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PCS Army Commendation Medal Examples

19k gunner pcs.

Commendable service while assigned as a Armor Crewman. Specialist Soldier's leadership, commitment to excellence, and professionalism contributed to the successful accomplishment of the unit's mission. His actions are in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, the 2D Armored Brigade Combat Team, the 1st Cavalry Division and the United States Army.

19K Tanker PCS

COMMENDABLE ACHIEVEMENT WHILE ASSIGNED AS A M1A2 SEP V3 GUNNER. SPECIALIST SELLS'S LEADERSHIP, COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE, AND PROFESSIONLISM CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE UNIT'S MISSION. HIS ACTIONS ARE IN KEEPING WITH THE FINEST TRADIOTIONS OF MILITARY SERVICE AND REFLECT GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF, THE 1ST BATTALION, 8TH CAVALRY REGIMENT, THE 2D ARMORED BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM, THE 1ST CAVALRY DIVISION, AND THE UNITED STATES ARMY.

74D Assistant Squad Leader

Patient administration specialist, combat medic, heavy vehicle operator.

SPC XXXX served as an 88M (Heavy Vehicle Operator), dedicating himself to the personal care and maintenance of his assigned vehicle which was instrumental in supporting the White Falcons. His selfless service was evident during the multitudes of non-standard duty hours that he worked, driving 5,000 incident free miles both CONUS and OCONUS as well as being responsible for the receipt, storage, issue and turn in of 20% of all class V material used by the battalion in the last four years.

SPC XXXX desire to improve his skillset both within and outside of his MOS paired with his eagerness to learn led him to be cross trained as an 89B (Ammunition Supply Specialist). In the absence of any 89Bs in the battalion, SPC XXXX was a much needed asset to the Ammo Section. His ability to adapt and be flexible with rapidly changing mission requirements coupled with his incomparable attention to detail ensured that class V operations continued despite the constant ineptitude of ammunition forecasting in the Battalion S3.

SPC XXXX technical knowledge and sense of duty was quintessential in standing up two Field Ammunition Supply Points to standard. He regularly embraced challenges typically associated with leadership positions well above his pay grade and completed them in a manner consistent with that of a professional. His endless hours of work and dedication to the unit allowed the First Sergeant and Company Commander to carry out combat arms training few Forward Support Companies receive.

While regularly working a minimum of 60 hours a week, SPC XXXX still managed to find time keep himself within the Army standards for the APFT, maintaining a 257 average, passing the height and weight standard and qualifying as an expert with his assigned weapon. He also ensured 100% accountability of all class V materials by conducting weekly inventories, without regard to the sacrifices he made of his personal time. As a result, the battalion suffered zero losses during his tour of duty.

Heavy Wheeled Vehicle Operator

SPC XXXX was assigned to 2-325 AIR from 14 February 11 to 8 August 14 and worked as a Heavy Wheeled Vehicle Operator. His technical knowledge of the equipment and vehicles that he operated along with the tactical skills he acquired prior to deploying to OND ensured the safety and mission success of both himself and the unit. As a result of his superior driving habits SPC XXXX safely and expeditiously transported class I, II, IV, V, VII and IX materials as well as personnel while both CONUS and OCONUS.

SPC XXXX's considerable tactical knowledge of crew serve weapon systems enabled him to serve as a gunner during OND and in garrison operations. He was an indispensable asset to the unit and his knowledge of tactics, techniques, and procedures as a 240B Gunner contributed to the overall effectiveness of his platoon during multiple Convoy Live Fires exercises as well as on the harrowing roads of Iraq.

SPC XXXX displayed selfless service by mentoring Paratroopers in preparation for the board during his personal time. Using the insights he gained from his recent attendance at the White Falcon promotion board to SGT, SPC XXXX volunteered to meet with service members during non-duty hours in an effort to give them the essential tools neccessary to receive recommendation at the promotion board. As a result of his tutelage, two Paratroopers were recommended for promotion to SGT.

SPC XXXXX set the physical fitness standard for other Paratroopers to follow, consistently scoring over 290 points on the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and earning the APFT badge. SPC Muffly also excelled in basic rifle marksmanship, and qualified expert on his assigned weapon, hitting 38 out of 40 targets.

Maintenance Mechanic

SPC C...... started with little experience as a mechanic and through on the-job training, thirst for knowledge and a can-do attitude, SPC C...... has become the most improved mechanic. His ability to be flexible and a fast learner has proved him to be a valuable asset, working over 1900 hour assisting in the completion of 75 vehicle services and more than 1200 job orders while deployed.

While at Ft McCoy Mobilization site, SPC C...... was part of the driver s training team for the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protective). He ensured that all soldiers were trained a 100 percent to standard, which was established by the 1-119th Maintenance section; licensing 409 soldiers and logging over 27,000 miles without accidents over a 3 week period.

