Personal Awards (split from "Officer Sword")

[taproot2779]

I'm in navy BDCP and my OSO said that if I get 2 people into the program I get a navy achievement medal. A bump in paygrade for 1 person.

Some pretty sweet incentives for recruiting out there

 

[MasterBates]

Just me, but the "get 2 to join, get a NAM" is bogus. Nothing at you or your recuiter, but being a non-prior enlisted person, and showing up at OCS with a NAM may raise some eyebrows of some.

The extra pay should be enough incentive. E-3 to E-4 is a decent bump.

 

[taproot2779]

I figured as much. When my OSO described what it normally takes to get one of those medals I decided to pass.

and there's always having to answer "wow! what did you get THAT medal for?"

"uh..recruiting..kinda..yea...."

 

[MasterBates]

A NAM (Navy-Marine Corps Achivement Medal)can be handed out in a discresionary manner by unit COs. I have seen them issued for the following:

Baking Cookies (the infamous "cookie NAM")
Not Fvcking up during a hi-viz inspection (to the officer responsible)
Not Fvckign up during a tour (normally, a NAM is an end of tour award for 1st tour LT's here)
Changing an engine and getting the aircraft back up in 5 hours (to the 3 AD's who kicked a$$)
Plus, many other meritiorious reasons. It's kind of the cover all for "worthy of more than a letter" situations.

FWIW, I do not have a NAM, but I did get a COM (Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal) for flying SAR & MEDEVAC during JTF Katrina. That probably was more like a JAM (Joint Achivement Medal) but the Commodore was having trouble getting the 82nd airborne's CO to sign off on it so he "upgraded" it to a COM.

For the confused, there is a precedence order and description of criteria here:

http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/navyrib.shtml

 

[scoober78]

Yeah...unfortunately, award criteria are many and varied...Like Masterbates, I've seen them given out for some ridiculous things. I have 3 NAM's...two of which I am proud of and one I got for "not screwing up." Just seems to be the way of the world...

 

[Brett327]

A NAM (Navy-Marine Corps Achivement Medal)can be handed out in a discresionary manner by unit COs. I have seen them issued for the following:

Baking Cookies (the infamous "cookie NAM")
Not Fvcking up during a hi-viz inspection (to the officer responsible)
Not Fvckign up during a tour (normally, a NAM is an end of tour award for 1st tour LT's here)
Changing an engine and getting the aircraft back up in 5 hours (to the 3 AD's who kicked a$$)
Plus, many other meritiorious reasons. It's kind of the cover all for "worthy of more than a letter" situations.

FWIW, I do not have a NAM, but I did get a COM (Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal) for flying SAR & MEDEVAC during JTF Katrina. That probably was more like a JAM (Joint Achivement Medal) but the Commodore was having trouble getting the 82nd airborne's CO to sign off on it so he "upgraded" it to a COM.

For the confused, there is a precedence order and description of criteria here:

http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/navyrib.shtml

I agree that awards are oftentimes out of control, but the genie is out of the bottle and you can't go back to the way it was because there's a certain expectation for awards now. That said, I got an EOT Comm from 44 as a 1st class - fvcking shameless. That kind of thing would never happen today, but I'm not complaining - I gots mine.

Brett

 

[MasterBates]

I am not getting an EOT, but that is because I got my COM from JTF Katrina.

(But the guys who got Air Medals for that get EOT awards, Navy logic at work)

But for the average LT who did not fvck up, there is a NAM at EOT, possibly a COM if you were NATOPS/QAO or some other big job.

 

[Goober]

Not always the case. I was QAO and got a NAM. And I was good at the job.

 

[Brett327]

I am not getting an EOT, but that is because I got my COM from JTF Katrina.

(But the guys who got Air Medals for that get EOT awards, Navy logic at work)

But for the average LT who did not fvck up, there is a NAM at EOT, possibly a COM if you were NATOPS/QAO or some other big job.

It took almost 2 years for my Air Medal to get processed and approved.

Brett

 

[MasterBates]

JTF Katrina awards came out quick.

Air Medals in 2-3 weeks, COM & NAM stuff about a month.

JAM/JCM about 4-6 months, those were SLOW, if at all.

Plus, the "Hand Medal" for all who went west of Crestview or east of Beaumont.

 

[zab1001]

Supposedly the entire awards process is under major scrutiny, specifically for over generosity with the NAM. I found this out when researching why one of my host nation's exchange guys never got his Comm (which was the standard EOT award for those guys).

 

[A4sForever]

Supposedly the entire awards process is under major scrutiny...

Boy, one would hope so ... as it's ridiculous ... repeat: ridiculous today and I thought the Vietnam timeframe was "most generous" ...

I got off active duty with almost 3 rows .... I recently checked and I can now wear 5 rows with complete confidence. And I retired in '92 !!! I even got a medal from the Air Force for Gulf 1 flying ... with an airline!!!

But .... when I see a PO2's uniform (a squadron maintainer) hanging in the NAS gym sporting 5+ rows of ribbons ... I know something is amiss. :icon_wink

 

[Brett327]

I got off active duty with almost 3 rows ....

Clearly an underachiever.

Brett

 

[Steve Wilkins]

Five NAM's, no COM's. Two of the five were while I was enlisted. Can't say I ever really deserved a COM. But then again, I hold the Navy COM in much higher regard than the NAM. Most enlisted guys/gals I know who have a Navy COM are kidding themselves if they think they deserved it.

 

[skidkid]

Wow,
It is bad on the green side but not that bad. 5 NAMs for an O-3, wow