Title 10 — Armed ForcesRelease 119-73
§9274 Medal of honor; Air Force cross; distinguished-service medal: limitations on award
Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle D— - Air Force and Space Force › Part PART II— - PERSONNEL › Chapter CHAPTER 937— - DECORATIONS AND AWARDS › § 9274
Summary
A person may be given only one Air Force Cross or one Distinguished-Service Medal. If they do another act that would earn the same award, the President can give a bar or other small device to show the additional honor and say how it should be worn. Normally, a Medal of Honor, Air Force Cross, Distinguished-Service Medal, or a replacement device must meet time rules: the award must be made within five years of the act, a written recommendation describing the service must be made within three years, and Air Force records must show the person deserves it. The Secretary of the Air Force can make an exception if a recommendation and enough evidence were made within three years but the award was not given because the recommendation was lost or accidentally not acted on.
Full Legal Text
Title 10, §9274
Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)No more than one Air Force Cross or distinguished-service medal may be awarded to a person. However, for each succeeding act that would otherwise justify the award of such a medal or cross, the President may award a suitable bar or other device to be worn as he directs.
(b)Except as provided in subsection (c), no medal of honor, Air Force cross, distinguished-service medal, or device in place thereof, may be awarded to a person unless—
(1)the award is made within five years after the date of the act justifying the award;
(2)a statement setting forth the distinguished service and recommending official recognition of it was made within three years after the distinguished service; and
(3)it appears from records of the Department of the Air Force that the person is entitled to the award.
(c)If the Secretary of the Air Force determines that—
(1)a statement setting forth the distinguished service and recommending official recognition of it was made and supported by sufficient evidence within three years after the distinguished service; and
(2)no award was made, because the statement was lost or through inadvertence the recommendation was not acted on;
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised sectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 8744(a)8744(b) 8744(c)10:1411.10:1409 (words before 1st semicolon).10:1409 (words after 2d semicolon).
July 9, 1918, ch. 143 (12th par., less words after 2d semicolon, under “Ordnance Department”); restated Jan. 24, 1920, ch. 55, § 1 (less last sentence), 41 Stat. 398.
July 9, 1918, ch. 143 (less words between 1st and 2d semicolons of 15th par. under “Ordnance Department”), 40 Stat. 871. In subsection (a), the words “may be awarded to a person” are substituted for the words “shall be issued to any one person” to conform to the other subsections of the revised section. In subsection (b), the word “thereof” is substituted for the words “of either of said medal or of said cross”. The words “Except as otherwise prescribed in this section”, “at the time of”, “specific”, “official”, and “has so distinguished himself as” are omitted as surplusage. In subsection (c), 10:1409 (words after 3d semicolon) is omitted as executed. The words “hereinbefore authorized” are omitted as surplusage.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2019—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 116–92, § 582(b)(3)(A), substituted “subsection (c)” for “subsection (d)” in introductory provisions. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 116–92, § 582(b)(3)(B), (C), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and struck out former subsec. (c) which read as follows: “No medal of honor, Air Force cross, distinguished-service medal, or device in place thereof, may be awarded or presented to a person whose service after he distinguished himself has not been honorable.” 2018—Pub. L. 115–232 renumbered section 8744 of this title as this section. 2013—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–66, § 561(c), substituted “Air Force Cross” for “medal of honor, Air Force cross,”. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 113–66, § 562(b)(1)(A), substituted “five years” for “three years”. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 113–66, § 562(b)(1)(B), substituted “three years” for “two years”. Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 113–66, § 562(b)(2), substituted “three years” for “two years”. 1960—Pub. L. 86–593 substituted “Air Force cross” for “distinguished-service cross” in section catchline and wherever appearing in subsecs. (a) to (d). Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 86–582, § 1(3)(A), substituted “Except as provided in subsection (d), no” for “No”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 86–582, § 1(3)(B), added subsec. (d).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–232 effective Feb. 1, 2019, with provision for the coordination of
Amendments
and special rule for certain redesignations, see section 800 of Pub. L. 115–232, set out as a note preceding section 3001 of this title. Persons Awarded Distinguished-Service Cross or Soldier’s Medal Before
July 6, 1960 Pub. L. 86–593, § 2,
July 6, 1960, 74 Stat. 332, as amended by Pub. L. 115–232, div. A, title VIII, § 809(b)(12), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 1841, provided that: “For the purposes of section 9274(a) and 9280(b) of title 10, United States Code, a person who was awarded a distinguished-service cross or Soldier’s Medal before the date of enactment of this Act [
July 6, 1960] shall be treated as if he had not been awarded an Air Force cross or Airman’s Medal, as the case may be.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
10 U.S.C. § 9274
Title 10 — Armed Forces
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73