Posted on Jun 15, 2021
CPL Combat Medic
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I personally believe that if a solider did something worth awarding, it should be given to them following that event. These pcs/etc awards where they sit around and try and say nice things about you seems to loose its value. Have you seen anyone ever reject an award?
Posted in these groups: Us medals Awards
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SGT English/Language Arts Teacher
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Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
3 y
You beat me to it. Although I did have a discussion with a Marine Major who worked for me who said he wouldn't accept any end of tour award when he left HQUSCENTCOM. I left before him so don't know what happened.
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LTC Jason Mackay
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Edited 3 y ago
CPL (Join to see) You can make a scene and refuse to accept it, but once the Issuing HQ issues it via permanent orders, it's going in your Official file at DA, will be on your SRB, and will be required to match in your DA Photo. You've got it whether you wanted it or not. Accept it for all the times you should have been recognized and weren't. Accept it on behalf of your team mates who helped make it happen.

Not telling you you have to go to the PX and get an AAM decal to add To your ARB (automotive record Brief on your back window). Accept it and wear it properly.

The reasoning behind the phenomenon we know as the PCS award is because people weren't getting recognized for anything. Morale was low. I remember when the PCS award came to be standard practice circa 1994. Additionally, the individual atta boy moments sometimes did not hit the AAM, ARCOM or MSM level. But demonstrate over time you can do great things, now you are hitting award criteria. You had Joe's with coins and COAs but it wasn't earning them promotion points. The senior leadership across the Army determined that soldiers, unless otherwise documented, surely would have done something worthy of an award (and yes a COA is an award). How that manefested in the 11th ACR where I was leading my Platoon was:

- if the soldier was a dirt bag, but was not otherwise flagged or barred, you had to counsel them on a DA Form 4856 why they were not being recommended and recognized. (Hardly anyone did this, jerk move. Though there were a handful)
- soldiers who were ineligible for awards in AR600-8-22 were counseled via DA Form 4856. (Flag, bar, negative Chapter)
- Soldiers who were eligible were recommended by their first line leader when they hit the loss roster or were 60-90 days from ETS. It was left to the soldier's chain to determine the appropriateness of the recommended award based on manner of performance and nature or responsibilities. At the time specialists were routinely section sergeants and squad leaders, working with increased responsibility beyond their grade. then there were rank and file specialists. We had a Corporal that was in charge of the 11th ACR Horse Detachment as an example...public facing regiment level function. Usually a SSG or SFC does this. Senior TOW missile repairer on Ft Irwin was a SPC.
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LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
3 y
SSG Roger Ayscue - you'll never see the public conversation if your CDR and CSM are worththeir salt, but as a BDE DCO and BN XO I have seen it happen. If the Commander knows the soldier first hand, it can and does happen. The struggle with the CSM is usually maintaining a sense of consistency in decisions (conscience of the command) which works so well at times, there is a perception of transactional awards, if I do x y and z I get this, if I do w x y and z I get this other thing. If I have three of these I automatically get this other thing. Awards are all supposed to be based on the merits of the individual 638: manner of performance and nature of responsibilities.
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SSG Roger Ayscue
SSG Roger Ayscue
3 y
LTC Jason Mackay - I agree sir, but we both know that it rarely works that wway
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3 y
I heard more than once of of awards being downgraded because a soldier doesn't have the next lower award. A SPC well deserving of an ARCOM, serving in place of an SSG, not getting primarily because of not having an AAM. A CPT getting a MSM downgraded to an ARCOM because the records of more than one prior ARCOM were missing after a break in service. A soldiers service either was or wasn't deserving of a particular award and maybe it should be downgraded upon review but I've never seen anything in regulation about lower awards being a requirement for a higher award.
LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
3 y
CW3 Matt Tait because it’s not a requirement.
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LTC Stephen F.
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Thank you my friend CPL (Join to see) for posting an interesting question.
Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for mentioning me.

Musical folks have been known to reject awards including John Lennon in 1969 and David Bowie rejected two
1. John Lennon returned his MBE to the Queen in 1969,
2. David Bowie turned down not one but two awards from Her Maj? First Bowie was offered the CBE in 2000, the year of his triumphant headline set at Glastonbury; he politely declined. In 2003 David Bowie also rejected a Knighthood: “I would never have any intention of accepting anything like that,” he said. “I seriously don’t know what it’s for. It’s not what I spent my life working for.”
3. Axl Rose refused to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of his former Guns ‘n’ Roses bandmates last year.

4. Additionally Kanye West, Jay Z rejected awards.
Background from {[https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/10-artists-who-turned-down-awards-with-style-764420]}

FYI Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen Lt Col Charlie Brown MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter SMSgt David A Asbury PO1 William "Chip" Nagel PO2 (Join to see) SGT James Murphy SPC Michael Duricko, Ph.D SPC Michael Oles SR SPC Michael Terrell SPC Nancy Greene Sgt (Join to see) Maj Marty Hogan LTC Greg Henning GySgt Thomas Vick PVT Mark Zehner
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