The Army Foreign Area Officer Association recognizes individuals who served the functional area with distinction. The program maintains and enhances the legacy of Army FAOs and promotes cohesiveness and esprit de corps. This Letter of Instruction (LOI) prescribes policies and procedures for the nomination, selection, and induction of personnel into the Army FAO Association honorary society the Military Order of Lafayette and the maintenance of related records.
This LOI applies to all elements of the Army Foreign Area Officer Association (AFAOA) and to all records forwarded to or pertaining to the Military Order of Lafayette.
Award levels:
Bronze Award: The Honorable Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Nicholson Award
Silver Award: The Honorable Brigadier General Charles Young Award
Gold Award: Army Foreign Area Officer Association Hall of Fame Award
Eligibility:
- A Military Order of Lafayette nominee must be a member of the AFAOA and have made a significant substantial and considerable contributions that distinguish them above their peers. Attainment of a high rank and/or position is not necessarily indicative of a significant contribution or eligibility.
- Individuals are eligible for nomination into the AFAOA Hall of Fame Gold Award one year after retirement and must have served two or more tours as an Army FAO and achieve three of the criteria specified below.
- Individuals eligible for nomination into the Silver Award The Honorable Brigadier General Charles Young Award must have served two or more tours as an Army FAO and achieve two of the criteria specified below.
- Individuals eligible for nomination into the Bronze Award The Honorable Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Nicholson Award must have served one or more tours as an Army FAO and achieve one of the criteria specified below.
- Individuals may be nominated posthumously.
- Individuals must have been transferred into the Functional Area 48 (FAO) in any area of concentration or have been assigned an Additional Skill Identifier (ASI) under the Foreign Area Officer Program as of 1973.
Nominees must have:
- Substantially advanced U.S. national security by authoring, supporting, or leading the development of foreign area officers or plans to tackle U.S. national security threats.
- Mentored and grown current or future Army Foreign Area Officers.
- Significantly improved the Army’s FA48 institution(s).
To be considered by the AFAOA selection board, completed nomination packets must be received by AFAOA NLT June 01, 2025.
Nomination Packets will consist of:
- Completed Nominee/Nominator Contact Information Form
- A biographical sketch of the individual’s career highlights. The biography will outline the career and significant accomplishments that enhanced the Army FAO community, and will include a listing of assignments/positions held.
- A clear digital photo of the nominee, from the shoulders up in color. A military photo can be the command, DA photo, or photo taken in uniform in a field environment. Photo should be submitted with the packet in an image format (.jpg, .png, etc.)
Nomination Packets should be emailed, in a PDF or Microsoft Word format, to armyfaoassociation@gmail.com with Subject: 2025 Military Order of Lafayette Nomination Packet for (Nominee Name). The AFAOA awards committee will promptly notify the nominator if the nomination packet lacks sufficient details and documentation.
Selection: The Board of Governors for AFAOA will act as the selection board. The AFAOA selection board will review all packets for recommended approval and induction into the Military Order of Lafayette by July 1st, 2025. A 50% approval vote is required for each nominee and awards will not exceed fifteen percent of the AFAOA membership each year.
Induction: Upon confirmation of selection, the AFAOA award committee will notify the honorary society inductee or their immediate family if the inductee is deceased. An annual induction ceremony will take place during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual conference in October 2024. If an honoree is unavailable for this event, they may conduct an induction ceremony of their liking and time with AFAOA support. Funding is not available for travel to the annual ceremony and individuals are responsible for all funding requirements. Tenure in the honorary society is indefinite; however, it may be revoked by the President of AFAOA when appropriate.
Duties and functions: Honorary society members duties are purely ceremonial and honorary.
Costs: The awards for the honorary society are estimated to costs just over $125.00. It is the responsibility of the nominee or nominator to pay via onlline NLT August 1st, 2025. Awards are only ordered once a year and if the awardee misses this deadline they will have to wait till the following year to order their medallion.
The point of contact for this LOI is the AFAOA at armyfaoassociation@gmail.com.