Is my dd214 not enough proof that I earned an award?

When looking for records look at "Reserve "records I seem to remember that my official record was listed as reserve records. I was active Rifed and went to the reservers. If they are looking in the wrong place you won't see them. Also look at contacting the S1 folks in your old unit they may have access to historical records that could help. A lot of the civilian staff stays around for a long time. So someone could still be around albeit in different position now that was there when you were.

I was under the same situation but my S1 add most of them as long as they are listed on my DD 214 (6 years as Reservist).

Maybe I'm misreading some, but I feel like a lot of the comments are issuing the issue. If I read correctly, you are saying you have awards that are not on your DD-214, but you do not have the award orders or certificates for those awards that are not on your DD-214.

The 214 is the first document anyone will look at as proof of awards for a separated servicemember. But as someone else said, it isn't the end all be all for proof. If it is not on your 214, then you would need either an award order or an award certificate to have it added to your record. If you don't have those, then it will indeed be difficult to prove you are entitled to the award. For individual awards, that is really your only options for proof: 214 or award order/certificate. You can request your records through the electronic system in DMDS or hard copy from St Louis (I was able to get a copy of father's military records that way).

For unit awards it is a little easier. You just need to prove the unit award was awarded to the unit for a certain period (each services have those lists somewhere), then show you were assigned to the unit during that period for the required duration for that award. (In some cases you can be attached to / deployed to / detailed to the unit and that may still count, depending on the award.) For example, after I switched from the Army to the Air Force, a couple of the Army units I was assigned or attached to were awarded some unit awards. I had to show the Air Force that these units were authorized the award and show my orders showing I was in those units during the award period for the requisite time (some awards are 1 day, some are 30 days, etc.). They weren't on my Army DD-214 because they hadn't been approved at that point. But I was able to get those added to my Air Force record and they are now on my Air Force DD-214. It is more difficult to get additional Air Force unit awards (ones awarded after I retired but for a period when I was active in the unit) added now that I'm fully retired because it would entail getting my final 214 updated. Not sure how that works (BCMR?) but I know it is possible. Once again, for individual awards you've got to have a 214 or an award order/certificate in order to prove it and get it added. You'll have to request your entire record from your previous service probably.

Others are also correct that 214s and ERBs/ORBs can be fat-fingered as well. I once had an E-6 wearing a Defense Distinguished Service Medal, an award only granted to General Officers and MAJCOM and higher E-9s. It was on his record because it was fat fingered by someone, and then he started wearing it because it was on his records. It eventually came out when a promotion board was reviewing his record.

So anyway, good luck in finding documentation for your awards.

Call or email the reserve unit that you serve with and tell them what's going on and they can direct you to the correct office's.

IT'S ALL ON YOUR DD...I USED MY 214 AS I.D...ACCEPTED GENERALLY/W PHOTO I.D...

If your DD 214 is missing some information from your records, you will need to apply for a DD215, which is a corrected DD214. Forward any documents you have for issuing information. Good luck.

Former 75F here. The DD214 is a source document. This means that anytime anything is added to it, it has been verified. If you have an award on your DD214, and your S1 is not adding it to your ERB, the S1 is not doing their job correctly. If they are requesting the actual award document, the S1 should send a request to the archives for it.

I am in almost the same boat. Commissioned 19 Jan 2006, apparently I have 0 proof that I actually was commissioned. My DD214, ID card, vehicle sticker, 2 certificates, verification of active duty, orders, statements from support personnel, ORB, pictures, and everything else does not matter. You can show them proof till the cows come home, but If they don't care then apparently there is nothing you can do but take it to court, and if your family is not rich enough to fight, then you are SOL. One thing I have noticed in recent years (especially once the former President took office) is that what is real and true may not be the same for everyone, even with all the proof and evidence that you can muster. What we did in the past is not "made up" folks. We were there. We participated in the things that we did. We either enjoyed those things or did not enjoy those things, but either way we remember them as they happened because we were there. Apparently "proof" or "evidence" is no good anymore when anyone can just say it is all just "fake."

Sometimes it is, Sometimes it isn't. Awards like an AAM or ARCOM wouldn't be on a dd214 without some verification. But if you are issued an ACM (American campaign medal) and not an ACM-1CS (Afghanistan campaign medal with 1 campaign star) THAT'S when I, as an HR SPC, will move heaven and earth to determine if its credible. I've prepared over a dozen dd215s because demob sites forget the correct code for the Afghanistan campaign medals and you end up with a 1942 award for serving in the battle of the Aleutian Islands. I won't correct any other medals because paperwork does get lost.