To fill out DA Form 638, enter the soldier’s identifying data in Part I, the recommender’s information in Part II, and the proposed award and reason in Part III; write a bulleted narrative in Block 20 (or a separate page for higher awards), draft a citation that fits the line limit for that award, sign Block 19, and route the packet through IPPS-A or up the chain of command within two years of the act being recognized. The detailed rules live in Army Regulation 600-8-22, Chapter 3, Section III, and the current form is available from the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil.
What to Gather Before You Open the Form
Administrative errors are one of the most common reasons packets get returned without review, so pull the data together first.
- Soldier’s identifying data. Full legal name, SSN or DoD ID, current rank, and branch. These must match the official personnel registry exactly.
- Unit information. The soldier’s current unit designation and the address of the command forwarding the award.
- Award history. Previous decorations help the reviewer judge whether the proposed level is right.
- Period of service or date of achievement. Exact start and end dates for a service-based award (retirement, PCS, end of tour); the specific date or narrow window for an achievement.
- Recommender’s information. Your own full name, rank, duty position, and signature authority.
For a heroism or valor recommendation, also collect eyewitness statements, maps or diagrams, photographs if any exist, and extracts from official records that support the facts. AR 600-8-22 makes these supporting documents optional for the Bronze Star Medal and lesser awards but strongly encouraged for anything involving combat action.
Parts I, II, and III: The Administrative Blocks
The first three parts establish who the soldier is, who is making the recommendation, and what type of award is being proposed.
Part I captures the soldier’s personal data: name, SSN or DoD ID, rank, branch, and organization. Part II identifies the person initiating the recommendation, including your name, rank, and position. Your signature in Block 19 certifies that the information in the packet is accurate.
Part III is where you select the specific award and the reason for it. Check the box for the decoration you’re recommending (Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, and so on) and indicate whether the basis is an achievement, a period of service, or an act of heroism. The Reason for Award block identifies the triggering event: retirement, permanent change of station, end of tour, or a specific accomplishment. Block 11b records the exact dates being recognized. Get these dates right, because submission timelines are measured from the end date.
Writing the Narrative Justification
The narrative tells the reviewing chain of command what the soldier did and why it warrants recognition beyond normal duty performance. Format and length depend on the award level.
For the AAM, ARCOM, and MSM, the justification goes directly on the DA Form 638 in Block 20, in bullet format. Each bullet should describe a specific, measurable accomplishment. “Coordinated the movement of 14 convoy missions across three provinces without a single loss of equipment” works. “Was a great team player” does not. Show how performance went beyond what the soldier’s rank and position normally require.
For the Bronze Star Medal and above, the justification goes on a separate page: one double-spaced typewritten page with one-inch margins. The Distinguished Service Medal and higher may exceed one page. Valor narratives carry additional requirements: describe the terrain and weather, enemy conditions before and during the action, the effect on the enemy, the actions of nearby comrades, and the degree to which the act was voluntary and exceeded what was normally expected.
Drafting the Citation Within the Line Limit
The citation is the formal language that appears on the certificate and gets read at the presentation ceremony. It must align with the facts in the narrative but reads as ceremonial prose, a single paragraph, not bullets.
Line limits are strict and vary by award:
- AAM, ARCOM, and MSM: six lines, fitting within the space on the DA Form 638 itself.
- Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and any award with a “V” device: nine lines, typed in 12-point font on separate bond paper.
- Distinguished Service Medal and above: up to 19 lines.
A citation that runs over will not print correctly on the official certificate. Count your lines before you submit. This formatting detail causes more returns than people expect.
Submitting Through IPPS-A or on Paper
Award processing has been migrating into the Integrated Personnel and Pay System–Army (IPPS-A), where recommenders initiate a Personnel Action Request (PAR) for the decoration. When the PAR is approved and the award is presented, the soldier’s record updates automatically. IPPS-A currently handles the AAM, ARCOM, MSM, and Legion of Merit. Any valor award, including any decoration with a “V” device, must still be processed outside IPPS-A on a traditional DA Form 638 routed through the chain of command.
Once a PAR is initiated in IPPS-A, only the S-1 personnel shop can make changes. If an approving authority spots an error, the PAR bounces back to the S-1, which can delay processing significantly when the packet must pass through multiple command levels (unit, battalion, brigade, and, for Guard units, state headquarters). Getting the packet right before it enters the system saves weeks.
Deadlines and How Early to Start
Every recommendation must enter military channels within two years of the act, achievement, or service being recognized. The Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, and Distinguished Service Medal have separate procedures. Miss the two-year window and the recommendation cannot move forward through normal channels.
If the packet is submitted more than one month after the ending date of the period of service, a letter of endorsement explaining the delay must accompany it.
For planned departures such as retirements and PCS moves, start early. U.S. Army Reserve policy offers a useful benchmark: award packets for the MSM and below should arrive at the processing headquarters error-free at least 60 days before the end date of the award period. Legion of Merit packets for colonels and below need 90 days. DSM-level awards and Legion of Merit packets for general officers need 120 days. Active-duty commands set their own internal timelines, but these windows give a practical sense of lead time.
Who Approves Which Award
The rank of the officer with final approval authority depends on the decoration, which shapes how many levels of review the packet must pass through.
- Army Achievement Medal. A lieutenant colonel (O-5) commanding at battalion level or above.
- Army Commendation Medal. The first colonel (O-6) in the soldier’s chain of command.
- Meritorious Service Medal. A general officer. A brigadier general (O-7) can approve for soldiers assigned or attached to the organization; higher-ranking generals have broader authority that extends to other service branches and foreign military personnel at O-6 and below.
- Legion of Merit and above. Processed through U.S. Army Human Resources Command, with approval authority sitting at progressively higher levels depending on the decoration.
Wartime delegation of approval authority follows separate rules established by the Secretary of the Army and may differ from peacetime delegations.
Mistakes That Delay Processing
Most returned packets fail on preventable errors, not substance. The recurring ones:
- Missing or mismatched identification. SSN or DoD ID that doesn’t match the personnel system, or a name spelled differently than in official records.
- Unsigned blocks. A skipped signature by the recommender or an intermediate endorser stops the packet cold.
- Citation over the line limit. A six-line citation that runs to eight lines will be returned.
- Vague narrative bullets. Character traits instead of specific accomplishments. Quantify wherever possible.
- Wrong award category. Checking “achievement” for a full tour, or “service” for a one-time event.
- Late submission without justification. Any packet arriving more than a month after the end of the recognized period needs an endorsement letter explaining why. Without it, the packet stalls.
If the Recommendation Comes Back Disapproved
A disapproved or downgraded recommendation isn’t necessarily the end. You can request reconsideration by the same approval authority, but only with new, substantive information that wasn’t in the original packet. The request must be submitted within one year of the approval authority’s decision, formatted as a letter no longer than two single-spaced typewritten pages, and routed through the same channels as the original. Attach a copy of the original packet, including all endorsements and the citation. One reconsideration is final.
If the two-year submission window has closed entirely, a member of Congress can ask the Secretary of the Army to review the case under 10 U.S.C. § 1130. That path exists for situations where a deserving soldier’s award was never submitted or was lost in administrative channels; it is not a routine appeals process.
A clean packet that arrives well ahead of the soldier’s departure date has the best chance of being approved and presented in person, which is the point of starting the process in the first place.