Awards

Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) Award Nominations

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Background: Here is an outstanding opportunity to recognize your hard working colleagues, peers and/or staff members. Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS) acknowledges the abilities of many outstanding military/federal healthcare individuals each year through the distinguished Awards Program. AMSUS is for all health providers, not just surgeons as the name implies.

As a member of federal healthcare, you are in a unique position to nominate a deserving individual for a competitive AMSUS award. So many individuals do outstanding work in their fields, yet are never recognized publicly for their work. This is your opportunity to see that recognition is given. The process is not difficult and has been simplified for this year. If you know of someone who should receive recognition, and whose work qualifies them for one of the AMSUS awards, please make time to submit a nomination. Details can be found in these documents:

Annual-Awards-Program-FAQ

Awards_Program_2019

Premier Award Nominations 2019

Nominations will be accepted from 15 May to 30 June, however three of the awards must be submitted via the Navy Surgeon General. These awards are the “Rising Star”, the “Lifetime Achievement”, and the “Force Health Protection”. Nominations for these three awards must be submitted using the attached Premier Award application via email to CAPT Toni Bowden (contact info in the global) no later than 14 June 2019. Nominations also require a biography or CV and letter of recommendation from the individual’s supervisor, with commanding officer approval.

The other 15 Individual Professional Awards can be nominated by anyone and uploaded directly to the AMSUS website. These award recommendations must have a biography or CV (no greater than 3 pages) and letter of recommendation from the individual’s supervisor, with commanding officer approval.

Essay awards are submitted directly by the author through the AMSUS website.

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Humanitarian Service Medal for Hurricane Relief

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If you contributed at all to recent hurricane relief efforts, you might have qualified for the Humanitarian Service Medal. Here is a Navy Times article about it. Here is the NAVADMIN:

UNCLASSIFIED
ROUTINE
R 202219Z FEB 18
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
INFO SECNAV WASHINGTON DC
CNO WASHINGTON DC
BT
UNCLAS

NAVADMIN 039/18

PASS TO OFFICE CODES:
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS//
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/DNS/FEB//

SUBJ/ANNOUNCEMENT OF APPROVAL OF HUMANITARIAN SERVICE MEDAL (HSM) FOR 
HURRICANES MATTHEW, HARVEY, IRMA, AND MARIA//

REF/A/DOC/DOD/21DEC2016//
REF/B/DOC/SECNAV/22AUG2006//
REF/C/DOC/JCS/16FEB2018//
REF/D/DOC/JCS/14FEB2018//
REF/E/DOC/JCS/28APR17//
NARR/REF A IS DOD 1348.33 VOL2, SECDEF MANUAL OF MILITARY DECORATIONS AND 
AWARDS.  
REF B IS SECNAVINST 1650.1H, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS AWARDS MANUAL.  
REF C ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF THE HSM FOR HURRICANE IRMA AND MARIA.  
REF D ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF THE HSM FOR HURRICANE HARVEY.  
REF E ANNOUNCES APPROVAL OF THE HSM FOR HURRICANE MATTHEW.//

RMKS/1.  The following guidance is provided for awarding of the HSM.

2.  Eligibility Criteria:
    a.  Per references (a) and (b) the HSM is an individual service medal 
awarded to members who, after 1 April 1975, distinguish themselves as 
individuals or members of U.S. military units by meritorious, direct, 
non-routine participation in a significant military act or operation of a 
humanitarian nature.
    b.  The recipient must have been physically present at the designated 
location, having directly contributed to and influenced the action.  The 
designated location is the immediate site(s) of the humanitarian operation(s) 
as defined by the Presidential or Department of State request for assistance.  
Specifically excluded from eligibility are Service members or elements that 
remain entirely outside of the Area of Eligibility (AOE), or who were 
assigned to the AOE but were not directly supporting the humanitarian 
operation.
    c.  Specific AOE and dates follow:
        (1) The HSM has been approved by the award authority for Hurricane 
Matthew for those Service members who were physically present in the vicinity 
of Haiti, Cuba, Jamaica, and Cayman Islands, to include the air and sea 
space, and provided humanitarian assistance during the period 4-19 October 
2016.
        (2) The HSM has been approved by the award authority for Hurricane 
Harvey for U.S. Service members, Coast Guardsmen, and the Reserve Components 
(to include the National Guard), who were physically present in the following 
Texas counties:  Aransas, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Brazoria, Calhoun, Chambers, 
Colorado, DeWitt, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Goliad, Gonzales, Hardin, 
Harris, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Karnes, Kleberg, Lavaca, Lee, Liberty, 
Matagorda, Montgomery, Newton, Nueces, Orange, Polk, Refugio, Sabine, San 
Jacinto, San Patricio, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, and Wharton counties; 
or in the following Louisiana parishes:  Acadia, Allen, Beauregard, 
Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson Davis, Natchitoches, Rapides, Sabine, 
Vermilion, and Vernon; and provided humanitarian assistance during the period 
23 August 2017 to 31 October 2017.
        (3) The HSM has been approved by the award authority for Hurricanes 
Irma and Maria for U.S. Service members, Coast Guardsmen, and the Reserve 
Components (to include the National Guard), who were physically present in 
the State of Florida or the Caribbean Islands, and adjacent waters, from 
Barbados northward to Anguilla, and then westward to the Florida Straits and 
provided humanitarian assistance during the period 8 September 2017 to 20 
October 2017.

