Army Superior Unit Award
Display Recognition

Site Index

      • Example Display Recognition
      • Display Types
      • Issue Requirements
      • Issue Regulations
      • Who May Apply
      • Administration Processing and Delivery
      • How To Apply For This Display Recognition and/or Medal
      • Mailing Address
      • Questions?
      • Other Display Recognitions
      • Example Display Recognition:
        Actual Size: 8 1/2 x 11



        Who May Apply

        • Veteran recipients
        • Active Duty recipients
        • Family Members of recipients
        • Estate Inheritors

        Display Types

        You have four display types to choose from:
        Black & White (No Color)
        Heavy Bond Enclosure

        Issue Requirements
        You must submit the following:

      • An unaltered photocopy of your DD-214, or WD AGO 53-55, Special or General Orders, or other military issued document clearly displaying your award of the Army Superior Unit Award.
      • Contact The War Library if you do not have a DD-214, WD AGO, NAVPERS, NG or other Report of Separation: 1-562-422-4100 (Pacific Time Zone).
      • A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT THE ASU

        The Army Superior Unit Award is an organization award. The ASU is not an individual award. The ASU is acknowledged to all members of a unit during time of award, and reflected on the personal DD-214, DD-215/Form 1577, or WD AGO 53-55. Only those members who served in the unit during the specific period of activity the ASU is awarded for may apply for a display recognition bearing the veteran's name as well as the unit's name. That is, unit members who served before or after the specific citation dates of the ASU award may not apply for a display recognition bearing a personal name, but may apply for a display recognition bearing the unit name.

        Heavy Bond Enclosure
        Colors: Regal, Black, Navy
        Trimmed in Appearance Gold

        Ready for Mantle or Shelf Display

        NOTICE

        This Display Recognition is available ONLY to authorized recipients who possess orders, or authorization form, or release documentation that confirms award eligibility. (See "Issue Requirements"). To obtain either a Display Medal or a Display Recognition for your authorized award you will be required to provide military-issued documentation authorizing your award. There are no exceptions.

        WARNING!
        You must NOT submit a military issued document or photocopy that:

        • has been altered in any way by you after
          the original's official issue
        • contains information or corrections or
          additions that you entered
        • lists awards or training you knowingly did not receive
        • contains highlighting, colorizing or other markings you entered

        Be advised that on request any knowingly fraudulent document sent by you will be released to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that may result in prosecution and/or fine/imprisonment.

        Email Questions, or Phone: 1-562-422-4100 (Pacific Time Zone)

        Personnel Branch
        Processing and Delivery

        Style Admin Shipping Total
        Full Color .PDF (Printable) $7.50 Emailed $7.50
        Published Document only (Full Color) $14.00 $10.50 USPS $24.50
        Published Document in Heavy Bond Enclosure (Full Color) $19.00 $10.50 USPS $29.50
        Full Color Printable Certificates
        on CD-Rom (minimum 20 Certificates)
        $7.50 $7.50 By Count

      • Total/Shipping fees, above, apply to 50 U.S. states
      • Contact The War Library for international shipping cost
      • How to Apply

        You may apply for your Display Recognition using a...

      • Check Debit card (* Shipped within 1 week)
      • Charge card (* Shipped within 1 week)
      • Personal, Business, Bank or Cashiers Check ( Shipped in 6 weeks)
      • Money Order (* Shipped in 6 weeks)
      • (* Upon reception of required documentation)

        Complete and MAIL this APPLICATION FORM.
        Don't forget to include an unaltered COPY of your DD-214, WD AGO 53-55 or other pre-arranged document(s).

        DISPLAY RECOGNITION and/or MEDAL APPLICATION FORM

        Mailing Address

        Records Chief (REC-AMW)
        The American War Library
        817 East Via Carmelitos Ste 319
        Long Beach CA 90805-7549

        Questions?

        Click here for answers to common questions

        Email: ASU Display Recognition Inquiry

        Telephone: 1-562-422-4100 (Pacific Time Zone)

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        Issue Regulations


        Army Superior Unit Award

        Establishing Authority


        Click for larger image

        The Superior Unit Award was established on April 8, 1985, by Secretary of the Army John O. Marsh, Jr.

        Effective Dates

        The Superior Unit Award has been in effect since April 8, 1985.

