R 231129Z MAR 11
UNCLASSIFIED//
MARADMIN 187/11
MSGID/GENADMIN,USMTF,2007/CMC WASHINGTON DC MRA MM//
SUBJ/ADVANCE ANNOUNCEMENT OF CHANGE TO MCO P1400.32D ENLISTED PROMOTION MANUAL//
REF/A/MSGID:DOC/CMC MMPR-2/YMD:20060511//
AMPN/REF A IS MCO P1400.32D W/CH 1, ENLISTED PROMOTION MANUAL.//
POC/S. M. DENAULT/MAJ/CMC MMPR-2/-/TEL:DSN 278-9717 /EMAIL:SUZANNE.M.DENAULT@USMC.MIL//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  PURPOSE.  TO PROMULGATE REVISED POLICY REGARDING THE POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION OF MARINES TO THE RANKS OF PFC THROUGH SGT FOR REGULAR AND RESERVE MARINES.
2.  BACKGROUND.  THE CMC HAS DIRECTED THE CURRENT POLICY FOR POSTHUMOUS PROMOTIONS FOR JUNIOR ENLISTED MARINES BE REVISED TO ALLOW FOR POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTIONS TO THE GRADES OF PFC THROUGH SGT.
3.  POLICY.  THE FOLLOWING CHANGES ARE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:
A.  PARA 4300 OF THE REFERENCE WILL BE AMENDED TO READ: 4300.  GENERAL.  A MARINE WHO IS SELECTED FOR PROMOTION BY A SELECTION BOARD OR HAS MET THE CUTTING SCORE AND/OR TIME-IN-GRADE/TIME-IN-SERVICE REQUIREMENTS, AND HAS BEEN RECOMMENDED FOR PROMOTION BY HIS OR HER COMMANDER, BUT IS UNABLE TO ACCEPT THE PROMOTION BECAUSE OF DEATH, MAY BE POSTHUMOUSLY PROMOTED.  THE DECEASED MARINE'S BENEFICIARY(IES) WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO ANY BONUSES, GRATUITY, PAY, OR ALLOWANCES BY VIRTUE OF THE POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION.
NOTE:  CONSIDERATION WILL ALSO BE GIVEN TO THOSE MARINES WHO DIE IN COMBAT OR UNDER COMBAT CONDITIONS, AND WHO, PRIOR TO DEATH, DISPLAYED EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP OR PERFORMED EXTRAORDINARY DEEDS BUT DO NOT MEET THE AFOREMENTIONED ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (SEE PARA 4305 FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE).  THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR NOMINATION CONSIDERATION UNDER THIS PROVISION RESTS WITH THE CONTENTION THAT HAD THE MARINE SURVIVED, THE DEGREE OF LEADERSHIP DISPLAYED OR DEEDS PERFORMED WOULD HAVE WARRANTED FUTURE CONSIDERATION FOR MERITORIOUS OR COMBAT MERITORIOUS PROMOTION.
B.  PARA 4300.4 OF THE REFERENCE WILL BE AMENDED TO READ:
    4.  APPROVAL AUTHORITY FOR ALL POSTHUMOUS PROMOTIONS OF PRIVATES THROUGH CORPORALS WHO MEET THE CRITERIA CONTAINED IN PARAGRAPHS 4302 AND 4303 LIES WITH THOSE COMMANDERS IDENTIFIED IN PARA 1200.3.B. OF THIS ORDER.  APPROVAL AUTHORITY FOR THOSE MARINES IN THE GRADES OF PRIVATE THROUGH CORPORAL WHO ARE RECOMMENDED BY THEIR COMMAND FOR POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION CONSIDERATION LIES WITH THE RESPECTIVE MARINE FORCES (MARFOR) COMMANDER, AS DELEGATED BY CMC.
C.  NEW PARA 4305 ADDED TO READ:
    4305.  POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION TO PFC THROUGH SGT
    1.  ELIGIBILITY.  MARINES IN THE GRADES OF PVT THROUGH CPL WHO DO NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION AS SET FORTH IN PARAGRAPHS 4302 AND 4303 ABOVE, AND WERE NOT IN A PROMOTION RESTRICTION STATUS AT THE TIME OF DEATH, ARE ELIGIBLE FOR POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION IF THE MARINE'S DEATH OCCURRED UNDER THE FOLLOWING
CONDITIONS:
        A.  THE MARINE DISPLAYED EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP OR PERFORMED EXTRAORDINARY DEEDS.
        B.  THE MARINE'S DEATH WAS IN THE LINE OF DUTY AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE MARINE'S DEATH WOULD NOT BRING DISCREDIT UPON THE MARINE CORPS.
        C.  THE MARINE WAS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE GROUND ACTIONS AGAINST AN ARMED OPPONENT.
        D.  THE MARINE WAS ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING IN AIR OPERATIONS IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF GROUND COMBAT ACTION.
        E.  THE MARINE WAS ENGAGED IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF GROUND COMBAT OPERATIONS ENGENDERING RISKS FROM IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES, MINES OR OTHER ENEMY MEANS.
        F.  THE MARINE PARTICIPATED IN ORDNANCE CLEARING, ORDNANCE REMOVAL, ROUTE CLEARANCE, OR RENDER SAFE OPERATIONS.
        G.  THE MARINE WAS INVOLVED IN ANTI-TERRORISM OR FORCE PROTECTION MISSIONS WHERE ARMED ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENEMY OCCURRED.
