Form DA 638: Fill Out Online in 2026

DA Form 638, Recommendation for Award, is the U.S. Army document used to recommend a Soldier for an award. A Soldier cannot nominate themselves. A person with direct knowledge of the service or achievement, often a supervisor or commander, starts the recommendation. The form records the Soldier’s details, the proposed award, the award period, and the acts or achievements that support recognition.

The recommendation moves through the chain of command for review and approval or disapproval. Accurate facts matter because an approved award becomes part of the Soldier’s military record and may support career progress. You can find the official DA 638 PDF through the Army Publishing Directorate and review Army Regulation 600-8-22 for award rules. A DA 638 example may help you understand the format, but every statement must be specific, accurate, and based on the Soldier’s actual service.

DA Form 638 is used when a commander, supervisor, or other recommending official nominates a Soldier for most awards that are not for wartime service, valor, or heroism. It gives reviewers the facts and reasons needed to decide if the Soldier should receive the award.

The completed form records the recommendation, each review, and the final approval or denial. Signatures from the recommending official, reviewing officials, and approving authority support the decision. The Army also keeps it in the individual award case file as a record of the nomination and outcome.

The Department of the Army issues the official blank form through the Army Publishing Directorate, the source for DA 638 Army pubs materials.

PDFLeader has a blank, fillable DA 638 pre-loaded in our browser-based editor, so you do not need to find a template elsewhere. PDFLeader helps you fill out and download the completed DA 638 PDF, but it does not file or submit the form. Your DA 638 download must be sent through the proper Army channel.

After downloading Form DA 638, route it through the Soldier’s chain of command. The recommender gives it to each intermediate commander for endorsement. It then goes to the unit’s award approval authority, such as the battalion or brigade commander. The unit’s admin or personnel office processes the approved form and keeps the record. Your unit may route it on paper, by email, or through its HR system. There is no public portal for routine awards.

For lost or late awards and reconsideration requests, route the form to the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Awards and Decorations Branch. That branch accepts these cases by mail or electronically. AR 600-8-22 sets the approval authority for peacetime and wartime awards.

The recommender, who may be an officer or peer, completes and signs the required sections. An intermediate authority, often a supervisor, reviews the recommendation and sends it forward. A staff section admin clerk signs and dates the form to confirm the Soldier is eligible for the award. The approval authority then approves or disapproves the nomination.

After all required members of the chain of command sign, the appropriate headquarters processes the form. Personnel and awards offices use the completed DA Form 638 for record-keeping. Once processed, it becomes part of the Soldier’s official military record as documentation of the award.

You can add a simple electronic signature to Form DA 638 on PDFLeader, then download the completed form. PDFLeader does not create CAC-based or DoD PKI digital signatures and does not submit the form. If your command requires an approved digital signature or handwritten wet signature, add it after downloading. Check the latest Army guidance and your unit’s SOP to confirm the required signing method.

Before completing a fillable DA 638, have the final approval authority’s address for Block 1, the recommender’s FROM address, and the Soldier’s NAME, RANK, SSN, and ORGANIZATION. Keep the Soldier’s current Officer Record Brief (ORB) or Enlisted Record Brief (ERB) on hand so PREVIOUS AWARDS match the official record. You also need the RECOMMENDED AWARD, PERIOD OF AWARD, REASON FOR AWARD, interim award details, and POSTHUMOUS status.

For Part II, gather the recommender’s NAME, ADDRESS, TITLE/POSITION, RANK, RELATIONSHIP TO AWARDEE, and SIGNATURE. Prepare specific ACHIEVEMENTS and a PROPOSED CITATION for Part III. Part IV requires chain-of-command certification and endorsements, including TO, FROM, DATE, recommendations, names, ranks, titles, signatures, and comments from intermediate and final approval authorities.

Form DA 638 has no fixed due date. Submission timing depends on AR 600-8-22 and the achievement, service, or event tied to the award. As a practical rule, submit it as soon as possible, ideally within 30 days after an achievement. For a service award, submit it before the Soldier leaves the duty station.

Federal law also sets time limits for military awards. A recommendation should generally be submitted within two years of the act, and the award should be approved within three years. A later DA 638 submission may require an exception to policy.

When no award recommendation is being submitted, you do not need Form DA 638. It is also not used for service or campaign medals issued automatically rather than through a recommendation. Do not submit it if the Soldier does not meet the decoration’s eligibility rules. Under Army Regulation 600-8-22, civilians and contractors who are not serving in the Armed Forces do not need this document.

No DoD-wide form replaces Form DA 638 for standard individual decorations. Retroactive valor recommendations still require it. Per Army Human Resources Command guidance, those cases also need supporting eyewitness statements on DA Form 7791.