3.  Awarding Authority:
    a.  Active/Reserve personnel.  Determination of individual eligibility is 
delegated to the command level of O-6/civilian equivalent or above.  Awarding 
authorities must confirm individual participation by verifying assignment via 
orders or evaluations/fitness reports.  Once verified, commands shall submit 
the appropriate service record documentation via their personnel office.
    b.  Navy veterans.  For Navy personnel honorably discharged or retired 
after the stated time periods of these awards who meet the criteria in 
paragraphs 2.a. and 2.b. above and who are requesting the HSM can submit a 
written request indicating their unit and dates assigned and a copy of the 
undeleted version of the DD-214 to:  Navy Personnel Command (PERS 312), 5720 
Integrity Drive, Millington, TN 38055.  If available, supporting 
documentation showing service with a qualifying unit (Eval, FITREP, orders) 
shall be included.

4.  Participating Units and Personnel:
    a.  Per reference (b), Commanding Officers whose units meet the criteria 
must submit a completed OPNAV Form 1650/14 and include a list of qualified 
personnel to DNS-35 via cno_awards.fct@navy.mil. These units will be entered 
into the awards database and will be viewable via a unit awards search at 
https://awards.navy.mil.  This is to facilitate documentation only and does 
not imply unit-wide HSM approval. Individual service record documentation 
remains a command responsibility.
    b.  Navy personnel attached to DoD, Joint or other non-Navy commands who 
meet the criteria outlined above should have the appropriate DoD or Joint 
command confirm their eligibility and submit the required service record 
documentation.

5.  Released by Vice Admiral K. M. Donegan, Director, Navy Staff.//

BT
#0001
NNNN
UNCLASSIFIED//

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Navy Implements Changes to Devices on Awards

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From Office of Information
WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy announced Aug. 21 in ALNAV 055/17 that it is implementing changes to the letter-type devices worn on certain medals and ribbons.

The ALNAV provides Sailors and Marines guidance on the proper authorization and wear of the more restrictive bronze letter V (Valor) as well as the newly created bronze letters C (Combat Conditions) and R (Remote Impact).

The devices are intended to provide more distinctive recognition of acts of valor (V device), meritorious achievement or service under combat conditions (C device), and meritorious achievement that had direct impact on combat operations, albeit from a location where the awardee was not at significant risk of exposure to hostile action (R device).

“All previous decorations that had a V device remain valid and are in no way diminished or called into question by the new policy,” said Jim Nierle, president, Navy Department Board of Decorations and Medals. “Additionally, none of these awards will be rescinded, altered, or otherwise reconsidered as a result of this ALNAV.”

The devices only apply to personal decorations. They are not authorized on any unit awards or any campaign, expeditionary, or service medals and ribbons.

The new policy for the C and R devices is retroactive only to Jan. 7, 2016, which is when then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter approved the recommended changes following a 2016 Department of Defense review of the military awards program.

Any Sailor or Marine who received a personal decoration for meritorious achievement or service after Jan. 7, 2016, and who believes the circumstances met the criteria for the C device or R device, may directly contact the command that issued the award and request reconsideration. However, because the new policy for the V device is more restrictive than the previous policy, no consideration will be given to adding a V device to any previously approved award.

For specific details about which awards are authorized with the three devices, read ALNAV 055/17 at www.npc.navy.mil.

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Nominations Call for MHS Female Physician Leadership Award

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The deadline for nominations for the Military Health System (MHS) Female Physician Leadership Award is COB 10 JUL 2017. Here are three documents to help with completing the nomination package:

Command Letter of Recommendation Sample

MHS Female Physician Leadership Award Criteria

MHS Female Physician Leadership Award Nomination Form

Nomination packages should contain the Command Endorsement, CV, and Nomination Form. Package documents should be submitted in one consolidated PDF format with the following standardized naming – title the PDF “Last Name First Initial_Service_Jr or Sr_FPL_17”

Example: SmithB_Navy_Jr_FPL_17

The suspense for packages to be submitted for Service vetting is COB 10 JUL 2017, (1600 EST). This suspense is FIRM, as packages must be vetted and selected by Navy/SG for submission to MHS. Packages should be sent to the NAVY POC: CAPT Charmagne G. Beckett (e-mail address in BUMED global).

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Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Announced

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If you’ve served in Iraq or Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve you will receive the Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal.  The award is retroactive to June 15, 2014, and is for service members based in Iraq or Syria, those who flew missions over those countries, and those who served in contiguous waters for 30 consecutive days or 60 nonconsecutive days.  Details here:

Carter Announced Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal

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