Arter-Darby Military History Writing Award

CGSC announced the establishment of this annual award in May 1980 and it was first granted to a member of the Class of 1981, CGSC's centennial class. The purpose of the award is to encourage professional scholarship among the students attending CGSC.

The award is privately endowed and is given in the name of two men with a record of outstanding service to the nation. One is Lieutenant General (Ret) Robert Arter, whose Army service included assignments as Chief, Infantry Branch; Deputy Commandant, Command and General Staff College; Commander, Military District of Washington; and Commander, U.S. Army Personnel Center. The other is Senator Harry Darby, who was a field artillery captain in World War I, a civilian adviser to the Secretary of the Army, and a U.S. Senator.

All students enrolled in the CGSOC regular in-resident class are eligible to enter the competition for this award. To enter, an officer must submit a thesis-length manuscript (approximately 85 typed pages) on a military history topic. Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) theses or original non-MMAS thesis-length manuscripts completed during the current academic year are eligible for consideration. Students who choose the non-MMAS option may form a faculty committee, similar to a MMAS committee, to provide advice and assistance. Manuscripts should address historical topics that illuminate military doctrine, organization, training, or operations. They may address combat, combat support, or combat service support aspects of the subject.

To enter the competition, the completed MMAS thesis written on a military history topic must be submitted to the Director, Department of Military History (DMH), with a recommendation from the thesis chairman. Non-MMAS papers must be submitted to the Director, DMH, by the student's Staff Group Advisor (SGA), with a recommendation for consideration. Both types of entry will have a submission date around the first of May each year. A board, established by the Director, DMH, will judge each paper on originality, scholarship, style, and overall value to the literature of the military profession. The board's decision, which is final, will be announced by the Deputy Commandant, CGSC, at graduation. The author of the winning paper will receive a cash award of $500.00 and his/her name will be engraved on a plaque for permanent display in Bell Hall.