Navy Distinguished Service Medal
| Navy Distinguished Service Medal | |
|---|---|
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| Awarded by the Department of the Navy | |
| Art | medal |
| requirement | United States Navy and United States Marine Corps personnel |
| Awarded for | exceptional performance |
| status | Is awarded |
| Data | |
| Foundation year | 1919 |
| Benefactor | United States Congress |
| First awarded | March 13, 1919 |
| Precedence | |
| Next lower award | Silver Star |
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The Navy Distinguished Service Medal is the second highest honor awarded by the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps . The Navy Distinguished Service Medal, created in 1919, is equivalent to the Distinguished Service Medal of the US Army and the Distinguished Service Medal of the US Air Force . It ranks behind the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross in the ranking of American military awards Pyramid of Honor .
history
The Navy Distinguished Service Medal was originally, after the Medal of Honor, the highest distinction of the US Navy and the second highest of the US Armed Forces, until it was ranked after the Navy Cross by a decision of Congress in August 1943 . This honor is only given to members of the Navy and the Marine Corps who have proven themselves to the US government with exceptional achievements in a position associated with very high levels of responsibility. The Navy DSM is thus mainly assigned to high-ranking officers (e.g. admirals , generals ). Nevertheless, the award can also be given to NCOs , provided they have distinguished themselves in this way and hold a higher rank within their career (e.g. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy ). In rare cases, captains as commanders of ships and colonels also received the DSM.
A soldier can be awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal multiple times. This is marked with gold and silver 5/16 inch stars on the strap buckle .
Gold stars are additions to the Navy Distinguished Service Medal . Brigadier General Charles A. Doyen , US Marine Corps, is the first recipient of this award. It was awarded to him posthumously on March 13, 1919.
