Air Force Awards And Decorations Writing Guide

It is our responsibility as supervisors to ensure our Airman are properly awarded for their service. It is one thing to read the definitions of the decorations in the AFI or online, but another to understand how they are practically awarded in our service today. The purpose of this post is to outline the basics of awards and decorations from a supervisory perspective so you apply that knowledge to taking care of your Airmen. As of 4 Jan 19, the governing AFI for Air Force decorations is AFI 36-2803, The Air Force Military Awards and Decorations Program.

Decorations are a big deal on the enlisted side because they are counted as Weight Airman Promotion System (WAPS) points toward their promotion. The BLUF is for promotion to the NCO and SNCO ranks their decorations are counted for a maximum of 25 points. The governing AFI is AFI 36-2502, Enlisted Airman Promotion/ Demotion Programs.

Air Force Achievement Medal – 1 Point
Air Force Commendation Medal – 3 Points
Meritorious Service Medal – 5 Points

Air Force Achievement Medal (AFAM)

Description

Medal. A silver colored nebular shaped disc with an oxidized satin finish. The pendant bears the heraldic thunderbolt similar to that of the shield on the Department of the Air Force Seal.
Ribbon. The ribbon is predominantly silver gray with 12 vertical ultramarine-blue stripes.
Authorized Devices: Oak Leaf Clusters denotes subsequent awards and the "V" device denotes valor (see note 3). Only one "V" device is authorized.
Established By: Secretary of the Air Force, 12 October 1980.
Awarded To: US and foreign military personnel in the grade of O-6 and below.

Awarded For

Outstanding achievement or meritorious service rendered specifically on behalf of the Air Force.
Acts of courage that do not meet the requirements for award of the AFCM.
No more than one AFAM may be awarded during a 1-year period except under extraordinary circumstances. The AFAM will not be awarded for aerial achievement or retirement.
It is particularly desirable that emphasis be placed on the award of this decoration to outstanding junior officers and airmen whose achievements and services meet the prescribed standards.

Approval Authority

Squadron/CC (military must be on G-series orders). Authority does not include Acts of Courage (condition code 0).
Others as listed in AFI 36-2803, Table 2.1.

Practical Application

Two examples of "outstanding achievement" under Rule 1 above are serving as an Air Force honor guard volunteer for the base honor guard and supporting ceremonies throughout a one-year period. Another example is for contingency support where another medal such as the Humanitarian Service Medal is not appropriate. Since this has been delegated down to the Squadron Commander level, the specifics for the above examples are at their discretion. These examples can apply to all ranks, officers and enlisted.

The "meritorious service" rule this medal is typically awarded to Airmen in the grades of E-1 to E-4 after 3-4 years of service at an assignment. For example, if an Airman just graduated tech school and starts working in his or her operational job in January of 2015 as an E-3 and PCS's in July of 2018 as an E-4, they will typically be awarded an AFAM as long their nomination for the decoration was approved.

Air Force Commendation Medal (AFCM)

Description

Medal. A bronze hexagon medallion bearing eagle, shield, and arrows from the Seal of the Department of the Air Force.
Ribbon. The ribbon is predominately yellow with blue edges and three bands of blue spaced in the center.
Authorized Devices: Oak Leaf Clusters denotes subsequent awards and the "V" device denotes valor. Only one "V" device is authorized.
Established By: Secretary of the Air Force, effective 24 March 1958 (announced in Department of the Air Force General Orders No. 16, 28 March 1958
Awarded To: US and foreign military personnel in the grade of O-6 and below.

Awarded For

Meritorious achievement and service. The degree of merit must be distinctive, though it need not be unique.
Acts of courage which do not involve the voluntary risk of life required for the Airman's Medal.
Sustained meritorious performance by crewmembers.
Do not award to general or flag officer grades (O-7 and above). Place emphasis on award to outstanding company grade officers and junior NCOs whose achievements and services meet the standards.

Approval Authority

Group/CC/CV (colonel or higher and civilian leader equivalent). Authority does not include Acts of Courage (condition code 0).
Others as listed in AFI 36-2803, Table 2.1.

Practical Application

I'm haven't personally seen any AFCMs approved for "meritorious achievement" but it would be one level above an AFAM for "outstanding achievement." The AFCMs are typically awarded to NCOs (grades E-5 and E-6) and CGOs (grades O-1 to O-3) after 3-4 years of service at an assignment. An example for this one is if an E-4 shows up at an assignment and PCS's three years later as an E-5, an AFCM may be appropriate.

Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)

Description

Medal. A bronze medal consisting of six rays issuant from the upper three points of a five-pointed star with beveled edges and containing two smaller stars defined by incised outlines. In front of the lower part of the medal appears an eagle with wings upraised standing on two upward curving branches of laurel tied with a ribbon between the eagle's feet.
Ribbon. The ribbon is predominately ruby, with white vertical stripes and ruby lines at each edge.
Authorized devices: Oak Leaf Clusters denotes subsequent awards.
EO 11448, 16 January 1969.
Any member of the armed forces of the United States or friendly foreign nation.

Awarded For

Outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement or outstanding non-combat meritorious service to the United States. Normally the acts or services rendered must be comparable to that required for the Legion of Merit, but in a duty of lesser though considerable responsibility.

Approval Authority

Wing CC/CV (colonel or higher and civilian leader equivalent).
MSM approval authority has been delegated to Group CC, Equivalents, and civilian leaders in Group CC-positions for retirements (Condition Code 1) and separations (Condition Code 2).
Civilian leaders in Wing CC positions also now have MSM approval authority for all conditions.
Must be O-6/equivalent or above.
Others as listed in AFI 36-2803, Table 2.1.

Practical Application

I have yet to see any of these which were awarded for an "outstanding non-combat meritorious achievement." Typically these are awarded to SNCOs (grades E-7 to E-9) and, I assume, Field Grade Officers (grades O-4 or O-5). I'll update this post when I have a better feel for how this works for officers.

Conclusion

This post provided a general introduction to the AFAM, AFCM, and MSM which are the most common decorations for those stationed in "in-garrison" positions. Part 2 will go in into more depth on award conditions and general tips for actually writing the decoration.