Navy Distinguished Service Medal
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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. The decoration is considered 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. 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 bestowed 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 are annotated by gold award stars. The first award of the decoration was a posthumous presentation to Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen, USMC, who received the medal posthumously on March 13, 1919.
Notable recipients
- Robert H. Barrow, USMC, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps
- Omar Bradley, USA (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Miles R. Browning
- Jeremy M. Boorda (with 2 Gold Stars)
- Arleigh Burke
- Gerald P. Carr
- Godfrey Chevalier
- Joseph J. Clark
- Vern Clark (with Gold Star)
- Ray Davis (with Gold Star)
- Pedro del Valle, USMC
- Charles A. Doyen
- Charles W. Dyson
- Ira Eaker, USA (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, USA (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Roy Alexander Gano
- Roy Geiger (recipient of both the Navy (with 2 Gold Stars) and Army version)
- William "Bull" Halsey, Jr. (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Lewis Hershey, USA (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- John P. Jumper, USAF (recipient of the Navy, Air Force, and Army version)
- John L. Hall, Jr.
- Frank B. Kelso II (with 2 Gold Stars)
- Ernest King (with 2 Gold Stars)
- John A. Lejeune (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Charles A. Lockwood (with 2 Gold Stars)
- James Lovell
- Mildred H. McAfee
- John S. McCain, Sr. (with 2 Gold Stars)
- Alford L. McMichael, 14th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, SNCO SHAPE (NATO)
- Charles Momsen
- John P. Murtha
- Chester Nimitz (recipient of both the Navy (with 3 Gold Stars) and Army version)
- Eli Thomas Reich (with Gold Star)
- Keller E. Rockey (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Harry Schmidt (with 2 Gold Stars)
- Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., USA (recipient of both the Navy and Army version)
- Alan Shepard
- David W. Taylor
- Alexander Vandegrift
- Theodore S. Wilkinson
- Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr. (with Gold Star)
See also
- Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
- Air Force Distinguished Service Medal
- Awards and decorations of the United States military
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