Would you drop hints for an award recommendation if nobody has done it?

Lesson in military life - you make your own career. I've actually written several awards for myself and sent them to my commander for approval. All 3 I've written have been approved. You have to be proactive in your career. If you can't write them, find somebody to do it for you. It's a sad but true reality - squeaky wheels... if you don't squeak, others will get the grease.

MSG Kent Holmes if you want my weight as a BC I'm happy to assist. I wrote an MSM for an unnamed CW3 a few months back for work he did on a website that helps us all and sent it straight to his CG and copied his CoC and they approved it last month.

As a young PFC in the NG over 20 ys ago I did 50 funerals myself back when they were unpaid and always wondered why it didn't warrant something. In fact I never got my first AAM until I was an E6 DS.

Having said all of this, clearly we don't do it for the awards but certainly can understand the frustrations of a young Soldier who has gone WAY above and beyond. ARCOM for sure on this one. I'm happy to help and get the attention of his Bde Cdr and MACOM Cdr. They need (and want) to know about these things.

Final point on awards is this - to me, awards say far more about the leadership within the units a Soldier serves than even the individual Soldier. It takes nothing but time to write an award (and perseverance to ensure it actually gets awarded). ANY Soldier of any rank can submit one. Pay it forward... ;)

I have drafted suggested write-ups for my bosses before. I leave the rest up to them.