FY26 Major General William Pendleton Thompson (W.P.T.) Hill Memorial Awards for Food Service Excellence and Food Service Specialist of the Year Program

1. BLUF: Announces FY26 Major General William
Pendleton Thompson (W.P.T.) Hill Memorial Awards Program,
establishes updated competitive categories, and provides nomination, 
submission, and evaluation guidance.  
1.a. The MajGen W.P.T. Hill Memorial Awards Program recognizes 
excellence across the Marine Corps Food Service enterprise,
highlighting superior performance in food preparation, service, 
management, and operations support. The Food Service Specialist of
the Year Program recognized Marines whose leadership, technical 
expertise, and professional commitment distinguish them within this
demanding specialty. 
1.b. Effective immediately, award categories have been updated to
reflect current operational requirements and enterprise alignment.
2. BACKGROUND. The MajGen W.P.T. Hill Memorial Awards Program, 
established in 1985, is co-sponsored by the Commandant of the Marine
Corps and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation
(NRAEF). This program recognizes outstanding food service operations
and personnel across the Total Force. 
2.a. There are six competitive categories to the program:
2.a.1. CONUS Garrison Mess Hall (Full Food Service)
2.a.2. OCONUS Garrison Mess Hall (Management and Mess Attendant)
2.a.3. Active component Small Field Mess (250 personnel or less)
2.a.4. Active component Large Field Mess (350 personnel or greater)
2.a.5. Reserve component Field Mess
2.a.6. Food Service Specialist of the Year
2.b. Winning Commands and individuals will be recognized in
conjunction with the annual National Restaurant Association (NRA) 
Military Foodservice Awards Ceremony, NRA Show and Food Service
Managers Training Event in May 2027. Representatives will attend as
guests of the NRAEF. 
3. UNIT NOMINATION PROCEDURES.
3.a. Commanders will establish internal procedures to determine the 
best food service operations within their respective commands. 
3.b. Nominations: 
3.b.1. Marine Corps Installations East (MCIEAST); Marine Corps
Installations West (MCIWEST); Marine Corps Training and Education
Command (TECOM), Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region
(MCINCR), to include Marine Barracks Washington, Washington DC and
Indian Head, MD will nominate one CONUS FFS facility.
3.b.2. Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC) will nominate two
OCONUS M&MA facilities.
3.b.3. Commander, Marine Corps Forces Pacific (COMMARFORPAC), Camp
H. M. Smith, Hawaii will nominate units from I MEF and III MEF for
both Small and Large Field Mess categories. 
3.b.4.Commander, Marine Corps Forces Command (COMMARFORCOM), Norfolk,
Virginia will nominate a unit from II MEF for both Small and Large
Field Mess categories. 
3.b.5. Commander Marine Forces Reserve (COMMARFORRES) will nominate
the best Reserve Field Mess.
3.c. Submission deadlines: 
3.c.1. Active component nominations are due NTL 1 October 2026.
3.c.2. Reserve component nominations are due NTL 1 December 2026.
3.d. All nomination packages shall be submitted electronically to
DC, I&L (LF), Attn: MCICOM G-4 Food Service and Subsistence Branch.
3.e. All nomination packages shall be submitted in a single consolidated
PDF format.
3.f. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or greater, in .JPEG
format, and submitted to POC 2 and 3 NLT 1 December 2026.
3.g.  HQMC Evaluation Team will conduct site visits from 1 December
2026 through 15 February 2027. Evaluations will assess food quality,
service, sanitation, management, and overall operational
effectiveness.
3.g.1. Nominated commands will recommend dates for the evaluation
schedule. Finalized schedule will be published via Automated Message
Handling System (AMHS). 
4. FOOD SERVICE SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR NOMINATION PROCEDURES.
4.a. Categories: 
4.a.1. Private First Class through Lance Corporal serving in Billet
MOS 3381. 
4.a.2. Corporal through Sergeant serving in Billet MOS 3381. 
4.a.3. Staff Sergeant through Gunnery Sergeant serving in Billet MOS
3381.
4.b. Nominating commands: 
4.b.1. COMMARFORPAC, COMMARFORCOM, MCIPAC, MCIEAST, MCIWEST, MCINCR,
and TECOM will nominate one Marine per category.
4.b.2. COMMARFORRES will nominate two Marines per category.
4.c. Submission deadline: NLT 1 December 2026.
4.d. Eligibility requirements: 
4.d.1. Minimum of two years' time in service. 
4.d.2. Must meet all regular retention standards. 
4.d.3. Must not be a previous recipient of the same award.
4.d.4. Must epitomize the "Whole Marine" concept through
performance achievements in basic warfighter skills. 
4.d.5. Must demonstrate superior performance in MOS 3381 duties.
4.d.6. Must not have any adverse material or pending disciplinary
action during the eligibility period. 
4.d.7. Eligibility period includes actions completed or initiated
during Fiscal Year 2026.
5. FOOD SERVICE SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR NOMINATION PACKAGE
REQUIREMENTS.
5.a. One-page professional biography and resume. 
5.b. Summary of Action (SoA). 
5.b.1. The SoA must clearly articulate measurable impact,
leadership, operational contributions, and mission support.
5.b.2. The SOA will be utilized for personal award submission in 
accordance with reference (c). 
5.b.3. The SoA shall include, where applicable, results from Chef
of the Quarter/Year competitions, field feeding experience,
deployment history, and leadership impact. 
5.c. Current Basic Individual Record (BIR), MOL copy acceptable. 
5.d. Current Basic Training Record (BTR), MOL copy acceptable. 
5.e. Unit point of contact information. 
6. Submission deadlines: 
6.a.1. All submissions must be endorsed by authorized commands. 
6.a.2. Late or improperly submitted packages will not be considered.
6.a.3. All nominations are due NTL 1 December 2026.
6.b. Each nomination must be submitted via separate encrypted email.
6.c. All submissions containing personally identifiable information
(PII) shall be encrypted in accordance with DoD cybersecurity policy. 
6.d. Subject line must include award category and "Attn: MCICOM G-4
Food Service and Subsistence Branch."
6.e. All nomination packages shall be submitted in a single consolidated
PDF format.
7. Release authorized by LtGen Andrew M. Niebel, Deputy Commandant
for Installations and Logistics.