There is no higher honor that can be bestowed by the Army upon a civilian than the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service. Established on December 29, 1945, the award is granted by the Secretary of the Army, and in many cases the Secretary presents the award in person to the recipient at the annual Secretary of the Army Awards Ceremony (recipients scheduled for retirement before the ceremony takes place are usually not included in the ceremony, but exceptions can be made).
As the preeminent civilian honorary authorized by the Department of the Army, nominees are required to have established a clearly discernable pattern of superior achievement and excellence, typically evidenced by the awarding of other honorary decorations such as the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. An example of the level of service and achievement that merits the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service is fulfilling assigned duties involving programs of major importance to the Department of the Army in a manner that is obviously exceptional in comparison to other person with similar duties. The decoration also honors civilians who have developed inventions or established methods or procedures (or implemented improvements to existing ones) that yielded major savings or significantly advanced the missions of the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, of the Federal Government.
But the award is not made only for long-term accomplishments. It’s also used to honor acts of great courage where the nominee voluntarily risks his or her life in a way that directly benefits the Government or, as is more often the case, Government personnel. In these cases, a cash award of at least $1,000 is made to the recipient.