MLTS AWARDS INFORMATION - FY 2006

From: Special Assistant for Recognition and Awards
Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps

Each year, at the Military Law Training Symposiums, our Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps Awards Program recognizes the outstanding performance of individual judge advocates, and legalmen, as well as that of Navy Reserve Law Units and active duty supported commands. Please read this bulletin closely; it contains significant changes from previous guidance occasioned by the change in our MLTS format for this year.

The Awards

Three awards are authorized. They are, in order of precedence:

1. The Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell, Jr. Award of Excellence;

2. The Judge Advocate General Commendation; and

3. The Judge Advocate General Letter of Appreciation.

The Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell, Jr. Award of Excellence is the highest award available and is presented in honor of Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell, Jr., the first flag officer of the Navy Reserve Law Program. This award is presented to judge advocates, legalmen (E-6 and below) and units demonstrating outstanding support of the Navy and Navy Reserve at a significant level of responsibility and to active-duty supported commands demonstrating outstanding support of the Reserve Law Program.

Up to Four Hugh Howell Awards of Excellence may be presented each year for:

1. Reserve Law Unit

2. Senior Judge Advocate (O-5 and above)

3. Junior Judge Advocate (O-4 and below)

4. Reserve Legalman (E-6 and below)

5. Active Duty Supported Command

The Judge Advocate General Commendation is awarded to Reserve judge advocates, legalmen and Reserve units whose performance or achievement distinguishes them from others similarly situated, but which is not sufficient to justify the award of the Rear Admiral Hugh H. Howell, Jr. Award of Excellence.

The Judge Advocate General Letter of Appreciation is intended to serve as a formal means of recognition to individuals for significant service or achievement. Ordinarily, this service or achievement would justify the issuance of a letter of appreciation or commendation from an active-duty or Reserve command.

Please note that Chief Legalmen and Senior Chief Legalmen are recognized by the MCPO Dilbert Black Excellence in Leadership Award. Accordingly, Chief Petty Officers are not eligible for the Hugh H. Howell, Jr. Award of Excellence. However, Chief Legalmen and above remain eligible for all other awards.

Also of note is the LN1 Kimberly Kay Clark Legalman Award. This award was established in memory of LN1 Kimberly Kay Clark, who lost her life as a result of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This award is funded by Oklahoma City Trust Authority with donations from the Naval Enlisted Reserve Association, the Naval Reserve Association, the Reserve Officer's Association, the Oklahoma City Counsel of the Navy League of the United States, Naval Reservists from across the United States, citizens of Oklahoma City, and LN1 Clark's family. The award criteria mandate that nominees be E6 and below and that they be enrolled in a college degree program.

Procedures for the nomination of candidates for and the selection of recipients of both the Dilbert Black and Kimberly Clark awards are separate from those discussed in this bulletin. Please watch for separate communications regarding each, to be released in due course.

Contents of and Limits for Nominations

In order to preserve the integrity of the Awards Program, Commanding Officers should refrain from nominating more than 25% of unit officers and 25% of unit enlisted members for receipt of any award at an MLTS. For example, an 8 officer, 2 enlisted unit may nominate no more than a total of 2 officers and 1 enlisted member; nominations may be for either the Hugh H. Howell, Jr., Judge Advocate General Commendation, or Judge Advocate General Letter of Appreciation award.

All nominations must:

1. Identify the level of the award for which the nomination is made.

2. In the case of an individual award, include the nominees name, rank, unit and unit position, Readiness Command Region, brief description of duties or service justifying the award, and the award requested;

3. Be submitted to the cognizant Region SJA, who will then forward as a group all nominees in their region to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board.

No specific format is prescribed for nominations for any of these Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General's Corps Awards. They may be in letter-form, but, with one exception, should not normally exceed one page in length. Each nomination must be submitted on a separate page. It is not necessary to enclose a draft citation with a nomination. Rear Admiral Howell Award of Excellence nominations may be of any length.

All submissions will be electronically submitted, in Word Format ONLY. All should be titled according to their category: HH, COM or LOA for Howell Awards, Judge Advocate General Letter of Commendation, and Judge Advocate General Letter of Appreciation, respectively, followed by or LN, JO, SO, SC, or RU, for Legalman, Junior Officer, Senior Officer, Supported Command and Reserve Unit categories.  Thus, for example, a Howell award for a reserve unit should be HH/RU, and a Commendation for a Senior Officer should be COM/SO, etc.  This should be followed by the last name of the individual or the name of the command nominated (e.g., HH/RU LSOSE108, COM/SO Smith, etc.). The Region SJA will then forward ONE submission of all nominees on CD ROM to CAPT Thompson at the address noted below.

Proper Sources of Nominations

Nominations for unit awards should be initiated by the active-duty supported command and forwarded to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board via the cognizant Region SJA.

1. Individual nominations, other than for commanding officers, normally should be initiated by the individual's commanding officer and forwarded via the cognizant SJA to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board.

2. Nominations for awards to commanding officers (for Senior Officer category) should normally be initiated by the active-duty supported command and submitted via the cognizant SJA to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board.

3. Active-duty supported command nominations should be initiated by the commanding officer of the supporting Reserve unit and forwarded via the cognizant staff judge advocate to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board.

4. Any officer senior in rank or position to the individual being nominated may submit a nomination for the award of the Judge Advocate General Letter of Appreciation via the cognizant SJA to the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board.

Address for Submissions and Communications to the Awards Board

Special Assistant for Recognition and Awards:
CAPT Kathleen Thompson, JAGC, USN
U.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
716 Sicard Street, STE 1000
Washington Navy Yard, D.C. 20374-5047

(202) 685-7701

Deadline for Submissions to Board (CAPT Thompson)

Fair consideration requires on-time submissions that are timed to arrive at the Judge Advocate General Reserve Awards Board by 02 JUNE 2006 for ALL submissions, regardless of MLTS attending.

Regional SJAs may require an earlier date of submission to them.

Note:  The deadline for award submissions and the dates for award presentations are not tied to the MLTS dates this year, in recognition of the facts that units will not generally attend together, that time for substantive work at each MLTS will be at a premium, and that the time within which units and members will have to prepare submissions would be uncomfortably compressed for awards to be presented at early MLTSs. In light of this, the only sensible approach is to set a single due date for all awards that will provide all submitters a reasonable amount of time, and that is what we have done.  We will ask SJAs to arrange appropriate fora and events for award presentations once they are announced. I will provide information re the announcement date via a later bulletin.

As Special Assistant for Recognition and Awards, I assist Rear Admiral Joerg in ensuring that top performing individuals and units receive the recognition they deserve. Timely recognition of these top performers in our community is a responsibility of leadership. Of particular importance is recognition of our junior officers and enlisted members, the mainstays of the Reserve Law Program.

I look forward to your assistance in making certain that all worthy units, members and supported commands are recognized this year. Please contact me if you have any questions or need assistance in making this program work. I may be reached as follows: (202) 685-7701, or via e-mail at kathleen.k.thompson@navy.mil

K. K. THOMPSON