Washington, D.C. (March 3, 2023) Suheil Malave-Castro, an Awards and Decorations Board Team Lead for the Claims and Benefits Processing (CBP) contract in support of the US Army Human Resources Command, was recently invited to attend the Medal of Honor Ceremony for retired Army Colonel Paris D. Davis on March 3, 2023. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. Suheil received the invitation for the integral role she played in processing the award recommendation to completion. She is pictured below with COL (R) Davis and MAJ Grekii Fielder, HRC Awards and Decorations Branch Chief.
The CBP Program Manager, Will Boykin, describes the complex Medal of Honor process, “As the nation’s highest award, a recommendation for award of the Medal of Honor can take years to complete. Army recommendations for the Medal of Honor start in the Awards and Decorations Branch (Fort Knox) and must be staffed to the Secretary of the Army before moving to Department of Defense for staffing to the Secretary of Defense, and ultimately into the hands of the President of the United States for final approval. Recommendations are scrutinized at all levels, and the staff in the Awards and Decorations Branch must answer all questions or assist in making determinations on documents that, in some cases, are over 50 years old. This can cause delays in processing and can add months, if not years, to the processing time. Our team here does an amazing job researching and processing these awards. Every MOH starts here in the Awards branch of the CBP team.”
Horizon Strategies is the prime contractor supporting the U.S. Army Human Resources Command with claims and benefits processing. The team processes critical administrative actions for soldiers and their families to include life insurance, disability, and award claims. These services span program operations support and management of Combat Related Special Compensation (CRSC) and Traumatic Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (TSGLI) under the Army Personnel Records Division (APRD); the Awards and Decorations Branch (ADB) under the Soldier Programs and Services Division (SPSD); and the Physical Disability Agency (PDA) under the operational oversight of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS), G-1.