Posted on Apr 6, 2023
What exceptions are there for being awarded the Overseas Service Ribbon based on length of time overseas?
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Recently I returned from a deployment. When we left on the deployment 27 of us were held back due to COVID and arrived 16 days after the mainbody of our company. Now as we are finishing our DD214s, the 27 were notified we were not authorized that award, despite the commander including us in the OSR Memo. Our total time in country was 8 months and 15 days. As this was due to no fault of our own and the commander authorizing us the award, should we not be permitted to have it on our DD214?
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Posted >1 y ago
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SGT (Join to see) AR 600-8-22: OSR: "Soldiers must be credited with a successful completion of an overseas tour in accordance with AR 614–30"
AR 614-30: "Award of tour credit: A minimum of 11 continuous months in a TCS/TDY status in OCONUS areas where the unaccompanied tour length is between 18 and 24 months, and whose primary duties were to provide direct support of contingency operations" or "Nine months in a continuous TCS/TDY status in areas where the unaccompanied tour length is up to 18 months, or in isolated areas where tour lengths have not been established"
AR 614-30: Creditable periods of overseas service "Starts on the day of departure from a CONUS port for overseas service, or on the date of initial entrance on active duty while outside CONUS".
While there are instances where you can receive tour credit for leaving OCONUS early, the clock starts when you depart. Since you left later than everyone else and came back with everyone, you can not be credited with a tour longer than you actually served.
In this instance, your Commander is wrong. The unit Commander has no authority to "authorize" the OSR, the memo series as a trigger to the PAC section preparing the DD-214. This memo does not serve as an "authorizing document". The OSR is automatic IAW regulation when creditable periods of overseas service are calculated for your DD-214.
AR 614-30: "Award of tour credit: A minimum of 11 continuous months in a TCS/TDY status in OCONUS areas where the unaccompanied tour length is between 18 and 24 months, and whose primary duties were to provide direct support of contingency operations" or "Nine months in a continuous TCS/TDY status in areas where the unaccompanied tour length is up to 18 months, or in isolated areas where tour lengths have not been established"
AR 614-30: Creditable periods of overseas service "Starts on the day of departure from a CONUS port for overseas service, or on the date of initial entrance on active duty while outside CONUS".
While there are instances where you can receive tour credit for leaving OCONUS early, the clock starts when you depart. Since you left later than everyone else and came back with everyone, you can not be credited with a tour longer than you actually served.
In this instance, your Commander is wrong. The unit Commander has no authority to "authorize" the OSR, the memo series as a trigger to the PAC section preparing the DD-214. This memo does not serve as an "authorizing document". The OSR is automatic IAW regulation when creditable periods of overseas service are calculated for your DD-214.
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MSG Ronald Williams
why is this even an award?? in my time, 1956-1978, i did a tour in japan, thailand, okinawa, thailand, vietnam, and germany. guess the old saying cut the pay and give them medals has come true.
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CSM William Everroad
MSG Ronald Williams, great question.
Military recognition is thought to have begun in Egypt with military service members wearing adornments, usually made from precious metals, that distinguished them from other advisors to the Pharaoh. It granted them special privileges.
The idea of privilege continued, but through the 1700s recognition was also given for heroic acts and sacrifice. This includes the awards ordered by George Washington, he wanted Soldiers to be able to display earned recognition so that other Soldiers would treat them with confidence and consideration. A walking resume if you will.
Service medals crept into the mix with the existing valor and Purple Heart in the mid-1940s. Probably for the same reasons that Washington created military awards, to give Soldiers a way to display their service and achievements. Coincidently, the OSR was created in 1981, so you just missed it.
There ar a couple schools of thought on the "fruit salad".
1. the walking resume concept is good for Soldier interactions, some base assumptions can be made based on what a Soldier has earned and wears
2. multiple awards for service worn with awards for valor and sacrifice dilute the significance of both.
3. Soldiers reach for goals and may be enticed to achieve certain service milestones if they see that recognition come from it.
I would have to disagree with your assertion that creating awards is a way to "cut pay". U.S. military service members have received a "pay raise" in every administration since 1908. You could argue that the pay raises have not kept up with inflation (an effective "pay cut"), but I am not willing to do the legwork to show one way or another if that is true.
Military recognition is thought to have begun in Egypt with military service members wearing adornments, usually made from precious metals, that distinguished them from other advisors to the Pharaoh. It granted them special privileges.
The idea of privilege continued, but through the 1700s recognition was also given for heroic acts and sacrifice. This includes the awards ordered by George Washington, he wanted Soldiers to be able to display earned recognition so that other Soldiers would treat them with confidence and consideration. A walking resume if you will.
Service medals crept into the mix with the existing valor and Purple Heart in the mid-1940s. Probably for the same reasons that Washington created military awards, to give Soldiers a way to display their service and achievements. Coincidently, the OSR was created in 1981, so you just missed it.
