DA 638's should have no administrative data on them. Take rank out of the awards process.

I've never heard this approach to solving this particular problem.  I think it's a great idea.  I ran into an issue years ago where I recommended a SGT for a PCS award.  She was a pain in the butt, but she worked very hard and was frequently selected for particularly difficult/arduous tasks (she was very detail oriented too).  The award was initially kicked back because "That's the same award we just gave to the SFC who was the HQ Platoon Sergeant, and the training room NCOIC.  How can you possibly justify that your Soldier deserves the same award."  I returned it with the same bullets and told the commander to downgrade it if wasn't warranted.  The 1SG then started nit-picking every little detail on the award, each time kicking it back for something new and unrelated to previous submissions.  One day I was told the award was good to go.  Two or three weeks later my Soldier was awarded a lesser award as the PCS award.  When I asked her about it, she showed me the 638.  My acting Patoon Sergeant took my award, removed my name, downgraded the award, and resubmitted it.  No bullets were changed, and it was approved with praise from each of the Commanders in their comment sections.  Never in my life have I lost my military bearing to such a degree so quickly.  Calmer heads prevailed and I made it out of my boss's office with my rank, but I'll never forget the BS argument which cost a Soldier the award they had earned.  By the way, the recommendation was an ARCOM, not an MSM as some of you may have assumed while reading this.

SSG Burns...totally agree with you! If a SPC does the exact same thing a SFC does, they should get the same award. Now...the chances of that happening are slim. It has to do with level of responsibility too. If a private is excellent at his job (top 1% performer) and a MSG is excellent at his job...which one has more impact? Which one has more responsibility? A LT and a LTC. The LT fights 4 vehicles and 25 soldiers and owns a small piece of terrain. The LTC is responsible for 600 people, 150 vehicles, and a battle space the size of Maryland. There's a difference there. Both may be excellent at their jobs, but one has a more significant impact on the army and the mission. We do have a gap though. PCS moves are a problem at the rank of SFC-1SG and CPT's. The MSM covers a broad range of ranks in the level of responsibility it represents. It's too wide in my opinion

I wholeheartedly agree.  Not only have I heard about this but I've seen it firsthand.  Why downgrade someone's award????  Because those senior "leaders" did not feel that the individual was deserving of our because they fell short of saving someone's life.  A Soldier (or any servicemember for that matter) should NEVER have to worry about thinking if the work they did was good enough to warrant an award.