# Distinguished Honor Award > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Distinguished_Honor_Award > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Distinguished_Honor_Award.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Honor_Award > Source revision: 1356222868 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Award given by the United States Department of State Distinguished Honor Award Type Military medal Awarded for "Exceptionally outstanding service or achievements of marked national or international significance" Presented by United States Department of State Eligibility Foreign Service, Civil Service, US Military Status Currently awarded Ribbon Precedence Next (higher) Thomas Jefferson Star for Foreign Service Next (lower) Superior Honor Award The **Distinguished Honor Award** is an award of the United States Department of State and [USAID](/source/USAID). Similar versions of the same award existed for the former [U.S. Information Agency](/source/US_Information_Service) and [Arms Control and Disarmament Agency](/source/Arms_Control_and_Disarmament_Agency). It is presented in recognition of exceptionally outstanding service or achievements of marked national or international significance.[1] The award consists of a gold medal set and a certificate signed, as appropriate, by the Secretary of State.[2] Due to the demanding nature of the criteria, the award is not routinely issued; only a few non-Ambassadorial rank [Foreign Service Officers](/source/Foreign_Service_Officers) have ever received an individual award.[3] ## Criteria The following criteria are applicable to granting a Distinguished Honor Award: - Exceptionally outstanding service to the agencies or the U.S. Government resulting in achievements of marked national or international significance; - Exceptionally outstanding service and/or leadership in the administration of one or more agency programs that results in the highly successful accomplishment of mission, or in a major attainment of objectives or specific accomplishment to meet unique or emergency situations; and - Outstanding accomplishments over a prolonged period that involve the exercise of authority or judgment in the public interest.[4] ## Nominating and approval procedures Nominations for State and USAID employees are submitted on Form JF-66, Nomination for Award, through supervisory channels to the Joint Country Awards Committee for review and recommendation to the Chief of Mission for final action. Nominations initiated in Washington are submitted to the appropriate area awards committee for final action. For USAID, nominations initiated in Washington are reviewed by the USAID bureau/office with final approval by the appropriate assistant administrator or office head. ## Military use Upon authorization, members of the U.S. military may wear the medal and ribbon in the appropriate [order of precedence](/source/Awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_States_military#Order_of_precedence) as a [U.S. non-military personal decoration](/source/Awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_States_government). ## Notable recipients - [Tex Harris](/source/Tex_Harris), [Foreign Service Officer](/source/Foreign_Service_Officer)[5] - [Peter W. Chiarelli](/source/Peter_W._Chiarelli), General, U.S. Army - [David H. Petraeus](/source/David_H._Petraeus), General, U.S. Army - [Richard Armitage](/source/Richard_Armitage_(politician)), former Deputy Secretary of State, 2001-2005[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] - Ambassador [Charles W. Yost](/source/Charles_W._Yost), career U.S. diplomat, United States Ambassador to the United Nations - Ambassador [L. Paul Bremer](/source/L._Paul_Bremer), former head of the [Coalition Provisional Authority](/source/Coalition_Provisional_Authority) in [Iraq](/source/Iraq), 2003–2004 - Ambassador [Eric J. Boswell](/source/Eric_J._Boswell), current Assistant Secretary for [Diplomatic Security](/source/Bureau_of_Diplomatic_Security)[6] - Ambassador [Lino Gutiérrez](/source/Lino_Gutierrez), former U.S. Ambassador to [Argentina](/source/Argentina), 2003-2006[7] - Ambassador [James Franklin Collins](/source/James_Franklin_Collins), former U.S. Ambassador to the [Russian Federation](/source/Russian_Federation), 1997–2001 - Ambassador [John R. Davis Jr.](/source/John_R._Davis_Jr.), former U.S. Ambassador to Poland, 1988-1990 - [Harry B. Harris Jr.](/source/Harry_B._Harris_Jr.), Admiral, US Pacific Command - [Jacques Paul Klein](/source/Jacques_Paul_Klein), United Nations Transitional Administrator (UNTAES) - [Brett H. McGurk](/source/Brett_H._McGurk), Director for Iraq, [United States National Security Council](/source/United_States_National_Security_Council) - [Jonathan M. Moore](/source/Jonathan_M._Moore), former U.S. Charge d'Affaires to [Belarus](/source/Belarus), 2008-2009 - [Alec Ross](/source/Alec_Ross_(author)), technology policy analyst and Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - [Paul J. Selva](/source/Paul_J._Selva), General, [Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff](/source/Vice_Chairman_of_the_Joint_Chiefs_of_Staff) - [James B. Story](/source/James_B._Story), Charge d’Affaires to Venezuela - [George Jacobson](/source/George_Jacobson), mission coordinator at the [Embassy of the United States, Saigon](/source/Embassy_of_the_United_States%2C_Saigon) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["3 FAM 4820 HONOR AWARDS"](https://fam.state.gov/FAM/03FAM/03FAM4820.html). *fam.state.gov*. Retrieved 2024-08-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["3 FAM 4820 HONOR AWARDS"](https://fam.state.gov/FAM/03FAM/03FAM4820.html). *fam.state.gov*. Retrieved 2024-07-23. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Christopher W. Runckel journal, 1997, [http://www.business-in-asia.com/vietnam_trip.html](http://www.business-in-asia.com/vietnam_trip.html) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["3 FAM 4820 HONOR AWARDS"](https://fam.state.gov/FAM/03FAM/03FAM4820.html). *fam.state.gov*. Retrieved 2024-08-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Buenos Aires Times | 'Tex' Harris, US diplomat who detailed dictatorship's crimes, dies at 81"](https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/us-activist-for-disappeared-tex-harris-dead-at-79.phtml). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [United States Department of State](https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/106593.htm) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA - Lino Gutierrez"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110420123604/http://argentina.usembassy.gov/lino_gutierrez.html). Archived from [the original](https://argentina.usembassy.gov/lino_gutierrez.html) on 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2011-03-18. ## See also - [Awards of the United States Department of State](/source/Awards_of_the_United_States_Department_of_State) - [Awards and decorations of the United States government](/source/Awards_and_decorations_of_the_United_States_government) - [United States Department of State](/source/Department_of_state) - [U.S. Foreign Service](/source/US_Foreign_Service) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Distinguished Honor Award](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Honor_Award) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Honor_Award?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.