Distinguished Service Medal ( US Army ) The Distinguished Service Medal ( DSM ) is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who , while serving in any capacity with the United States military , has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility . The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service that is clearly exceptional . Exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration . Separate Distinguished Service Medals exist for the different branches of the military as well as a fifth version of the medal which is a senior award of the United States Department of Defense . 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 . For service not related to actual war , the term " duty of a great responsibility " applies to a narrower range of positions than in time of war , and requires evidence of conspicuously significant achievement . However , justification of the award may accrue by virtue of exceptionally meritorious service in a succession of high positions of great importance . Awards may be made to persons other than members of the Armed Forces of the United States for wartime services only , and then only under exceptional circumstances , with the express approval of the President in each case . Criteria . The Distinguished Service Medal is awarded to any person who , while serving in any capacity with the United States Army , has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility . The performance must be such as to merit recognition for service which is clearly exceptional . Exceptional performance of normal duty will not alone justify an award of this decoration . For service not related to actual war , the term " duty of a great responsibility " applies to a narrower range of positions than in time of war and requires evidence of a conspicuously significant achievement . However , justification of the award may accrue by virtue of exceptionally meritorious service in a succession of high positions of great importance . Awards may be made to persons other than members of the Armed Forces of the United States for wartime services only , and only then under exceptional circumstances with the express approval of the President in each case . History of the Distinguished Service Medal . The Distinguished Service Medal was authorized by Presidential Order dated 1918 - 01 - 02 , and confirmed by Congress on 1918 - 07 - 09 . It was announced by War Department General Order No . 6 , 1918 - 01 - 12 , with the following information concerning the medal : " A bronze medal of appropriate design and a ribbon to be worn in lieu thereof , to be awarded by the President to any person who , while serving in any capacity with the Army shall hereafter distinguish himself or herself , or who , since 1917 - 04 - 06 , has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great responsibility in time of war or in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United States . " The Act of Congress on 1918 - 07 - 09 , recognized the need for different types and degrees of heroism and meritorious service and included such provisions for award criteria . The current statutory authorization for the Distinguished Service Medal is Title 10 , United States Code , Section 3743 . Recipients . More than 2 , 000 awards were made during World War I , and by the time the United States entered World War II , approximately 2 , 800 awards had been made . From July 1 , 1941 to June 6 , 1969 , when the Army stopped publishing awards of the DSM in Department of the Army General Orders , over 2 , 800 further awards were made . Until the first award of the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal in 1965 , United States Air Force personnel received this award as well , as was the case with several other Army decorations until the Air Force fully established its own system of decorations . Notable recipients . Because the Army Distinguished Service Medal is principally awarded to general officers , a list of notable recipients would include nearly every general and admiral since 1918 , many of whom received multiple awards , as well as a few civilians and sergeants major prominent for their contributions to national defense . Generals of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Dwight Eisenhower are tied for the record of the greatest number of awards received of the Army Distinguished Service Medal at five each . They also each received one award of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal . Among notable recipients below flag rank are : X - 1 test pilot Chuck Yeager and X - 15 test pilot Robert M . White , who both received the DSM as U . S . Air Force majors ; Air Force Major Rudolf Anderson , the U - 2 pilot shot down during the Cuban Missile Crisis ; director Frank Capra , decorated in 1945 as an Army colonel ; actor James Stewart , decorated in 1945 as an Army Air Forces colonel ( later Air Force Brigadier General ) ; Col . Wendell Fertig , who led Filipino guerrillas behind Japanese lines ; Col . ( later Major General ) John K . Singlaub , who led partisan forces in the Korean War ; and Maj . Maude C . Davison , who led the " Angels of Bataan and Corregidor " during their imprisonment by the Japanese , and Colonel William S . Taylor , Program Manager Multiple Launch Rocket System . Among notable civilian recipients are Harry L . Hopkins , Robert S . McNamara and Henry L . Stimson . Notable American and foreign recipients include :