Award Writing for Dummies!

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Award Writing for Dummies!
References for Army military awards?
What is an Award? A decoration, medal, badge,
ribbon, or appurtenance bestowed on an individual
or a unit

• Complete Administrative data DA 638 in Jetform
  or Form Filler
• Complete blocks 1 through 20
• Awards need to be accurately abbreviated. (MEPAM
  600-200)

Army Regulation AR 600-8-22 MILITARY AWARDS
950225 US Army Institute of Heraldry
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Overview

• References
• Why give awards?
• What's the current command policy on awards?
• What type of award should be presented?
• What are Troop Command's SUSPENSES then?
• How do I justify an award?
• Do you have some guides on how to write the
  justification?
• Catchy words, word combination, and phrases
• Phrases
• Adjectives and Synonyms
• Verbs

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Why give awards?
Army leaders present various type of awards and
decorations to recognize soldiers for valor,
meritorious service, and achievement. It's our
formal way of thanking them and recognizing them
for their outstanding contributions to the Army's
success in mission accomplishment. Awards given
to deserving soldiers increase esprit de corps in
the unit and provide other soldiers the necessary
incentive to go above and beyond their day-to-day
responsibilities thus contributing to the success
of the unit.
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What's the current command policy on awards?
The current policy is to
ensure that all soldiers completing their tours
of duty are thoroughly screened for their
contribution to the organization and those that
performed meritoriously are recommended for
various types of awards that is commensurate with
their exemplary service and contribution to their
organization. The Commander, has established
that all approved awards be presented before the
soldier's permanent change of station
(PCS)/retirement.  You don't have to wait until
the soldier's PCS to submit him or her for an
award. If you want a soldier to be recognize for
immediate significant achievement, you may
recommend him/her for impact award. It will not
preclude the soldier for an end of tour award,
except you can no longer refer to this single act
of heroism or achievement that already have been
previously recognized by an impact award.
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c. ARMY COMMENDATION MEDAL.
The Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) is awarded to
members of the Armed Forces of the United States
for distinguishing themselves by heroism,
meritorious achievement, or meritorious service.
Awards may be for acts of valor performed under
circumstances described above, that are of a
lesser degree than required for award of the
Bronze Star Medal. These acts may involve aerial
flight. An award may be made for acts of
noncombatant-related heroism that do not meet the
requirements for an award of the SM.
d. ARMY ACHIEVEMENT MEDAL. The Army Achievement
Medal (AAM) is awarded to members of the Armed
Forces of the United States who, while serving in
any capacity with the Army in a non-combat area
on or after 1 August 1981, distinguished
themselves by meritorious service or achievement
of a lesser degree than required for award of the
ARCOM. The AAM will not be awarded to general
officers.
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CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENTS
Commanders may recognize periods of faithful
service, and acts or achievements which do not
meet the standards required for decorations, by
issuing DA Form 2442 (Certificate of
Achievement) or a Certificate of Achievement of
local design to individual military personnel.
The social security number (SSN) will not be
entered on the CofA due to the provisions of the
Privacy Act. g. MEMORANDA OF COMMENDATION/
APPRECIATION. Acts of service meeting the
criteria for lesser recognition may be written
for Memorandums of Commendation/ Appreciation,
and typed on letterhead stationary. A Memorandum
of Commendation/Appreciation is appropriate when
an individual demonstrated a highly satisfactory
performance of duty.
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What are the Troop Command's Suspenses then?
MSMs and higher 120 days prior to the desired
presentation dateARCOMs 60 days prior to the
desired presentation dateAAMs and MOVSM 60 days
prior to the desired presentation date
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How do I justify an award? a. The length of time
is not a primary consideration however, speed of
accomplishment of an important task can be a
determining value of an act. Also, for a service
award, the individual would need to have served
in the position for a sustained period of time to
achieve a succession of outstanding acts of
achievement. And that's the challenge for the
person writing the award recommendation - to be
able to convince board members that the soldier
has a succession of outstanding acts of
achievement by succinctly elaborating those
achievements in the award justification. 
Retirement awards will cover the last ten years
of the service member's career.
b. The award recommendation should reflect both
the individuals level of responsibility and the
manner of performance. The degree that an
individual's achievement or service enhanced the
readiness or effectiveness of the organization,
or the degree that they made notable
contributions to the morale or esprit de corps of
the organization, will be the predominant factors
for deciding the appropriate award.
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c. To justify a military decoration, an
