Criteria for Subsequent awards of the Afganistan Campaign Medal

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 05:45:37 -0500

On a hunch I was searched for an expanded list of the phases for the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. Of course the first link I was brought to was a MILPER message in early 2011, which was in line with what I had already been tracking. Then I went and checked out the HRC Homepage, which had added a new one, and listed the Milper message 11-342 which had added the phase Transition I 1 July 2011 to a date to be determined. I took this to my S-1 who proceeded to tell me that because it said "to be determined" and not an end date, I couldn't add the additional star.
Currently my Deployments within the Afghanistan AOE are as follows:
18 Jan 2006 - 29 August 2006 (Consolidation I), 29 December 2010 - 04 January 2012 (Consolidation III and Transition I) and 16 May 2013 - until I come home. Now if i had been asking for the recognition be awarded for this current tour (also under Transition I) I might have understood their argument, even though, as current regulation states: to be awarded the intial medal, you need to be in the AOD for 30 consecutive days or be under enemy contact, and for subsequent awards you need to be in the AOE but one day. However, I know that I'm not always privy to the policies regarding interpretation of awards regulations. So my question is: is there a policy that states that you cannot be awarded initial and/or subsequent awards of the Afghanistan Campaign Medal for a phase of the campaign that has been recognized but not completed?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2014 5:48 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 05:48:28 -0500

Are you saying you should get an additional star while deploying twice in the same phase? Cause that's a negative.

If you asking if you are authorized that additional star for that last phase with no end date, then I believe your right.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 24 at 2014 6:25 AM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 06:25:40 -0500

SGT(P) Pefley, normally you get awarded for participating in a phase of the campaign, and it's not based on whether or not the phase is completed. As long as you were "there" while it was still open, you should be eligible. I recommend your researching and asking your S1 to show you the policy / MILPER they are referencing (in telling you you aren't entitled to the star). It's not a game of "gotcha", but with the numerous changes in phases and policies, it's easy for anyone, including S1 personnel, to be less than clear unless you get it in black and white.

For example, the last time I was in Iraq (08-09), I crossed the line between two phases so have the two stars to annotate that service. Hope this helps.

Response by 1SG Shane Hansen made Feb 24 at 2014 7:02 AM

1SG Shane Hansen — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 07:02:08 -0500

Check out the HRC Awards Branch website at the link below, all questions are answered:

https://www.hrc.army.mil/TAGD/Afghanistan%20Campaign%20Medal%20or%20Iraq%20Campaign%20Medal

ps. your S-1 is a big fail as MSG Cunningham stated

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 6 at 2014 12:21 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 12:21:30 -0400

Based upon your record of service, you are entitled to the ACM with three CSS, period. You have already established qualifying service in two campaigns (Consolidation I and III), and were present for the open of the most recent campaign (Transition I), which although it might be closed prior to today, was certainly open during your second tour.
There is a possibility that HRC publishes more campaigns (the recent election is a likely transition point), but until/ if that happens, three CSS is correct.

Basically, your S-1 is jacked up. No matter what, your Afghan service would rate a CSS for the current campaign. Even if they were to create a new campaign with open/ close dates that exclude you from earning the star for Transition I (which won't happen, as I point out above), you'd still qualify for the "new" campaign - and thus rate a CSS.

Right now, you would not get a new CSS for your current tour, as you already rate the CSS for Transition I.