He effectively participated in the lighting up-grade of the MRAP and MAXPROs, ensuring the highest quality was performed. Made various Class IX parts runs to Camp Buering and assisted in the inventory and turn-in of 3.8 million dollars worth of excess parts and equipment. This resulted in a more efficient stock age and helped the readiness of the other units n ASG-Kuwait by providing needed parts.

SPC C...... showed outstanding performance and dedication to duty while working over 60 hours a week. He still managed to find time keep himself within the Army standards for APFT, scoring over a 281, passing HT/WT and qualifying as an expert with his assigned weapon, the M16. SPC C...... showed great pride and enthusiasm in every task he undertook, producing excellent results throughout the deployment.

While serving as a maintenance mechanic, SPC C... was part of the driver s training team for the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protective) vehicle, while at Ft McCoy Mobilization Site. He ensured that all soldiers were trained a 100 percent to standard, which was established by the 1-119th Maintenance section; licensing 409 soldiers and logging over 27,000 miles without accidents over a 3 week period.

SPC C... embodied professionalism, flexibility, and commitment to mission accomplishment by ensuring that his assigned equipment, the M984A1P1 wrecker was properly accounted for and maintained to 10/20 standard. SPC C... took it upon himself to upgrade the wrecker with adding additional lighting to ensure a safer night mission recovery and developing a layout plan for both wreckers.

SPC C... s vast knowledge of the a/c (air-conditioning) systems and uncanny ability to troubleshoot electrical faults made him a subject matter expert. Using this ability to train NCOs and fellow mechanics, he was a major factor to the successful accomplishment of the Battalion s readiness rating never dropping below 98% during the deployment. He continued to support various vehicles that came through the maintenance bay in need of a/c repairs, including equipment from the 18th engineer co., 2 graders, 2 rollers, a pan, and a front-end loader.

With his mechanical abilities, he was able to assist with a major component replacement, a transmission, allowing the vehicle to be mission capable in 6 days, saving valuable time. This took less than half the time that the FRG has reported doing. The FRG requires 15 days to replace a transmission. SPC C... showed great pride and enthusiasm in every task he undertook, producing excellent results throughout the deployment.

Maintenance Control Section

SPC D.... started with zero experience with SAMS-E, since it was just fielded and through on-the-job training, his can-do attitude, and thirst for knowledge, SPC D.... has become very proficient with the SAMS-E system. While at MOB site, he has personally performed over 800 driver's record update transactions on the SAMS-E, which was crucial in the licensing of the BN as a whole on the Caiman MRAPs prior to departure to Kuwait.

As a member of the Maintenance Control Section, SPC D.... was instrumental in maintaining the largest work order maintenance request register in the Brigade, with over 2000 support job orders and over 2500 organizational job orders. He was also responsible for over 400 accurate and timely dispatch transactions conducted over the course of the deployment.

He helped manage the support document control register which comprised of over 15,000 transactions, more than any single unit in the Brigade, the document control register always attained a reconciliation rate above the 95% standard set by the SSA. He effectively participated in the turn-in of Class IX excess, $3.8 million worth, more than the unit prior, and more than any single unit in the brigade. This resulted in a more efficient stock age and helped the readiness of the other units n ASG-Kuwait by providing needed parts.

SPC D.... embodied professionalism, flexibility, and commitment to mission with working over 60 hours a week He still managed to find time keep himself within the Army standards for APFT, scoring a 277, passing HT/WT and qualifying as a sharpshooter with his assigned weapon, the M4. SPC D.... showed great pride and enthusiasm in every task he undertook, producing excellent results throughout the deployment.

Transportation Management

SGT White displayed tireless devotion to the safety and well being of his Soldiers, and utilized composite risk management in all aspects of his squad's day to day duties. SGT White's diligence resulted in zero accidents during eleven months of combat operations. His ability to read the situation allowed his squad leader to constantly leave his team the farthest from the rest of the squad and platoon. His constant critques and comments are always intelligent and help the squad better itself and be ready for an ever changing tactical situation.

SGT White served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic displaying phenomenal devotion to mission accomplishment in support of OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM. He displayed great courage and commitment driving over the dangerous roads of Afghanistan. He earned the recognition of Soldier high miler for 3rd Quarter, FY 10, executing 5,230 incident free miles and recovering 32 vehicles in a combat zone, servicing twenty seven route clearence vehicles throught the deployment.

Motor Transport Operator

Vehicle maintenance.

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Army Award Writing Resources

Sample Army Award Achievement Statements (Award Bullets), Award citations, and Award writing tips, techniques and advice.

