmed by Congress on July 9, 1918. [1]
This decoration is distinct from the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC), which is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force.
The Distinguished Service Medal is issued both as a military decoration and civilian award. The Army version of the Distinguished Service Medal is typically referred to simply as the "Distinguished Service Medal" while the other branches of service use the service name as a prefix. The following versions (awarded by the agency or department head) of the Distinguished Service Medal are currently issued by the United States government:
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For non-military or civilians, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award or Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service is commonly the highest award and medal provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal government of the United States. In order of precedence, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award (DCSA) often precedes the agency's Meritorious Civilian Service Award.
The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force use the term, Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service for its highest honorary award: