The Recommendation for an Award from (Da Form 638) is an award form that can be filled out by army superiors to nominate someone in their unit for an award.
According to many army members, both officers and otherwise, the DA 638 is underutilized in the military. This is especially prominent in units such as the Army Reserves of the ARNG, which are often considered a part-time’ units. Oftentimes, smaller unit leaders will go entire careers without using the DA 638 to nominate their soldiers, which is simply a shame.
The DA 638 fillable form is a nomination form that can be used for multiple types of awards. For example, using a DA 638, a superior officer can nominate soldiers for awards such as the Army Commendation Medal, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Army Achievement Medal. Almost any medal can receive a nominee through the use of DA form 638.
According to a former Company Commander in the Army National Guard, soldiers can be nominated for many achievements. Graduating with honors, excelling in their performance with a weapon, scoring highly on an APFT, performing duties above their paygrade – these are all activities befitting of merit.
Additionally, the benefits nominating soldiers for awards regularly in terms of company or unit moral should not be understated. Many officers have suggested nominating at least one soldier per drill weekend to enforce maximum moral among troops.
By consistently nominating soldiers for awards via a DA 638, officers can increase the sense of competition and drive amongst their recruits. Additionally, receiving awards gives soldiers something to talk about to their family, as well as promotion points and bragging rights.
It is important to note that soldiers flagged for their behavior or actions cannot be nominated for awards with a DA 638. However, for many soldiers, even receiving something like a nomination for a service award via DA 638 can be meaningful.
The DA 638 Form is incredibly easy to fill out, both to the benefit of officers, as well as to the benefit of the soldiers that are being nominated.
DA 638 Forms can be easily found either online in PDF form from a variety of sources, and can also be provided in physical form from various army sources. In order to fill out a DA 638, a nominating officer must simply fill out the required information about the nominee.
Nominators must list the nominees Name, Rank, SSN, Organization, Previous Awards, and Branch of Service, after which the Recommended Award is listed. The reason for the award can then be indicated, and the award can be designated as being interim or posthumous, if such measures are needed.
Part two of the form requires the nominating officer to justify why their nominee deserves an award with longer, fully written justifications. There is also a blank narrative and a citation page for the nominating officer to fill in. Overall, the DA 638 should take no more than thirty to sixty minutes to fill out.
Overall, the DA 638 is an underutilized form for both recognizing the merit of soldiers, and for generally improving unit and company moral via nominations. Due to this, knowing how to fill out the form in its entirety is useful for officers who wish to nominate their soldiers for any variety of awards.