
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 10USC8744]

 
                         TITLE 10--ARMED FORCES
 
                          Subtitle D--Air Force
 
                           PART II--PERSONNEL
 
                   CHAPTER 857--DECORATIONS AND AWARDS
 
Sec. 8744. Medal of honor; Air Force cross; distinguished-
        service medal: limitations on award
        
    (a) No more than one medal of honor, 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 (d), 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 three 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 two 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) 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.
    (d) 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 two 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;

a medal of honor, Air Force cross, distinguished-service medal, or 
device in place thereof, as the case may be, may be awarded to the 
person concerned within two years after the date of that determination.

(Aug. 10, 1956, ch. 1041, 70A Stat. 540; Pub. L. 86-582, Sec. 1(3), July 
5, 1960, 74 Stat. 320; Pub. L. 86-593, Sec. 1(2), July 6, 1960, 74 Stat. 
331.)

                                          Historical and Revision Notes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
            Revised section                      Source (U.S. Code)            
   Source (Statutes at Large)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
8744(a)...............................  10:1411.                             Ju
ly 9, 1918, ch. 143 (12th par.,
8744(b)...............................  10:1409 (words before 1st             l
ess words after 2d semicolon,
                                         semicolon).                          u
nder ``Ordnance Department'');
8744(c)...............................  10:1409 (words after 2d semicolon).   r
estated Jan. 24, 1920, ch. 55,
                                                                              S
ec.  1 (less last sentence), 41
                                                                              S
tat. 398.
                                        ...................................  Ju
ly 9, 1918, ch. 143 (less words
                                                                              b
etween 1st and 2d semicolons of
                                                                              1
5th par. under ``Ordnance
                                                                              D
epartment''), 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.


                               Amendments

    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, Sec. 1(3)(A), substituted ``Except as 
provided in subsection (d), no'' for ``No''.
    Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 86-582, Sec. 1(3)(B), added subsec. (d).


 Persons Awarded Distinguished-Service Cross or Soldier's Medal Before 
                              July 6, 1960

    Section 2 of Pub. L. 86-593 provided that: ``For the purposes of 
sections 8744(a) and 8750(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.''

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 8748 of this title.
