achievement award

[Eclipse]

This would be a good idea for promotions as well, especially above Captain - those tend to sit addressed, and until they are denied officially,
there's really no recourse or clock.

[coudano]

one thing at a time

[davedove]

I personally don't like any idea where "everything" has to go to NHQ, even for review.  That's just adding another level of bureacracy to a system.  I really don't think there is any problem with the current levels of approval.  Now, National should set out clear standards for the different awards, make sure the commanders are educated,  and then trust the commanders.

Will there be some problems of inconsistency between wings?  Sure, but that's a problem with implementation of the system, not the system itself.

[MSG Mac]

With all this talk about sending F120's to National for "Correctness" check. Isn't that the Job of the Personnel Officers at both the initiating end and the the approval echelon. Let's not reinvent a process that isn't broken.

[Eclipse]

With all this talk about sending F120's to National for "Correctness" check. Isn't that the Job of the Personnel Officers at both the initiating end and the the approval echelon. Let's not reinvent a process that isn't broken.

No one says the Personnel Officer shouldn't still prepare them, however there is zero guidance on what should be in them.

Yes, it is. however there is zero guidance on the expectations, paperwork requirements, or even what a dec means (outside 39-3).
Some wings accept a napkin with chicken scratches, some want to full resume for every ribbon.

And there's the issue of round file or ignoring things.

[jeders]

I think that, rather than sending everything to a national QC board, simply implementing an online F120 in eServices would solve most of the problems. Make it in such a way that it walks the user through the process of writing the 120 step by step with examples and checklists so everything is done properly. This will then allow all of the 120s to be tracked and if it turns out that Wing X is handing out higher awards like they're water or that Wing Y only approves 5% of the achievement awards submitted, then we can talk about implementing a national level board.

But if we simply put the process into eServices, it will eliminate the black hole syndrome as there will always be a record of where the award is sitting. Add in a time limit after which the system bumps the approval to the next higher level or sends out hourly reminders or something to keep someone from just sitting on it.

This should also solve the problem of deserving members not being recognized because someone doesn't want to do the paperwork. Some people won't do anything because they aren't sure of the process, but if the process is online with an easy walk-through, then no problem.

[Eclipse]

I'd buy that for a dollar...

[MSG Mac]

With all this talk about sending F120's to National for "Correctness" check. Isn't that the Job of the Personnel Officers at both the initiating end and the the approval echelon. Let's not reinvent a process that isn't broken.

No one says the Personnel Officer shouldn't still prepare them, however there is zero guidance on what should be in them.

Yes, it is. however there is zero guidance on the expectations, paperwork requirements, or even what a dec means (outside 39-3).
Some wings accept a napkin with chicken scratches, some want to full resume for every ribbon.

CAP recognized this problem several years ago. National has a pamphlet CAPP39-3 which walks the initiator through the process, and as you stated CAPR 39-3  defines the scope of the decorations.

The problem is not badly written citations, it's the failure to write the darn things in the first place.

[flyboy53]

Following up on a few of the comments in this thread, I don't believe that a single board at NHQ is the answer. A wing or group board would be more appropriate. Sure some awards require higher headquarters approval, but the further up the chain of command, the further away from the justification of the award. That is why group commander approval of an Achievement Award is a good thing.

But one thing still corrupts the system...politics. Politics inflates awards because people will use their influence to get awards when not merited. I knew the first MSM recipient in the Air Force. He was my PA division chief at Elmendorf AFB in the late 1970s. He was the public affairs officer who was the primary escort for the POWs being returned after the Vietnam War. Then towards the end of my career, I saw them given away like candy to a lot of people I would never have thought would have qualified for the award. CAP does the same thing. That's how a former national commander got his own Silver Medal of Valor. Then, when a cadet commander at an encampment gets a meritorious service award and the appropriate senior staff receive lesser awards, what next is there? Awards need to be an incentive, something that the member strives to achieve, not given out with unequal justification.

