Posted on Dec 8, 2018
As a prior-service Marine now in the Army, where can I go to sort out problems with getting my Marine awards on my ERB?
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I recently joined the army, after serving 9 plus years in the Marines. The transition has been fairly easy, but the admin part, it has not. Particularly when it comes to awards and ribbons transferred over. About once a month, I'm in S1 trying to figure out more awards status due to it not showing up on my Erb. Now I know I get an additional ribbon due to being in the Army and also my unit awards go on the other side. I also noticed the green beret who recently died in is legacy photo was a prior marine and wore all his marine ribbons, including wear the sea service and good conduct. So, one, has anyone dealt with this problem before and two, where do I need to go to to have this sorted out.
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 10
1) Start with your DD214. Everything you earned Medal/Ribbon wise should be there. If it is not, you'll need to get a DD215 (or updated DD214) from HQMC reflecting your correct awards.
2) "Generally" speaking, any award that has a cross-service equivalent can be worn in any service. So your Good Conduct, and Sea Service are both valid awards, as would any NAM or NCMs you may have received. Campaign Medals, NDSM, and Unit Awards all transfer over.
3) Things that don't transfer over are "usually" service specific like Army Service Ribbon (going TO the USMC), or items that have Badges in lieu of Medal/Ribbons (like Rifle/Pistol Medals from the Navy). You'll want to check the US Army 600-8-22 and DA PAM and AR 670-1 (Ch22).
2) "Generally" speaking, any award that has a cross-service equivalent can be worn in any service. So your Good Conduct, and Sea Service are both valid awards, as would any NAM or NCMs you may have received. Campaign Medals, NDSM, and Unit Awards all transfer over.
3) Things that don't transfer over are "usually" service specific like Army Service Ribbon (going TO the USMC), or items that have Badges in lieu of Medal/Ribbons (like Rifle/Pistol Medals from the Navy). You'll want to check the US Army 600-8-22 and DA PAM and AR 670-1 (Ch22).
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SGT (Join to see)
Awesome thank you. Yeah, I know I would receive the army service ribbon but was unsure how my sea service and good conduct would go.
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LTC Trent Klug
There are others that don't cross over either. The Combat Action Ribbon for one. All unit awards are worn over the right breast pocket, unlike in the Marines. You can take a look at my picture and see the precedence as I have served in both services as well. Just ignore the State awards at the very bottom.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
LTC Trent Klug - The CAR is a confusing case. The ribbon itself is allowed for wear (as it is not explicitly restricted in AR 670-1), however it does not directly convert to CIB/CMB/CAB badges which is what causes most of the confusion. Additionally, once awarded a CIB/CMB/CAB, this is treated as a duplicate award (an award in which a badge is authorized per #3 above)
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SSgt Wilson Ortiz
SGT (Join to see) - So did you end of getting the Army Service Ribbon? https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2008-title32-vol3/xml/CFR-2008-title32-vol3-sec578-41.xml
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The confusing part will be signing the order of Precedence. Your Marine/Navy achievement or Commendation Medal and your Army Commendation Medal should be side by side but I don't know what goes last and what goes righr?
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LTC Stephen Conway
SGT (Join to see) not sure if this computer program will help you.
https://www.usamilitarymedals.com/pages/military-medals-and-ribbons-precedence-chart
https://www.usamilitarymedals.com/pages/military-medals-and-ribbons-precedence-chart
Military Medals & Ribbons Precedence Chart
Learn Military Ribbons and Medals Order of Precedence. The US Military's current order of precedence. Make sure your ribbons and medals are always in perfect order.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
My understanding is the service you are CURRENTLY in has the highest precedence. It only gets squirelly when you have three services to deal with.
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LTC Stephen Conway
Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS I was so upset when I had a Navy run PRT in Afghanistan and I received an Army Commendation Medal instead of a Navy Commendation Medal. I really wish I would had the Navy Commendation Medal but because we felt under the we received an Army Commendation Medal.
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LTC Stephen Conway
LTC Stephen Conway correction, we still under the 101st Airborne so we ended up getting army medals. I was making the corrections when I hits post by accident
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Did this ever get sorted out? I'm having the same issue after transitioning to the NG. The DD214 isn't a valid source document for awards. The original award citations are. There are no award citations for sea service deployment ribbons and afghan campaign medals and such, so what is the appropriate source document?
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SSG (Join to see)
I'm also a prior service Marine and now an Army Reserve IMA Soldier whose administration is HRC itself. They are telling me that my SSDR (on my DD214) is a Navy Award and not a USMC award, therefore I do not qualify for it and cannot wear it!!!
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SFC (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) Interesting. I've had everything from my NAM and CAR all the way down to the Navy Sea Service ribbon transferred over to the Army
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SSG (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) - It ends up the soldier assisting me at HRC didn't know what they were talking about and the issue has since been rectified (ALL my USMC Awards--CAR, SSDR's, MUC, JMUA, MCGCM, AFEM--are now in my Army ARB!). One interesting fact I learned is that my MCGCM (first award) counts as my Army GCM (first award) and that I can only earn an AGCM (2nd award).
