Posted on Jan 17, 2024
Am I authorized the Security Force Advise and Assist Team (SFAAT) Patch since I did an SFAAT tour before the patch came out?
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During Operation Freedom's Sentinel, Kandahar, Afghanistan 2017, I was on the SFAAT mission as a Military Police advisor, embedded with the Afghan Civil Order Police (ANCOP). 2 months after returning home, the first Security Force Assistance Brigade would receive their own colored beret and patches. https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2018/02/22/amid-beret-backlash-the-armys-sfab-soldiers-focus-on-training-deployment/.
Now that I'm retired and making shadow boxes of military career, am I authorized the SFAAT patch since I did an SFAAT tour before the patch came out?
Now that I'm retired and making shadow boxes of military career, am I authorized the SFAAT patch since I did an SFAAT tour before the patch came out?
Kandahar
31B: Military Police
Edited 11 mo ago
Posted 11 mo ago
Responses: 3
Agree with MSG (Join to see) - it's your shadow box.
If for some reason you want to make sure you 100% technically accurate, the Army's Institute of Heraldry approved the SSI to be worn by all SFA units starting 1 December 2017*.
Specific to the 1st SFAB, their DUI was authorized effective 1 August 2017*.
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* https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=18702&CategoryId=10659&grp=2
* https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=10661
If for some reason you want to make sure you 100% technically accurate, the Army's Institute of Heraldry approved the SSI to be worn by all SFA units starting 1 December 2017*.
Specific to the 1st SFAB, their DUI was authorized effective 1 August 2017*.
-----------------------------------------
* https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/Heraldry.aspx?HeraldryId=18702&CategoryId=10659&grp=2
* https://tioh.army.mil/Catalog/HeraldryMulti.aspx?CategoryId=10661
The purpose of this site is to provide information on United States Army heraldic entitlements; how they are displayed, and how and why it is worn.
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1SG Albert Archuleta
Thank COL Cudworth for providing the details, very interesting and very helpful!
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COL Randall C.
I assume your focus is "can I have an award I was given as a civilian put into my military records" and not so much on the "Is the non-article 5 NATO medal authorized".
The answer to the first is "Yes" while the answer to the second is "As long as it is on the authorized list" (in this case, yes it is).
About a half-dozen years ago, I had to dig into the regs and dig this one out as I had a Soldier come to me that wanted to add one of his Civilian Service Awards to his OPMF. The issue is that there is nothing definitive saying, "If you earned an authorized medal in your civilian capacity, you are authorized to wear it on your military uniform" in DoD/Army regulations, policies or instructions/manuals.
However, when you dig into the "U.S. non-military decorations" part of the regulations, there are clearly items which are only awarded to civilians that if earned can be worn on the uniform in their military capacity.
If you take this logically:
● AR 670-1 lists a number of individual awards that can be worned on your military uniform that are non-military.
● A number of them cannot be earned by an individual except in a civilian capacity.
● As AR 600-8-22* states, the permanent award of an award needs to be reflected in the service member's AMHRR.
So, to your question, "Can I LEGALLY get this in my military records?" - yes you can ... but you may have to push to get it done (especially as a retiree who has to work through HRC instead of a local S-1) because the default mode for many is "No" when it's ambiguous for them. The two times my folks went through this process with HRC, I had to get involved once. The other time there was no issue in getting it added.
The one time I had to get involved, the individual at HRC was citing the instructions on the AMHRR Required Documents list* which had a statement for the Certificate of Achievement stating, "Do NOT file when the document reflects being given for civilian ACHIEVEMENT/APPRECIATION/COMMENDATION". Bless the DA Civilian's heart, but I had to get his supervisor involved to point out that it only applied to the Certificate and not awards in general.
Regarding the "non-standard" award situations of being a civilian and non-military awards, there are two primary things you have to make sure of:
● A civilian award cannot duplicate the same activity if already award for your actions as a service member. For example, if you only get a NATO medal for an operation once, then if you were already awarded it as a service member, then you can't also include a medal given for the same operation as a civilian (you still get awarded it in your civilian capacity, but you can't put it in your military records).