Welcome to my Army award writing resource pages. The purpose of these pages is to help Army leaders properly prepare timely and relevant Army awards by providing a wide range of sample Army award achievement statements (Award Bullets) and Army award citations.

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A multitude of sample Army award achievement statements (award bullets) to aid in writing effective Army awards that get approved the first time.

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A multitude of sample Army award citations to aid in writing effective Army awards that get approved the first time.

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• Apr 30, 2021

How to write awards in the Army

Updated: Sep 1, 2022

Photo credit to HRC Homepage (army.mil)

Are you struggling with writing award bullets for someone else or, more likely, yourself? Maybe you just can't think of much to write for someone or just don't have the experience to do so. I have a few tips and references for you. Let's get to it.

1. My first tip is to ask friends and leaders for copies of awards that they have processed before. This helps in a few ways. Each unit emphasizes different things or ways to fill out basic forms like putting entries in ALL CAPS or adding a period here or removing it there. Getting previous awards used in the unit allows you to see their standard of submission. You can also tell how well the achievements need to be written in order to pass.

Units also have different ways that they order the bullets. I've been in units that want the best achievement in the first block and then units that want it in the last block (not as common). I understand both ways of thinking but I default to best in the first block. You will also want previous awards to fill out administrative data and routing correctly.

2. Talk to the Service Member (SM) and ask what they have done. Even little things can be written up to sound glorious (some examples coming up). Many times there are common bullets that the unit uses like one focused on all of the training events attended, positions held, duties fulfilled, etc.. Even if there is a common standard like this, it's fine to break the mold if you have something better to write.

3. Visit Army publications that guide you on how to write and how to fill out the form. Good references for awards and military writing are AR 600-8-22 Military Awards , AR 25-50 Preparing and Managing Correspondence , and DA Pam 600-67 Effective Writing for Army Leaders .

4. Figure out what the hot topics and priorities for the Army and your unit. Right now big priorities are people first, equal opportunity, SHARP, and NCO C3 to name a few. You should have a good idea about what specific goals your unit is trying to focus on that will help you select a good topic to link the achievement to.

Award Bullets by Topic 400+ Bullets

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5. You can write an achievement about anything, you just need to know how to tie it to Army priorities. Whenever I have this conversation with Soldiers I usually use the example of sweeping or mopping a floor in the barracks. Realistically, this is not an achievement that is worth an award I merely use it as an example to show that you can make anything sound like it is worth recognition. Here are a few examples of how sweeping or mopping can have a significant impact on an organization:

1. SPC Smith effectively reduced safety incidents across the battalion by 30% resulting in a 12% readiness increase through the implementation of safety zone sweeping to clear debris and trash from high traffic areas.

2. SPC Smith displayed initiative and innovative leadership to reduce safety incidents across the battalion by 60% resulting in cost savings of $234,637 through the implementation of safety zone sweeping to clear debris and trash from high traffic areas.

3. SPC Smith focused on training management and readiness by effectively reducing safety incidents across the battalion by 20% resulting in an increase of 253 man hours through decreasing recovery time associated with injuries concurrent with environmental hazards.

These are all tied into the NCO Common Core Competencies (NCO C3) which are readiness, leadership, training management, communication, operations, and program management ( Army University Press, 2020 ) . Some other hot topics to consider are safety and money.

The first example is used to suggest that sweeping or mopping an area reduced injury associated with slip hazards or possibly a dangerous object. Removal or clearing of the item lowered the number of profiles or safety reports filed across the battalion for this reason which overall increased medical readiness and deployability.

Example two still uses clearing dangerous items by sweeping or mopping an area and the reduction in profiles or medical treatment rendered from the injuries that previously occurred. The cost savings directly relates to the average money saved per person that had to seek care for an injury caused by the safety hazard removed multiplied by the number of incidents reduced overall.

Example three still uses clearing dangerous items and reduction in profiles or appointments then calculates the man hours saved from people not having to go to sick call or the hospital. You can add up the average amount of time listed for duty for Soldiers injured and add the amount of time it took healthcare providers to provide care as well. Man hours can easily be made into cost savings numbers as well.

Not too hard right? So just talk to the Soldier, find something they did, identify Army or unit priorities, and link the two together with a splash of highly articulated words found using a thesaurus using a word or a search engine.

Hope this helps someone on their way. Good luck and be the difference. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out. Have a great day.

Part I, How to write awards in the Army

Part II, How to justify an award in the Army

Part III, Awards, why it is good to downgrade or deny them in the Army

Army University Press. (2020, June 5). NCO C3: Required Competencies for CTC Success . https://www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/NCO-Journal/Archives/2020/June/NCO-C3/#:%7E:text=NCO%20Common%20Core%20Competencies,%2C%20operations%2C%20and%20program%20management.

