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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Not at all. I saw this a lot when I worked as an awards clerk for a brigade S-1. When a battalion returned from deployment and we started processing the unit's awards, it was shocking. E-4 and below were getting ARCOMs while E-6 and E-7 were getting Bronze Stars all from the same unit and section...all with the same achievements listed.
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SFC William Swartz Jr
Should never be dictated by rank, should be based on merit/achievement/actions, PERIOD.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
Awards should be based on your accomplishments within a particular time frame. I think all Soldiers regardless of rank deserve some type if award if you are deployed, I don't think you should give a sub-par PSG an MSM for sitting on some FOB somewhere with the 1SG drinking coffee everyday, while his/her Soldiers are doing the real work.
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Great comments, everyone. Not much to add here in that vein. I will say that this is a conversation that I've heard over and over, from junior enlisted to young officers alike. It is a great discussion to have, because at the end of the day, it is a person or group of people approving these awards, not an order or regulation -- those are just guidelines to promote fairness. So what can we do, if the "system" is so frequently recognized as broken? Well, judging from the discussions here, there are quite a few smart and fair leaders in this forum who will one day be in a position to influence these types of decisions. Having been in some of these positions in my career, I would suggest that if you have become one of "them", sitting in those positions of influence, remember back to when you were a young pup and how you feel right now. And then take that passion, and temper it with experience, and leverage the influence you have in your position to persuade AND educate those around you in a professional manner. Because rarely will you be in a position to make these decisions in a vacuum. Rather, you work with the command team, discuss amongst each other in a board, and teach other up and coming leaders to draft the appropriate awards, write them properly, and distribute them fairly.
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No But its has been common practice in every unit that I have been in. Bronze Stars were only given to SFC and Above. I have had many awards downgraded because of my rank which is wrong but its the nature of the beast. Its sad to say but I believe that this will never change.
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I had my last Deployment award get down graded because only 10% of the company could receive a Bronze Star. CO, 1SG, Truckmaster, XO, PLT Leaders, and PSG were first in line (because of rank).
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Awards should not be determined by rank and those who allow this to happen should be ashamed of themselves. This exact topic greatly bothered me after reading the Army Times from 5 August 2013. According to the Army Times from 5 December 2001 to 31 May 2013 a total of 354,649 awards were given out for OEF. After taking out the CIB's, CAB's, and CMB's 269,565 awards remained. Out of those remaining the majority, 153,440 were ARCOM's for service/achievement while 17,627 were for AAM's.
Now what I am about to say next may sound a bit like complaining and may also seem MOS biased however I would just like to see an outside opinion on this matter.
I was one of the 17,627 who received an AAM for their service in support of OEF. I deployed as a PFC 11B and was an M240B dismount throughout the 12 month deployment. During this deployment I earned my CIB and was granted a waiver for an early promotion to SPC. I competed in a soldier of the quarter competition for the Squadron while a PFC and although I did not win I outperformed all the competition, to include the NCO's, in the hands on portion of the competition which included treating and transporting a casualty, assembling and loading a radio then calling up a nine line, re-assembling and functions testing a number of weapons who's parts where intermingled and lastly calling for fire using a polar mission, all of which happened on the clock. This coupled with religiously leaving the wire to conduct foot patrols leads me to believe I was one of those affected by this "rank based" award system.
Now I am not saying I was some sort of hero and deserve a Bronze Star or anything like that, but I do feel that as someone who was consistently considered to be above their peers throughout the deployment I did not deserve to be in the bottom 6.5% of deployment awards given. Am I wrong in thinking that a ARCOM is not an unrealistic award for my service?
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SFC (Join to see)
That's a great question and I believe that if you went above and beyond your job description and duties, then hell yeah you deserve a higher award. But, like what has been mentioned above, it comes down to what your leader has written for you. As long as they are writing and recommending the award IAW the reg, I see no problem. It's when it goes past them and they are told to rewrite the award for something less because the SMs rank isn't high enough to receive that particular award is where I disagree and become angered. It's their mentality behind it and it's wrong!
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SFC (Join to see)
So, would you do anything you could to prevent that from happening? Would you stand up to "The Brass?" Or would you not pursue the "right thing to do," for fear of getting your own self in trouble? This is a situational question I am posing to you SGT Sullivan, not an attack. Please don't misunderstand. It's very hard to convey emotion in text.
