The Engineer regiment awards and programs has been created to both reward and connect the outstanding work engineers of both the past and present. These programs also require that companies and battalions understand the criteria and application process for soldiers they wish to compete for. It has greatly impacted the individual soldiers by recognizing them with awards such as the Super Sapper awards, Army, de Fleury medal, and the Sturgis medal. Organizations at the company and battalion level benefit from the unique opportunity to network, recognize their best soldiers, and best Sergeants. Finally the Army benefits by this program because it allows the opportunity to honor Engineers died in the line of duty, maintain the history of our Corp, help honor the civilians that help maintain the regiment, and create six magazines a year that will keep the Army up to date on all news involved with all aspects of engineering.
The Engineer regiment and Army engineer association (AEA) has helped create various awards and programs that both recognize and reward soldiers such as the de Fleury, Sturgis medal, and even provides academic scholarships. For example the de Fleury medal which received its name from Francois Louis Tesseidre de Fleury is awarded to soldiers who had a significant impact on the regiment. This medal holds a lot of history and four different orders; steel, bronze, silver, and gold. The de Fleury is the highest award of Engineer excellence. The Sturgis medal is awarded to NCOs of the grade E-5 through E-7 who used their outstanding leadership and proficiency in engineer tasks make huge contributions to the Regiment. It was named after LTG Samuel Sturgis who is a former chief of engineers. Finally AEA offers several academic scholarship program to soldiers such as the Colonel Carl Baswell Combat Wounded engineer scholarship. This scholarship is available to Engineers who have been awarded the Purple Heart in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Company and battalion level organizations have the opportunity to display their best soldiers and sergeants by bestowing them with the Super Sapper award and the Army Combat Engineer Sergeant award (ACES). These awards are supported by the Army Engineer association which also allows engineers the opportunity to become closer with the engineer community by donating. This creates a platform for highly motivated soldiers, veterans, and civilians to network with each other. Finally these organizations need to understand the nominating process for soldiers, noncommission officers, and officers who they wish to award. For example for the Sturgis medal applicants will be graded on two separate forms.
127 our experts are availableright now
The first form is FLW form 249 which is the nominee score sheet. This score sheet is two pages and grades soldiers from a variety aspects of leadership such as management, training, and accomplishments which each have several subcategories within these major categories. These are all scaled on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the maximum amount of points soldiers can earn. The second form used for the FLW form 250. This form is the final score sheet for applicants. Which is a score sheet filled out by a 7 member board and measures how the nominee provided to the military, prior awards, and education whether it be military or civilian education. The FLW form 250 is also scored on a scale of 1-10 for all categories except for the contribution to the military section which is scored on a 1-20 scale. All information on the different types of awards, the application process, and criteria needed to receive an award can all be found on FLW PAM 672-1.
The Army benefits from these programs because they can help maintain one of the core regiment’s history, honor fallen soldiers and their families in that regiment, finally it brings the community together(Army Engineer Association, n.d.). For instance the John B. Mahaffey museum preserves the history of the Corps dating back from when the regiment was established, to our involvement in WWII, and even have records of how engineers had to adapt for modern conflicts in the Middle East.
This allows soldiers in every MOS to better educate themselves on the accomplishments of the Corps of Engineers and it also builds a sense of pride throughout the regiment. Most importantly it gives civilians and families of military members an idea of what Engineers do for a living. The Army also benefits from a memorial built at Sapper Grove. This memorial is important to the Army because it honors soldiers from past to present how have given the ultimate sacrifice. This wall was funded by the AEA and created in 2011. The Army Engineer Association also offers the Col. Carl F. Baswell Fallen Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship gives $2500 to the family of a fallen soldier that were in support of Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. These programs will always be important because they honor Engineers who paved the way for soldiers of the future to follow.
Finally the Army has the opportunity to connect further with civilians who are employed and the families of soldiers by offering those awards and scholarships. One example of this is the Outstanding Civilian Award which is offered to those employed by the Army in support of the Engineer regiment. Civilians who receive this award have made significant contributions in the community. The AEA also offers the Beardslee scholarship which is offered to family members for their dedication to the Corps of Engineers. All these factor bring the community together and creates a strong bond in our regiment and helps civilians create a stronger bond with the Army.
In conclusion we have discussed the multiple effects the Army Regimental and Awards programs have had on the Army, families, and veterans. The Army Regimental and Awards Programs have helped honor soldiers who have been wounded or died in combat. Created various awards to honor civilians, soldiers, and leaders who have exceeded the standard. Also discussed the criteria and grading process for these awards. The Corps of Engineers are proud of our history regardless if you are currently serving, a veteran, or civilian and all of these programs keep all groups involved in the Engineer family.
References
- Army Engineer Association . (n.d.). de Fleury Medal. Retrieved 27 Feb 2020 , from http://armyengineer.com/awards/
- Spellmon, S. A. (8 December 2010). Army Engineer Regiment Awards Programs. Retrieved from https://home.army.mil/wood/application/files/8415/4715/6054/FLW_Pam_672-1_Engineer
