Why are officers recognized with awards more than enlisted?

I cannot speculate on why you have one award during your eight years of service because I do not know you, your job, your command, your performance and so on. Those are generally factors behind giving an award. You can volunteer and earn a MOVSM and add that to your fruit salad. Most only score when they PCS. One assignment, one award while another Soldier hits Korea then does a combat tour, then back to Korea and that fruit salad gets bigger.

I will throw this out here. I can say that I received more impact awards while enlisted than I have received awards while an officer. Sure, we are talking AAMs, JSAM, ARCOM, COAs, and coins but my award count for impacts during my 11 years prior to going to the dark side outnumbers my PCS/tour awards in the 17 years since then. These were for doing stuff like drown proofing instructor, funeral detail, NCO of the year and so on. As a funeral detail OIC (WO1) I did not get an award but my team did, all of them. I made sure of it.

Now we can look at the level of award as an officer versus enlisted, the highest award I received while enlisted was a JSCOM and ARCOM (pre war time frame during the last century) and have since pulled a couple MSMs, BSM and LOM. Senior NCOs get higher level awards than junior in most cases. It is based on the level of responsibility in most cases. Good leaders take care of their Soldiers and awards are free (cost nothing to give when earned, not candy to hand out). I give out my Chief's poker chip when I do inspections as a pat on the back for good performance. It is their supervisor's responsibility to capture that performance in their tour award or an impact.

Another line of thought is that we see officers getting pinned in big formations where we sometimes award our own at the section or platoon level. Some at going away lunches keeping things on a more personal level. Perception is not always reality.

We also have different standards for awards between units. Officers tend to move more often and if the policy is an award for position and officer will generally have two or more positions in 36 months (XO, S1/2/3/4 and PL for example) while enlisted generally one. If they change units they may get an award for that position or they may get a letter of continuity.

Now, if you are worried about officers getting more awards, put in your packet. WOCS and OCS have classes that start pretty much every other week.

This system is biased in my opinion in a lot of commands that I've been associated with. Let's use a good friend of mine for example. He deployed to Somalia and did great work and accomplished missions that were done for the first time ever, several times. He later deployed to Iraq and did many firsts and things that far exceeded anyone's job description to included conducting one of the first complete police academies amongst several other things which had not been done before. Once this Soldier was submitted for his retirement award which was a LOM, it was downgraded almost immediately to a MSM because he was not an officer or a SGM, according to the S1/G1. This award would have had to leave the DIV and be sent higher, but the intermediate authority (O6) felt that a MSG didn't have that level of responsibility to earn that award and wasn't worthy of that award. I've seen this in many units. Awards were given according to rank and not according to accomplishments. This is a systemic issue in my opinion and needs more regulation. I once had a SGT who worked for me who had been in the Army 16 years who was smarter than most of the other people around us, but he was only a SGT and therefore treated as such. The award system is bogus in my opinion. There is no equillivenancy comparison nor any real regulation, so how can you get a MSM for a PCS award and my friend get a MSM for two different deployments where he did things which had never been done before?

It's because they behave like Democrats... lie through their teeth, look out for their own even to their organization's own detriment, and shower each other with ego awards (Nobel prize anyone?) to keep them happily complicit. In fact, there are entire classes of awards that are only for Generals.. How arrogant, self centered, and egotistical do you have to be to even put that award in the books for presentation?

The left, after all, gets the first crack at indoctrination in the Universities. It is far easier to join the military for the purpose of corrupting it when you don't often have to actually risk your life or anything. It's easy to join the military when you don't have to accept near the risk enlisted do.. and you don't even have to do all that PT stuff or much of the other BS that goes along with being in the military. I mean, you can be so incompetent that you drive one of your troops to suicide.. worry not.. Your brethren will all point out how it was the Joe's fault.. you will still get promoted.. decorated ect.. You can embezzle federal funds to send your wife on shopping trips and even get the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs beg the SecDef to not take your rank away... even though just last week you completely crushed an enlistedman's life for messing up with his travel card. I mean, why the hell not? Right? I bet this is probably why the Air Force is the most left wing among the services... So.. if you want to understand the officer corps.. look at the Democrat Party.

The Navy didn't award NAMs as end of tours awards until way after I retired. In today's Navy if one doesn't get at least a NAM end of tour something's wrong. Our daughter has a chest full of medals and ribbons where as I had nine and only the Good Conduct Medal was a personal award the others are geek dunk awards. Times change.

SSG(P) (Join to see) I have seen a lot of ideas of what gets and deserves awards here. In reality it comes down to three things: 1. did anyone put you in for an award, 2. how well was it written (aka was it written in a way that shows that you earned the award that they are recommending you for), and 3. the approving authority. If nobody for you in for it you will not get one. If the writer paints a picture that you are amazing you might get it, if they are horrible at expressing what you did it might get downgraded or disapproved. And if the approving authority has it in their mind that nobody gets awards then nobody gets awards. If they are like Opera and "you get an ARCOM, you get an ARCOM, everyone gets an ARCOM" then everyone gets one.

While there are contributing factors such as unwritten rules and guidelines, etc. it all depends on these three things.

You made Specialist five years ago. What have you done since then to receive awards? Are you on track for SGT? I don't know much about the reserve world, so my viewpoint on awards and reserve service is limited.

Have you ever discussed this with your leadership? It may be instructive to have a conversation. Mention that you have only been awarded once in 8 years and ask if there are specific things that you need to do to get recognition.

You should realize that, at least in my experience, part time Soldiers don't get as many opportunities to be recognized. The majority of situations that allow you to perform beyond expectations happen during annual training. If you and your leadership end up doing AT at different times, or working different shifts, it can make it more difficult for your accomplishments to stand out enough in the eyes of a potential recommender.

When received my 10th ARCOM as a young E5, my BDE CSM said I should not be recognized for my achievements any longer. But to answer your question, enlisted are perhaps recognized less often than commissioned soldiers because most NCOs cannot write. “He dun good” is not the good enough, lol!

Not that is matters at this late date, 1LT Voyle Smith, but I was the lowest ranking in my detachment, yet the highest decorated. Our Commanding Officer was the least decorated. I think it bolls down to leadership style. My CO was more interested in seeing his men recognize for their service than himself. To a man, we worshiped him and I would have gladly walked through the gates of Hell for that man. Oh wait, he was the Best Man at my wedding. I guess he would do anything for his men too.

This is a really dumb conversation. There is NO regulation preventing ANYONE from submitting awards for ANYBODY at ANYTIME. If you look down your formation and see your Soldiers don't have awards, you have you, and ONLY you to blame.