Distinguished Intelligence Cross
| Distinguished Intelligence Cross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | United States of America |
| Eligibility | Employees of the Central Intelligence Agency |
| Precedence | |
| Next (lower) | Distinguished Intelligence Medal |
| Related | National Intelligence Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Navy Cross, Air Force Cross |
The Distinguished Intelligence Cross is the highest decoration awarded by the United States Central Intelligence Agency. It is the agency's equivalent of the military's Service Cross, i.e., Navy Cross, Army Distinguished Service Cross, Air Force Cross. It has been said that the DIC is the equivalent to the Medal of Honor, but the MOH is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of the US Congress and the DIC is awarded by the CIA.
The cross is awarded for "a voluntary act or acts of extraordinary heroism involving the acceptance of existing dangers with conspicuous fortitude and exemplary courage". Only a few dozen people have been awarded this medal in the history of the agency, making it one of the rarest awards for valor in the United States.[1] The Central Intelligence Agency has two awards for valor; the other is the Intelligence Star, which is analogous to the military's Silver Star.[2][3]
Known recipients
- Leo F. Baker, posthumously for Bay of Pigs invasion on 23 October 1973[4]
- William F. Buckley[5]
- Lawrence N. Freedman[6]
- Thomas "Peter" Ray, posthumously for Bay of Pigs invasion[7]
- John T. Downey[8]
- Richard Fecteau[9]
See also
References
- ^ The very best men: four who dared, the early years of the CIA, by Evan Thomas, published by Simon and Schuster, 1996.
- ^ Bush at War, Bob Woodward, Simon and Schuester, 2002, page 317.
- ^ Gup, Ted (2000). The Book of Honor: Cover Lives and Classified Deaths at the CIA.
- ^ Leo F. Baker
- ^ Arlingtoncemetery.net - William Francis Buckley
- ^ Star Agents: The anonymous stars in the CIA's Book of Honor memorialize covert operatives lost in the field. These are no ordinary deaths: Loved ones left behind mourn secretly and live tethered to bogus cover stories. In their struggles lies a remarkable strand of the agency's history
- ^ LATimes.com - Bay of Pigs: the Secret Death of Pete Ray
- ^ "Cold War arrest of US spies offers lesson for Iran diplomacy". Retrieved 2013-12-30.
- ^ "Cold War arrest of US spies offers lesson for Iran diplomacy". Retrieved 2013-12-30.
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