individual should have done more than just
performed his job well. Cite specific
accomplishments and how they enhance the
organization. For example, if an individual has
rewritten a standing operating procedure (SOP) -
how has this improved the readiness or
effectiveness of the organization? If an
individual has devoted many off-duty hours--how
did this improve the organization? Be specific.
List the individual accomplishments and not just
sentences with adjectives, which do not elaborate
on their significant achievements. d. The grade
of the individual is another consideration. The
higher the grade, the greater the level of
responsibility. A much greater level of
performance is expected from a Colonel as opposed
to a First Lieutenant or Captain. Likewise, more
is expected from a Master Sergeant or Sergeant
Major than a Specialist or Sergeant. The grade
itself is not the consideration rather, the
grade is used to determine the duty position.
When a Colonel or Sergeant Major is assigned to a
duty position, they are expected to perform at a
level commensurate with their grade and duty
position.
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e. To have distinguished themselves, the
individuals must be set apart from others in the
same or similar military occupational specialty
(MOS)/job specialty by praiseworthy
accomplishment. Determination of this distinction
requires careful consideration of exactly what is
or was expected as the ordinary, routine, or
customary behavior and accomplishment, for
individuals of like rank and experience, for the
circumstances involved. f. The narrative
justification then is the most important section
of the recommendation and the content is the
basis for approval or disapproval of the award.
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Do you have some guidelines on how to write the
Achievements ? Here are some tips (Item 20) of
the DA Form 638. include the following
standardized leading and closing sentences, as
appropriate
Example 1. Sergeant Jeff Gordons willingness
to step up to the plate and share his mechanical
knowledge and experience was instrumental in the
initial setup of his teams Monte Carlo,
resulting to the success of the Mission of
winning the Daytona 500 for the second year in a
row. 2. Sergeant Jeff Gordon lead the way with a
positive attitude and set a high standard as an
aggressor for 250 laps and superb team member
tactics. He was able to share real world
experiences during the Daytona 500 with his
fellow team member, SPC Terry Labonte providing
him with a outstanding drafting experience. 3.
Sergeant Jeff Gordons tact, professional
knowledge and sound judgment, combined with his
ability to work without supervision and
willingness to work beyond normal duty hours,
evoked many favorable comments from superiors and
higher headquarters.(NASCAR) His personal
commitment to the team and his exception of only
the highest standards of safety, resulted in
high quality of racing and winning operations.
What are the standardized leading and
closing sentences?
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Do you have some guidelines on how to write the
justification?
Here are some tips when writing the
justification a. On the proposed citation for
awards higher than an MSM, leave item 21 of the
DA Form 638 blank. Limit this item, when used for
MSM and below, to no more than 6 lines for an
award. Limit a proposed citation for an LOM/SM to
no more than 9 - 12 characters per inch, and
attach to DA Form 638. Proposed citations will
include the following standardized leading and
closing sentences, as appropriate Example FOR
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, IN YOUR ENDEAVOR TO
DEVELOP PROFESSIONALLY, PERSONALLY, AND
PHYSICALLY IN PREPARATION FOR ASSUMING FURTHER
DUTIES IN THE SERVICE OF OUR GREAT NATION. YOUR
DESIRE TO GAIN A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE
ARMY REFLECTS GREAT CREDIT UPON YOURSELF, 152d
MAINTENANCE COMPANY, MEARNG AND THE UNITED STATES
ARMY.  
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(2) Recommendation for the MSM
(a) The beginning sentence should read, For
Meritorious service/ achievement as (job title)."
Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING
SENTENCE should read, "His/Her performance
reflects credit on him/ her, Brooke Army Medical
Center, the Army Medical Department, and the
United States Army. (b) For the MSM retirement
award for total service, the beginning sentence
should read, "Meritorious service in positions of
great responsibility ending as (job title)."
Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING
SENTENCE should read, "His/Her' exemplary
performance of duty was in keeping with the
highest traditions of military service,
reflecting great credit on him/her, 152d Maint
Co, the MEARNG, and the United States Army."
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(3) Recommendation for the ARCOM
(a) The beginning sentence should read, For
Meritorious service/ achievement as (job title)."
Next, the BODY OF CITATION, and the ENDING
SENTENCE should read, "his/her exemplary
performance reflects great credit on him/her,
152d Maint Co, the MEARNG, and the United States
Army."
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(4) For recommendation for the AAM
The beginning sentence should read, "For
meritorious service/achievement as (job title)."
b. You must be selective in your use of words,
word combinations, and phrases. Use catchy words,
word combinations, and phrases that will convince
the board member to recommend approval of the
award. Here's a collection of these catchy words,
word combination, and phrases.
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Step One
Lets Review

