Fillable Form DA 638

What is the DA 638 form?

The DA 638 form is a form issued by the Department of Army to recommend a soldier for a type of reward or recognition within the United States Army.

Can I fill out the DA 638 form?

If you wish to recommend a certain soldier within the United States Army for a certain type of reward, then you are eligible to fill out the DA 638 form. 

What do I need to fill out the DA 638 form?

To fill out the DA 638 form, you will need to provide information regarding yourself, the soldier you will be recommending for a reward, additional advocate(s) for the awarding, and the reward itself. 

Specifically you will need:

For yourself

For the information of the soldier you will be recommending

For the information of the additional recommenders

For the information regarding the awarding of the reward itself

How do I fill out the DA 638 form?

We will be guiding you through the process of filling out the DA 638 form by giving you a step-by-step tutorial on how to properly fill out this form.

Before attempting to fill out this form, ensure that you have everything needed to fill out this form. For your convenience, all information that you will be needing has been lifted above.

Make sure that all the information that you are about to place is completely accurate as this is a legal document and must be treated with the utmost level of care and attention.

Addressing DA 638

You must first address the form. 

Fill in the “To” section with the address of the department you will be sending this form to. Next to the box is the “From” box where you must place your name and address. On the far right of this section, input the date of completion of this form in the YYYY/MM/DD format.

Part I - Soldier Data

You will be placing all the data regarding the soldier whom you believe should receive this award.

You will first be needing the soldier’s name. Place this at the box labelled “4.”  in the format of last name, first name, and then middle initial. After this, put the soldier’s current rank. Finally for this line, place the soldier’s Social Security Number (SSN).

Afterward, place the soldier’s organization. Following this, state any of the soldier’s previous awards.

In the following line, place their branch of service and indicate the recommended award as well as the period of the award. This can be shown by indicating the from and to dates of the award in question.

In the final pair of lines for this part, write down the reason for this award. Next, tick the appropriate “Yes or No” box indicating if there is an interim award.

Note that if “Yes” was selected, you must state the award given. Next, indicate whether the award given is posthumous by checking the corresponding “Yes or No” box.

To complete this section, write down the proposed presentation date. 

Part II - Recommender Data

You will need to place all the data that is required of you, the recommender.

In the first box of this section, place again your name in the last name, first name, then middle initial format and then followed by your current address.

You will next need to put your title or position within the United States Army and also indicate your rank within the army.

Finally for this segment, write down your relationship to the awardee and then place your signature.

Part III - Justification and Citation Data

You will be needing to input any and all justification answering why the listed soldier deserves to be given the recommended award.

In the boxes labelled “Achievements” write down in paragraph form the reasons why you believe that the listed soldier should be awarded. These can be anecdotes of the soldier’s bravery, skill, resourcefulness, heroism, or any other reason why you believe his talents should be recognized. You can place up to four (4) separate entries illustrating his achievements.

In the box labelled “Proposed Citation” write down the formal reason of why you believe this soldier should be recognized. 

Part IV - Recommendations/Approval/Disapproval

This part will cover any additional recommendations given by your peers, commanding officers, or witnesses to the soldier’s deeds.

In the line before this section, write down the full legal name of the soldier to be awarded following the format of last name, first name, and then middle initial. Afterward, place the soldier’s SSN.

The first question of this part will require you to verify that all information placed in Part I is correct and that the individual in question is eligible for an award in accordance with AR 600-8-22. To verify everything, affix your signature in the designated area and place the date of signing in the format of YYYY/MM/DD.

Intermediate authorities are able to recommend the soldier’s awarding by indicating their name, rank, title or position, comments, and signature in the designated areas. They must also indicate their date of signing in the YYYY/MM/DD format. Note that up to three (3) intermediate authorities can place their recommendation in Part IV. However, up to five (5) more individuals can give their recommendation in the Addendum, for a total of eight (8) individuals.

An approval authority can approve, disapprove, recommend an upgrade, or recommend a downgrade depending on how they believe the soldier should be treated by marking the designated box. He or she will have to write their name, rank, title or position, comments, and signature. They will also need to place the date of signing in the YYYY/MM/DD format.

Part V - Orders Data

This part holds information regarding the orders data.

The first line will ask for the Orders Issuing HQ and the Permanent Order No. The line following will require the name of order’s approval authority and their rank. Then, the form will require the title/position, approved award, orders approval authority’s signature, and date of signing in the YYYY/MM/DD format, and finally the Distribution.

Addendum

This part is an optional section where additional intermediate authorities can place their recommendations for the soldier in question. Filling out this part follows the same process as filling out the intermediate authorities section from the fourth paragraph from Part IV.

Once you have filled out everything you needed to fill out, congratulations, you have successfully completed the DA 638 form, and can forward it accordingly.