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AR 25-50 · MEMORANDUM FOR

Army Letter of Recommendation (LOR)

A Letter of Recommendation is an Army memorandum in which a leader endorses another Soldier for a school, program, board, special duty, or civilian opportunity. It is prepared as a MEMORANDUM FOR document under AR 25-50 (Preparing and Managing Correspondence): the same letterhead, date format, and signature block as any other memorandum. What sets it apart is the voice and structure — it is written in the first person, from the recommender, about a different Soldier.

The letterhead always reflects the writer's organization, not the candidate's. The SUBJECT line follows a fixed convention: Letter of Recommendation for [Rank Name], with a masked last-four SSN appended (XXX-XX-1234) when the package is bound for Human Resources Command — typical for Active Guard Reserve and direct-commission submissions.

When to use a Letter of Recommendation

Use a LOR when a board or selecting authority asks for a leader's personal endorsement of a candidate's potential or character. It is distinct from an evaluation (NCOER/OER), which reports performance for the record, and from a counseling or appointment memorandum, which directs or documents an action. A LOR argues — it makes the case that this specific Soldier should be selected, and it does so in the recommender's own voice.

A strong LOR is specific. Boards read hundreds of letters; generic praise ("a great Soldier, a team player") carries no weight. Quantified, verifiable accomplishments tied to what the board is selecting for — leadership results, readiness rates, certifications, measurable improvements — are what move a packet.

The 13 supported purposes

Each purpose changes the recipient, the emphasis, and sometimes the data required (an SSN-masked SUBJECT line for HRC-bound packets):

Standard structure

Under AR 25-50 the body is numbered paragraphs. A LOR uses three, written in the first person about the candidate in the third person:

Keep the whole body between roughly 200 and 450 words. Never leave a placeholder (no "XXXX", no bracketed fill-ins) — a masked SSN in the SUBJECT line is the only acceptable "X" pattern. AR 25-50 governs the format; the regulation does not prescribe LOR wording, so the persuasive content is yours.

Example excerpts

Officer Candidate School (OCS)
SUBJECT: Letter of Recommendation for SGT Marcus Hale

1. I am pleased to recommend SGT Marcus Hale for selection to Officer Candidate School. I have served as his Platoon Sergeant for 18 months, and during that time I have observed his performance under demanding conditions, including a rotation at the National Training Center where he led a nine-Soldier squad through 14 days of continuous operations. I have evaluated more than 30 noncommissioned officers in my career, and SGT Hale is among the most capable I have led.

2. SGT Hale demonstrates the leadership potential, intellectual capacity, and Army Values that Officer Candidate School demands. He scored 580 on the Army Combat Fitness Test and earned the Expert Soldier Badge on his first attempt. He redesigned the squad maintenance tracking program, raising operational readiness from 78 to 96 percent over six months, and he did so while completing 12 semester hours toward his degree. Under pressure during a no-notice deployment recall, he accounted for all personnel and sensitive items within 45 minutes and briefed the commander with a clarity and composure well beyond his grade. He makes sound decisions quickly, explains his reasoning, and takes responsibility when something goes wrong.

3. SGT Hale has my strongest endorsement, and I highly recommend him for Officer Candidate School without hesitation. His intellect, physical discipline, and judgment under pressure will serve him and the Army well as a commissioned officer. I am available at 555-0148 or by email to provide any additional information the selection board requires.
Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Program
SUBJECT: Letter of Recommendation for SSG Dana Reyes, XXX-XX-4417

1. I am writing this letter to recommend SSG Dana Reyes for entry into the Active Guard Reserve Program. I have been her direct supervisor since 2023 in my role as the company readiness noncommissioned officer, and I can speak directly to her sustained service, deployment readiness, and potential for full-time service.

2. SSG Reyes has deployed twice and maintained a flawless deployment-readiness record across both mobilizations. She manages the medical and administrative readiness program for 142 Soldiers and has sustained a 98 percent individual readiness rate for eight consecutive months, the highest in the battalion. She completed the Senior Leader Course on the commandant's list and consistently embodies the Army Values in garrison and in the field. She has personally mentored four junior noncommissioned officers, all of whom have since been promoted, and she rebuilt the unit sponsorship process, cutting in-processing time from nine days to three. Her career has progressed steadily and on merit, and she has repeatedly sought the harder assignment over the easier one.

3. SSG Reyes is exactly the kind of disciplined, mission-focused professional the Active Guard Reserve Program is designed to retain, and I strongly recommend her for full-time service. Her readiness record and career progression speak for themselves. Please contact me at 555-0193 if I can provide any further detail to the board.
Civilian Employment (post-ETS)
SUBJECT: Letter of Recommendation for Mr. James Carter

1. I am pleased to recommend Mr. James Carter, formerly Staff Sergeant Carter, for civilian employment. I served as his company commander for two years and observed his work ethic, leadership experience, and character under conditions far more demanding than most civilian roles ever impose.

2. Mr. Carter supervised a 22-person logistics section responsible for four million dollars in equipment, and he closed two consecutive annual inventories with zero loss. He planned and executed the movement of an entire company's equipment across 1,200 miles without a single discrepancy, coordinating with three external agencies under a compressed timeline. He trained and developed a dozen subordinates, several of whom were promoted ahead of their peers on the strength of the standards he set. He is dependable, organized, and accountable; he identifies problems early, proposes a workable solution, and follows through without being managed. He handled sensitive personnel matters with discretion and consistently treated every member of the team with respect.

3. Mr. Carter has my strongest professional endorsement, and I strongly recommend him for any position that values leadership, integrity, and accountability. He will be an immediate and lasting asset to any organization fortunate enough to hire him. Please contact me at 555-0175 for any further information.

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Pick the purpose, enter the candidate and your relationship, paste a few accomplishments — EvalMe writes a regulation-formatted, first-person Letter of Recommendation you can export to a Word memo.

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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. The memorandum format is summarized from AR 25-50; consult the regulation and your servicing administrative office for authoritative guidance.

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