AWARD WRITING FOR DUMMIES

TASK FORCE 146 MMBMAJ Koch, BN S-1

SFC Beals, Assistant BN S-1SFC Beals, BN S-1 NCOIC

Award Writing for Dummies!

Army Regulation AR 600-8-22 MILITARY AWARDS

TF146 Awards Policy

TF3 Awards Policy

Complete Administrative data “DA 638 in Pure Edge”

1.Complete blocks 1 through 20

2.Awards need to be accurately abbreviated.

References for Army military awards?

What is an Award?

A decoration, medal, badge, ribbon, or appurtenance bestowed on an individual or a unit

•References

•Why give awards?

•What's the current command policy on awards?

•What type of award should be presented?

•What are Battalion Command's SUSPENSES then?

•How do I justify an award?

•Do you have some guides on how to write the justification?

•Catchy words, word combination, and phrases

•Phrases

•Adjectives and Synonyms

Verbs

Overview

Army leaders present various type of awards and decorations to recognize soldiers for valor, meritorious service, and achievement. It's our formal way of thanking them and recognizing them for their outstanding contributions to the Army's success in mission accomplishment. Awards given to deserving soldiers increase esprit de corps in the unit and provide other soldiers the necessary incentive to go above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities thus contributing to the success of the unit.

Why give awards?

What's the current command policy on awards?

The current policy is to ensure that all soldiers completing their tours of duty are thoroughly screened for their contribution to the organization and those that performed meritoriously are recommended for various types of awards that is commensurate with their exemplary service and contribution to their organization.

The Commander, has established that all approved awards be presented before the soldier leaves theater. 

You don't have to wait until the soldier leaves theater to submit him or her for an award. If you want a soldier to be recognize for immediate significant achievement, you may recommend him/her for impact award. It will not preclude the soldier for an end of tour award, except you can no longer refer to this single act of heroism or achievement that already have been previously recognized by an impact award.

PEACETIME AWARDS

• The Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) and Army Achievement Medal (AAM) can be used to recognize non-combat meritorious achievement or service in the Iraq theater of operations. However, these two awards will not be substitutes for appropriate wartime awards.

• Because the MSM and AAM are peacetime awards to be awarded for non-combat meritorious achievement and service, they do not fall into the current wartime awards order of precedence structure.

• Approval authorities for the MSM are Brigadier General and above commanders. Approval authorities for the AAM are Lieutenant Colonels and above commanders.

PEACETIME AWARDS, CONT.

1) The MSM is the highest and the AAM is the lowest peacetime awards that will be given for non-combat meritorious achievement or service in this theater. The MSM non-combat award recommendation can be downgraded to an ARCOM or an AAM.

2) The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) or higher award recommendation for combat achievement or service can not be downgraded to an MSM or an AAM. Neither can a combat ARCOM be downgraded to an AAM.

3) If an MSM or AAM is desired when a combat award recommendation for achievement or service has been recommended for downgrade, then a new DA Form 638 must be submitted for non-combat achievement or service. The new award recommendation must not mention combat achievement.

Army Achievement Medal (AAM) is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States, or to any member of the Armed Forces of a friendly foreign nation, who while serving in any capacity with the Army in a non-combat role, distinguished himself or herself by meritorious service or achievement of a lesser degree than required for award of the ARCOM. The AAM will not be awarded to general officers.

ARMY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL

ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL

Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States who distinguishes himself or herself by heroism, meritorious achievement or meritorious service. Award may be made to a member of the Armed Forces of a friendly foreign nation who distinguishes himself or herself by an act of heroism, extraordinary achievement, or meritorious service which has been of mutual benefit to a friendly nation and the United States. Awards of the ARCOM may be made for acts of valor performed under circumstances described above which are of lesser degree than required for award of the BSM. These acts may involve aerial flight. An award of the ARCOM may be made for acts of noncombatant-related heroism which do not meet the requirements for an award of the SM. The ARCOM will not be awarded to general officers.

Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the United States Army, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; or while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the SS. The BSM may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The lesser degree than that required for the award of the LOM must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.

BRONZE STAR MEDAL

Meritorious Service Medal

Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) is awarded to any member of the Armed Forces of the United States or to any member of the Armed Forces of a friendly foreign nation who, while serving in a non-combat role, has distinguished himself or herself by outstanding meritorious achievement or service. An MSM is not meant to be a lesser award than the BSM.

Commanders may recognize periods of faithful service, and acts or achievements which do not meet the standards required for decorations, by issuing DA Form 2442 (Certificate of Achievement); or a Certificate of Achievement of local design to individual military personnel.

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENTS

BSMs and MSMs : NLT 30 days prior to date needed

ARCOMs: NLT 30 days prior to date needed

AAMs: NLT 30 days prior to date needed

What are the Command's Suspense

Time-Frames then?

The length of time is not a primary consideration; however, speed of accomplishment of an important task can be a determining value of an act. Also, for a service award, the individual would need to have served in the position for a sustained period of time to achieve a succession of outstanding acts of achievement. And that's the challenge for the person writing the award recommendation - to be able to convince board members that the soldier has a succession of outstanding acts of achievement by succinctly elaborating those achievements in the award justification.  Retirement awards can cover up to the last ten years of the service member's career.

How do I justify an award?

The award recommendation should reflect both the individuals’ level of responsibility and the manner of performance. The degree that an individual's achievement or service enhanced the readiness or effectiveness of the organization, or the degree that they made notable contributions to the morale or esprit de corps of the

organization, will be the predominant factors for deciding the

appropriate award.

How do I justify an award? Continued

To justify a military decoration, an individual should have done more than just performed his job well. Cite specific accomplishments and how they enhance the organization. For example, if an individual has rewritten a standing operating procedure (SOP) - how has this improved the readiness or effectiveness of the organization? If an individual has devoted many off-duty hours--how did this improve the organization? Be specific. List the individual accomplishments and not just sentences with adjectives, which do not elaborate on their significant achievements.

How do I justify an award? Continued

The grade of the individual is another consideration. The higher the grade, the greater the level of responsibility. A much greater level of performance is expected from a Colonel as opposed to a First Lieutenant or Captain. Likewise, more is expected from a Master Sergeant or Sergeant Major than a Specialist or Sergeant. The grade itself is not the consideration; rather, the grade is used to determine the duty position. When a Colonel or Sergeant Major is assigned to a duty position, they are expected to perform at a level commensurate with their grade and duty position.

How do I justify an award? Continued

To have distinguished themselves, the individuals must be set apart from others in the same or similar military occupational specialty (MOS)/job specialty by praiseworthy accomplishment. Determination of this distinction requires careful consideration of exactly what is or was expected as the ordinary, routine, or customary behavior and accomplishment, for individuals of like rank and experience, for the circumstances involved.

The narrative justification then is the most important section of the recommendation and the content is the basis for approval or disapproval of the award.

How do I justify an award? Continued

Do you have some guidelines on how to write the Achievements ? Here are some tips… (Item 20) of the DA Form 638. include the following standardized leading and closing sentences,

as appropriate: Example;

1. Sergeant Jeff Gordon’s willingness to step up to the plate and share his mechanical knowledge and experience was instrumental in the initial setup of his teams Monte Carlo, resulting to the success of the Mission of winning the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row.

2. Sergeant Jeff Gordon lead the way with a positive attitude and set a high standard as an aggressor for 250 laps and superb team member tactics. He was able to share real world experiences during the Daytona 500 with his fellow team member, SPC Terry Labonte providing him with a outstanding drafting experience.

3. Sergeant Jeff Gordon’s tact, professional knowledge and sound judgment, combined with his ability to work without supervision and willingness to work beyond normal duty hours, evoked many favorable comments from superiors and higher headquarters.(NASCAR) His personal commitment to the team and his exception of only the highest standards of safety, resulted in high quality of racing and winning operations.