Also, I have never found the CAP awards and decorations system as user-friendly -- and I used to be the additional duty unit awards and decorations monitor or NCO for several units I was assigned to during my AF Career. Sure, we have a booklet that explains the mechanics of writing good nominations, but then we have certificates that have to be lettered by hand or processed on a large format printer and there is no organization-wide standard related to award elements or the presentation...which is also the issue about poorly written nominations and citations.

I would make a nomination form similar to what the Air Force does or used to do and train people how to fill in the bullets for justification. I would shrink the certificates to a standard size and then NHQ should develop one professional looking presentation folder to place the certificate, orders and the citation. I would also get away from just certificates and ribbons and make more of the decorations medals....which has been said many times before on this forum and falls on deaf ears because of our status as a civilian auxiliary to the Air Force.

[James Shaw]

I would make a nomination form similar to what the Air Force does or used to do and train people how to fill in the bullets for justification. I would shrink the certificates to a standard size and then NHQ should develop one professional looking presentation folder to place the certificate, orders and the citation. I would also get away from just certificates and ribbons and make more of the decorations medals....which has been said many times before on this forum and falls on deaf ears because of our status as a civilian auxiliary to the Air Force.

1) Maybe they could add this particular skill (filling out and grading 120's) to the Unit Commanders Course?
2) I think that would be a great idea to shrink the certificates to 8 1/2 X 11. I would however leave the SMV, BMV, DSA, and Lifesave at 11 x 14.
3) This has been proppsed several times and your right, it has been voted down.

[Private Investigator]

CAP recognized this problem several years ago. National has a pamphlet CAPP39-3 which walks the initiator through the process, and as you stated CAPR 39-3  defines the scope of the decorations.

The problem is not badly written citations, it's the failure to write the darn things in the first place.

+1

[ColonelJack]

I would also get away from just certificates and ribbons and make more of the decorations medals....which has been said many times before on this forum and falls on deaf ears because of our status as a civilian auxiliary to the Air Force.

3) This has been proppsed several times and your right, it has been voted down.

But why is it voted down?

Jack

[AlphaSigOU]

I would also get away from just certificates and ribbons and make more of the decorations medals....which has been said many times before on this forum and falls on deaf ears because of our status as a civilian auxiliary to the Air Force.

3) This has been proppsed several times and your right, it has been voted down.

But why is it voted down?

Jack

Biggest excuse is that it would cost money for NHQ to pay Vanguard for new full-size dies, followed by 'our medals and awards should be distinctive enough from military decorations."

I've created 8-1/2" x 11" versions of the major CAP decoration certificates, to conform with the Air Force's style. These could be easily made into fill-in forms which would include a brief citation in the format recommended by 'Awards Made Easy'.

[Pylon]

I've created 8-1/2" x 11" versions of the major CAP decoration certificates, to conform with the Air Force's style. These could be easily made into fill-in forms which would include a brief citation in the format recommended by 'Awards Made Easy'.

Would you care to share?  Probably warrants its own thread!

[AlphaSigOU]

I've created 8-1/2" x 11" versions of the major CAP decoration certificates, to conform with the Air Force's style. These could be easily made into fill-in forms which would include a brief citation in the format recommended by 'Awards Made Easy'.

Would you care to share?  Probably warrants its own thread!

But of course! I'll have to wait until this weekend to gen up some PDF examples to post.

[AlphaSigOU]

Here are a couple of examples of 8-1/2 x 11 decoration certificates I created - all they have is just template information. First one is the Unit Citation Award, the next is the Commander's Commendation. The third is a 'recreation' of my Commander's Commendation I earned for service as the Texas Wing Cadet Advisory Council senior member advisor.

These can easily be filled as a template. Being that they're 8-1/2 x 11, they can fit easily into a personnel file. Perhaps one day we can see this as a future e-Services feature? (Don't hold your breath...) NHQ already does it with the Yeager Award in eServices.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME FOR THE WORD DOCUMENT TEMPLATE OR ASK ME TO GENERATE A CERTIFICATE FOR YOU!

Questions, comments, discussions, gripes?