Department of the Army. (1986). Effective writing for Army leaders. DA PAM , 600 (67), 1–15. https://www.lsu.edu/hss/milsci/resources/dapam600_67.pdf

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The Army Commendation Medal: Overview & Example Citations

In today’s post, I want to teach you about the Army Commendation Medal , frequently referred to as the ARCOM . I will also share example ARCOM Citations, tips for writing ARCOMs, and good to know information.

The Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM) was authorized on December 18, 1945 as a commendation ribbon and awarded to members of the Army for heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service after December 6, 1941. It was meant for award where the Bronze Star Medal was not appropriate, i.e., outside of operational areas.

The Commendation Medal was originally only a service ribbon and was first awarded by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard in 1943. An Army Commendation Ribbon followed in 1945 and in 1949 the Navy, Coast Guard, and Army Commendation ribbons were renamed the “Commendation Ribbon with Metal Pendant”. By 1960 the Commendation Ribbons had been authorized as full medals and were subsequently referred to as Commendation Medals. ~ Wikipedia

Here are a few basic things about the Army Commendation Medal you should know about.

• Normally, the first O-6 Commander in the chain of command is the approving authority for the Army Commendation Medal.
• The ARCOM is worth 20 promotion points.
• All enlisted soldiers and officers up to the rank of Colonel can receive the award.
• The ARCOM is higher than an Army Achievement Medal and lower than the Meritorious Service Medal .
• Up until 1960 this award was only a ribbon, not a medal.

Achievements

There are many different achievements that can qualify for an Army Commendation Medal. Ultimately, it is up to the O-6 Commander to determine what they will require.

I’ve seen ARCOMs issued for PCS awards, for doing a good job at Annual Training , and for preparing/passing large inspections. From my personal experience, I’ve noticed that this award is typically reserved for E-5s and above and company grade officers. Of course, there are sometimes exceptions to the rule. In combat, you can also receive an ARCOM for acts of valor.

Tips for Writing an ARCOM

Here are a few tips I can suggest if you are writing a recommendation for someone to receive an Army Commendation Medal.

# 1: Be as specific as possible. Do not be vague. Do not make generalizations. Cover what the person did, why it is relevant, and be specific.

# 2: Get feedback from the person first. One of the best things you can do when writing an Army Commendation Medal recommendation is to talk with the person first. Have them tell you about their achievements. If possible, have them write up their four or five biggest achievements and give you a copy. This will save you time.

# 3: Use numbers, stats, and anything quantifiable. This is the secret sauce. Commanders/approvers of the award want specifics. Any time you can use numbers, stats, or dollar amounts, your recommendation will stand out.

# 4: Validate the achievements were not previously recognized. Soldiers typically can’t receive two awards for the same achievement. Make sure you ask the Soldier what awards they have received during the timeframe of the ARCOM recommendation, so you don’t include something that was previously recognized.

# 5: Have several people review it prior to submitting the award. Spellcheck your document. Proofread it several times. Get input from your supervisor and a trusted peer. This will give you additional insights you might not have thought of yourself.

# 6: Talk with your S1 section or Readiness NCO to get input on what is expected. Prior to writing a recommendation, ask your S1 or Readiness NCO what the unit SOP is for submitting awards. That way you can make it right the first time around.

Additional awards of the Army Commendation Medal are denoted by oak leaf clusters, and the “V” device has been authorized since June 25, 1963, when the Commendation Medal is awarded for acts of heroism involving conflict with an armed enemy. ~ Roll of Honor

Example/Sample ARCOM Citations

What you will find below are some example ARCOM citations . Some of these I made up myself, some are from awards I’ve personally received, and others are examples I found online.

Citation # 1: 

For exceptional meritorious service while serving a Supply Sergeant with A Company, 735 th Quartermaster Battalion from 1 October 2008 to 3 January 2011. SSG Smith maintained 100% accountability of 416 different MTOE items valued at $7.5 million. He helped the unit deploy to Iraq and return with zero equipment losses. In addition, he helped the unit receive the Army Supply of Excellence Award. This reflects great duty upon SSG Smith, his unit, and the United States Army.

Citation # 2:

For meritorious achievement while assigned as the Vehicle Commander of Blue 3, 1LT Long scored 961 points on MGS Table VI achieving the 56 th SBCT Top Gun Award during MGS Gunnery. Your demonstrated competence and technical expertise were exemplified by your entire crews success. Your superior performance reflects great credit upon yourself, your unit, the 56 th SBCT, the PAANG and the United States Army.

Citation # 3:

For exceptional meritorious service while conducting sustainment operations as part of the rear detachment. Your extraordinary efforts and accomplishments greatly assisted the Battalion’s overall success and reflect great credit upon you, the PAANG, and the United States Army.

Citation # 4:

For valor and heroism during Operations in Abu Ghraib, Iraq SGT Williams and his fire team began advancing on the enemy. During the rapid and courageous movement throughout the area, SGT Williams came into contact with direct enemy fire. Without hesitation SGT Williams led his fire team and managed to out-flank the enemy and seize key terrain to allow follow on elements to advance. SGT Williams put himself in immediate danger to gain the initiative and facilitate the success of his unit. SGT Williams is a great credit to his unit, the 2 nd Battalion 112 th Infantry, and the United State Army.

Citation # 5:

For meritorious service as Battalion Mortar Platoon Leader, HHC, 2 nd Battalion 112 th Infantry from October 2013 to October 2015.  Lieutenant Lego provided outstanding leadership for the entire Battalion Mortar Live Fire exercises to include excellent supervision over the maintenance of the entire Battalion MCV fleet. In all tactical and administrative evaluations, Lieutenant Lego performed in an exemplary manner, enabling his unit to perform with notable success. Lieutenant Lego’s meritorious performance of duty is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Citation # 6:

For exceptionally meritorious achievement and heroic actions, PFC Cheung displayed qualities in Soldiering that are unmatched and unexpected from Soldiers of his rank and experience. His actions saved the life of a fellow Soldier. PFC Cheung’s skills and level-headed approach during a crisis reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

Citation # 7:

For outstanding achievement during the 2010 Vigilant Guard Exercise. MAJ Holmes provided outstanding leadership, insight, and purpose to the entire Maryland Army National Guard Joint-Staff. His hard work and diligent efforts contributed significantly to the overall success of the Vigilant Guard Exercise. MAJ Holmes’ actions reflect great credit upon himself, the Maryland Army National Guard, and the United States Army.

Citation # 8:

For exceptional and meritorious service while serving as the S4 for the 70th Regiment (Leader) in support of Annual training for the Officer Candidate School . CPT Holmes distinguished himself as a Master of Logistics Operations by ensuring that all aspects of the mission were proactively addressed. CPT Holmes coordinated the medical supply, convoy movement, traffic control, communications, maintenance support, and class 1 support with precision. CPT Holmes is a credit to himself, the MDARNG and the United States Army.

Citation # 9:

For meritorious service as the Company Commander . CPT Holmes’ leadership and singular devotion to duty greatly enhanced operational support for the 1-175th Infantry Battalion and ensured mission accomplishment. CPT Holmes’ professionalism and dedication to mission accomplishment reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, the Maryland Army National Guard, and the United States Army.

Citation # 10:

For meritorious service while assigned to S-3, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard). Specialist Holmes’ demonstrated initiative, professionalism, and ceremonial expertise were instrumental to the Regiment’s continued success. This reflects great credit upon himself, the 3rd United States Infantry (The Old Guard) and the United States Army.

Some Ideas About Issuing An ARCOM

As mentioned earlier, ARCOMs can be issued for a wide variety of actions by members of your unit. Here are just a few ideas:

• A willingness to excel above and beyond normal duties.
• Quick thinking in detrimental situations.
• Aiding younger or less experienced service members.
• Finding methods that save the Army money and time.
• Performing duties for an absent member.

Final Thoughts

My best advice to you is to use the ARCOM to award significant achievements by the junior leaders in your unit. Don’t issue EVERYONE an ARCOM for the sake of it. For smaller achievements use the AAM, the COA, or unit coin. For bigger achievements, use the ARCOM. It’s worth 20 promotion points and is a “quality” award that will be appreciated by your good soldiers.

If you’ve ever received an ARCOM, I would love to hear from you. Please share your citation or story with the rest of our community. Just leave a comment below to do so. If you have any questions, you can also post those below and I will do my best to provide an answer.

Other posts you may enjoy:

• Top 12 Military Awards for Valor
• Ideas for Recommending Soldiers for Awards
• The Joint Meritorious Service Medal
• The Army Achievement Medal
• Army ETS Awards Ideas

If you’d like to purchase an Army Commendation Medal, to replace yours, or to learn more about it, click on the image you see below.

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13 thoughts on “The Army Commendation Medal: Overview & Example Citations”

I was awarded 2 ARCOMS and 1AAM was wise enough to ask for and keep the recommendation forms as well, which looks great on any resume. Order of the spur, Good conduct, Rowpu rodeo. Order of the spurs was by invitation only. All of this in 8 years.. and there’s many more. Lets talk about challenge coins.. 2- Generals 1 – 12th SGM Of The Army 1 – CSM 296th BSB 1- Commanders Coin 1- CSM 172ND BSB LDRSHIP… Artic Wolves! Gators! 8 Deuce! Victor! Uniform!

Since its inception how many member of the Army have received the Army ARCOM

It has been awarded since 1945 for service back to 1941. I don’t believe there are any known statistics that show just how many of these have been awarded. I would be apt to say that the number is quite high. I searched the wide variety of sources I have, and I just cannot find an answer to your question Jerry. Sorry. If you do ever find an answer, please share it with us.

I received my ARCOM while a PFC performing my Unit Armorer duties. Who would had thought doing my duties as a armorer for an infantry unit ( repaired deadline M2’s and M19’s at a 30 level at our FOB) would get a award reserved for NCO’s and Officers.

I’d say you must have done a good job Terrance. Keep up the good work.

I received three ARCOMs during my time in the Army and thought they were a great award. It’s one of those awards that commanders can use at their discretion. Some commanders will give an ARCOM for just about anything.

Great job, Mike. You should be proud of your achievements. Receiving an ARCOM is great. Each commander has different standards about what qualifies for one and what doesn’t. It cheapens the award when they give them out like candy, to anyone for anything, but it is what it is.

An ARCOM seems like a wonderful incentive to achieve in the Army. Junior leaders, while still demonstrating the traits and strength of their superiors, always seem to be a bit more unsure of themselves and are always looking to achieve something. Giving them something to strive for will keep them focused and driven on tasks that are absolutely important for the unit. I also agree about not giving them out like pancakes. It’s the law of supply and demand and you’ve got to keep the demand for the ARCOM’s high to drive an achieving force in your junior officers.

The ARCOM is a really good award. Unfortunately, it’s one of those awards that can be given for a simple achievement and for a service award. It’s frustrating when you get the award for your accomplishments over a three year period of time and your peer gets it for something they did on one day. Ultimately, it’s up to the Colonel who signs off on them to determine whether the achievement or service merits the ARCOM award.

What does ARCOM stand for? I think members of the military deserve to be honored and recognized for helping protect our country and what is stands for. It’s also an incentive for soldiers as they pick up more promotion points which will help them build rank.

ARCOM stands for Army Commendation Medal. It’s generally used with E-4s to E-6s and junior officers. It can be given for achievement or for a ETS or PCS award. I consider it a good award. I earned a few during my career and were proud of my ARCOMs.

I received two ARCOMs during my time in the Army. They were worth some good promotion points, too. I always wanted to get a MSM, but that was typically reserved for more senior folks.

Yeah, they normally reserve MSM’s for Company Commanders, First Sergeants, and higher. However, I have seen some exceptions to policy during my career. I met an E4 who received a MSM for his performance while serving in Korea. Apparently, he laid the internet wire in many of the bases there. That was pretty neat.

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Privacy Overview

The Marine Corps has a ‘participation award’ problem

It's the season of participation trophies, although the preferred nomenclature is the “end of tour” award.

By Brent Kreckman | Published Dec 10, 2021 11:59 AM EST

• Military Life

It’s that time of year again for the devil dogs across the country. For the past few months, tailor shop lines were out the door, inspections of uniforms only worn a handful of times popped up repeatedly on the training schedule, and the inevitable comparison, perhaps judgment for some, of “chest candy” began in earnest. For the newest Marines, it’s as simple as putting a National Service Defense medal next to a Global War on Terrorism medal in the proper order. But for those having recently changed duty stations or units, there is the scramble to update their awards “stack” with all the new participation trophies the Marine Corps doled out. Although I think the preferred term is the “end of tour” award.

In fact, the Pentagon is so aware that the majority of awards are given at the end of a tour with a unit that they issue an administrative message to warn us all. This year it came out in February, titled “ MILITARY AWARDS GUIDANCE FOR THE 2021 PERMANENT CHANGE OF STATION SEASON .” This is how commonplace, for what was long considered the most stringent service branch regarding awards, it has become to give Marines the ol’ “atta boy” or a “thanks for coming out” or even the occasional, “good job not getting fired” award. Come moving season each year, company-grade officers, noncommissioned officers, and Staff Sergeants alike will get their Navy Achievement Medals. Field grade officers, gunnery sergeants, and “Tops” will get their Navy Commendations. Commanders and Sergeants Major will get their Meritorious Service Medals standing in front of their whole unit on the way out the door. And of course, those with eagles or stars on their collars will receive Legions of Merit or Distinguished Service Medals. You can almost picture the Birthday Balls and Marines squeezed into their Dress Blues with their fresh new medals, double-fisting Coors Lights, walking into a ballroom, taking a look at each other’s “stack,” and saying… “Meh.”

It may be a colorful and generic description, but there’s a vein of truth that Marines all tacitly know. The truth is that many awards don’t mean much anymore to the average Marine. 

Do any awards matter?

