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Double time for CAB

Aug-11-2005 » Filed Under: General Military

Link to Full Article (Subscription) Available in the 8/15/05 news stand edition.
By Jim Tice, Army Times

Less red tape to speed award of new Combat Action Badge

You might get to pin on the Combat Action Badge sooner than expected. With potentially thousands of soldiers eligible for retroactive award of the Combat Action Badge, the Army has slashed some red tape and delegated award approval authority to senior field commanders.

The new policy ends the need for commanders to forward retroactive award requests and extensive documentation to the Human Resources Command for final approval, a requirement which likely would have bottle-necked the process for long periods.

The new policy also will allow commanders to batch-process awards for entire units, rather than having to have them individually blessed by Human Resources Command. Now, odds are better that plenty of soldiers will be wearing the new badge when it becomes available through normal supply channels late this summer or early fall.

The new policy is temporary, effective until June 29, which officials say is long enough to ensure the retroactive award of the CAB to all eligible soldiers.

The new award was established May 2 as a way to recognize soldiers who come under fire in a combat zone but were not eligible for the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge. Through May 13, the latest figures available, the CIB has been awarded to 19,312 soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 8,630 in Operation Enduring Freedom. A total of 4,282 CMBs have been awarded in OIF and 834 in OEF. [...]


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