There ar a couple schools of thought on the "fruit salad".
1. the walking resume concept is good for Soldier interactions, some base assumptions can be made based on what a Soldier has earned and wears
2. multiple awards for service worn with awards for valor and sacrifice dilute the significance of both.
3. Soldiers reach for goals and may be enticed to achieve certain service milestones if they see that recognition come from it.
I would have to disagree with your assertion that creating awards is a way to "cut pay". U.S. military service members have received a "pay raise" in every administration since 1908. You could argue that the pay raises have not kept up with inflation (an effective "pay cut"), but I am not willing to do the legwork to show one way or another if that is true.
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The general rule is that in order to receive an OSR, you must complete the requisite overseas tour. This means it will depend on which country you went to and how long the tour length was supposed to be (USUALLY this is a minimum of 12 months). If comes down to if you were awarded tour credit or not. If you were, then you're eligible for an OSR. If not, then you aren't.
9 months continuous or 11 month cumulative (in a 24 month period) is the minimum time for tour completion in an area where the tour length is 12-18 months. There is an exception that could apply on curtailments (in cases of 'convenience of the government'), but that's not the case in your situation.
9 months continuous or 11 month cumulative (in a 24 month period) is the minimum time for tour completion in an area where the tour length is 12-18 months. There is an exception that could apply on curtailments (in cases of 'convenience of the government'), but that's not the case in your situation.
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COL Randall C.
SGT (Join to see) - Correction - Your deployment was for 9 months, but the tour length (in order to get credit for a tour in that theater) was probably 12 or 18 months.
Because of that (12 months tour length) you could get credit for a completed tour (and thus, eligible for an OSR) after 9 months of continuous TDY/TCS. See CSM William Everroad 's comments about the regs and such (I provided a link below). Specifically, reference table 3-2, row 8 on page 14.
Remember - eligibility for an OSR is a completely overseas tour. No completed tour means no OSR.
This is one of those "It's not fair and this sucks!" times in the military. Yes, you missed earning a tour completion by 15 days.
You COULD keep pushing - try to get an exception/waiver to the policy and get awarded the OSR. Your commander will have to send a memo up the chain though OCAR to HQDA, G-1 (DAPE-MPE). Explain the situation and ask for a waiver to be approved. The worst HQDA is going to say is 'no'. However, my honest expectation is that the request would probably be killed somewhere up the chain before it hit OCAR.
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* https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN6427_AR614-30_WEB_Final.pdf
Because of that (12 months tour length) you could get credit for a completed tour (and thus, eligible for an OSR) after 9 months of continuous TDY/TCS. See CSM William Everroad 's comments about the regs and such (I provided a link below). Specifically, reference table 3-2, row 8 on page 14.
Remember - eligibility for an OSR is a completely overseas tour. No completed tour means no OSR.
This is one of those "It's not fair and this sucks!" times in the military. Yes, you missed earning a tour completion by 15 days.
You COULD keep pushing - try to get an exception/waiver to the policy and get awarded the OSR. Your commander will have to send a memo up the chain though OCAR to HQDA, G-1 (DAPE-MPE). Explain the situation and ask for a waiver to be approved. The worst HQDA is going to say is 'no'. However, my honest expectation is that the request would probably be killed somewhere up the chain before it hit OCAR.
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* https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN6427_AR614-30_WEB_Final.pdf
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A couple of things here:
1. Your commander doesn't authorize the award, regulation authorizes it when the criteria are met.
2. Exceptions are for policies (ETP). Unless specified within the regulation, there is no exception to regulation, AR 614-30 defines the requirements, and CSM William Everroad provides the explanation here.
If were to start down the road of "no fault of their own" on award criteria, everyone in the Army would have 9+ rows of ribbons on their rack.
3. It's an OSR; it's an attendance award for those that showed up on day 1 and were there through at least day 270, whether they contributed to the mission or not.
You should be more concerned with any of your Soldiers that had enough of an impact on the mission to warrant an AAM or ARCOM getting submitted and approved, and making sure your MOB NCOER is competed and submitted, before everyone reverts to TPU and believes none of this is their responsibility anymore.
1. Your commander doesn't authorize the award, regulation authorizes it when the criteria are met.
2. Exceptions are for policies (ETP). Unless specified within the regulation, there is no exception to regulation, AR 614-30 defines the requirements, and CSM William Everroad provides the explanation here.
If were to start down the road of "no fault of their own" on award criteria, everyone in the Army would have 9+ rows of ribbons on their rack.
3. It's an OSR; it's an attendance award for those that showed up on day 1 and were there through at least day 270, whether they contributed to the mission or not.
You should be more concerned with any of your Soldiers that had enough of an impact on the mission to warrant an AAM or ARCOM getting submitted and approved, and making sure your MOB NCOER is competed and submitted, before everyone reverts to TPU and believes none of this is their responsibility anymore.
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