Why are officers recognized with awards more than enlisted?

A lot of this boils down to unit culture, but there are some other factors.

First off, your branch may be a big part of what's going on. Awards outside of a deployment tend to be really rare in reserve components (National Guard and Reserves) just due to not being in a mission environment most of the time. Your NCOs might be unfamiliar with how and under what circumstances awards should be written, and some of your officers might be lacking in training when it comes to awards. Some officers and NCOs might even be lazy or apathetic with regards to recognizing their troops.

Second, I've seen the argument floated that a person of higher rank has higher responsibility and therefore should get a higher award. I've dealt with more that enough people dying due to incompetent leadership to not agree, somewhat, that this argument has merit. Ensuring that training and mission planning and execution are done properly so that the mission is accomplished and most or all of your troops make it home alive is definitely valuable and should be recognized. But when this kind of decoration is awarded, the unit should be present to hear the citation read, and the citation should include how many long nights and early mornings went into what that officer or senior NCO achieved, and how much personal sacrifice was involved. That way the troops know that it's not a bullshit award being given because the boys' club is looking after its own.

Anyone asserting that there are no boys' (and girls') clubs in the military must have led a blessed and sheltered experience where all the officers and NCOs are competent and believe that the mission always comes first and that the needs of team members are always taken into account as much as the situation allows. When I was in Afghanistan, I was lucky to have great leadership for the most part; but since then, an organization I was part of was riddled with officers and senior NCOs who played favorites and hooked up their buddies. I personally worked for four years with multiple officers and multiple Sergeants Major to get impact awards for several soldiers and DA Civilians. There was never any feedback about the impact not being significant enough or the paperwork being incomplete or incorrect; I looked up all of the regulations and wrote out the awards myself and sent them up through the chain, and all of my emails and RFIs were simply ignored, as were the emails and in-person conversations and RFIs of one Captain who looked into it for me. Meanwhile, these same officers and NCOs were handing out awards like candy to soldiers and DA Civilians that were on teams they favored and in which they had buddies. After four years of failure I finally gave up and quit giving a damn, and told the individuals I had nominated for awards that I was sorry, but even though I knew they were producing above and beyond all the other teams, there was nothing I could do to get them any recognition because we weren't in the boys' club with the Majors and Lieutenant Colonels. I felt I owed them an honest answer. In retrospect, I suppose I could have called the IG, but then again, while some awards might have gotten processed, my career would definitely have suffered because of it, and I was already unpopular enough with some of my leaders anyway, so I was kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place.

At any rate, I do think there's a cultural problem with the awards system depending on where you're at and who you're dealing with. I think that quotas about X rank receiving X award are stupid, generally speaking, when it comes to awards for impact and valor. That's a great way to tell your troops that you don't give a shit about them than to let them get the idea that they're only going to get a certain level of attaboys until they achieve a particular rank. More officers and NCOs should read "Achilles in Vietnam: Traumatic Stress and the Undoing of Character" by Jonathan Shay and familiarize themselves with the effects on soldiers going through combat of believing (or knowing) that their leadership isn't in their corner or doesn't give a damn about them.

As far as asking for an award, I've only done that one time in my career. I was in a position in which I was doing highly technical work that had previously been done by two people in full-time positions. I had gone from zero training and experience to having learned two computer programming languages and multiple software development platforms in only 90 days and being the unit's sole administrator in that position. I had developed software that saved the unit literally tens of thousands of staff hours annually. I asked my supervisor if he would write me up for a state achievement ribbon because I planned on going into software development when I got out of the Army, and due to some situational particulars, I knew this accomplishment wasn't going to go on my NCOER. Given that an O-3 could approve the award, this would be a relatively easy way for me to get an on-paper recognition for some very real accomplishments that I could use as resume bullets after retirement. My supervisor decided to write it up as an ARCOM and got it awarded. Sometimes the system does work, when you have good leadership in place.

I asked this question when I had soldiers awards downgraded and the 2dLt upgraded. I was told, in no uncertain terms mind you, we officers are better than enlisted and we deserve more. We went to college and you didn't. you could have and d idnt. your own fault.

