On Friday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the Secretaries of the Military Departments to review Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, and Air Force Cross Medals previously awarded to African American and Native American Veterans for valorous actions, to determine whether those service members should have instead been recognized with the Medal of Honor.
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second-highest individual military decoration for U.S. Army soldiers, behind the Medal of Honor. The Navy Cross is similarly the second-highest individual military decoration for U.S. Navy sailors and U.S. Marines and the Air Force Cross is the second-highest decoration for U.S. Air Force airmen.
Austin specifically directed the military to review the citations for black veterans who had received Service Crosses for valorous actions during two wars – in Korea and Vietnam. Austin also directed the military to review the citations of Native American veterans who received Service Crosses for valorous actions during three wars – World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
“It has come to my attention that African American and Native American Service Cross recipients, unlike their Asian American, Native American Pacific Islander, Jewish American, and Hispanic American counterparts, did not receive the same opportunities to have their valorous actions reviewed for possible upgrade to the Medal of Honor,” Austin said in a letter to the secretaries of the Navy, Army and Air Force. “To correct this oversight, I direct the Secretaries of the Military Departments to conduct the following Service Cross (Distinguished Service Cross -Army; Navy Cross – Navy and Marine Corps; Air Force Cross -Air Force) reviews to determine if such Veterans’ actions warrant award of the Medal of Honor.”
The Department of Defense said Austin ordered the reviews “to ensure African American and Native American Service Cross recipients are afforded the same opportunities to have their valorous actions reviewed for possible upgrade to the Medal of Honor as previously afforded to their Asian American, Native American Pacific Islander, Jewish American, and Hispanic American counterparts.”
In cases where reviews find a Service Cross recipient was eligible to receive a Medal of Honor, “there is no requirement to show that the qualifying Veteran was subject to discrimination in order to be included in the review, just as there was no such requirement for the previous Asian American, Native American Pacific Islander, Jewish American, and Hispanic American Service Cross reviews.”
The Service Cross reviews will be led by the individual Military Department Secretaries. The results of the reviews will be due to the Secretary of Defense by August 2, 2026.
“5 years should provide adequate time to complete a methodical and professional review,” Austin wrote to the service secretaries.
Currently, Congress must approve waivers for any proposed Medal of Honor recipients who are to be awarded the military decoration more than five years after the fact.
Austin instructed the service secretaries to “include draft congressional waiver language” for service members deemed eligible to have their service crosses upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
