FY2026 Marine Corps Enlisted Aide of the Year Award Winner — NMOS 3372
Names Gunnery Sergeant Dara C. Smith as the FY2026 Marine Corps Enlisted Aide of the Year, who will compete at the 2026 DoD Enlisted Aide of the Year Board on September 14, 2026. This is an announcement of a named award winner; it contains no eligibility or action items for other Marines.
This is a routine update — a name list, a set of results, or a recurring notice. There is nothing here to translate into plain English, so the official text is reproduced in full below. Read it on marines.mil
Official text
R 232111Z JUL 26 MARADMIN 335/26 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC L WASHINGTON DC// SUBJ/ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FY 2026 MARINE CORPS ENLISTED AIDE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNER NMOS 3372// REF/A/MSGID: DOC/MCO 1306.18B ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE 1 /YMD: 20240213// AMPN/REF A IS THE MARINE CORPS ORDER: ENLISTED AIDE PROGRAM// POC/B. K. BRAZIL/CIV/UNIT: DC IL/-/TEL: 202-433-2523// POC/B. CUZ/GYSGT/UNIT: DC IL/-/TEL: 202-433-3722// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. I am pleased to announce the Fiscal Year 2026 Marine Corps Enlisted Aide of the Year winner, Gunnery Sergeant Dara C. Smith, nominated by Major General Brian N. Wolford, Former Commanding General, Marine Corps Installations Pacific. 2. This award recognizes outstanding dedication and operational excellence within the Food Service Enlisted Aide profession. Mastery, unwavering commitment, and technical expertise form the foundation of our Marine Corps Enlisted Aide community. 3. Gunnery Sergeant Dara C. Smith will represent the Marine Corps as a competitor for the 2026 Department of Defense Enlisted Aide of the Year Board. The board will convene on September 14, 2026, with the exact time and location to be determined. The Enlisted Aide of the Year Award Ceremony will take place on September 15, 2026, at 1000 in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes hosted by the Robert Irvine Foundation. The evening of September 15, 2026 all candidates and the award recipient will be formally recognized at the Red Wine and Blues Dinner. Congratulations, Gunnery Sergeant Dara C. Smith! 4. Release authorized by Lieutenant General Andrew M. Neibel, Deputy Commandant, Installations and Logistics.//
Resources & references
The documents this bulletin points to, with a plain-English note on why each matters. Links marked CAC required need a government login.
- Enlisted Aide Program order (MCO 1306.18B, Administrative Change 1)Reference
This is the Marine Corps Order governing the Enlisted Aide Program, cited as the authority behind this award announcement. Reservists in or interested in NMOS 3372 would consult it for program rules and requirements.