Military Awards - S-1 Procedural Overview

Role and responsibility

S-1 admin specialists own award nomination processing at the unit level. The S-1 chief reviews nominations against MCO 1650.19J eligibility rules. The S-1 officer signs by direction on routine awards and routes through chain for higher-level approvals. The awards clerk maintains the unit awards register and tracks open nominations.

Source documents flow from chain of command nominations, NAVMC 11533 packets, supporting evidence (citations, witness statements, previous awards), and approving authority signatures. Award transactions land in MCTFS as award entries. Outputs include the approved award order, the citation, the OMPF entry, the Page 11 documenting the award, and the presentation package.

MCAAT and the IGMC FA inspectors check the awards register, NAVMC 11533 packet completeness, approving authority signatures, and OMPF documentation. Eligibility errors and improper approving authority routing trigger findings under MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J.

Trigger events

• Heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service triggers nomination.
• End of tour award for outstanding performance.
• Combat action triggers Combat Action Ribbon nomination.
• Foreign government award acceptance request.
• Campaign or service medal eligibility met.
• Unit award nomination at command level.
• Posthumous award nomination following casualty.

Processing workflow

1. Receive nomination. Pull NAVMC 11533 packet from chain. Cross-check Marine identity, eligibility window, and award category. The awards clerk runs receipt.
2. Validate eligibility. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J, validate against award-specific eligibility criteria.
3. Review NAVMC 11533 for completeness. Confirm citation, summary of action, and supporting evidence are present.
4. Route through staff for chop. Operations, legal where applicable, and other affected staff sections review per command policy.
5. Submit to approving authority. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J, the approving authority depends on the award level.
6. Process approved award through MCTFS. Cut the award transaction in UD-MIPS per MCTFSPRIUMMCTFSPRIUM.
7. Cut Page 11. Per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K Chapter 6, document the award in the OMPF.
8. Coordinate presentation. Schedule the award presentation per command direction.
9. File the certified packet. Stage in the unit awards file and route to OMPF Field Folder.
10. Update OMPF. Submit citation, order, and Page 11 to OMPF.

Systems of record and forms

Systems

• MCTFS. Holds award entries.
• UD-MIPS. Cuts award transactions with citation as KSD.
• OMPF Field Folder. Holds the certified award packet.
• Unit awards register. Local register of nominations and approvals.

Forms

• NAVMC 11533 Award Nomination. Standard nomination format.
• Citation. Narrative justifying the award.
• Summary of Action. Detailed action narrative supporting heroism or meritorious awards.
• Award Order. Generated upon approval.
• NAVMC 118 (11) Administrative Remarks. Page 11 documenting the award.

Common pitfalls

• Nomination submitted past the eligibility window. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J, time limits apply per award. Submit promptly.
• Approving authority routing wrong. The award routes to wrong level for the type. Pull MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J approving authority chart before submission.
• Citation lacks specifics. The narrative reads generic. Cite specific actions, dates, and impact per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J.
• OMPF not updated post-approval. The award sits in unit file without OMPF entry. File within 30 days of approval per MCO P1070.12KMCO P1070.12K.
• Foreign award accepted without proper authorization. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J, foreign awards require specific acceptance routing.

Decision points

• Award level selection. The action supports multiple potential awards. The commander selects per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J matching action to appropriate award.
• Posthumous award routing. The Marine died in service. The S-1 officer routes per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J with NOK notification coordination.
• Combat versus non-combat distinction. The award eligibility depends on combat versus non-combat designation. Per MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J, the convening authority calls.

Authority

This category sits under MCO 1650.19JMCO 1650.19J Marine Corps Awards Manual. S-1 responsibilities sit at MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D MCAP enclosure 4. The processing workflow maps to NAVMC 3500.3E T-R events 0102-GENA-1007 (Manage awards program), 0111-GENA-2004 (Maintain command awards programs), and 0111-GENA-2107 (Manage awards program supervisory). The IGMC Military Awards FA checklist provides the audit baseline.

Related references

• MCO 1650.19J Marine Corps Awards Manual. Authoritative source for awards eligibility and approving authority.
• MCO 5000.14D Marine Corps Administrative Procedures. S-1 awards responsibilities.
• MCTFSPRIUM. Award transaction format.
• MCO P1070.12K Individual Records Administration Manual. OMPF documentation.
• NAVMC 3500.3E Manpower and Administration T-R Manual. T-R events 0102-GENA-1007 and 0111-GENA-2004.