UNCLASSIFIED ROUTINE R 181259Z APR 18 FM CNO WASHINGTON DC TO NAVADMIN INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC BT UNCLAS //N01650// NAVADMIN 096/18 PASS TO OFFICE CODES: INFO CNO WASHINGTON DC//DNS// MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/DNS/APR// SUBJ/2018 AMERICAN LEGION SPIRIT OF SERVICE AWARD// POC/KRISTINE GARLAND/NAVCO/LOC: MILLINGTON, TN/TEL: (901) 874-5882/ EMAIL: KRISTINE.GARLAND(AT)NAVY.MIL. RMKS/1. The American Legion will present its Spirit of Service Award to an enlisted member (E-5 and below) from each branch of the Armed Forces. The award, given since 2000, will be presented by the National Commander, Denise Rohan, on stage at the Legion's National Convention in Minneapolis, MN, 24-30 August 2018. 2. Eligibility. The main criterion of the award is the level of volunteer community service that a Sailor performs off-duty in the local community. Command-sponsored volunteer activities, either on duty or off, will not be counted. The period of service is 1 January 2017 - 31 December 2017, and nominees must be E-5 or below during the period of service. Nominees may be active or reserve, and must be outstanding military professionals. Previous winners of this award are not eligible. If chosen as the recipient, the awardee must attend the American Legion National Convention. 3. Travel and lodging. Within CONUS, the American Legion will provide travel and lodging expenses for the individual winner only. The winner is responsible for travel expenses for family members or guests. The winner will arrive at the convention hotel on Saturday, 25 August 2018, and depart Wednesday, 29 August 2018. 4. Nominations. Nomination packages must contain the following information: a. Commanding Officer nomination. CO's may nominate one Sailor from their command. Nominations must be on command letterhead and indicate the CO's confidence in the Sailor's professionalism and as a representative of the Navy, the validity of the volunteer efforts, and a commitment to facilitate their nominee's attendance at the national convention if selected. Endorsements are not required. b. Volunteer efforts. Description of volunteer efforts must include quantitative data such as hours, days, or months spent on off-duty volunteer community service. Command sponsored volunteer activities, either on-duty or off-duty, will not be counted. This description should be provided in a bullet format. c. Nominee photo. A high-resolution JPEG head and full body photograph of the Sailor is required. If chosen as the award recipient, the nominee's photo will be used in printed and online material to publicize and document the award ceremony. The photo should be similar to those commonly associated with Navy leader biographies and official portrait photos. d. Nominee biography. If chosen as the award recipient, the biography will be used in the Legion's magazine and convention program. The biography should include hometown information as well as professional highlights and qualifications. e. Signed consent for release of information. A written and signed statement of consent by the Sailor, authorizing release of information contained in the nomination, is required per the Privacy Act of 1974. The following statement is a sample of written consent: "I, (rate/rank/full name), do hereby authorize the release of all information enclosed in this nomination package to those persons involved in the selection process." 5. Nomination submission. Nominations must be received by 29 May 2018. Nominations must be submitted electronically to kristine.garland(AT)navy.mil. 6. Selection process. The Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) will consolidate all nominations, organize a ranking board, and recommend the top candidates to the American Legion, which will make the selection. NAVCO will inform the winner and also notify those not selected. 7. Released by Vice Admiral K. M. Donegan, Director, Navy Staff.// BT #0001 NNNN UNCLASSIFIED//