Solicitation for Calendar Year 2025 Marine Corps League Enlisted Awards

1.  Background.  Each year, the Marine Corps League
(MCL) recognizes the exceptional professional performance of active
duty and reserve enlisted Marines and Sailors across the Marine Air
Ground Task Force.  The MCL Executive Leadership selects awardees
from nominations submitted by O-5 level commands and higher.  Those
selected embody the extraordinary qualities of leadership, 
dedication, skill, and creativity forged through the collective 
experience of challenging training, demanding duties, and austere 
environments.  These individuals reflect the core values that all 
members of the Navy and Marine Corps team respect, share, and to
which they aspire.
2.  This message solicits nominations for the following six awards:
2.a.  Gunnery Sergeant Carlos N. Hathcock II Award: Awarded to an 
enlisted Marine who has made an outstanding contribution to the 
improvement of marksmanship training.
2.b.  Sergeant Major Wilbur Bestwick Award: Awarded to an enlisted 
Marine in a Ground Combat Element of the operating forces who has 
made an outstanding contribution to increased combat readiness
within the organization.
2.c.  Sergeant Harry D. Myers Award: Awarded to an enlisted Marine
in a Combat Service Support Element of the operating forces who has
made a significant contribution to increased combat readiness within
the organization.
2.d.  Sergeant Major Frederick B. Douglass Award: Awarded to an 
enlisted Marine in an Aviation Combat Element of the operating
forces who has made a significant contribution to increased combat
readiness within the organization.
2.e.  Chief Hospital Corpsman George William 'Doc' Piercy Award: 
Awarded to a Navy corpsman or dental technician in a ground, 
logistic, or aviation element of the operating forces, who has made
a significant contribution to increased combat medical readiness
within the organization.
2.f.  Marine Corps Reservist of the Year Award: Awarded to an
enlisted Marine Corps reservist who, while serving with the Marine
Corps Reserve, has made an outstanding contribution to combat
readiness within the organization.
3.  All commands are encouraged to submit nominations for these 
awards. To ensure a competitive and diverse representation of our
Total Force, I, II, and III Marine Expeditionary Forces, Marine 
Corps Forces Reserve (MARFORRES), and Marine Corps Installations 
Command (MCICOM) should provide at least one consolidated nomination
for each award category. Nominations of individual mobilization 
augmentees for the reservist of the year must be submitted through
the reservist's operational sponsor. Nominations for reservists 
assigned to MARFORRES units must be submitted via their chain of 
command to MARFORRES.
4.  Nominations must reflect either sustained performance or a 
specific individual act.  The contribution(s) must have been made 
during calendar year 2025.  Nominations must be fully substantiated
and include:
4.a.  Endorsements.  Nominations should be sent to Rob Brooks,
National Director of Events, Marine Corps League.  The first General
Officer in the nominee's chain of command must endorse the
nomination.  Additional endorsements beyond that are not required.
4.b.  Nomination letter.  A command nomination letter in standard
letter format that includes a brief narrative justifying the
nomination and the following personal information of the nominee:
4.b.1.  Full name, rank, and Military Occupation Specialty Code.
4.b.2.  Current duty station and assignment.
4.b.3.  Current duty address, work email, and work telephone.
4.b.4.  Time in service.
4.b.5.  Name and address of the unit in which the nominee was
serving when contribution was made.
4.b.6.  Name of point of contact with phone number and email
address.
4.b.7.  Home of record city and state.
4.b.8.  Additional enclosures.  In addition to the nomination letter
and endorsement, each submission must include the following as 
separate enclosures:
4.b.8.a.  Nominee's biography.
4.b.8.b.  Recommended citation, not to exceed 250 words.
4.b.8.c.  A written and signed statement of consent by the nominee,
authorizing release of information contained in the nomination 
package, per the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.  The following 
statement is a sample of written consent: "I, [rank and full name],
do hereby authorize the release of all information enclosed in this
nomination package to those people involved in the selection 
process."
5.  A sample nomination package is available online at the Marine 
Corps League website at https: //www.mcleaguelibrary.org/wp-content/
uploads/2024/01/EXAMPLE-MCL-Enlisted-Awards-Package_Redacted.pdf. 
Any submission that does not follow the above guidelines or is 
received after the deadline (see para. 8) will not be considered.
6.  Award submissions will be sent to the Marine Corps League for 
their review and selection.  Commands and selected awardees will be 
notified via email after the selection process and a MARADMIN will
be released to announce the selected award recipients.
7.  Submissions.  All nominations should be sent electronically via
email to: rbrooks@mcleague.org using PDF files with the following 
subject line: 2025 Enlisted Awards Program [name of award category]
ICO [rank and name].
8.  Deadline.  The Marine Corps League must receive nomination
packages no later than 15 June 2026.  No extensions or exceptions
will be granted.
9.  The Marine Corps League will coordinate award presentations with
designated commands.  Full details for selected awardees will be 
provided via separate correspondence (SEPCOR).
10. Release authorized by Colonel John O. Caldwell, Director,
Communication Directorate, Headquarters Marine Corps.