The Association of the U.S. Army is seeking nominations for the George Catlett Marshall Medal, the association's highest award for distinguished and selfless service.

Presented during AUSA’s Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., in October, the Marshall Medal has been awarded annually by AUSA since 1960. It is named for General of the Army George Catlett Marshall Jr., a former Army chief of staff who also served as secretary of state, secretary of defense and U.S. special envoy to China in a public service career that spanned the Spanish-American War through the Truman administration. 

This year’s Marshall Medal was presented to Army recipients of the Medal of Honor. 

The deadline to submit a nomination for the 2026 Marshall Medal is Jan. 5. Submissions must include the nominee’s bio and supporting rationale explaining why the individual should be considered for the award. There also is an option to provide one or more endorsement letters supporting the nominee.  

The nomination form is available here. Nominators are encouraged to coordinate with their respective chapter president before sending a submission. 

The Marshall Medal honors selfless service to the United States of America, from military service to public service, including civilian assignments in government, service with nonprofit organizations or leadership in patriotic movements or activities. 

Typically, currently serving elected or appointment government officials are not eligible. 

Past recipients of the Marshall Medal include Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush; General of the Army Omar Bradley; and retired Army Gens. Gordon Sullivan, Lyman Lemnitzer, Colin Powell, Bernard Rogers, Maxwell Taylor, John Vessey Jr., Martin Dempsey and Eric Shinseki. 

Other recipients include two former defense secretaries who also served as directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta and Robert Gates; Duke University head basketball coach and U.S. Military Academy graduate Michael Krzyzewski; comedian Bob Hope; and actor Gary Sinise. 

Full criteria for the Marshall Medal and a list of previous recipients are available here.