        Criteria

        The Superior Unit Award may be awarded during peacetime for outstanding meritorious performance of a difficult and challenging mission carried out under extraordinary circumstances. The unit must display such outstanding devotion and superior performance of exceptionally difficult tasks as to set it apart from and above other units with similar missions. The award is not given for operations of a purely humanitarian nature.

        Order of Precedence

        The Superior Unit Award is worn after the Meritorious Unit Commendation and before any foreign unit citation.

        Devices

        Additional awards of the Superior Unit Award are denoted by oak leaf clusters.

        1. Description: The Army Superior Unit Award emblem worn to represent award of the Army Superior Unit Award is 1 7/16 inches wide and 9/16 inch in height. The emblem consists of a 1/16 inch wide gold frame with laurel leaves which encloses a ribbon of the following pattern: 17/32 inch scarlet 67111; 1/32 inch yellow 67103; < inch green 67129; 1/32 inch yellow; and 17/32 inch scarlet. The streamers are the same pattern as the emblem ribbon.

        2. Criteria: a. The Army Superior Unit Award is awarded for outstanding meritorious performance of a unit during peacetime in a difficult and challenging mission under extraordinary circumstances. The unit must display such outstanding devotion and superior performance of exceptionally difficult tasks to set it apart from and above other units with similar missions. For the purpose of this award, peacetime is defined as any period during which wartime or combat awards are not authorized in the geographical area in which the mission was executed. The award may be given for operations of a humanitarian nature. Circumstances may be deemed to be extraordinary when they do not represent the normal day-to-day circumstances under which the unit normally performs its peacetime mission or may be reasonably expected to perform.

        b. Battalion size and smaller or comparable units, organized under TOE and similar type organizations organized under TDA, are eligible for award of the Army Superior Unit Award. Under most circumstances, headquarters type units would not be eligible for the award. Award to units larger than battalion size would be infrequent.

        3. Components: The current components of the Army Superior Unit Award are the emblems awarded to members of the unit and the streamer for display on the unit flag/guidon.

        a. Army Superior Unit Award Emblem: MIL-D-3943/32 (frame) and MIL-R-11589/304 (ribbon). NSN 8455-01-221-1109.

        b. Streamer: MIL-S-14650/5. Manual requisition in accordance with Chapter 9, Army Regulation (AR) 840-10.

        c. Lapel Button: MIL-L-11484/187.

        4. Background: a. As part of the Army Cohesion and Stability Study (ARCOST) of 1980, a proposal to adopt the Army Superior Unit Award was forwarded to Major Army Commands (MACOM) for comment on 18 March 1981. This recommendation was based on the fact that present Army unit awards were for combat service only. While all MACOM\ and most of the Army Staff supported the proposal, the leadership elected not to approve the new award. In 1984, the Vice Chief of Staff, Army, directed that a Peacetime Unit Award be developed and submitted for approval. In April 1985, the Secretary of the Army (SECARMY) approved the Army Superior Unit Award for meritorious unit performance of a uniquely difficult and challenging mission under extraordinary circumstances that involved the national interest. As a result of the strict criteria and lack of approving awards, the criteria was changed by SECARMY in July 1986. This change deleted the words "unique" and "national interest". Only one award was approved prior to the revision and it went to the 3d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Nearly 200 of the 248 soldiers that were killed in the plane crash in Gander, Newfoundland, were from the battalion and were on their way home in December 1985 from duty with the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai Desert.

        b. On 17 September 1991, in a memorandum to the Secretary of the Army, The Adjutant General (TAG) requested approval to create a lapel pin to be worn by all members of units awarded the Army Superior Unit Award. This recommendation was based on the fact that the award was being presented to units with a significant number of civilians assigned and there was no visible means of recognizing them. This change permitted issue of an emblem to both military and civilian personnel. The Secretary of the Army approved the recommendation on 12 December 1991.

        c. The emblem is worn by all members of a cited organization and is considered an individual decoration for persons in connection with the cited acts and may be worn whether or not they continue as members of the organization. Other personnel may wear this decoration while serving with an organization to indicate the unit has been awarded the Army Superior Unit Award.

        d. Order of precedence and wear policy for unit awards is contained in Army Regulation (AR) 670-1. Policy for awards, approving authority, and supply of the unit award emblem is contained in AR 600-8-22. The policy for display of unit awards on guidons and flags and supply of streamers is contained in AR 840-10.

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