DA 638: Recommendation for Award

How to fill out the DA Form 638

The Army's recommendation for a decoration. The recommender fills Parts I–III (who, which award, why, and the proposed citation); the chain of command endorses in Part IV; the approval authority's orders data goes in Part V. When: Submit end-of-tour (PCS, ETS, retirement) awards so they reach the approval authority at least 60 days before the Soldier departs, and achievement awards soon after the event. Check your unit's awards SOP for exact suspense dates. For valor, heroism, wartime awards and anything higher than the MSM, follow the special instructions in AR 600-8-22, chapter 3.

Step by step

1. Confirm the Soldier is eligible: no flag (AR 600-8-2), the period doesn't overlap an award already given, and the award matches the approval authority's level.
2. Fill Part I from the Soldier Record Brief: name, rank, DoD ID, organization, previous awards, the award you recommend, the period, and the reason (ACH, SVC, PCS, ETS, RET, HEROISM, VALOR).
3. Fill Part II with your own data as the recommender: name, address, title, rank, and relationship to the awardee. Sign block 19.
4. Write block 20 as four achievement blocks of two to four bullets each. Every bullet should state an action, a number, and a result.
5. Write block 21, the proposed citation, as one formal paragraph in plain third person. It is what gets read at the ceremony and printed on the certificate.
6. Route it: the S1 or awards clerk certifies eligibility in block 22; each commander endorses in blocks 23–26; the approval authority's permanent orders data goes in Part V.

What a strong one looks like

• Quantify everything: people led, dollars of equipment, pass rates before and after, hours saved. "Raised company M4 qualification from 82% to 97%" is what gets an award approved.
• Match the bullets to the award level. An ARCOM or MSM needs sustained impact above the Soldier's grade and position, not just good duty performance.
• Keep the citation within the block. Units commonly cap AAM and ARCOM citations at about four lines; check your S1 SOP. Spell out rank and unit names, and use full dates ("15 June 2023").
• Use the standard openings: "For meritorious achievement" (AAM), "For meritorious service" (ARCOM), "For outstanding meritorious service" or "For exceptionally meritorious service" (MSM), and close with "...reflect great credit upon him/her, [unit], and the United States Army."

Common mistakes

• Bullets that describe duties ("Responsible for...") instead of results.
• A period of award that overlaps an award the Soldier already received.
• Submitting on a flagged Soldier, or too late for the award to be presented before the Soldier departs.
• Acronyms and abbreviations in the citation. Write it the way it will be read aloud.
• Using a superseded edition. The current form is DA Form 638, APR 2021.