COMCOM

[imposter87]

Is there a specific unwritten rule on the threshold of what is and isn't considered "good grounds" to issue a Commander's Commendation?

I say this because I have seen Cadets who basically do the program to it's fullest and they receive comcoms...and I have seen Senior Members (who we all know sacrifice time/money more so than kids), receive nothing for bending over backwards, sacrificing quite a bit to make it work. I know the first response will probably be "His leadership or team should notice and put him for an award". But, I have done this before to have the award rejected even though I felt it was written in a way that should have garnered an award.

I guess I am just wanting to vent and curious if anyone else has seen selective awarding in their Squadrons/Wings? Guess I am just frustrated when I find out members get awards for doing the program, and others who break there backs to do things and get nothing, even being rejected awards.

[Eclipse]

Decorations are completely subjective, hinge on the narrative, and approval depends largely on the
timbre of the Wing CC and staff.

For a Wing+ award there will be several boards the narrative has to live through, plus the final approval.

I've seen more then a few that were disapproved because the narratives were poorly written, or didn't' properly
stress exemplary nature of the respective service when compared to the member's peers.  I've also seen
plenty which were presented for longevity and chair-warming.  It is what it is.

Many would agree that the subjective nature of expectations and presentation is as much a detriment
to member spirit as it is the boost it's intended to be.



NHQ has an excellent guide to writing award submissions, and it's never a bad idea to run the award by the
approval authority before submitting it to see if the idea will even fly.

In most cases wing CCs are inclined to reward deserving members, and will suggest ways to characterize the
submission to make it glide through approvals.

[PHall]

If you don't submit an award they will never get it.
If you have somebody who you think deserves a Commander's Commendation or any other award then take the time to write them up on a CAP Form 120.
Stuff like a Commander's Commendation can be done with the online version of the CAP Form 120.
Biggest reason people don't get awards? No one bothers to submit a Form 120.

[imposter87]

PHall, I agree, the biggest reason is because no one writes them.

My frustration lies in like the post said above, chair warming and politics gets the award. But when I submit it, it takes time to write those correctly and to see them get denied is just crazy to me. This is the only form of payment I can offer my Squadron members is recognition.

If the approval board shoots down mine all the time, why should I take the time to write them?

It is almost counterproductive to a point.

That is what I do now, I call ahead see if it will fly and then act on the verbal decision.

[TheSkyHornet]

Is the award something that reflects the member's involvement at the Wing level? You'll need Wing Commander sign-off for it.

You might want to consider an Achievement Award.

Here's the criteria out of CAPR 39-3:

Commander's Commendation Award
Outstanding duty performance where achievements and services are clearly and unmistakably exceptional when compared to similar achievements and service of members of like rank and responsibility. In instances where several members are affiliated with an exceptionally successful program, project or mission, the Commander's Commendation Award will be awarded only to those who clearly stand out from the others and who contributed most to the success of the program. The Exceptional Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award differ from the Commanders' Commendation Award in that they recognize achievements and services significantly above and beyond normal duty performance. This award may be presented by a wing, region or National Commander.
*Wing or higher approval

Note: Exceptional Service Awards should reflect service at the Wing or Regional levels.

Meritorious Service Award
Outstanding achievement or meritorious service rendered specifically on behalf of CAP. Superior performance of normal duties does not, in itself, constitute automatic justification for the Meritorious Service Award. Awards should be restricted to the recognition of achievements and services which are clearly outstanding and unmistakably exceptional when compared to similar achievements and accomplishments of personnel of like rank and responsibilities. In instances where many individuals are affiliated with an exceptionally successful program, project or mission, the Meritorious Service Award should be awarded to the relatively few individuals whose contributions clearly stand out from the others and who have contributed most to the success of the program.
*Region approval

Achievement Award
Presented for outstanding service to the unit, group or wing. This award may be approved by the group commander. If a group structure does not exist, the wing commander may designate who has the authority to approve this award.


Essentially, consider what your citation is. That should drive the award chosen.

[PHall]

A lot of it totally depends on the wordsmithing skills of whoever does the Form 120.
Two or three good solid bullet points usually does the trick. And this is one place where spelling and grammar really count too.

[MSG Mac]

The first question to ask is "did someone take the time to fill out the F120?"

I have been on both ends of this. As a Wing DP, I had to beg people to write up awards, even wrote a pamphlet for the Wing describing what was needed and how to write if  (pre CAPP 39-3).
very low response to that. I had a member who worked a monthly detail at the Wing's NG project of helping serve meals at the MDANG DFAC. Took me two years, because the Group Commander refused to sign off on any awards.


It doesn't take much to say Thank You