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SFC (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) It's weird when it comes to PME schools as well. After ALC I finally rated the NCO Professional Development Ribbon while the rest of my class has the number 2 on theirs.
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O how times change. In 1963 I joined the army after serving 4years in the Marine corp. I went from Corporal in the Marine Corp to PFC in the Army. It was a change I couldn't believe how easy it was in the Army. 15 months later I was a SP/5. I didn't have to worry about my medals. All I had was a Marine Good conduct medal. I also had an excellent shooters badge. Today They have to many medals for nothing. When I got discharged in 1966 , I had a Marine and Army good conduct service medal, Vietnam service medal, Vietnam campaign medal. Vietnam cross of gallantry metal and a National Defense Medal. The Vietnam campaign and the cross of gallantry medal was awarded to every GI< that served in Vietnam. Just before I left Vietnam I was offered a Battlefield Commission as a 2nd Lt. if I stayed in Vietnam another year. I had only been married 8 months I turned it down and returned to civilian life where I worked for GM, for 35 yrs. Semper Fi.
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Your ERB is just a "brief" of your OMPF (iPERMS). To wear an award, the award must be in your OPMF (iPERMS). If you can see your award in your iPERMS, and it is authorized for wear in AR and DA PAM 670-1, you are authorized to wear it.
If the document is not in iPERMS, provide it to your BN S1 and ask them to batch it to iPERMS.
Order of precedence, including awards from other branches can be found in DA PAM 670-1starting at Ch 20-5.
If the document is not in iPERMS, provide it to your BN S1 and ask them to batch it to iPERMS.
Order of precedence, including awards from other branches can be found in DA PAM 670-1starting at Ch 20-5.
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SSG (Join to see)
I'm a prior service Marine who is now in the Army Reserve. When you say the award "must be in my OPMF" would the fact that it is on my USMC DD214 (which is in IPERMS) count as "being in OPMF"?
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LTC Jason Mackay had a recent post that had all the details spelled out with enough specificity to get your awards recognized with very little pain.
I also always go with the Army as first in order of precedence being it's the oldest service.
I also always go with the Army as first in order of precedence being it's the oldest service.
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LTC John Mohor
:SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint possibly so but since he's in the Oldest service now Army Good Conduct is higher prescedence than the Marine Corps.
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I have 4 years in the Corps as well and I’ve been Army for about 7 years now. My awards have still not shown up. The required documentation requested by the S1 OIC was my 214, and since I’ve had awards given after Corps service, any documentation proving I was indeed awarded them. If you can’t find these docs, try IPERMS. I would suggest giving it 3-6 months for your ERB to update before you do anything drastic such as going to a higher echelon. Even then, try and work with your BN S-1 as much as possible. I recently went through the paperwork to get my enlisted years added to my O1 DOR and that process took about 9 months. Just keep trying and be patient.
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I am really surprised that your S1 is on the their ass in this problem. It's kinda their job to walk you through and get it straightened out. I'm sure you have a DD214 + orders awarding them.
If a soldier is supposed to receive a personnel award or even a unit award because he served during a particular time frame, Army General Orders will list who, what, when, where and time frame awarded.
I'm pretty sure the \Navy holds the same for the USMC. Maybe your S1 is searching wrong data base.
If a soldier is supposed to receive a personnel award or even a unit award because he served during a particular time frame, Army General Orders will list who, what, when, where and time frame awarded.
I'm pretty sure the \Navy holds the same for the USMC. Maybe your S1 is searching wrong data base.
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Ok so this is hard because it’s a lot of paperwork and looking up awards S1 don’t want to do their job. It’s took me a whiles but I get some of my stuff in. So it’s easy if you take the Navy route than Marines it’s hard to find your awards under Marines but it’s easy to find it in the Navy section that how I was able to transfer most of my stuff. The only things I’m trying to transfer now is my MCMAP for Army Combatives Since it’s worth promotion points.
Marines Deployment on my ERB letter of appreciation which is the same as COA.
The date of Rank is always going to get jack up
Because the day you became active that your new date of rank.
Marines Deployment on my ERB letter of appreciation which is the same as COA.
The date of Rank is always going to get jack up
Because the day you became active that your new date of rank.
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Suspended Profile
I had this problem when I joined the Army. I had my Marine Corps DD214 with my awards and just had the SPC at S1 add my ribbons to my ERB. The issue I had was I was awarded ribbons after the Gulf War that were not on my DD214. I went online and requested my updated ribbons and they emailed my the official records update. I again took that to S1 and updated my awards. None the order of my Marine/Navy/Army awards. I just went on Rack Builder online and entered all my ribbons and clicked the Army tab. Rack builder put my awards in order to Army Regs. Between all three branches I ended up with 23 ribbons and had Rack Builder send me my rack all put together. The funniest thing was my brand new LT thought my marine Corps expeditionary ribbon was a Bronze Star.
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