ARCOM Citation Examples (Army Commendation Medal)
An Army Commendation Medal citation is one continuous paragraph in formal citation voice: an opening line naming the type of service and duty position, two to four sentences of quantified accomplishment, and the standard closing sentence. Keep it under roughly six lines when typed — S1 will kick back citations that overflow the certificate. These examples are fictional composites you can pattern from.
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PCS — Motor Sergeant
For meritorious service while serving as Motor Sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion. Sergeant First Class Rivera's leadership of a 14-Soldier maintenance section sustained a 96% operational readiness rate across 42 vehicles and earned the battalion top honors during the brigade maintenance inspection. Sergeant First Class Rivera's actions reflect great credit upon himself, 3rd Battalion, and the United States Army.
ETS — Supply Specialist
For meritorious service while serving as Unit Supply Specialist, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion. Specialist Chen maintained 100% accountability of a $4.3M property book through two change-of-command inventories and processed over 1,800 supply transactions with zero losses. Specialist Chen's actions reflect great credit upon herself, 2nd Battalion, and the United States Army.
Achievement — Range Operations
For meritorious achievement while serving as Range Safety Officer during Operation Ready Strike. Staff Sergeant Okafor planned and executed 12 live-fire ranges qualifying 240 Soldiers with zero safety incidents, directly enabling the battalion to deploy at 100% weapons qualification. Staff Sergeant Okafor's actions reflect great credit upon himself, 1st Brigade Combat Team, and the United States Army.
PCS — Human Resources NCO
For meritorious service while serving as Human Resources Noncommissioned Officer, 1st Special Troops Battalion. Sergeant Park processed 430 personnel actions and 96 awards with a 99% first-pass approval rate, and redesigned the battalion in-processing program, cutting new-Soldier integration time from ten days to four. Sergeant Park's actions reflect great credit upon herself, 1st Special Troops Battalion, and the United States Army.
Achievement — Field Exercise
For meritorious achievement while serving as Squad Leader during Decisive Action Rotation 26-05. Sergeant Delgado led his nine-Soldier squad through 14 days of sustained operations, achieving the highest platoon evaluation score at the National Training Center and zero heat casualties in 100-degree conditions. Sergeant Delgado's actions reflect great credit upon himself, 4th Infantry Division, and the United States Army.
Retirement — First Sergeant
For meritorious service culminating twenty-two years of distinguished service, most recently as First Sergeant, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion. First Sergeant Mason mentored 38 noncommissioned officers to promotion, led the company to back-to-back best-in-brigade retention rates, and shaped a generation of Soldiers through personal example. First Sergeant Mason's actions reflect great credit upon himself, 1st Battalion, and the United States Army.
Rules that get these approved
- One paragraph, no bullet points, no line breaks inside the citation.
- Open with "For meritorious service/achievement while serving as [duty position], [unit]."
- Two to four middle sentences maximum — pick the two or three strongest quantified accomplishments.
- Close with the exact formula: "...reflect great credit upon [himself/herself/themselves], [unit], and the United States Army."
- Never include classified details, full SSNs, or derogatory information.