Announcement of the Humanitarian Service Medal (HSM) and the Armed Forces Service Medal (AFSM) for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

1.  THE PURPOSE OF THIS MARADMIN IS TO ANNOUNCE THE    
APPROVAL OF THE HSM AND THE AFSM.  PER REF A, THE DIRECTOR, JOINT    
STAFF, HAS APPROVED THE HSM AND THE AFSM FOR UNITED STATES PERSONNEL    
ENGAGED IN THE RELIEF EFFORTS FOR HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA     
PURSUANT TO THE GUIDELINES SHOWN BELOW.    
2.  HSM:  THE HSM IS AN INDIVIDUAL AWARD.  AS SUCH, ONLY THOSE    
MARINES WHO DIRECTLY PARTICIPATED IN THE IMMEDIATE HUMANITARIAN    
RELIEF OPERATIONS IN ALABAMA, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, AND TEXAS    
(EAST OF 96 DEGREES WEST LONGITUDE) FROM 29 AUG THROUGH 13 OCT 2005    
ARE ELIGIBLE.  AS STATED IN REF (B), DIRECT PARTICIPATION IS DEFINED    
AS BEING PHYSICALLY PRESENT AT THE DESIGNATED LOCATION, AND HAVING    
DIRECTLY CONTRIBUTED TO AND INFLUENCED THE ACTION.  ALSO, DEPLOYMENT    
TO THE AREA OF HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN AND OF ITSELF DOES NOT    
CONSTITUTE HSM ENTITLEMENT.      
    A.  THE COMMANDER, MARFOR KATRINA SHALL CONSOLIDATE A ROSTER OF    
ALL MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL WHO MEET THE ABOVE CRITERIA.  THIS ROSTER    
SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO THE CMC (MMMA) USING AN EXCEL SPREADSHEET    
(HSM.XLS) VIA THE AWARDS PROCESSING SYSTEM.    
    B.  OTHER UNIT COMMANDERS IN THE GRADE OF 0-6 AND ABOVE    
OPERATING IN THE AREA OF ELIGIBILITY, BUT OUTSIDE THE PURVIEW OF    
MARFOR KATRINA SHALL CONSOLIDATE A ROSTER OF ALL MARINES UNDER THEIR    
COGNIZANCE THAT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.  THE ROSTERS SHOULD    
BE SUBMITTED AS OUTLINED ABOVE.    
    C.  UPON RECEIPT OF CONSOLIDATED ROSTERS OF ELIGIBLE PERSONNEL,    
MMMA WILL REPORT THE HSM ON UNIT DIARY AND UPDATE THE CAR-HSM    
DATABASE POSTED ON THE MMMA WEBSITE.    
    D.  MARINES WHOSE NAMES ARE NOT INCLUDED ON THE SUBMITTED    
ROSTERS, BUT FEEL THEY MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE HSM UNDER THE    
CRITERIA OUTLINED IN THIS MARADMIN, MUST SUMMARIZE THEIR ACTIONS IN    
A BRIEF SYNOPSIS.  THIS SYNOPSIS MUST INCLUDE: THE SPECIFIC    
OPERATION, THE DATES OF PARTICIPATION AND THE LOCATION OF QUALIFYING    
SERVICE; A DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC ACTIONS, AND A RETURN MAILING    
ADDRESS.  THE REQUEST MUST BE SUBMITTED VIA THE FORMER COMMANDING    
OFFICER UNDER WHOSE COMMAND THE PETITIONING MARINE SERVED DURING THE    
OPERATION.  THE REQUEST SHOULD BE ENDORSED AS TO CERTIFY THAT THE    
CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS ARE ACCURATE    
ACCOUNTS OF THE MARINE'S ACTIONS.  THE OFFICER ENDORSING THE REQUEST    
WILL THEN FORWARD THE REQUEST TO THE COMMANDER MARFOR KATRINA FOR    
FINAL DECISION.  THE POC FOR MARFOR KATRINA IS CW03 DEFRIEZE. HE CAN    
BE REACH BY PHONE AT (816) 843-3563/3559, OR EMAIL AT     
CHRISTOPHER.DEFRIEZE@USMC.MIL.     
3.  AFSM:  THE AFSM IS AWARDED ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND IT IS    
AUTHORIZED FOR PRESENTATION TO ALL MARINES WHO MEET THE ELIGIBILITY    
REQUIREMENTS.  PERSONNEL MUST HAVE BEEN IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF THE    
OPERATION FOR 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS OR 60 NON-CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN AN    
AREA ENCOMPASSING THE UNITED STATES FROM 27 AUG 2005 THROUGH 27 FEB    
2006, LESS THE AREA AND TIME PERIOD DETAILED FOR RECEIPT OF THE HSM.    
MARINES WHO RECEIVE THE HSM MAY ALSO QUALIFY FOR THE AFSM IF THEIR    
DIRECT SUPPORT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE SAME PERIOD AND ACTIONS USED IN    
RECEIVING THE HSM.    
    A.  UNIT COMMANDERS IN THE GRADE OF 0-6 AND ABOVE ARE AUTHORIZED    
TO AWARD THE AFSM TO MARINES OF THEIR COMMAND, PROVIDED THAT THEY    
MEET THE AFOREMENTIONED ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.    
    B.  IN ADDITION TO REPORTING THE AWARD ON THE UNIT DIARY, UNIT    
COMMANDERS ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ENSURING THE APPROPRIATE CRISIS    
CODE (9GY FOR HURRICANE KATRINA AND 9HB FOR HURRICANE RITA) IS    
REPORTED ON EACH MARINE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE OPERATION, TO    
INCLUDE THE INCLUSIVE DATES OF PARTICIPATION.    
4.  FOR PURPOSE OF AWARDS, HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA ARE    
CONSIDERED ONE OPERATION.  THE CONTENT OF THIS MARADMIN WILL BE     
INCORPORATED IN THE NEXT REVISION OF REF B.