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TITLE Distinguished Service Cross DESCRIPTION Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross consists of: "A cross of bronze, 2 inches in height and 1 13/16 inches in width with an eagle on the center and a scroll below the eagle bearing the inscription 'FOR VALOR.' On the reverse side, the center of the cross is circled by a wreath with a space for engraving the name of the recipient. The ribbon is 1 3/8 inches wide and consists of the following stripes: Old Glory Red, White, Imperial Blue, White, and Old Glory Red." United States Army regulations 3" L x 2" W CONTEXT "The Distinguished Service Cross is awarded to a person who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, distinguishes himself or herself by extraordinary heroism not justifying the award of a Medal of Honor; while engaged in an action against an enemy of the Unites States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing/foreign force; or while serving with friendly foreign forces engaged in an armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. The act or acts of heroism must have been so notable and have involved risk of life so extraordinary as to set the individual apart from his or her comrades." United States Army regulations Hoichi (Bob) Kubo was the most highly decorated member of the Military Intelligence Service (MIS), and the only one to receive a Distinguished Service Cross. A Nisei from Hawaii, who joined the 100th Battalion, Kubo was recruited against his will for MIS, and sent to Saipan. "General Orders, 18 October 1944 Award of the Distinguished Service Cross... Technician Third Grade HOICHI KUBO (then technician fourth grade)... Infantry, United States Army. For extraordinary heroism in action at Saipan on 26 July 1944. Acting as interpreter for an infantry assault company, Technician KUBO voluntarily descended a cliff approximately one hundred feet in height and entered a cave in an attempt to gain the release of a number of civilians who were being held hostage by a group of enemy soldiers. Dressed in the uniform of his service and armed only with a concealed pistol, he performed this act with the full knowledge that he could not be protected by our troops and that the enemy soldiers had threatened to kill the civilians they held should they attempt to surrender. Technician KUBO remained in the cave with a number of armed Japanese soldiers for nearly two hours and joined them in the noonday meal. He finally succeeded in persuading the soldiers to release over one hundred civilians and to surrender themselves. Technician KUBO's heroism prevented casualties among our troops and undoubtedly saved the lives of the civilians who would have perished had it been necessary to dynamite the cave. By command of Lieutenant General Richardson; Official: Ernest McMahon, Lt. Col., AGD, Acting Adjutant General." Headquarters United States Armed Forces CREDIT National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution |
