Understanding Your Environment
When you recommend a Soldier for an award you want to make sure they get the award they deserve. To do this you need to understand the environment you are working in. Ask yourself a few questions:
- What is the mind set of my chain of command when it comes to approving awards?
- Does the chain of command tend to have a cookie cutter approach to award approval? Sometimes a chain of command will tend to give a specific level of award for a Soldier of a given rank or for a given achievement.
- Do they base their recommendations on the facts surrounding the award?
- What are the personalities of the individuals who must approve the recommendation?
- Are awards typically downgraded in your unit?
- Why are they downgraded? Look for patterns. For example, some chains will downgrade poorly written recommendations.
- Take care to recommend the proper level of award. The award must be justified by the achievements. Remember that the Soldier is responsible for the actions, but you are responsible for properly representing them in your recommendation.
For more on award preparation read The Writer