Try earning some and you'll notice this is not true.

I didn't really think it was a thing for Officers to get more awards but more so of a higher award. I think It comes down to a few factors though, what your level of responsibility was and if you have a command/first line leader will put you in for the service or action you did. Most Officers that get put in for award is because they played a leadership role of some sort. If your e-4 and below; normally awards are given out for achievement and only service for pcs or deployment. - if put in for recommendation, sometimes a leader can be salty or doesn't believe your action was worth putting in for the recommendation. When it does get wrote by a recommender; there's multiple reasons why awards most of the time will get downgraded or not recommended. Chances are if the award is not wrote out to be something special or wrote poorly, "Sell yourself- for example quantifiable numbers and if you were responsible for any signed equipment how many and the value." it wont hold up, so having someone that knows how to write an award helps.

This topic is a very volatile and for the most part misunderstood. I hope to offer clarity based on what I have seen. I got to serve at higher command HQ for half of my career, and most supervisors have a way of NOT recognizing the people around them based on one selfish measurement, they measure they use themselves to measure those around them! I have known some individuals who would rather have an arm broken than to pick up a pen and write a letter, or seek an award for any soldier.

The ability to see exceptional behavior, conduct and service should be an easy thing to see, but the system does not encourage this behavior. As an example our services have a built in disregard for rewarding some of our highest awards, why would they want to handout lesser ones. The powers that be will always measure the current service person in a lesser way. This is not fair, but it seems to be human nature. Yours, CPT Mark Crane

I was in the airforce 24+ years. Retired 1991. Aircraft weapins loader 14 years (E-7 in 13 years), then OTS for 10+ years, retired as 0-3. So I had more enlisted time than as an officer. As an enlisted troop, I received awards like Nco of the quarter, and other. As an officer I did the same. There is more competition with the enlisted side because there are more enlisted compared to officers. Some factors that help: 1. volunteer for special projects, more responsibility and activities, on and off base. 2. Find out what awards are available and look at the criteria that is used to evaluate them. Do you have something to fit each criteria? 3. Set an example for others to follow and you will stand out. 4. Build a positive relationship with peers, higher ranking enlisted and officers in your unit and you will be recognized.

Awards going to officers before troops on the ground has been an issue way back when I was in the service. Some rightfully deserving, but that officer should also recognize the troops that made them look good. I too am a retired MSG and worked at many levels throughout my time. Only once did I hear a 2 Star say “I am not approving one more award for an officer until I see an award for the troops that did the deed”. it was a good time for all the enlisted.

Throughout my training as an NCO, I was taught to take care of my people. I took that very seriously. Their health and welfare as well as their careers. I was stationed near Seneca Army Depot in New York. On their water tower was a statement “Mission first, people always”.

What really saddens me is the fact that no matter how much the military identifies their weaknesses, they don’t seem to become strengths. Awards to officers and not enlisted is an issue way back. It has been identified as an issue, it has been discussed and still it is an issue. Maybe not all services, but I know the Army needs some work.

My son in-law is in the Navy and he is very good about recognizing his sailors, but it didn’t come easy for him. He was use to being the receiver as he was doing great things as a young officer. Now as an 04, he realizes the importance of making sure he recognizes his personnel. Helps to have me as a mother-in-law. Lol.

The only thing I'll say about this is another paraphrase about some Guy (enlisted) who said of course he'd go some mission where he could save an officer. Something about how if he was enlisted and saved an officer's life, then he'd be eligible for "The One You Wear Around Your Neck." I always thought that was funny.

I have a much simpler answer, there’s a big % of leaders that don’t like to write. Is a lot easier to say or give a pad on their back that writing an award for a well deserving joe. NCOEER 2166-7 and -1 , using the check list is the easiest and the correct way to generate a true report fair to the joe and the system. How many people out there is using it? In my experience, not many. I could compare it to the night vision scope for the 50 cal. Awards are usually approved by officers, is a lot easier for them to generate and Get them approve.

This is the same thing that went on in Vietnam the officers got all the awards and recognition they listed been good if you awards