Distinguished Service Cross (United States)

The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is the second highest military decoration that may be awarded to a member of the United States Army (and previously, the United States Army Air Forces/United States Air Force), for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations but need not meet the criteria required for the Medal of Honor.

The DSC is typically awarded to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary heroism while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing foreign force, or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must be so notable and involving such risk of life as to set the individual apart from their comrades.

The decoration was first established during World War I on January 2, 1918. It has been awarded in all major conflicts involving the United States since its inception, including World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Distinguished Service Cross is a separate decoration from the Distinguished Service Medal, which is awarded for exceptionally meritorious service to the U.S. government. Though both are prestigious awards, the DSC is specifically awarded for valor in combat, while the DSM recognizes outstanding service in a broader context. The United States Air Force established its own version of the Distinguished Service Cross, known as the Air Force Cross, in 1960 to recognize extraordinary heroism in combat not justifying the award of the Medal of Honor, but it holds equivalent precedence to the Army's Distinguished Service Cross.