• Complete Administrative data DA 638 in Jetform
  or Form Filler
• Complete blocks 1 through 19
• Awards need to be accurately abbreviated. (MEPAM
  600-200)

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Step Two

• Gather performance data on the member
• Look for Counseling Statements
• Look for informal documentation
• Conduct interviews with
• Chain of command
• Peers, subordinates
• Other witnesses

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Step Three

• Do each of the following to develop bullets
• State the impact on the department, division,
  unit, or Maine Army National Guard.
• Create one or two concise, simple sentence.
  State what was done and how it was done.

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Step Four

• Decide on the level of the award
• The higher the impact, the higher the award

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Step Five

• Use standard opening and closing verbiage (For
  Exceptional Achievement during) (reflects credit
  upon himself, his unit, and the Maine Army
  National Guard).
• Spell out the rank
• Spell out abbreviations Read the citation out
  loud to another to check the flow
• awards of the MSM, ARCOM, and AAM will be limited
  to bullet format in the space allowed on the DA
  Form 638.

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Step Six

• Edit the citation
• Read it once
• Match the points with support
• Read it a 2nd time
• Organize into powerful, well-connected thoughts
• Read it a 3rd time
• Delete dead words (repeating or jargon)
• Read it a 4th time
• Check grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
  capitalization.

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Step Seven

• Submit the award package to the appropriate
  Awards Board through the chain of command
• Follow local award submission policies
• Immediate supervisor (He/She can check for
  errors)
• Admin NCO
• BN
• TC
• State
• Unit

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Performance Bullets

• Performance bullets are the raw material that is
  needed to produce the statement of actions for
  which the individual is being cited.

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Performance Bullets

• Effective performance bullets always consist of 3
  parts
• What they did
• How they did it
• The impact or result of their action (why it was
  significant)

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What do I Write About?
Pick 3 to 5 items that the member did best or had
the greatest impact on the service or unit. Each
bullet should have a number-quantified (if
possible) action and a following result. For
example, 100 hours of troubleshooting
refrigeration casualty assistance enhanced
quality of life and enabled the generator to keep
operational schedules, has the action and the
result. So for each item, be specific and ask
yourself What was done?, How did they do it?,
and What was the result? Once youve
completed this part of the award, the rest is
simply wording.
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Hints on Using Statistics
Using numbers to quantify actions is encouraged
and carries more oomph! For example, Sergeant
Snuffy volunteered many hours of personal time to
invent a Tool that saved the Army National Guard
a lot of money doesnt tell the story as well
as, Sergeant Snuffy invested 100 hours of
personal time to invent the tool to completer 40
component parts, that saved the National Guard
175,000. Remember not to criticize an
individuals predecessor. Also, focus on items
that are high profile or extend beyond a members
command.
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Jargon And Content
The citation is an account which will be
cherished by them and a source of pride to their
families. The Rewards and Recognition Handbook
says, We are telling a story to everyone about
what the person receiving the award has done.
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Jargon And Content

• For the citation, refer to the proper award
  manual to find the opening and closing jargon for
  each award and copy that part exactly. The
  information is found in
• MEPAM 672-5-1 (See SPC Hayden)
• The statement is written in a single paragraph
  and sandwiched between the standard opening and
  closing sentences.

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Wording and the Guts
A citation is supposed to be formalized, concise,
and straightforward. Formalized means that it is
written in the third person (He created...),
often using the rank and surname (Sergeant
Snuffy created).
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Words and Phrases

• Here are recommendations for choosing words and
  phrases
• After the standard opening, each bullet should
  start with an action word like these
• Displaying
• Exhibiting
• Demonstrating
• Showing
• Using
• Making
• Through

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Words and Phrases

• The next words should be an adjective-noun
  combination something like these
• superior leadership, he
• exceptional competence and professionalism, she
• expert technical skills, he
• highest degree of proficiency, she
• accomplished organizational abilities, he
• finely honed ...
• keen insight
• or singly powerful words like
• courageous
• distinguished

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Words and Phrases

• Adverbs work well for the next words
• quickly
• capably
• professionally
• skillfully
• proficiently
• adeptly
• effectively
• efficiently

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Words and Phrases
Steer away from using specific jargon or acronyms
or names of equipment that are not commonly used
in the English language. A good rule is to use
simple, everyday words that convey powerful
thoughts. Also avoid being gushy or using puffed
up words that seem phony or pompous.
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Putting it all Together
Now, simply mix and match the words and phrases
to ensure each bullet is a flowing sentence or
two. Start with the accomplishment you consider
to be the most significant. The body of the
citation is simply 3 to 5 bullets turned into
powerful, concise sentences, one after
another. Voila! Youve completed the
citation. Well, almost ...
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4 Steps to Effective Editing

• Read the whole citation and locate the main
  points. Then locate the support for each point.
  Points without support are suspect and should be
  worked on.
• Read the citation a second time. Once you have
  located the points and their support, cut, paste,
  and reorganize them into powerful and
  well-connected thoughts.
• Read the citation a third time. Locate and
  delete dead words. These are words that do not
  add to the meaning of what is written
  overly-complicated words, antiquated words,
  inappropriate jargon, cliches, or colloquialisms.
• The fourth time you read the citation,
  tenaciously and relentlessly check grammar,
  spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

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One Last Review
Before you turn it in, take the citation, stand
up in form of a mirror, another person, or a
microphone connected to a tape recorder and READ
what you have written OUT LOUD! This is the
most effective way to check grammar and see if
what you have written really is concise, flowing,
and powerful.
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At last you have completed the award.
Lets write our awards
Thank you for your time this presentation was
created by myself SSG Bear J Parker and by the
help of Award writing made easy presentation by
http//www.uscg.mil/hq/g-w/g-wt/g-wtl/award/index.
htm
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152d Maintenance Company
"Service to the line, on the line, on time"