Not all awards are meaningless, of course. That same “stack” at a birthday ball could reasonably be dissected into four categories, two of which still hold strong value to Marines or serve a useful purpose. 

Second to none amongst Marines are the combat and valor awards. Medals of Honor, Navy Crosses, Silver Stars, Distinguished Flying Crosses, and any award with a “V” device automatically garner attention and deference from Marines. This is due to strict and tightly controlled requirements to earn such rare and combat-oriented awards. The Combat Action Ribbon has a similar effect, although there has been a diluting of its value in some circles due to a perceived loosening of awarding requirements during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. This feeling that the CAR was watered down comes from whole units being blanket issued the ribbon in theater or stories of an IED hitting one vehicle in a convoy and the entire convoy receiving it, rather than it being issued specifically to individuals involved in direct action against the enemy.

The next useful category could best be described as a visual resume. Campaign awards give other service members a condensed overview of where you have been and, to some degree, how long you have served. Our senior-most staff can still be seen with Operation Desert Shield medals, while many career-level Marines have OEF and OIF medals. A limited number of Marines continue to receive the Operation Inherent Resolve medal, while those Marines serving on MEUs may receive a Humanitarian Service Medal for conducting disaster relief. Additionally, you can tally the number of deployments someone has been on by the number of stars on their Sea Service Deployment ribbon or tell if they spent time in Korea by the Korean Defense Service Medal. Ultimately, these awards can give a Marine a sense of someone’s experience level or at least provide common ground when striking up a conversation.

The third category is an odd set of awards that are seemingly neutral in value: unit citations. These can be Presidential, Navy, and Meritorious Unit Citations or various joint awards. Assuming the award isn’t one of the dozens given to a Headquarters or Joint Staff that is patting themselves on the back, these awards can actually take years to approve and requires vigilant monitoring of MARADMIN “Awards Updates” for notification. Some MEUs find themselves receiving awards two or more years after disbanding. For example, according to MARADMIN 114/21 released on March 4, 2021, HMLA-269 is finally receiving a Meritorious Unit Commendation… from 2012 . This absurd awarding timeline coupled with a general desire to avoid awkwardly asking about someone’s ribbons relegates these awards to overall neutrality, possibly obsolescence.

Finally, we have the fluff awards. These awards are generally disregarded unless they have a special device, such as the “V” for valor, “R” for remote, or “C” device for effect in a combat area, indicating something out of the ordinary occurred to receive them. These include the NAMs, Navy Comm’s, MSMs, and every brand of medal using the words “Distinguished” or “Superior” in their title. These are the awards that have been so over-issued and watered-down that command photos of our highest officers could be mistaken for old Soviet generals . These are the participation trophies of the military and everyone knows it. But how did they become so diluted that they feel irrelevant?

Is it really a problem?

What would you think if you saw a staff noncommissioned officer or a field grade officer without a personal award? At first, it may seem odd. “How did that happen?” you might ask. Perhaps you may be more direct: “They must have pissed someone off” or “They must not be very good.” Those thoughts don’t come up because the person is actually bad at their job or has an off-putting personality, those thoughts arise because of a learned expectation. We expect that if you stay active duty long enough, you’re bound to eventually get an award. It’s not a question of if they performed well, it’s really just a matter of time and rank. I’d argue this expectation is so developed that matching specific awards with certain ranks is as predictable as following an MOS road map. 

This creates a perception that personal awards are less about doing specific noteworthy actions and more about crossing a career threshold without upsetting your superiors along the way. For instance, it has become all too common that if someone does their job adequately over a single tour, just summarize the highlights of their Fitness Reports, add some flourish to the wording, and submit it up the chain. Those individuals may have legitimate “Impact” award-worthy material in that same write-up, but their noteworthy actions get diluted among the rest of the material for their “End of Tour” award. Even more offensive, an individual could deserve a higher level award, but their unit’s awards board imposes its own restrictions on who can earn what. Most commonly, units restrict the maximum level of award an individual can receive based solely on their rank and not their merit. 

Perhaps some of this is unintentional. S-1 administrative shops across the fleet are perpetually swamped with policies, programs, pay issues, and other administrivia that are, quite frankly, more important than someone’s personal award. So it stands to reason, the most convenient method with the simplest deadline for ensuring people get awarded is to catch them as they are out-processing. Plus, adding multiple years to the window of the award ensures there is plenty of material to meet the minimum justification. An added kicker of convenience, particularly amongst officers, is that while an individual is writing the form containing a list of responsibilities and accomplishments for their final FITREP, they are perfectly poised, and sometimes asked, to write their own Summary of Action for an award. Now, the Reporting Seniors can more conveniently submit for awards without having to think too critically about what their Marines have done to actually deserve one. They don’t even have to consider the type of award if the unit policy limits awards based on rank. It’s just easier this way. The end result, the “Impact” awards for truly meaningful accomplishment become the drastic minority when compared to the “End of Tour” awards, at least by perception, and the value of personal awards overall continues to tank.