EXAMPLE:  A LCPL HAS NOT BEEN OFFICIALLY APPROVED FOR REGULAR (MET CUTTING SCORE) OR MERITORIOUS PROMOTION AND IS NOT IN A PROMOTION RESTRICTION STATUS.  ON 21 FEBRUARY, THE MARINE AND HIS SQUAD ARE ENGAGED IN DIRECT GROUND ACTIONS AGAINST THE ENEMY.  THE SQUAD LEADER IS CRITICALLY WOUNDED AND INCAPABLE OF COMMANDING HIS SQUAD, THE LCPL IMMEDIATELY TAKES CHARGE OF THE SQUAD THOUGH SEVERELY WOUNDED HIMSELF, DIRECTING FIRE, COORDINATING MOVEMENT, AND CALLING FOR SUPPORTING FIRES.  THE LCPL'S ACTIONS INSTILL CONFIDENCE IN THE SQUAD MEMBERS AND PROVIDES SEAMLESS COMMAND OF THE SQUAD. THE LCPL LATER DIES FROM WOUNDS RECEIVED.  THE LCPL'S EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP RESULTED IN THE SQUAD REPELLING THE ENEMY ASSAULT, AND THE TIMELY EVACUATION OF THE WOUNDED.  THE COMMANDER MAY SUBMIT A DETAILED POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION RECOMMENDATION, EMPHASIZING THE MARINE'S EXCEPTIONAL COMBAT PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP, VIA THE CHAIN OF COMMAND FOR DECISION BY THE RESPECTIVE MARFOR COMMANDER. IF APPROVED BY THE MARFOR COMMANDER, THE COMMAND WILL PREPARE THE APPROPRIATE PROMOTION WARRANT WITH A DATE OF RANK OF 21 FEBRUARY.
THE MARFOR COMMANDER WILL ENSURE THE CMC (MMPR-2) IS NOTIFIED OF THE APPROVAL VIA NAVAL MESSAGE.
NOTE:  IN THE ABOVE EXAMPLE, THE BENEFICIARIES WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE ANY BONUSES, GRATUITY, OR PAY AND ALLOWANCES BY VIRTUE OF THE POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION.
    2.  COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY.  THE ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR NOMINATION CONSIDERATION UNDER THIS PROVISION RESTS WITH THE CONTENTION THAT HAD THE MARINE SURVIVED, THE DEGREE OF LEADERSHIP DISPLAYED, OR DEEDS PERFORMED, WOULD HAVE WARRANTED FUTURE CONSIDERATION FOR MERITORIOUS OR COMBAT MERITORIOUS PROMOTION. COMMANDERS ARE REMINDED THAT THE PROVISIONS UNDER PARA 4305 ARE FOR EXCEPTIONAL CASES AND ARE NOT TO BE USED AS AN ALTERNATE MEANS TO RECOGNIZE "FAITHFUL SERVICE" OR WHEN A PERSONAL COMMENDATION IS MORE APPROPRIATE.  FOR MARINES WHO ARE DEEMED ELIGIBLE AS SET FORTH IN PARA 4305.1 ABOVE, THE COMMAND WILL, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE:
        A.  SUBMIT A WRITTEN, DETAILED RECOMMENDATION VIA THE CHAIN OF COMMAND FOR POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION TO THE RESPECTIVE MARFOR COMMANDER.
        B.  THE RECOMMENDATION MUST EMPHASIZE THE MARINE'S EXCEPTIONAL COMBAT PERFORMANCE AND LEADERSHIP IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF PARA 4305.1.
        C.  UPON APPROVAL BY THE MARFOR COMMANDER, THE COMMAND WILL PREPARE THE APPROPRIATE PROMOTION WARRANT, WITH A DATE OF RANK EFFECTIVE THE DATE OF DEATH, AND FORWARD THE ORIGINAL TO THE CACO OR TO THE CMC (MRPC) FOR PRESENTATION TO THE NEXT OF KIN.  THE WARRANT WILL READ AS SUCH: RANK (COMBAT POSTHUMOUSLY)
        D.  THE MARFOR COMMANDER WILL ENSURE THE CMC (MMPR-2) IS NOTIFIED VIA NAVAL MESSAGE OF ALL POSTHUMOUS PROMOTIONS APPROVED UNDER THIS PROVISION.   THE NAVAL MESSAGE WILL INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
          SUBJ:  REPORT OF POSTHUMOUS COMBAT PROMOTION
          1.  NAME: LAST, FIRST, MIDDLE INITIAL
          2.  SSN/MOS: LAST FOUR ONLY
          3.  RANK:
          4.  UNIT:
          5.  DATE OF DEATH:
          6.  DATE OF APPROVAL:
        E.  MMPR-2 IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING A BY-NAME HISTORICAL DATA FILE OF THE INFORMATION DERIVED FROM PARA (D) ABOVE.
THIS INFORMATION IS REPORTABLE TO CMC.
NOTE:  THE MARINE'S BENEFICIARIES WILL NOT BE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE ANY BONUSES, GRATUITY, OR PAY AND ALLOWANCES BY VIRTUE OF THE POSTHUMOUS PROMOTION.
4.  THIS POLICY WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE NEXT REVISION OF THE REFERENCE ANTICIPATED FOR RELEASE DURING 4TH QTR FY11.
5.  RELEASE AUTHORIZED BY MAJGEN A. SALINAS, DIRECTOR, MANPOWER MANAGEMENT DIVISION.//