● For non-military awards, if they aren't on the "approved list", then they aren't filed in the AMHRR. It used to be that many awards that you weren't authorized to wear were filed "for retention", but HRC clamped down on the process and now it's only the authorized ones that get put in your file.
------------------------------------------------
* DoD Approved NATO medals - https://prhome.defense.gov/Portals/52/Documents/MRA_Docs/OEPM/DoD%20Approved%20NATO%20Medals%20-%202022%2004%2008.pdf?ver=kysPtaPV3stXwgQ-t-Hr-g%3d%3d
* AR 600-8-22 (Military Awards) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf
* AMHRR Required Documents - https://iperms.hrc.army.mil/svc/public-download/ASRBDocuments.pdf
The answer to the first is "Yes" while the answer to the second is "As long as it is on the authorized list" (in this case, yes it is).
About a half-dozen years ago, I had to dig into the regs and dig this one out as I had a Soldier come to me that wanted to add one of his Civilian Service Awards to his OPMF. The issue is that there is nothing definitive saying, "If you earned an authorized medal in your civilian capacity, you are authorized to wear it on your military uniform" in DoD/Army regulations, policies or instructions/manuals.
However, when you dig into the "U.S. non-military decorations" part of the regulations, there are clearly items which are only awarded to civilians that if earned can be worn on the uniform in their military capacity.
If you take this logically:
● AR 670-1 lists a number of individual awards that can be worned on your military uniform that are non-military.
● A number of them cannot be earned by an individual except in a civilian capacity.
● As AR 600-8-22* states, the permanent award of an award needs to be reflected in the service member's AMHRR.
So, to your question, "Can I LEGALLY get this in my military records?" - yes you can ... but you may have to push to get it done (especially as a retiree who has to work through HRC instead of a local S-1) because the default mode for many is "No" when it's ambiguous for them. The two times my folks went through this process with HRC, I had to get involved once. The other time there was no issue in getting it added.
The one time I had to get involved, the individual at HRC was citing the instructions on the AMHRR Required Documents list* which had a statement for the Certificate of Achievement stating, "Do NOT file when the document reflects being given for civilian ACHIEVEMENT/APPRECIATION/COMMENDATION". Bless the DA Civilian's heart, but I had to get his supervisor involved to point out that it only applied to the Certificate and not awards in general.
Regarding the "non-standard" award situations of being a civilian and non-military awards, there are two primary things you have to make sure of:
● A civilian award cannot duplicate the same activity if already award for your actions as a service member. For example, if you only get a NATO medal for an operation once, then if you were already awarded it as a service member, then you can't also include a medal given for the same operation as a civilian (you still get awarded it in your civilian capacity, but you can't put it in your military records).
● For non-military awards, if they aren't on the "approved list", then they aren't filed in the AMHRR. It used to be that many awards that you weren't authorized to wear were filed "for retention", but HRC clamped down on the process and now it's only the authorized ones that get put in your file.
------------------------------------------------
* DoD Approved NATO medals - https://prhome.defense.gov/Portals/52/Documents/MRA_Docs/OEPM/DoD%20Approved%20NATO%20Medals%20-%202022%2004%2008.pdf?ver=kysPtaPV3stXwgQ-t-Hr-g%3d%3d
* AR 600-8-22 (Military Awards) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN18147_R600_8_22_admin2_FINAL.pdf
* AMHRR Required Documents - https://iperms.hrc.army.mil/svc/public-download/ASRBDocuments.pdf
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1SG, since it's for your Shadow Box, it (IMHO) doesn't matter at this point. When you look at the whole, you're asking if you can put it in your Shadow Box and not on your Shoulder. You worked with them on their mission. I see no issue with you placing it in the Box. And if anyone asks, tell them the truth in that "I wasn't SFAAT, but I was attached to them in Afghanistan." Anyone with a military brain won't question it (or rather...shouldn't).
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Would you have been in a MACA or MAGA, depending on if Afghan was authorized an Assistance Command or Group? Who has which above my pay grade? RVN had a Command and Greece a Group, for example.
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