What are acceptable source documents to transfer Marine awards to the National Guard?

2019-09-08T01:34:22-04:00

So I transitioned over from the marine corps (great decision no regrets) after 9 years. I have a few awards that I’ve been trying to transfer over.
S1 tells me the DD214 is not a valid source document for awards. No biggie, they accept original award citations.
But for the things that don’t have award citations, Afghan campaign medal, Sea service deployment ribbons, GWOTs, etc, what is supposed to be the acceptable source document? S1 is content with the answer that they just won’t transfer and that’s what happens when I switch branches, which I know is not true from my research on rallypoint. I just can’t find the answer to what satisfactory source documents for these awards are. Advice?

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2019 2:52 AM

2019-09-08T02:52:41-04:00

Deployment orders

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2019 3:10 AM

2019-09-08T03:10:14-04:00

If it is on your DD 214 from the Marines, then you should have documentation somewhere validating why it's on your 214. But, to answer your question, any documentation that you have in regards to orders, memorandums, certificates, DD 638s.....anything that is listed on an official DD document for what ever award from the Marines should suffice.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Sep 8 at 2019 5:17 AM

2019-09-08T05:17:38-04:00

https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

(I also just sent this to that other thread I'd seen you'd sent in about this whole thing, as well, I'm just repeating all I'd sent here, for convenience, to try to make sure you'd see it, OK?

That is quite interesting you're being told that about a DD214, or, I'd expect also, a DD215, not being accepted by ARNG, NGB generally, or possibly, ANG, as well...I'd been unaware that was the case with Natl Guard, as you'd described it...that being said, I'm sending you here the link for the eVetRecs site for NPRC in St. Louis, which is, of course, part of Natl Archives (NARA)...the toll-free for NARA is 86-NARA-NARA, I'll also try to send you the NARA leadership page as well, so you'd know whom to try to approach for help...I merely suggest it, as we've always found the NPRC staff to be most helpful, esp., also, at querying the svcs themselves, directly, when they need more info than might be in their records in St. Louis, at their new bldg, built fairly recently...just remember, filing the Java applet on the eVetRecs site itself is worthless unless you fax in a signed, dated, copy of the eVetRecs printout, as well, to the NPRC fax phone listed on the printout, and, also, for God's sake, don't lose the request number or code, or the NPRC switchboard staff won't be able to find it, at all, honest...ask for all your stuff, admin/personnel, as well as med/dental, you'd need to ask for both folders separately, if you want both, expect both to be double-sided copies, that's how they do it, copy them all over yourself to convert them to single-sided, then store them on a flash drive or on a PC hard drive, as well, if you have a copy place do it, you're bound to get blank, blurred, or out-of-order pages, that's one task you're best off doing yourself, trust me, been there, done that (BTDT), honest...then, submit the whole thing also, with the online Privacy Act (PA) requests, to all three of your Congress local ofcs, chat with the mil/vet local ofc staffers, get their first names, or whatever they use, to try to be able to call them back, the PAs for the Congress ofcs are all done online now, I think, once again, you still need to sign and date their PA printouts, and fax and/or email those back, all Congress ofcs typically have casework email addresses on their websites, I'd seen, or that you can also call to ask for, as well as possibly their mil/vet staffers, maybe, as well, that tends to vary somewhat from ofc to ofc in Congress, I'd also noticed...you should also ask the NARA and/or Congress staffs to try to get you a call back from the staff to the NPRC director, they do call back, and, as I'd said, have always been most helpful whenever we've needed help with anything, honest, OK? If you'd want to chat more, just lemme know; I should certainly think between all four of those, NPRC, as well as all three Congress ofcs, you should be able to adequately be able to get all the help you need with all you'd mentioned, in a fashion acceptable to both ARNG, and/or NGB, I should think, honest. Doing it all may admittedly take you some time, certainly; however, quite honestly, that's how I'd at least try going about the whole thing, for real, OK?

military-service-records

Response by 2LT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2019 5:53 AM

2019-09-08T05:53:58-04:00

The DD214 is proof of AD time and oversees tours. To that end, it is the source document for campaign medals and sea service. Awards that require an approved memo or the actual award certificate, such as the GWOT's or MUC's, may be listed on your DD214 but you would need to provide the memos/certs for them to carry over.
Your S-1 could re-recommend you for the awards and submit them. For that you would use orders, DD214's, and any other proof to show the AO that you competed the requirements for the award.

Response by CW5 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2019 8:12 AM

2019-09-08T08:12:52-04:00

I ran into the same problem when coming off an active duty tour. The National Guard claimed a DD214 is not a valid source document for awards. That included overseas ribbons and campaign awards. I had to go back and find orders covering deployed periods to prove my DD214 was correct. Seemed like a waste of my time as they wouldn't be on a DD214 to begin with if you hadn't been deployed. In the Army!

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 8 at 2019 9:10 AM

2019-09-08T09:10:51-04:00

Should still be able to get on MOL. That’s what mine let me use. CaC should still work for it and everything