Awards
Humanitarian Service Medal for Hurricane Relief
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//
Navy Implements Changes to Devices on Awards
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.
Nominations Call for MHS Female Physician Leadership Award
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).
Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal Announced
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:
