Army Commendation Medal for ETS / Separation

An ETS ARCOM recognizes a separating Soldier whose sustained contribution over the assignment exceeded the AAM threshold. The citation spans the full assignment date range and closes with a dedicated-service sentence — keeping the serial comma before the final "and," the opposite of the AAM convention.

The Achievement block should demonstrate both scope and sustained results: formations supported, personnel led and developed, resources managed across the tour, readiness held over time.

Structuring the ETS ARCOM block

Use four quantified bullets that each show meaningful scope — a multi-company logistics cell, a 140-vehicle fleet, a budget managed across inspection cycles. Avoid re-crediting accomplishments already recognized by a prior decoration during the same period.

The ETS ARCOM citation

Open with "For exceptionally meritorious service while assigned as [duty position], [unit], from [start date] to [end date]." Close with the ARCOM dedicated-service sentence, retaining the comma before the final "and," within six lines.

Submitting in IPPS-A

Submit as a Buddy PAR Award Recommendation. Because the approving authority is at colonel level, build in extra routing time before the Soldier's separation date.

Example Achievement block

Pastes into the IPPS-A Achievement field. All bullets pass EvalMe's award validator.

Directed maintenance operations for a 142-vehicle fleet, sustaining a 94 percent readiness rate that enabled three uninterrupted combat training center rotations.

Established a driver-training program that certified 87 Soldiers and reduced accident rates 40 percent over a 24-month period.

Managed a 1.2 million dollar shop budget with zero audit findings across two consecutive command inspection cycles.

Developed 11 noncommissioned officers through structured counseling, with 7 selected for positions of greater responsibility.

Example citation

ARCOM citation — ETS / Separation. Pastes into the IPPS-A Citation field (six-line limit).

For exceptionally meritorious service while assigned as Maintenance Section Sergeant, Forward Support Company, 3d Battalion, 16th Field Artillery, from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2026. Staff Sergeant Reyes directed a 142-vehicle fleet at 94 percent readiness and developed 11 noncommissioned officers. His dedicated service is in keeping with the finest traditions of military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the Battalion, and the United States Army.

Generate this with AwardMe

AwardMe generates the Achievement block and citation from your plain-language notes, enforces the AR 600-8-22 rules automatically (including the AAM serial-comma convention), refuses generic placeholders, and produces output ready to paste into the IPPS-A Achievement and Citation fields.

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Related award pages

Army Commendation Medal →How to write a strong ARCOM recommendation: the Achievement block, the citation, the serial-comma rule, and IPPS-A submission under AR 600-8-22, paragraph 3-18.ARCOM for PCS →Write an end-of-tour ARCOM for a Soldier on PCS: a high-scope Achievement block and meritorious-service citation meeting AR 600-8-22, ready for IPPS-A.AAM for ETS →Write an AAM for a Soldier separating at ETS: a sustained-service Achievement block and a date-range citation that meets AR 600-8-22 and pastes into IPPS-A.Retirement Awards →What award a Soldier receives at retirement under AR 600-8-22, why most are MSM or higher, and how a culminating-tour ARCOM citation is written for IPPS-A.

EvalMe is an independent private service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any U.S. Government agency. Award criteria and citation conventions are summarized from AR 600-8-22; consult the regulation and your servicing awards office for authoritative guidance.

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