Are there any officer only awards?

Some Commands seem to think so especially when it comes to awarding the Legion of Merit for Exemplary Service to enlisted personnel or the Bronze Star again to enlisted who performed admirably while deployed to a War zone!

I doubt it is in writing but the upper awards that concern Defense (i.e. Defense Superior Service Medal and Defense Distinguished Service Medal) I cannot re-call enlisted receiving those upper end awards.

I have to agree with 1LT Scott D. in that there should not be limitations. These ridiculous policies about rank awards which no one will put in writing because they know they are wrong! Too Much Poor Leadership yet they wonder why no one wants to work harder.

Army Regulation 600–8–22 needs to provide leadership with specific examples of what costitutes proper awarding of medals and include examples. In my time the disparity in what one command vs another will give out a AAM or ARCOM is a significant point of frustration. I got a AAM for saving a soldiers life, I also got a AAM for organizing a unit BBQ in another command. In the first instance the command didn't want to do the work to get me a soldiers medal because I was a SPC at the time. In the second a coin or a NCOER bullet would have been more than sufficient.

There is the impression that the Legion of Merit (LOM) is awarded only to officers. A retired CMSgt I know was awarded the LOM as a SSgt for an intelligence study he authored on DPRK air defense operations. He was originally submitted for either an MSM or DMSM, and the reviewer(s) who had seen his briefing and read the study decided it was LOM work.

No, but there is clear bias for certain awards based on rank rather than actual contribution.

Theoretically, no award is restricted to a class or pay grade of a soldier, except for the Legion of Merit to high-ranking foreign personnel. While a junior enlisted soldier may be awarded the Medal of Honor or Distinguished Service Cross for an act of supreme bravery, that same soldier would be a tough sell for a Distinguished Service Medal based on the level of responsibility he/she has held. The exceptions may be the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal, neither of which may not be awarded to General Officers.

The short answer is No. Practically speaking, the non-valor decorations at the highest end are based on level of responsibility and performance. Consequently, it ends up being awarded to officers only.

There are no officer only awards!!! Let us look at Audey Murphy, he recieved many awards to include the Medal Of Honor as an enlisted soldier.

The closest candidate I found would be USMC Brevet Medal that recognized brevet promotion or actions that warranted MOH before officers were authorized the MOH. It was just assumed that they would serve at the level to warrant MOH and Brevet Medal was equivalent to Navy Cross in precedence. USMC MajGen Smedley Butler received one Brevet Medal and 2 MOH's so was perhaps the closest to ever receiving 3 MOH's.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Brevet_Medal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

Distinguished Flying Cross maybe, considering we haven't had enlisted pilots since WWII, but don't hold me to it. That would be by default rather than policy though. Air Medal may not apply because there are enlisted flight crews. Not sure if enlisted can receive either award though and there may be more. FWIW, only the senior Ensign aboard ship gets to wear the "Bull Ensign" large gold bars, but that's not actually an award but a tradition. I did find a link that says enlisted may receive DFC and it lists some, including the 3rd SMA Silas L. Copeland. Good question.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States)