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
My Final ETS reward of an AAM that was upgraded by a COL with some sense to an ARCOM is proof that I am a product of this very same problem. I have raised my voice on this subject and been shot down, but that didnt stop me from raising it.
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SGT Thomas Sullivan
Also, working in the "strategic" land of satcom offers little to no opportunity for awards because there is a common misconception that awards are only for PCS/ETS and not for current duties being done above and beyond. Not everyone gets deployed, but there are those who shine like stars while in garrison. Those same soldiers working their asses off to prep for the next deployment, train soldiers at the range, cramming in college credits to bump up promotion points while still doing 100 other things at the same time. Deployed or not, submitting someone for an award is there to recognize an outstanding achievement
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I believe a "cruising toward twenty since the last ten" NCO should get an AAM for a PCS award at best and the specialist that made a functioning and inspection-proof key control system for a BN motor pool should get an ARCOM or better.
However, awards are a form of currency/reward. We hand them out based on rank so that peer groups with similar experiences have similar chest appurtenances. My least favorite was a solid clique of company grade officers and warrant officers with silver stars for their "responsibility" during a tour that saw those company grade officers who led platoons into firefights and back out receive an ARCOM each.
However, awards are a form of currency/reward. We hand them out based on rank so that peer groups with similar experiences have similar chest appurtenances. My least favorite was a solid clique of company grade officers and warrant officers with silver stars for their "responsibility" during a tour that saw those company grade officers who led platoons into firefights and back out receive an ARCOM each.
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SFC (Join to see)
Yeah, I just disagree with the mentality of those approving/recommending the awards. They're on a sort of 'Good 'Ol Boy' system that could potentially hinder a subordinates career (as in missing points because of an award that was substandard to the demonstrated performance). A bit far-fetched but imagine missing cutoff by 5-10 points, and that a more prestigious and well deserved award would have covered that gap. I'm just saying. Plus, it boosts morale and esprit-de-corps to see a soldier receive a well deserved award because they busted their butt and went beyond what was required/expected of them.
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Was it his job? I will say even with a clear vision of what he did and how awesome it was it will always be viewed differently by the individual approving it.
I will fight tooth and nail for what I feel a SM has earned. But at the end of the day, that is relative to how I view it and will write it up to set him/her up for success. But I also have to look and answer the hard questions. An award is a privilege, and if I ever received an award and stated I deserve more, I feel, I have failed. Any award is better than no award.
I don't feel that is what you are saying, but I have strong feeling about people thinking they deserve more than whatever award they are given. If someone is doing something to get an award they should be in the Olympics...
I will fight tooth and nail for what I feel a SM has earned. But at the end of the day, that is relative to how I view it and will write it up to set him/her up for success. But I also have to look and answer the hard questions. An award is a privilege, and if I ever received an award and stated I deserve more, I feel, I have failed. Any award is better than no award.
I don't feel that is what you are saying, but I have strong feeling about people thinking they deserve more than whatever award they are given. If someone is doing something to get an award they should be in the Olympics...
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This has been debated before and although AR 600-8-20 does not specify a rank requirement for an specific award many times local policy will play into the decision. Is the award write up showing the necessary requirements for an MSM and the benefits for the Army.
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SSG (Join to see)
Yes it is. The Soldier has gone beyond their element to ensure the mission didn't fall.
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Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS
SSG (Join to see) Here's the question you have to ask yourself. Would you recommend them for a Bronze Star or a Legion of Merit? The MSM has a rough equivalent to those.
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MSG, the awards system needs to be relooked. I for one believe that the Bronze Star should be a Valor medal only, just like the Silver Star. That would inturn make the MSM what the BSM is now except that it could be awarded in peace time and in war. Also, there needs to be another Combat/ Deployment award above ARCOM. The Air Medal rates higher than the ARCOM but is only available to a selct group. Door gunners and piolts who fly so many hours get them for achievement but we give out ARCOMs for full succesful deployments.
SEC Hagel has addressed the award issue and is taking steps in the right direction. However, the problem to me seems to be that the awards are vague. Therefore, as long as the write-up meets the loose criteria we put the soldiers in for it.
Just my opinion.
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