DA Form 4980-18 is the certificate presented to a Soldier receiving the Army Achievement Medal, and it is completed by the awarding command using data taken directly from the approved DA Form 638. Download the current blank from the Army Publishing Directorate, transcribe the recipient’s information and the citation from Block 21 of the DA Form 638, have an officer in the grade of Lieutenant Colonel or higher sign it, and then file the DA Form 638 (not the certificate) in iPERMS if the award is dated on or after January 17, 2023.
Where to Download the Blank Form
The current version lives at the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil, which is the only official source for Army forms.1Army Publishing Directorate. Army Publishing Directorate Search the APD catalog by form number. Depending on the version, it is available as a PDF and either XFDL or Word. Copies pulled from unofficial sites often carry outdated layouts, and human resources personnel will reject them. If APD is not reachable from your workstation, your unit S-1 or admin shop will have the current fillable file.
What You Need in Front of You Before Typing
Every entry on the certificate comes from the approved DA Form 638, Recommendation for Award. That form is the single source for both the Soldier’s identifying data and the citation narrative, so keep an approved copy open beside the blank certificate.2U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. DA Form 638 Recommendation for Award Instructions
Verify each of the following against the DA Form 638 and the Soldier’s records:
- Full legal name and rank as held at the time of the achievement, not the current rank if the Soldier has since been promoted.
- Branch of service, which AR 600-8-22 requires on the certificate.
- Unit of assignment or attachment during the period being recognized.
- Exact inclusive dates, or the single date for a specific act.
- The permanent order number and date. Without this, the certificate has no regulatory authority.
Any mismatch between the certificate, the permanent orders, and the DA Form 638 creates an audit problem later. Corrections after the commander signs mean a full reprint and re-signature, so check spelling and dates before you begin.
How to Fill In Each Block
AR 600-8-22 sets the placement. Grade, name, and branch of service go in the labeled spaces, along with the place and dates of the act, achievement, or service.3Military Times. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards The permanent order number and date go on the line at the left side. The “To” line identifies the recipient’s organization and is centered.
The citation block carries the narrative and is the block that gets most attention. For the AAM, the citation is limited to six lines.4U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Basic Information and Documentation Required for Awards Pull the text directly from Block 21 of the approved DA Form 638 rather than rewriting it. If the narrative runs long, edit for brevity instead of shrinking the font. Use sentence case. Abbreviations are not prohibited, but the regulation encourages spelling out terms on first use because the certificate is a document of lasting record.3Military Times. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards
Below the citation, the “Given Under My Hand” section carries the date the approving authority signs. That date must match the effective date on the permanent orders. Mismatching those dates is one of the most common errors and forces a reprint.
Who Signs the Certificate
The lowest grade authorized to approve the Army Achievement Medal is Lieutenant Colonel (O-5). Colonels and general officers can also approve the AAM for personnel assigned or attached to their command.5U.S. Army Human Resources Command. U.S. Army Awards and Decorations Branch The commander’s personal signature goes in the lower right of the certificate.3Military Times. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards
Authentication can be a traditional ink signature or a secure CAC-based digital signature, depending on the command’s SOP. Some commands emboss or print an official unit seal. Commanders who hold AAM approval authority may also be delegated permanent orders publication authority by a brigadier general or higher, so the approving LTC or COL can issue both the orders and the signed certificate from the same headquarters.3Military Times. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards
How to File the Completed Certificate
Filing rules changed for recent awards. For any AAM with an effective date of January 17, 2023, or later, the certificate itself is no longer authorized for upload into the Soldier’s Army Military Human Resource Record (AMHRR) through iPERMS. The approved DA Form 638 is the document that gets filed instead.6iPERMS – Army.mil. AMHRR Required Documents The S-1 or HR professional obtains the approved DA Form 638 and uploads it through the iPERMS Scan Operator function.7U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Soldier Self Service
For awards dated before January 17, 2023, the certificate itself may still be filed. Either way, the Soldier should log into iPERMS to confirm the award is documented and provide copies to the HR shop if anything is missing. An award that never reaches the AMHRR does not exist for board purposes, because boards review the record and not the framed certificate.
Time Limit on the Underlying Recommendation
The certificate cannot be produced unless the recommendation was submitted in time. A DA Form 638 recommending the AAM must enter military channels within two years of the act or service, meaning it has been signed by the initiating official and endorsed by a higher official in the chain of command. No Army decoration other than the Purple Heart is awarded more than two years after the qualifying event unless approved through the process under 10 U.S.C. 1130.8U.S. Army Human Resources Command. Title 10 USC 1130 Processing Guidance A late-submission waiver requires a full benefits analysis, review by the activity’s senior legal officer, command endorsement, and forwarding through higher headquarters to the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-1.9Department of the Army. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards
How to Request a Replacement Certificate
Certificates get lost, damaged in moves, or destroyed. The path depends on the recipient’s current status.
Active-duty Soldiers request a replacement through command channels to the headquarters currently authorized to award the AAM. Include a copy of the permanent orders. The replacement will be annotated with the original order number, for example “Per Permanent Orders XX-XX, 1 January 00,” so it links back to the original approval.3Military Times. AR 600-8-22 Military Awards
Veterans and retirees route their request based on separation date:
- Separated before October 1, 2002: submit to the National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138, or file online through the National Archives.
- Separated on or after October 1, 2002: submit to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Awards and Decorations Branch, ATTN: AHRC-PDP-A, Dept 480, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40122-5408. Requests may also be scanned and emailed. Include a copy of the DD-214 or other discharge paperwork and any documentation substantiating the award.
The first replacement is issued at no cost. Subsequent replacements for individuals no longer on active duty may be provided at cost.10U.S. Army Human Resources Command. How to Request Replacement Medals Replacement requests are honored from the original recipient or, if the recipient is deceased, from the primary next of kin.