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Honoring American TroopsMedal of Honor Archive

Service (joint)

Notable recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal

Superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility in a joint activity.

About this decoration

214 notable recipients

Names link to Wikipedia; ★ MoH marks people who also received the Medal of Honor (links to their profile here).

NameLifeBranchWar
Colin Powell1937–2021United States ArmyGulf War
Lloyd J. Austin III1953United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Jim Mattis1950United States Marine CorpsGulf War
David Petraeus1952United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.1934–2012United States ArmyGulf War
Scott Kelly1964United States Navy
Susan J. Helms1958United States Air Force
Jeane Kirkpatrick1926–2006
Timothy Kopra1963
Barry E. Wilmore1962United States Navy
Dan Caine1968United States Air Force
John F. Kelly1950United States Marine CorpsGulf War
Mark A. Milley1958United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Steven Lindsey1960United States Air Force
Stanley A. McChrystal1954United States ArmyGulf War
Frank L. Culbertson1949United States Navy
H. R. McMaster1962United States ArmyGulf War
Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.1955United States Marine CorpsWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Karol J. Bobko1937–2023United States Air Force
William S. McArthur1951United States Army
John Kirby1963United States Navy
John E. Blaha1942United States Air ForceVietnam War
Charles Cooper II1967United States NavyGulf War
John Abizaid1951United States ArmyGulf War
Peter Pace1945United States Marine CorpsVietnam War
Raymond T. Odierno1954–2021United States ArmyGulf War
Jack Reacher1960Military Police Corps
Daniel W. Bursch1957United States Navy
William H. McRaven1955United States NavyGulf War
Joe Sestak1951United States Navy
Ann E. Dunwoody1953United States ArmyGulf War
Ronny Jackson1967United States NavyIraq War
John W. Raymond1962United States Space Force
Lori Robinson1959United States Air Force
Christopher T. Donahue1969United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Curtis Scaparrotti1956United States ArmyIraq War
Peter Schoomaker1946United States ArmyGulf War
Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr.1957United States Marine Corps
Linda L. Fagan1963United States Coast Guard
Paul M. Nakasone1963United States Army
Tod D. Wolters1960United States Air ForceGulf War
Laura J. Richardson1963
Alexus Grynkewich1971United States Air Force
Michael M. Gilday1962United States NavyGulf War
William G. Boykin1948United States Army
John M. Richardson1960United States Navy
Ricardo Sanchez1953United States ArmyGulf War
David H. Berger1959United States Marine CorpsGulf War
Joseph Votel1958United States ArmyIraq War
Scott Stearney1960–2018United States Navy
Vincent K. Brooks1958United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Joseph Maguire1951United States Navy
Robert Harward1956United States Navy
Christopher W. Grady1962United States Navy
Wayne A. Downing1940–2007United States ArmyGulf War
Gary Roughead1951United States NavyVietnam War
Bryan D. Brown1948United States ArmyVietnam War
Eugene Vindman1975United States ArmyIraq War
Peter W. Chiarelli1950United States ArmyIraq War
Jeffrey L. Harrigian1962United States Air ForceIraq War
William E. Ward1949United States Army
Bobby Ray Inman1931United States Navy
Craig R. McKinley1952United States Air Force
Larry O. Spencer1954United States Air Force
Hung Cao1971United States Navy
William Owens1940United States NavyVietnam War
Charles C. Campbell1948–2016United States ArmyVietnam War
Darren W. McDew1960United States Air ForceWar on Terrorism
Thomas D. Waldhauser1953United States Marine CorpsIraq War
Barbara Fast1953United States Army
Frank J. Grass1951United States Army
James W. Pardew1944–2021United States Army
Kurt W. Tidd1956United States Navy
Raymond E. Johns, Jr.1954United States Air Force
Carl Stiner1936–2022United States ArmyVietnam War
Rudy Boesch1928–2019United States NavyVietnam War
Arthur Lichte1949United States Air Force
Edward A. Rice, Jr.1955United States Air Force
Joseph D. Kernan1955United States Navy
Michelle D. JohnsonUnited States Air Force
Nina M. Armagno1966United States Space Force
Thomas A. Bussiere1963United States Air Force
Patrick S. Ryder
Powell F. Carter, Jr.1931–2017United States NavyKorean War
Vivien Crea1952United States Coast GuardCold War
John R. Allen, Jr.1935United States Air ForceVietnam War
Thomas S. Moorman, Jr.1940–2020United States Air ForceVietnam War
Darryl Roberson1960United States Air ForceGulf War
Roger A. Brady1946United States Air Force
John F. Mulholland, Jr.1955United States Army
Donald J. Hoffman1952United States Air Force
Frank Klotz1950United States Air Force
James W. Houck1958United States Navy
John A. Gordon1946–2020United States Air Force
Jonathan Howe1935United States Navy
Henry G. Ulrich III1950United States Navy
John D. W. Corley1951United States Air Force
Mark D. Kelly1965United States Air Force
Donald C. Bolduc1950
James C. Slife1967United States Air Force