Do you have some guidelines on how to write the justification?

Here are some tips when writing the justification:

On the proposed citation for awards higher than an MSM, leave item 21 of the DA Form 638 blank. Limit this item, when used for MSM and below, to no more than 6 lines for an award. Limit a proposed citation for an LOM/SM to no more than 9 - 12 characters per inch, and attach to DA Form 638. Proposed citations will include the following standardized leading and

closing sentences, as appropriate: Example; FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, IN YOUR ENDEAVOR TO DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY, PERSONALLY, AND PHYSICALLY IN PREPARATION FOR ASSUMING FURTHER DUTIES IN THE SERVICE OF OUR GREAT NATION. YOUR DESIRE TO GAIN A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARMY REFLECTS GREAT CREDIT UPON YOURSELF, THE 555th ASMC, TF 146 MMB, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

 

The beginning sentence should read, “For Meritorious service/ achievement as (job title)." Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING SENTENCE should read, "His/Her performance reflects credit on him/ her, 546th ASMC, TF 261 ASMB, and the United States Army.

For the MSM retirement award for total service, the beginning sentence should read, "Meritorious service in positions of great responsibility ending as (job title)." Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING SENTENCE should read, "His/Her' exemplary performance of duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of military service, reflecting great credit on him/her, THE 555th ASMC, TF 146 MMB, and the United States Army."

Recommendation for the BSM/MSM:

The beginning sentence of the citation should read, “For Meritorious service/ achievement as (job title)." Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING SENTENCE should read, "his/her exemplary performance reflects great credit on him/her, the 555th ASMC, TF 146 MMB, and the United States Army."

Recommendation for the ARCOM/AAM:

Step One

Complete Administrative data “DA 638 in Pure Edge”

1. Complete blocks 1 through 19

2. Awards need to be accurately abbreviated. (MEPAM 600-200)

Lets Review

AWARDS PROCESS MAPBN S1 (DRU’s) G1 TF 3d MEDCOM AWARDS BRD CDR TF 3d

MEDCOMMNC-I

1) Prepares and verify DA 638 w/ required documents and signatures

2) Sign Block 22a & ensure Part IV is filled out properly

3) TI awards into G1 w/ awards coversheet

Logs in, checks for mistakes and preps for Awards Board

Awards Boardmakes Recommendations to CG

Obtain CG’s signature and return to G1

If downgraded or award is rec. for approval of BSM & below; prep cert., obtain signature, and return to unit.

Make copies, log and return to unit

1) Route through MNCI CG for Approval / Disapp.prep. Certificate.

2) Mail signed DA 638 & certificates back to 44th MED

Plan Awards Ceremony and Present Award

2) Prep for CMD GRP CG APP or DISAPP.

1) Log Rec. of Board

DA FORM 638 PART I & II(FOR AAM, BSM, & ABOVE TO SS)

DA FORM 638 PART I & II(FOR AAM, ARCOM, & MSM)

DA FORM 638 PART IV

DA FORM 638 PART IV(FOR MNC-I & ABOVE AWARDS)

DA FORM 638 PART IV(FOR TF 3d MEDCOM AWARDS)

Step Two

Gather performance data on the memberLook for Counseling Statements

Look for informal documentation

Conduct interviews with:

Chain of command

Peers, subordinates

Other witnesses

Step Three

Do each of the following to develop bullets:

1. State the impact on the department, division, or unit.

2. Create one or two concise, simple sentences. State what was done and how it was done.

Step Four

Decide on the level of the award:

The higher the impact, the higher the award

Step Five

1. Use standard opening and closing verbiage (For Exceptional Achievement during) (reflects credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army).

2. Spell out the rank3. Spell out abbreviations.4. Read the citation out loud to another to check the

“flow”

Step Six

Edit the citation 1. Read it once …

1. Match the points with support

2. Read it a 2nd time …1. Organize into powerful, well-connected thoughts

3. Read it a 3rd time …1. Delete dead words (repeating or jargon)

4. Read it a 4th time …1. Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, and

capitalization.

