Award Info  AMERICAN LEGION SPIRIT OF SERVICE AWARD
Key Points to Writing Not QUANTIFYING bullet Not spelling out number under 10 Using both -- and ; Common misspellings Not spelling out acronyms Gender Shifts Tense Shifts, going from "s" to "ed" Using "which" and "that"

1. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MESSAGE IS TO SOLICIT NOMINATIONS FOR THE AMERICAN LEGION SPIRIT OF SERVICE AWARD. SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION, THE AWARD IS PRESENTED ANNUALLY TO AN ENLISTED MEMBER FROM EACH OF THE MILITARY SERVICES FOR OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER SERVICE PERFORMED OFF DUTY IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.

2. THE PERIOD OF SERVICE FOR THE AWARD IS Calendar Year. 

3. NOMINEES MUST BE ENLISTED MEMBERS IN GRADES AMN THROUGH SSGT. 

4. AWARD CRITERIA AND ELIGIBILITY: 

A. CITE EXAMPLES OF VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY SERVICE PERFORMED BY THE MEMBER IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND SHOW HOW THE COMMUNITY BENEFITED.

B. CITE CONTRIBUTIONS AND EXAMPLES THAT SHOW THE INDIVIDUAL IS AN OUTSTANDING MILITARY PERFORMER AS WELL. 

5. INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING IN EACH NOMINATION PACKAGE: 

A. A WRITE-UP, LIMITED TO ONE SINGLE-SPACED TYPEWRITTEN PAGE, USING THE AF IMT 1206, NOMINATION FOR AWARD. THE MOST CURRENT IMT VERSION WILL BE ACCEPTED. USE POINT PAPER OR TALKING PAPER FORMAT (BULLETED, SHORT STATEMENTS OR KEY POINTS). THE WRITE-UP SHOULD FOCUS PRIMARILY ON VOLUNTEERISM PERFORMED BY THE MEMBER. WHEN FILLING OUT THE HEADER BLOCKS OF THE 1206, LEAVE THE CATEGORY BLOCK BLANK. 

B. A CITATION, LIMITED TO 50 - 70 KEY WORDS (NOT INCLUDING OPENING AND CLOSING STATEMENTS), THAT PROVIDES SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF THE ACT(S) OR SERVICE(S) PROVIDED. REFER TO ATCH 3, AFI 36-2805, SPECIAL TROPHIES AND AWARDS, FOR FORMAT. 

C. A BASE-LEVEL REPORT OF INDIVIDUAL (RECORDS REVIEW RIP). 

D. A SCAN OF THE ORIGINAL ENDORSEMENT LETTER SIGNED BY THE HOST WING COMMANDER OR EQUIVALENT. 

E. A SCAN OF THE ORIGINAL STATEMENT FROM THE NOMINEE STATING THAT HE/SHE DOES OR DOES NOT AGREE TO GIVE PERMISSION TO USE THEIR NAME, RANK, AND BASE OF ASSIGNMENT IN THE ANNOUNCEMENT MESSAGE OR ANY PUBLICITY REGARDING THE AWARD WINNER. THE NOMINEE MUST SIGN AND DATE THIS STATEMENT. 

6. EACH WING/FOA/DRU MAY SUBMIT ONE NOMINATION. THE NOMINATION WRITE-UP MUST BE SENT IN IMT FORMAT AND THE CITATION/BIOGRAPHY MUST BE SENT IN WORD FORMAT. HARD COPIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

7. PRESENTATION OF THE 2005 AWARD WILL TAKE PLACE THIS SUMMER DURING THE AMERICAN LEGION NATIONAL CONVENTION. TRAVEL AND BILLETING WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE AMERICAN LEGION.