Posted on Nov 6, 2013
PCS, Impact, Deployment, and other awards: Should they be determined by rank?
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Should a commander be able to say that they will only give a Bronze Star Medal to SSGs and above? Is this how awards are determined IAW AR 600-8-22? What if a SGT or below has met the criteria to earn a more prestigious award? Why does BDE or higher say that they are only alloted a certain number of awards for deployment or PCS or for an impact award? If your repsonse is "Tradition" or "That's the way it always has been," does that make it right?
Deployment
Awards
PCS
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 129
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Responsibility - that is the word to use when doing awards. Rank should not have anything to do with it. I also see it when it comes time to PCS Soldiers say "I have been here for 3 years so I should get an ARCOM". By sticking to a rank based ideology it waters down our award system.
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No, 600-8-22 states nothing about SM rank having any justification of awards. The award is supposed to reflect the actions and or work that has been done to be fecommended for said award. Does rank factor in to awards? Yes, and it is wrong. I have been down graded from MSM and BSM due to scope of responsibility. Which is nice was of saying you don't have enough rank on your chest. Although I was working out of my MOS during deployment and I have always had a duty mos higher than my pay grade.
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CW2 Arthur Cameron
SSG Marr, although it is not right to base an award solely off the rank of a service member the CSM has a great point on AOR. Sometimes we forget that as leaders our awards, NCOERs, OERs are written by those in out care, what there accomplishments were and how we coached guided and mentored. As for combat zone accommodations it was very well put earlier the award should reflect the merit regardless of rank. In my previous enlisted MOS when we redeployed all SSG and above received the BSM which I personally did not agree with. Although we supported the whole theater of operation our job never required the fire of one shot down range other than the 3 @ camp buring. In closing you said it correctly as leaders it is our responsibility to ensure our soldiers receive the awards they deserve. It's always been said to put the soldier in for an award one above what is really deserved just because it will get downgraded. That does not always happen and the luster of the higher awards get diluted. That's my 2 cents
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SFC (Join to see)
From my personal experience rank has always played a role in the type of awards I have seen given out to people. My first deployment in Iraq a female Captain started a big EO case over awards. She was giving an ARCOM because she was in Iraq for 11 months while other Providers(CPTs/MAJs) received MSMs because there were there for 14 months. She turned it into a race/gender issue. At that time i felt I deserved better than an ARCOM but i did not talk because all SSGs and below got ARCOMs so I had no sympathy for her.
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MSG (Join to see)
I've never understood the need for an awards board for BSMs and the like. Can someone explain why such a board is created?
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CSM Mike Maynard
SFC Thomas - Awards Boards were created because of the sheer quantity of BSMs that were being recommended and because recommenders weren't "clear" on what performance/actions constituted a BSM or a BSM vs MSM.
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This is a really touchy subject for my unit right now.
I am currently deployed with the 2d Cavalry Regiment in support of OEF.
Upon the start of the tour our RCO said that the standard award would be an ARCOM for junior enlisted, and that the higher ranking individuals would recieve higher level awards. our RCSM of course then changed the policy to be AAM's for junior soldiers and higher awards for higher rank.
Now there are really good soldiers, and not so good soldiers in the Army. I have a really hard time accepting that a good soldier who works his butt off and contributes to the platoon, troop, squadron and is an asset to complete the mission, walks off with a lesser award than someone who just floated under the radar the entire tour and will receive a higher award due to a pay grade or two.
I am currently deployed with the 2d Cavalry Regiment in support of OEF.
Upon the start of the tour our RCO said that the standard award would be an ARCOM for junior enlisted, and that the higher ranking individuals would recieve higher level awards. our RCSM of course then changed the policy to be AAM's for junior soldiers and higher awards for higher rank.
Now there are really good soldiers, and not so good soldiers in the Army. I have a really hard time accepting that a good soldier who works his butt off and contributes to the platoon, troop, squadron and is an asset to complete the mission, walks off with a lesser award than someone who just floated under the radar the entire tour and will receive a higher award due to a pay grade or two.
