United States Distinguished Service Cross (Army)

United States Distinguished Service Cross (Army). On the obverse an eagle on the centre and a scroll below the eagle bearing the inscription "FOR VALOR". On the reverse side, the centre of the cross is circled by a wreath with a space for engraving the name of the recipient. It is impressed in the edge of the bottom arm of the cross with '7651'. The suspender is a loose ring attached to a ball at the top of the cross. The ribbon is dark blue with white and red edge stripes. Contained in its original brown cardboard box of issue with a ribbon bar and numbered on the reverse '7651'.

The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military award that can be given to a member of the United States Army (and previously, the United States Army Air Forces), for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree that they are above those required for all other U.S. combat decorations but do not meet the criteria for the Medal of Honor. The Distinguished Service Cross is equivalent to the Navy Cross (Navy and Marine Corps), the Air Force Cross (Air Force), and the Coast Guard Cross (Coast Guard).

The Distinguished Service Cross was first awarded during World War I. In addition, a number of awards were made for actions before World War I. In many cases, these were to soldiers who had received a Certificate of Merit for gallantry which, at the time, was the only other honor for gallantry the Army could award, or recommend a Medal of Honor. Others were belated recognition of actions in the Philippines, on the Mexican Border and during the Boxer Rebellion.