The Superior Civilian Service Award (Pre-2014 change) is the second highest award of the
Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...
Honorary Awards for Department of the Army Employees. It consists of a medal, lapel pin and certificate. It is granted by Commanders of ACOMs, ASCCs, and DRUs; members of the SES serving as the director of a DRU; and the AASA for HQDA. May be further delegated to commanders MG and above or civilian equivalent and to Principal Officials of HQDA. The medal is the civil service equivalent of the military
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
. Originally established on 26 January 1959 as the Meritorious Civilian Service Award, the name of the award was changed to its current name in November 2014.
Criteria
Nominations for this award reflect superior service, achievement or heroism of a higher degree than that recognized by the
Meritorious Civilian Service Award
The Meritorious Civilian Service Award is commonly the highest award granted by U.S. Army Commanders (Major General and above, or civilian equivalent). The Award and Medal is provided to civilian employees within agencies of the federal governmen ...
. Employees who have shown excellent performance through the previous receipt of honorary or monetary performance awards, can be considered for this award. Eligibility is determined by measuring contributions against the following example levels of achievement:
*Accomplished assigned duties in a superior manner, leading team members to higher productivity, or completing a complex project more effectively and efficiently than required.
*Demonstrated a high level of initiative and skill in devising new and improved equipment, work methods, and procedures; inventions resulting in substantial savings in expenses such as manpower, time, space, and materials, or improved safety or health of the workforce.
*Exhibited courage or competence in an emergency, while performing assigned duties, resulting in direct benefit to the Government or its personnel. This award is comparable to the military
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...
.
Description
The medal of the award is a silver disc diameter with a laurel wreath around the circumference surrounding the
Great Seal of the United States on the
obverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''o ...
. The reverse contains the inscription ''FOR DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SUPERIOR CIVILIAN SERVICE--TO''. The medal is suspended from a crimson ribbon 35 mm in width with two thin white stripes near the edge and a central stripe of white bisected by a stripe of ultramarine blue in the center.
Background
* The medal was established as the Meritorious Civilian Service Award by directive of the Secretary of the Army on 26 January 1959.
* In November 2014, the Secretary of the Army approved a modification to the Department of the Army Civilian Service Medals in order to make their nomenclature more consistent with their military equivalents. At that time the award was renamed the Superior Civilian Service Medal and the ribbon and design were changed. This award consists of a regularsize medal, miniature size medal, service ribbon, lapel button and certificate.
See also
*
Department of the Army Civilian Awards
The United States Department of the Army offers a variety of awards, decorations and incentive programs to honor and recognize the contribution and efforts of its civilian workforce. Department of the Army civilian awards are governed by Army Regu ...
*
Awards and decorations of the United States government
Awards and decorations of the United States government are civilian awards of the U.S. federal government which are typically issued for sustained meritorious service, in a civilian capacity, while serving in the U.S. federal government. Certain ...
References
{{US Army
Awards and decorations of the United States Department of Defense