Step Seven

Submit the award package to the appropriate Awards Board through the chain of command

1. Immediate supervisor (He/She can check for errors)

2. Unit Admin NCO

3. TF146 BN S-1

4. TF 3d MEDCOM G-1

5. MNC-1 C-1

Performance Bullets

Performance bullets are the raw material that is needed to produce the statement of actions for which the individual is being cited.

Performance Bullets

Effective performance bullets always consist of 3 parts:

1. What they did

2. How they did it

3. The impact or result of their action (why it was significant)

What do I Write About?

Pick 3 to 5 items that the member did best or had the greatest impact on the service or unit. Each bullet should have a number-quantified (if possible) action and a following result. For example, “100 hours of troubleshooting refrigeration casualty assistance; enhanced quality of life and enabled the generator to keep operational schedules,” has the action and the result.

So for each item, be specific and ask yourself “What was done?,” “How did they do it?,” and “What was the result?”

Once you’ve completed this part of the award, the rest is simply wording.

Hints on Using Statistics

Using numbers to quantify actions is encouraged and carries more oomph! For example, “Sergeant Snuffy volunteered many hours of personal time to invent a Tool that saved the United States Army a lot of money…” doesn’t tell the story as well as, “Sergeant Snuffy invested 100 hours of personal time to invent the tool to complete 40 component parts, that saved the United States Army $175,000.”

Remember not to criticize an individual’s predecessor. Also, focus on items that are high profile or extend beyond a member’s command.

Jargon And Content

The citation is an account “…which will be cherished by them and a source of pride to their families.” The Rewards and Recognition Handbook says, “We are telling a story to everyone about what the person receiving the award has done.

Wording and the “Guts”

A citation is supposed to be formalized, concise, and straightforward. Formalized means that it is written in the third person (“He created...”), often using the rank and surname (“Sergeant Snuffy created…”).

Words and Phrases

Here are recommendations for choosing words and phrases:– After the standard opening, each bullet should

start with an action word like these: Displaying Exhibiting Demonstrating Showing Using Making Through

Words and Phrases

– The next words should be an adjective-noun combination something like these:

superior leadership, he … exceptional competence and professionalism, she … expert technical skills, he … highest degree of proficiency, she … accomplished organizational abilities, he … finely honed ... keen insight … or singly powerful words like:

– courageous– distinguished

Words and Phrases

– Adverbs work well for the next words: quickly capably professionally skillfully proficiently adeptly effectively efficiently

Words and Phrases

Steer away from using specific jargon or acronyms or names of equipment that are not commonly used in the English language. A good rule is to use simple, everyday words that convey powerful thoughts.

Also avoid being gushy or using “puffed up” words that seem phony or pompous.

Putting it all Together

Now, simply mix and match the words and phrases to ensure each bullet is a flowing sentence or two. Start with the accomplishment you consider to be the most significant. The body of the citation is simply 3 to 5 bullets turned into powerful, concise sentences, one after another.

Voila! You’ve completed the citation.

Well, almost ...

4 Steps to Effective Editing

1. Read the whole citation and locate the main points. Then locate the support for each point. Points without support are suspect and should be worked on.

2. Read the citation a second time. Once you have located the points and their support, cut, paste, and reorganize them into powerful and well-connected thoughts.

3. Read the citation a third time. Locate and delete dead words. These are words that do not add to the meaning of what is written: overly-complicated words, antiquated words, inappropriate jargon, cliches, or colloquialisms.

4. The fourth time you read the citation, tenaciously and relentlessly check grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

One Last Review

Before you turn it in, take the citation, stand up in form of a mirror, another person, or a microphone connected to a tape recorder and READ what you have written – OUT LOUD! This is the most effective way to check grammar and see if what you have written really is concise, flowing, and powerful.

At last you have completed the award.

Now let’s write our awards for our deserving soldiers…