Da Form 638 Example: Fill & Download for Free

You said “soldier,” which I assume means “Army.” I can't answer for all countries, but the answer for the U.S. Army is a little more complicated than “yes or no.”The process for recommending someone for an award starts with a form called a DA 638. You can find it on the internet pretty easily. There is no place on that form for a recommended Soldier to accept or refuse an award - it starts with the recommender and goes up to the approval authority (varies depending on the level of the award, a Lieutenant Colonel up to flag officer).Now, there are some minor awards that you can be authorized without a DA 638. For example, a campaign award (like for Afghanistan or Iraq) is awarded just by you having been overseas during certain times. No other paperwork necessary.But all valor awards are through the DA 638 at a minimum. Because the recommended Soldier doesn't sign either way, they can't refuse the award.However - Army regulations (I think AR 670–1, but maybe AR 600–8–22, but I'm not gonna check right now) allow a Soldier to wear whatever awards they want to wear. So a Soldier could be awarded a valor award…but then never wear it.Also, there's two big official records of your service paperwork: your Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) and your Record Brief (ORB or ERB). Your OMPF has documents uploaded by administrative agencies, you don't control it. But you frequently have to take those documents to your local personnel office to get them put into your Record Brief. Technically, you could not do that, but we are frequently told to make sure your RB matches your OMPF. Not sure that's a regulation, but it's been a verbal order repeatedly throughout my career.So really, it's mostly whether you choose to wear it. Whether you consider that effectively refusing an award or not is up to you.Edit to add: refusing to wear awards has some cultural implications. It could be seen as disrespectful to the people who recommended it, and since they were or are in your chain of command, that's a big deal. Alternatively, it might be seen as a personal choice…feeling that others deserved it or whatever. It's just dependent on the situation. To be honest, in 14 years I've never seen anyone refuse to wear a valor award. I'm sure it happens, I've just never seen it or even heard of it. And most of my career has been in operational “warfighting" units so I've worked with a number of valor recipients.

The DA Form 638 will state what a soldier did to earn an award.DA Form 638 RECOMMENDATION FOR AWARD AAM ExampleContrary to popular belief, this information is not on a soldier’s DD Form 214. That form will have the official record of what awards the soldier is authorized at the time of separation, but not what the award was for. In other words, it will say the soldier has a certain number commendation medals, but won’t have any reason for why it was awarded.When a soldier is recommended for an award, a DA Form 638 is created. That form will have blocks for the person initiating the award to write a narrative or reason for the award.There are other blocks for subsequent unit commanders to approve or disapprove the award.That completed and approved form becomes the order for the soldier to officially be awarded. Then the unit will produce the appropriate certificate that is suitable for framing.But the real DA Form 638 is the form that will say what the soldier did to earn the award. There is also a block for the proposed narrative that will go on the actual award certificate.That narrative is often a huge run on sentence full of standard Army jargon and may or may not even really say what the person did.So the DA Form 638 is what you’d want to request to see to be able to determine what each award was for.

Here is one example:I was with A-401, IVG Corps Mobile Strike Force, B-40, C-4, 5th Special Forces Group (Green Berets). We would deploy out of our small A-site to conduct combat operations usually in the Seven Mountains area. Each Mike Force company of indigenous personal were commanded by two Special Forces NCOs. SSG Greg Skougland and I were in command of 43rd Company made up of 112 Cambodians and 29 Chinese Nungs. The intent of our 30 operation was to find, fix and destroy NVA units. After two weeks in the field the work chopper landed to drop off supplies that were ordered in paragraph 9 of the nightly SITREP (situation report), in addition to the resupply our detachment commander hopped off the HUEY to spend a few days with us. He was not there to command but just observe. Two nights later we were hit by a sizable force of NVA Infantry. Greg went to one side of the perimeter and I the opposite side. The NVA were charging on line like the Japanese did in WWII. Our Cambodians don’t run. When I arrived a few seconds after the initial contact was made by one of our LP/OP (listening post/observation post) all the Cambodians were laying down automatic fire. The M-60 gunner had the trigger engaged firing a steady stream of 7.62 rounds. Normally the 60 gunner will fire 3 round burst otherwise the barrel will overheat and warp. I immediately called in an artillery strike using TRP’s (target reference points) the Army uses a numbering sequence but that takes to long to convey so we used objects. I remember calling in, “ White blossom this is pebble symbol, (two word callsigns which is shortened after the initial call) fire mission, tree house, rock; fire for effect, danger close, I will adjust, over”. Within a few minutes the 105 artillery rounds started landing. We always had a 60mm Mortar that I called for illumination with parachute flairs. They were located in the center of the perimeter with 3 fighting positions (foxholes). An air force gunship called me and said, ‘give me a grid corordinate ( used to indicate a point on the map) I inquired who the f**k are you the voice came back give me a grid square then sit back your war is over. Shortly after that Greg the A-Team medic (today 18D) ran past me with no weapon nor any equipment. His interpreter stopped next to me. I shouted, “where the f**k is Greg going?” He responded, “LP/OP wounded Greg go save. I’m like, sh*t I’m alone especially if he gets hit. I told his interpreter that I wanted six men. In no time I had 6 Cambodians standing in front of me. I told the interpreter to tell the men to follow me for I was going to form a firing line to insure that Greg returned unharmed. I observed Greg returning with the soldier in a fireman’s carry. I took the 6 men back inside of the perimeter. Greg dropped the soldier and started working on him. Will I was exposed about 80 feet beyond the perimeter firing my M-16, my stomach went weak and my knees buckled, it was at that moment I pissed in my pants. Shortly after that the NVA retreated. I was like, “hey, dudes your initial plan isn’t working you better go to plan B; but they had no plan B. In Special Forces we always have three COA’s (courses of action) so if plan A fails we would quickly initiate Plan B.After the three hour battle everything was quiet. I looked at Greg and asked, “BTW, Greg where is the captain?”. He replied “I don’t know” as the conversation continued a head popped out of one of the 60mm foxholes. It was a moonless night and I asked, “Captain bXXXXXX, is that you.” He replied, “yes” I then said “it’s OK now you can come out of the foxhole”. He hid the entire time we were being attacked. It was OK with Greg and I because he was not the best officer and he would have mucked up the battle.I was in the B-Team for some administration paperwork because they were closing A-401 and I was being sent to A-404 the Airboat camp. Greg showed me a DA Form 638, used for writing up someone for an awards or valor. I read the form which contained the narrative of what I had done during the battle. I smiled and told Greg that was a nice gesture. With a sour look he said read the name. Our hero-not Captain had whited out my name and inserted his. MAJ Bridgewater had put both Greg and I in for the Silver Star and left for the States the week before. I told Greg shit he hid the entire time. He said, I know but it needs two signature and that he had already signed. I protested to the new B-Team commander and he ordered me to sign.Both awards were downgraded to Bronze Stars with V device (V-valor) OK, I’ll sign. 24 years later I was able to get in touch with MAJ Bridgewater and he asked about the award that he had submitted on my behalf. I told him no, that CPT BXXXXXXX changed the name on the form and he received the BS/V. Bridgewater was so pissed remarking, “there is nothing more contemptible than someone stealing the valor of another. He took the time to submit the paperwork once again through the Senator office. About 7 months later I received the award.So the short answer, it depends on who witnesses the cowardly act.Taken the morning after the battle.The Cambodians of 43rd Company.