Medal for Defense Superior Service awarded to Col. Colin L. Powell
date: label: Date
content: December 28, 1978
name: label: Issued by
content: United States Department of Defense
label: Received by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
label: Subject of
content: United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775
notes: label: Caption
content: Colin Powell was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service to the Department of Defense in 1978. Secretary of Defense Harold Brown issued the award.
label: Description
content: One (1) Medal for Defense Superior Service awarded to General Colin L. Powell. The medal is designed in the shape of a circular oak leaf wreath with silver five-pointed stars arced over its top half, with a blue enameled pentagon in the center, on top of which is the United States Great Seal eagle. The reverse of the medal is inscribed at the top of the rounded wreath “FOR SUPERIOR SERVICE”. On the pentagon is the inscription “FROM / THE SECRETARY / OF DEFENSE / TO”. The bottom space is empty for inscribing the name of the medal’s recipient. The medal is suspended from a double-sided silk ribbon of five striped colors, golden yellow, blue, white, and scarlet.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Government
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Awards, Medals, and Insignia
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2022.101.1.55
objectType: label: Type
content: medals
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: metal with silk (textile)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 3/8 × 1 3/8 × 3/16 in. (1 × 3.5 × 0.5 cm)