Adrian SpainUnited States Air Force
Stephen T. Koehler1964United States Navy
David Hodne1969United States Army
Charles R. HamiltonUnited States Army
Dennis Hejlik2000United States Marine CorpsGulf War
J. William Kime1934–2006Gulf War
Antonio J. Ramos1946United States Air ForceVietnam War
David F. Bice1945United States Marine CorpsVietnam War
Terrence R. Dake1944United States Marine CorpsVietnam War
Thomas R. Morgan1930–2024United States Marine CorpsVietnam War
Raymond C. Smith1943–2022United States NavyVietnam War
Richard P. Mills1950United States Marine CorpsWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Kristin Panzenhagen1978United States Air ForceIraq War
Frank Craig Pandolfe1958United States NavyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Walter E. Piatt1961United States ArmyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Albert Calland1952–2023United States Navy
Alfred K. Flowers1947United States Air Force
Burwell B. Bell III1947United States Army
Carol Mutter1945United States Marine Corps
Charles D. Metcalf1933–2021United States Air Force
David L. Brewer III1946United States Navy
John W. Rosa1951United States Air Force
Kirkland H. Donald1953United States Navy
Robert Magnus1947United States Marine Corps
Thomas L. Brown II1960–2021United States Navy
William T. Lord1955United States Air Force
Bruce W. Clingan1950United States Navy
Peter H. Daly1955United States Navy
Gina Grosso1964United States Air Force
Stayce Harris1959
Andrea Tullos
Douglas Sims II1968United States Army
Kevin AdmiralUnited States Army
Alan S. Thompson1954United States NavyGulf War
George J. Trautman, III1952United States Marine CorpsGulf War
Michael K. Sheridan1934United States Marine CorpsKorean War
William Gainey1956United States ArmyCold War
James R. Stark1943United States NavyCold War
Ronald R. Blanck1941Cold War
Dave Richard Palmer1934United States ArmyVietnam War
Joseph D. Stewart1942–2019United States Marine CorpsVietnam War
Rick Francona1951United States Air ForceVietnam War
W. Thomas West1943United States Air ForceVietnam War
Brian L. Losey1960United States NavyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Winfield W. Scott III1952United States Air ForceGulf War
William F. Mullen III1964–2024United States Marine CorpsGulf War
Stanley E. Clarke IIIUnited States Air ForceWar on Terrorism
Marc H. Sasseville1963United States Air ForceIraq War
Angela Salinas1953United States Marine Corps
Carrol Chandler1952United States Air Force
Duane D. Thiessen1951United States Marine Corps
James A. Roy1964United States Air Force
Jesse CrossUnited States Army
John N. Christenson1958United States Navy
Kathleen Paige1948United States Navy
Linda J. Bird1951United States Navy
Michael J. Williams1943United States Marine Corps
Nanette M. DeRenziUnited States Navy
Paul G. Gaffney II1946United States Navy
Rafael O'Ferrall1954United States Army
Samuel Perez, Jr.1958United States Navy
Walter E. Gaskin1951United States Marine Corps
John B. Nathman1948United States Navy
Michael C. Gould1953United States Air Force
Michael Carey1960
Jerry O. Tuttle1934–2018United States Navy
Thomas K. Shannon1960United States Navy
Scott A. Howell1965United States Air Force
John G. Hannink1962
Matthew Donovan1958United States Air Force
John F. Bentivegna1976United States Space Force
Anthony Henderson1966United States Marine Corps
Dennis V. McGinn1945United States Navy
Michael F. Lohr1952
Michele BredenkampUnited States Army
Abraham J. Turner1953United States ArmyGulf War
Douglas M. StoneUnited States Marine CorpsGulf War
Daniel B. LloydUnited States Coast GuardCold War
James A. Williams1932–2017United States ArmyCold War
Keith J. StalderUnited States Marine CorpsCold War
James C. Van SiceCold War
Bruce M. Lawlor1948United States NavyVietnam War
William VanMeter Alford, Jr.1945United States NavyVietnam War
Scott P. MooreUnited States NavyWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Frank Helmick1953United States ArmyIraq War
Richard HuckUnited States Marine CorpsIraq War
Richard C. KimIraq War
Ann E. Rondeau1951United States Navy
Bruce E. Grooms1958United States Navy
Carl B. JensenUnited States Marine Corps
Charles H. Roadman II1943United States Air Force
James C. Yarbrough1957United States Army
Jerry White1937United States Air Force
Joseph J. McMenaminUnited States Marine Corps
Kendall L. Card1955United States Navy
Michael R. LehnertUnited States Marine Corps
Raquel C. Bono1957United States Navy
Roosevelt Mercer, Jr.United States Air Force
Jeffrey W. Hughes1966United States Navy
Steven M. Shepro1962
Christopher S. Povak1970United States Space Force
S. Clinton HinoteUnited States Air Force
Allan DayUnited States Air Force
Patrick J. DonahoeUnited States Army
Gary W. Johnston2022United States Army
John R. Evans Jr.
Robert K. U. Kihune1937United States Navy
Michael R. WeimerUnited States Army
Deydre Teyhen1971United States Army
Paul T. Mikolashek1947United States Army
Robert Hutt1977United States Air Force
Archer L. Durham1932United States Air Force
Robert E. Hall1947United States ArmyGulf War
William D. CattoUnited States Marine Corps