Reading this enraging thread and imagining my old brigade commander, @DSutherland_TSP, descending from on high--chewing his gum as always--and nuking that command team in place.

I still remember (fifteen years later!) how he handled awards. 1/ https://twitter.com/LT_REFRAD/status/1290717710930735104

I remember him telling his commanders (I was an XO), "You have the power to award awards, and you ought to use it," he said. "Some people are afraid to hand them out. Why? They don't cost you anything, and they mean a hell of a lot to soldiers."
2/

Then, he followed through. He told his commanders, "Awards should not be difficult, and they shouldn't take forever. And in Greywolf [his brigade], they won't. If you turn in a 638 written in crayon, my S1 will process it. That's his job."

3/

And you know what?

He made it happen.

I watch my commander handwrite several citations and turn them in in the field. The S1 looked like he wanted to murder him, but that was the brigade standard.

4/

COL Sutherland did not believe in awards ceremonies. "Half the time, when you get in from the field, you get too busy and don't submit paperwork and when you do, you don't present the award until six months later and nobody remembers what the kid did anyway."

5/

So he went around and gave out impact awards ON THE SPOT. He would show up in the field or at JRTC, talk to the command team, go find the soldier who deserved an award, call whoever was around to attention and pin an impact AAM (even saw an ARCOM once) right then and there.

6/

He'd pin the award on a PFC's IBA and say "Wear that the rest of the day. Everybody ought to know you're doing a good job."

His adjutant would take the kid's name, unit and SSN. There would be a signed 638 and award document by the end of the field problem. Every time.

7/

THAT is how you do awards. You recognize excellence on the spot, you aren't stingy with praise, and you use your authority to make sure your soldiers get what they've earned as fast as is humanly possible--and you don't let bullshit stand in the way.

8/

PFCs he gave awards to are senior NCOs now. Which do you think they remember more?

An AAM they got 6 months later presented by somebody who didn't even know what it was for?

Or the time the Brigade Commander pinned an AAM on their chest when they were sweaty and tired?

9/9