Can I still get an Army Achievement Medal for my end of active duty service in November 2016?

Am going to do that thanks for the advice and the info, i still live by the base so I'll go over there

SGT (Join to see) - have you checked to see if it is in your OMPF? S1s are supposed to send it directly to HRC for inclusion in your OMPF.

LTC Jason Mackay No it's not i think it got mess up at company level S1 and my squad leader honestly i don't know where it is my squad leader said he did the 638 and send it up, It's from 2016 i know its a long time but thinking about it now i felt like i i should have gotten an ETS award any info on how to tackle it will very much appreciated

SGT (Join to see) - AR600-8-22 Military Awards

Para 1-14 Time Limitations
Except for award recommendations submitted in accordance with the provisions of Section 1130, Title 10, United States Code (10 USC 1130), which are outlined below and in paragraph 1–15 and appendix F, each recommendation for an award of a military decoration must be entered administratively into military channels within 2 years of the act, achievement, or service to be honored. An award recommendation will be considered to have been submitted into military channels when it has been signed by the initiating officer and endorsed by a higher official in the chain of command. However, pursuant to 10 USC 1130, a Member of Congress can request consideration of a proposal for the award or presentation of decoration (or the upgrading of a decoration), either for an individual or unit, that is not otherwise authorized to be presented or awarded due to limitations established by law or policy. Based upon such review, the SECARMY will make a determination as to the merit of approving the award or presentation of the decoration and other determinations necessary to comply with congressional reporting requirements under 10 USC 1130.

Para 1-15 Lost Awards
If the SECARMY, or his designee, determines that a statement setting forth the distinguished act, achievement, or service, and a recommendation for official recognition was made and supported by sufficient evidence within 2 years after the distinguished service, and that no award was made because the statement was lost, or through inadvertence the recommendation was not acted upon; he or she may, within 2 years after the date of the determination (when the recommendation was discovered as lost), award any appropriate military decoration, numeral, or oak leaf cluster in lieu thereof, to the person concerned (10 USC 3744). In each case, the recommender for an award must provide the following to Commander, U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Awards and Decorations Branch (AHRC–PDP–A), 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Fort Knox, KY 40122–5408:
a. Conclusive evidence of the formal submission of the recommendation into military channels.
b. Conclusive evidence of the loss of the recommendation or the failure to act on the recommendation through inadvertence.
c. A copy of the original recommendation, or its substantive equivalent, at a minimum, should be accompanied by statements, certificates, or affidavits corroborating the events, actions, or achievements. The recommender must provide the Commander, HRC with adequate information for Secretarial evaluation of the deed or service to determine if an award is to be made. The person signing a reconstructed award recommendation must be identified clearly in terms of his or her official relationship to the intended recipient at the time of the act or during the period of service to be recognized.

So if the recommender initiated the award, and it was never closed out by approval or disapproval of the approving authority, it would really be up to that approving authority whether they would consider the award (basically a look left throw right to correct the oversight because it was pinging around in their system). Otherwise the recommender would have to run the traps in the two paragraphs above. In either case the recommender and approval chain would have to fall on their swords about why it didn't get done.

If it were an AAM, it would not have left his BN unless it was updgraded.

LTC Jason Mackay - I Retired in Nov of 17, my BN CDR denied my retirement award and retirement ceremony because "only officers get those". In some commands getting an AAM is a big deal, In others, an ARCOM is a participation trophy, basically, my lesson after two decades in the Army: awards are meaningless.

SFC David Bentley I’m sorry your Command was myopic. EDIT: you earned a retirement ceremony IAW AR 600-8-7 para 1-7 (applies to all components):

c. Provide Soldiers, regardless of component, the opportunity to participate in an appropriate retirement ceremony as determined and resourced by the commander.
d. Honor individual Soldiers and their Families for their careers of selfless service to the Army and nation when they retire or transition to the Retired Reserve by issuing:
(1) The Army Retiring Soldier Commendation Program package, which includes—
(a) Full-color letter signed by the Secretary of Army, Chief of Staff, Army (CSA) and Sergeant Major of the Army. (b) U.S. flag (in accordance with Title 10 United States Code, Chapter 3681 (10 USC 3681) or 10 USC 12605).
(c) Retired Army Lapel Button, (AR 600–8–22).
(d) Two full-color Department of the Army (DA) Label 180 (Soldier for Life Window Stickers) (Exterior). DA Label 180 has adhesive on the back and is intended to adhere to the exterior of car windows. The DA Label 180–1 (Soldier for Life Window Stickers) (Interior) has the same appearance, but has adhesive on the front, and is intended to adhere to the interior of car windows. DA Label 180–1 may be ordered separately through the U.S. Army publications system.
(e) Packaging materials to allow all contents to reach the retiring Soldier in superior condition.
(2) In addition to the Army Retiring Soldier Commendation Program package, ARNG Soldiers may receive the Citi- zen Soldier for Life Retirement Commendation Package items to formally recognize their unique service to their states. The package does not prohibit the states and territories, including the District of Columbia, from providing their own retirement recognition programs or from supporting individual traditions that recognize Soldiers upon completion of service.

My comment “If it were an AAM it would not have left the BN unless it was upgraded” was not a shot at the prestige of an AAM only that the approval authority is a BN Commander (meta message: it's easy to fix). The Sergeant Major was suggesting BDE S1 was the place to go. The processing of an AAM doesn’t leave the BN except when the copy of the approved award is sent to HRC for input to the soldier OMPF...unless it’s upgraded (then it goes through BDE and if applicable, DIV). The unofficial policy on ETS was unless they were getting separated on a negative chapter, they’d get something or you got a 4856 on why you weren’t recommended. I never saw where AAMs were mass denied. I only saw a handful of those 4856s and these soldiers "earned" those. EDIT: This was the standard in any of the places I served. If an AAM was down graded, it could conceivably be down graded to an Army Certificate of Achievement, also issuable by the Battalion IAW 600-8-22 10-7. I saw continuity in ETS awards. Retirement awards were not IMHO. The fact that a successful three year assignment would result in an MSM for say a Company Commander and First Sergeant was equal to the 22-28 year career of another senior person didn't sit well. But there it is. They either need to lighten up on LOMs and the Defense Superior Service Medal, or tighten the ARCOM and MSM.

Sorry they monkey pumped you on retirement, mine did not go as I envisioned either. And so it goes.