What's the fastest way/process you know to process MIL & CIV awards at BDE level?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:02:27 -0500

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2018 10:14 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 10:14:08 -0500

Prayers. Lots and lots of prayers.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jan 24 at 2018 11:32 AM

CPT Jack Durish — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 11:32:08 -0500

Shove a few in the hands of the commanding general and have him visit the troops after a significant action. Once he passes them out, the adjutant will cut the orders to make them official

Response by SSG Robert Webster made Jan 24 at 2018 12:19 PM

SSG Robert Webster — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 12:19:57 -0500

Good question. I have no idea, but then it also begs the question if the awards are brigade final approval or if it goes higher for final approval. Second question that aligns with that is - Is it a separate brigade or one subsumed to a division or corps? Indirectly that means is it a small brigade or a large brigade (also the rank of the commanding officer).
One thing that I can say for sure, the higher it goes in the approval process, the longer it usually takes at the lower levels to include bouncing back and forth between levels for various reasons.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 24 at 2018 3:16 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 15:16:49 -0500

CPT Private RallyPoint Member follow regulations and setup an SOP to have timelines for submission and being approved at each level. Without that you will have awards sitting on a person's desk who then PCS's and you are doing the award two years later or people just do not put in awards anymore.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 24 at 2018 10:49 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 22:49:45 -0500

An award that is clearly written, with words and language that is natural to the recommender is step one. Step two, the Company Commander and Battalion Commander must positively endorse it with handwritten comments adding something to the 1-4 bullets on the front. Three, the BDE must have an awards cycle to get the boss to sign them before they all pile up. Recommend the Adjutant has a set aside signing time with the BDE Commander. Pile goes in, pile comes out signed.

The BDE Commander should pull his company and battalion commanders in to explain his philosophy so they can coach award writers and successfully vet everything as it comes through. A recommendation on awards based on a single event. One bullet should be all that is required. If it ain't wowing the boss, then it wasn't significant enough. Service awards should be fuller. My Brigade Commander did this. It made screening awards for him easier as the DCO, XO, CSM team.

Civilian awards are sort of foreign to commanders. The first run in with a civilian award should have a cover sheet with the excerpt out out of the 672 series reg that covers them outlining the criteria for the particular award and who the approval authority is. My question as a GC that could do these awards, was who approves this? Can I approve it? It is quirky because there are like 4-5 people on the bottom that need to hack off on it like EEO and DHR.

Leave your self time to get these out. Jammining up the approval,authority can backfire. Sometimes you win, sometimes you get a retirement award downgraded because they are pissed. The S1 should have slides in Command and Staff about anticipated awards, by name for ARCOM and above and the due dates. MSM and LOM are backed up usually 3 and 6 months respectively from the presentation date. ARCOMs usually 60 days. AAMs 30 days.