What do we do about it?

Some might say we can fix this by tightening the reins or modifying the awards themselves. For example, in 2017 with MARADMIN 665/17 , the Marine Corps added the “C” and “R” devices to better recognize combat-related activities but also chose to clarify Bronze Star criteria . Specifically, it stated that the Bronze Star is to be awarded to those who were “either personally exposed to hostile action, or [were] at significant risk of exposure to hostile action.” This clarification was largely thanks to the excessive issuing of the Bronze Star during OEF and OIF as an end of tour award across all branches, even if the individuals were not actually exposed to or at significant risk of enemy action. 

Specifically, between 2002 and 2004, the Marine Corps awarded 701 Bronze Stars, the Air Force awarded 2,425 in total, and the Army issued a ridiculous 17,498 Bronze Stars between the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For perspective, the Army is habitually more than double the size of the Corps; at its peak in 2009 the Corps had 203,000 Marines compared to the Army’s 549,000 soldiers. Yet the Army awarded 25 times more Bronze Stars than the Marines. By 2007 the Army would award more than 50,000 non-valor Bronze Stars and almost 1,700 Bronze Stars with a “V.”  While the Marine Corps is generally regarded as “stingy” with its combat awards when seeing those numbers, it’s obvious why the Marine Corps would attempt to modify and clarify its combat awards to prevent similar inflation.

However, that example falters as a method of how to fix personal awards since the Bronze Star maintains its original conditions-based restrictions. By simply enforcing and clarifying a very specific set of criteria, the Bronze Star’s clout can be restored and maintained. Non-valor personal awards, on the other hand, have had no such conditions-based requirement and as such are open to expansion and abuse, hence their propensity to be used for End of Tour, “feel good” purposes. If these awards are systemically problematic and prone to inflation, perhaps we shouldn’t be afraid to downsize or outright eliminate our excess and broken programs.

This year we saw the rollout of the Junior Enlisted Performance Evaluation System (JEPES) system for evaluating junior Marines in a far more objective manner than ever before. Implementing JEPES was a decisive step in eliminating the notorious issue of proficiency and conduct score inflation. Historically, whether scores were inflated was entirely up to individual commands and trusting that other commands were holding to the standard as well. Regardless of how well commands across the Corps maintained scoring standards, the concern for and stigma of inflation stuck until the system was eliminated. Like Pros and Cons, it’s time we scrap participation trophies from our culture and focus on awarding Marines truly deserving of recognition, not just because it’s PCS season.

If we are unable to police ourselves and award only to those truly outstanding individuals or for events that deserve accolades, then perhaps we should scrap them altogether. Eliminating excessive awards would alleviate unnecessary paperwork and time spent on awards boards, let alone the amount of time people spend actually writing and screening Summaries of Action and Citations for submission. In addition to lifting the burden on lower command administration, promotion and career boards would no longer be distracted evaluating individuals by how many personal awards they do or don’t have and instead focus on the actual performance of their duties. We, as an organization, are wasting valuable time on meaningless awards that could be better spent elsewhere.

If elimination of awards is too extreme or, more realistically, not feasible as they are governed by a higher Navy authority, then perhaps the next option is to restrict availability. Currently, NAMs are awarded by O-5 level commanders with no limits on quantity. By restricting commanders to a set number in a given fiscal year, it would force not only higher scrutiny by the awarding authority but an increase in the quality of submissions. For higher awards that already have limits on quantity, those restrictions could be tightened further. For instance, should every battalion or squadron commander receive a Meritorious Service Medal for successfully finishing a tour as a commanding officer? What would happen if Regiments or Groups had to recommend top commanders within a set timeframe? Regardless of the specifics, increasing restrictions on how many awards of a given type can be issued within a designated time frame would logically result in commands recognizing the true top performers and begin to return value to personal awards.

Ultimately, we need to honestly evaluate if the current processes of recognizing our Marines are truly value-added. But if the likes of Chesty Puller and Smedley Butler could excel through their careers with less than three non-valor personal awards from the U.S. Military, perhaps going through a career without three NAMs, a Navy Commendation, an MSM, and DSM isn’t too tall of an order. 

Capt. Brent “Wheeler” Kreckman is currently the Air Officer for 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment with multiple deployments in Central Command and Pacific Command over his 12 years of active service. The opinions expressed are his and do not reflect or represent any official position of his commands, the US Marine Corps, or the Department of Defense.

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References:

OPNAV 1650/3 Personal Award Recommendation (Form)

OPNAVINST 1650.26 Naval Awards Program (PDF)

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