Army Award Recommendation — DA Form 638
Fill in the basics, paste rough notes on what they did, and get a completed DA 638 with polished achievement blocks and a proposed citation.
Soldier being recommended
Award details
Recommender (you)
What did they do?
How the DA 638 is actually structured
The DA Form 638 (Recommendation for Award) carries three things your chain of command reads closely: the administrative blocks identifying the Soldier and the recommending official, the achievement blocks (Part IV) that justify the award with specific quantified accomplishments, and the proposed citation that will be read aloud and printed on the certificate. Weak 638s almost always fail in Part IV — vague "displayed outstanding leadership" language with no numbers.
Military awards policy lives in AR 600-8-22 (Military Awards). Chapter 3 covers personal decorations like the AAM, ARCOM, and MSM, and approval authority depends on the award and your command structure — check the regulation and your local awards SOP before routing. Time-in-processing matters too: most units want PCS and ETS awards submitted 60 to 90 days out.
What makes achievement blocks strong
Each achievement block should follow the same skeleton: what the Soldier did, at what scope, with what measurable result. "Managed the unit motor pool" is a duty description; "sustained a 96% operational readiness rate across 42 vehicles through two command inspections" is an achievement. Pull numbers from maintenance reports, property books, training statistics, and counseling packets — counts, dollars, percentages, and hours are what board members and approval authorities look for.
The citation is different: one continuous paragraph in formal citation voice with the standard opening ("For meritorious service/achievement while serving as...") and the mandatory closing line reflecting credit on the Soldier, the unit, and the United States Army. It has to fit the certificate, so shorter and denser wins.
How this generator helps
Paste rough notes — bullet fragments, counseling-packet language, whatever you have — and the generator drafts four achievement blocks and a proposed citation sized to the form's character limits, then fills the actual DA 638 PDF so you download a ready-to-route document. Everything is editable before you download, and you should always review the output against AR 600-8-22 and your unit's awards SOP before submitting.
Frequently asked questions
What awards can a DA Form 638 recommend?
The DA 638 is the recommendation form for Army personal decorations — most commonly the Army Achievement Medal (AAM), Army Commendation Medal (ARCOM), and Meritorious Service Medal (MSM). Award criteria and approval authorities are set by AR 600-8-22, chapter 3.
How long should the citation be?
Short enough to fit the certificate — roughly six typed lines for an ARCOM. One continuous paragraph, no bullets: an opening line naming the type of service and duty position, two to four quantified middle sentences, and the standard closing sentence.
How far in advance should I submit an award recommendation?
Most units want PCS and ETS awards routed 60 to 90 days before the departure date so the packet clears every approval level in time. Check your battalion or brigade awards SOP for the local suspense.
Is the generated DA 638 ready to submit?
It produces a filled DA 638 PDF with polished achievement blocks and a proposed citation, but you remain the recommender — review every line for accuracy, verify award criteria in AR 600-8-22, and follow your unit routing process.
Official source
AR 600-8-22, Military Awards — Army Publishing Directorate — The current published regulation and the fillable DA Form 638 are both on armypubs.army.mil.