In my professional opinion and from my perspective there are good junior enlisted soldiers who do a lot harder work, and put there best on the line day in and day out, and they deserve more than the "pat on the back" they will receive because they are a PFC or SPC.
Awards should be based on merit and performance. period.
Awards should be based on merit and performance. period.
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I seriously dislike the awards process in the Army. Awards are solely based on rank and how the leadership "personally" feels about the person or the job the person does (the actual job itself not the performance in the job). Example: You could have a Battalion or Brigade Commander who had a bad experience with a certain MOS somewhere in their career. That leader has a bad impression of anybody who does that job. So you could have the best Soldier in the whole theater doing that job but their award will still be downgraded or disapproved because the leader "personally" does not like or think that section is important. It has nothing to do with their level of responsibility or their performance.
I remember having a discussion with a member of my chain command about not getting a bronze star on one of my deployments. They have an awards board where they are "supposed" to read the awards and recommend if the award is approved or not. So I'm explaining why I should have got the BSM and I was asked how come the things I was saying weren't in the award write up. Everything I told them was directly from my award write up. Which goes to show they didn't read it. They looked at the "job" I was there to do and decided off of their personal opinion of whether the job was "important" or not. Thats how they determined my award. It had nothing to do with what "I" actually did or was responsible for during the deployment.
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I have never agreed with getting an award just because you are a certain rank. i actually got into a pissing contest with a lt col over in iraq over an award once. i had more than enough arcomm's and could wipe my ass with them for a year or better. well, during this one awards ceremony, i was standing tall awaiting for my award to be pinned on me, and when she got to me, i got another....wait for it.....SURPRISE....yup, another damn arcomm. well being the bigger NCO that i was, i told her i didnt want it. she looked at me dumbounded as hell and asked me to repeat what i said. so i told her again i didnt want the arcomm and that i had a couple super troops that deserve more than an aam and to give it to one of them and give me their aam because i didnt care what i got, but thought they deserved more than they got. well low and behold, i was told to "shut the f#$k up" and accept my award or i would be standing in front of her for conduct unbecoming. to this day i dont agree with it, but what do ya do.....
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Awards and decorations have their specific criteria. If someone if using rank to determine the awards any SM is going to receive they are wrong. I believe in the fact that if you earned it, you should get it. I would recommend an award for any deserving Soldier not using rank but the criteria specified in the regulation.
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This is an issue throughout life, people that are perceived as not deserving getting acknowledgement for the efforts of others. I do not have a remedy for the situation. I do know that there is a perception of a glass ceiling when it comes to military awards, and that is based upon level of responsibility and manner of performance. Because this criteria is used more subjectively than objectively we come to the point of comparison by rank/skill level.
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No. Award recommendations/approvals
should be based on the impact and extent of the soldier’s contributions.
should be based on the impact and extent of the soldier’s contributions.
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SFC Rocky Gannon
CPT G agreed, but it does happen that you want get the award or it will be downgraded because of grade, we all have seen it happen.
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SFC (Join to see)
Agree w/ CPT Guzman. Awards should be based on merit and overall impact on the mission. I have seen the ladder too many times in my career and it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Downgrades happen all the time and more often than none they
are related to week bullet/justification verbiage. If the bullets justifying the award are not
strong enough leadership will either downgrade or request additional
information.
are related to week bullet/justification verbiage. If the bullets justifying the award are not
strong enough leadership will either downgrade or request additional
information.
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Soldiers should receive awards based on performance, responsibility and going above what is required of them. We often forget that an award is a representation of an individual's achievements that soldier's performance is being rewarded not the fact that they have gotten promoted.
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Soldiers should receive awards based on performance, responsibility and going above what is required of them. We often forget that an award is a representation of an individual's achievements that soldier's performance is being rewarded not the fact that they have gotten promoted.
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