Contacting National Headquarters

[slimshady]

I have been ordered to stop talking to people at national headquarters, i needed help restoring lost records and they were able to help me but 1 individual who was not able to help me decided to complain to my commander and said i was bothering him and i was then given the order to stop contacting anyone at national headquarters, i was wondering if he has that authority to order me to stop contacting anyone at NHQ. it seems very unusual and it was concerning a matter that could not be helped at unit level. and might i add i achieved my desired goal by what i did. further justifying my action.

[Eclipse]

Your unit CC?  Yes.

There's a chain for a reason.  In administrative matters, may times a member may be directed to
go direct for everyone's inconvenience, but if you make a PITA of yourself, you'll be told to
do things through channels.

In the case of Personnel matters, it's usually the unit Personnel Officer or a wing staffer's job.

[slimshady]

it was a matter concerning me and lost cadet records i am a senior now and i had the information in hard copy form that i emailed to some of the people at national who helped me restore my record, but you are saying i have to go to my personnel officer and have him email them for me is that correct? and if so i dont see the difference since i am a senior member and it is a matter concerning me it would take alot more time going through another person.

[slimshady]

also what is a pita if i may

[JeffDG]

also what is a pita if i may

Acronym for Pain-in-the-backside.

[lordmonar]

The order is appropriate.

You should go through channels to get your situation fixed.

Having said that.....you do have the right to go up your chain of command to redress any problems.

So...start at your unit Personnel Officer and the move up from there.

[slimshady]

i tried at first and it was about 2 months of people scratching their heads so yes i went up to where i knew it would be fixed. see my old cadet unit was deactivated and no one thought they should keep the records from the unit and so i had to email proof of my achievements.

[slimshady]

if wanting recognition for my achievements is a pita then sign me up haha

[Al Sayre]

Be sure you have them give you a suspense date if possible, and request that you be copied on the message traffic.

A suspense date is essentially when do you expect this to be done...

[Eclipse]

if wanting recognition for my achievements is a pita then sign me up haha

Proper grammar and punctuation wouldn't hurt, either.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to have your accomplishments documented, however
the bottom line is they are either properly substantiated or they aren't.

When they are, generally an email to the forms address gets them handled, if it comes from a commander
of record or appropriate staffer it will usually get more direct attention because the assumption
is that the request(s) are properly vetted.  Anything that takes more then one or two orbits will probably
need the intervention of an experienced staffer, at which point you should not be dealing direct.

If you were told to go VFR direct early-on by unit staff who didn't know what to do, then
that was their mistake for not using the chain properly - odds are someone between the
unit and NHQ could have handled it without your going direct.

With tens of thousands of members, imagine if they all got impatient and started calling NHQ.

[slimshady]

on a informal forum i don't see the need for punctuation i never did like it much, and there have been times i needed something else and i tried at unit then group then wing and i just kept getting told to go higher and i figured with a matter like this where i knew no physical record existed since i already spoke to my former commander and former group commander and searched the records at group headquarters myself, there was only one way to do it and i was right and to this day i still cant get some of my other records by having gone through the chain of command it has failed me like i assumed it would in this matter, furthermore i don't see why the contacts for national are public if it is such a offense to contact them.

[JeffDG]

on a informal forum i don't see the need for punctuation i never did like it much

Then don't expect to be taken very seriously.

[Eclipse]

on a informal forum i don't see the need for punctuation

You'll a much warmer welcome and be taken a lot more seriously if you write properly.

For example, I can't make heads or tales of that mess above.

Bottom line, if you took it upon yourself to hop at least two echelons, and then made a nuisance of yourself because
NHQ wasn't moving fast enough on a non-priority request, you were properly instructed to use the appropriate chain.

[slimshady]

its about content the punctuation is irrelevant. 

[Tim Medeiros]

its about content the punctuation is irrelevant.

Punctuation makes the content readable, it also helps lend credibility to the author, showing that he/she actually cares about what they are talking about enough to speak about it professionally.

[slimshady]

NHQ wasnt the problem they helped me very quickly within days i got what i had been trying to accomplish in months, it was far more efficient its illogical to take a course of action that would hinder my results possibly indefinitely at the rate i was going.

[slimshady]

i dont know anyone who cant read something because its missing a few commas or colons im not writing a book or news article if i didnt care i wouldn't be in cap or on this site.

[spaatzmom]

on a informal forum i don't see the need for punctuation i never did like it much, and there have been times i needed something else and i tried at unit then group then wing and i just kept getting told to go higher and i figured with a matter like this where i knew no physical record existed since i already spoke to my former commander and former group commander and searched the records at group headquarters myself, there was only one way to do it and i was right and to this day i still cant get some of my other records by having gone through the chain of command it has failed me like i assumed it would in this matter, furthermore i don't see why the contacts for national are public if it is such a offense to contact them.

Really!  The retaliatory run on sentence does not help your cause or establish a credible, mature desire to work toward any goals.  It does however, say a lot about how you might be perceived by those around you.  Good luck with your CAP career.  Florida wing can be a bit stodgy in some areas, but in general, it and group 3 have usually gone out of their way to help members with these types of issues.

[MSG Mac]

For updating, just fax or e-mail the certificates or other paperwork. Include a cover letter explaining what you want to update with the supporting documents. No need to call NHQ several times. Just give them a few working days to get it updated.

[slimshady]

i have yet to be given any grammar test in cap if i receive one i will pass with flying colors i use punctuation when needed and im perceived very well by those around me which include several colonels, im doing very well in cap ive accomplished more in months then most in my unit have in years.