Credit for the Air Search and Rescue Ribbon

[DeputyDog]

I think this is in the right place.

I've been working on personnel records throughout my group, trying to get people credit for what they have done. As we all know, personnel records in CAP do tend to be an unimportant annoyance to some.

In reviewing a member's records, I found that this member's last award of anything was back in 2003, and before that...not a single CAPF 2A for any awards. This member has been in CAP for over 40 years. I'm done venting. Moving on...

In trying to figure out the mess of emergency services stuff in the personnel records, I found that the member was very active in ES.

Now here is where I need the help:

The current "actual" mission numbers look something like this: 07-M-9999.

1. Did they always look like that? If not, when did they change to look like that?

2. What did they look like before?

The problem that I am having, is that the member has alot of missions that are being claimed as "actuals" that look like this: SWLR 93-999.

When I asked the member if those were "actuals" or "training missions", the member was determined that they were actuals (after declaring they couldn't remember).

The reason I am posting this here, is that the box on the local form was checked "SAREX" on a few of the SWLR 93-999 types.

So before I fill out some CAPF 2As awarding this person an Air Search and Rescue Ribbon with multiple clasps to be forwarded on to wing headquarters, I need help.

Help?

[isuhawkeye]

since 99 when I joined the mission format has been as follows

07M-2341 (actual mission number from AFRCC)
NCLR-IA-0002 (training mission number assigned )

Bob flew as a scanner on XXX date (Local training)

Now having said that WIMRS has a new mission number format, and C missions have a difference format.

Hope that helps.  I'm sure others can add more formal insight

[Duke Dillio]

I would also point out that it also depends on the number of "sorties" completed.  Members can get multiple sorties that are credited towards the ASAR with the same mission number.  Sometimes it is more difficult to show that stuff which is why I tell everyone to keep a log of all mission activities.

[RiverAux]

SWLR is southwest liasiion region and is a training mission number. 

[SJFedor]

This is why I put mission numbers with all my CAP flights in my pilot logbook 

Digging through my records as far back as 00, all the actual missions were an XX-M-XXXX style.

Just see if you can dig up enough for the ribbon, and for future reference, if he wants additional clasps, he needs to keep better records and take some ginkobaloba for his memory 

[Duke Dillio]

Did anyone ask if he wanted the ASAR ribbon?  I know that when I was a personnel officer, I tried to hook up a CAP veteran with some awards out of the kindness of my heart.  From the deepness of my soul he told me how he didn't need some arrogant greenhorn technical flight officer corrupting his personnel file with junk he didn't want to have to pay for in the first place.  I kept all the paperwork in his file but I didn't submit anything for him unless he asked.

[lordmonar]

Just tell him you are doing your job...and to shut up and take his frickin award!

I can't stand people who get in the way of a proactive, efficient personnel officer!

Uually we get the guy who looses the paperwork tree times, mis-files it twice and never tells you that the 2A was approved before just sticking it into the file?

[sardak]

The current "actual" mission numbers look something like this: 07-M-9999.

1. Did they always look like that? If not, when did they change to look like that?

2. What did they look like before?

AFRCC mission numbers used to look like 8-0598, where the first digit was the region number (found in CAPR 20-1), and the rest were the mission sequence number.

The change to 07-M-9999 was made in 1992.

Mike

[DeputyDog]

I would also point out that it also depends on the number of "sorties" completed.  Members can get multiple sorties that are credited towards the ASAR with the same mission number.  Sometimes it is more difficult to show that stuff which is why I tell everyone to keep a log of all mission activities.

However, when the member just wrote down the mission number with the month and year, I have to assume it was one sortie.

You can actually be credited for up to three sorties a day on one mission. I was involved in one mission where I got six sorties credit for two 12 hour days on the mission.

[DeputyDog]

SWLR is southwest liasiion region and is a training mission number. 

Thank you. That does help.

[DeputyDog]

Just see if you can dig up enough for the ribbon, and for future reference, if he wants additional clasps, he needs to keep better records and take some ginkobaloba for his memory 

The member will have enough for just the basic ribbon. If I had credited the member for all of those training numbers that the member tried to pass off as "actuals", then I would have had a CAPF 2A kicked back and rejected that had it with three bronze clasps on it.

[DeputyDog]

Did anyone ask if he wanted the ASAR ribbon? 

No. I'm just doing my job. It involves writing up bling-sheets. Whether the member wants it or not is irrevelant. 

I know that when I was a personnel officer, I tried to hook up a CAP veteran with some awards out of the kindness of my heart.  From the deepness of my soul he told me how he didn't need some arrogant greenhorn technical flight officer corrupting his personnel file with junk he didn't want to have to pay for in the first place.  I kept all the paperwork in his file but I didn't submit anything for him unless he asked.

I would have told him that is okay...he doesn't have to buy and wear it. However, he will have the paperwork signed and in his personnel file. I've seen quite a few people quit because of lack of recognition.

[DeputyDog]

Just tell him you are doing your job...and to shut up and take his frickin award!

I can't stand people who get in the way of a proactive, efficient personnel officer!

Uually we get the guy who looses the paperwork tree times, mis-files it twice and never tells you that the 2A was approved before just sticking it into the file?

...or just believes the paperwork is unnecessary and wears the awards anyway, whether they did the stuff to earn it or not. 

[DeputyDog]

AFRCC mission numbers used to look like 8-0598, where the first digit was the region number (found in CAPR 20-1), and the rest were the mission sequence number.

The change to 07-M-9999 was made in 1992.

Mike

Thank you, that is a help. There are a few mission numbers that look like 8-9999 in the member's file. I had assumed they were training missions (nothing was marked by them to indicate what they were).

[Hawk200]

...or just believes the paperwork is unnecessary and wears the awards anyway, whether they did the stuff to earn it or not. 

Reminds me of a personnel officer in a previous unit. Thought he could just wear the observer wings on the leather nameplate because he wasn't a pilot. He only spent six months with our unit, and moved to wing. Saw him about five months later in blues wearing observer wings. To my knowledge, he never made any flights at all, and noone seems to have flown with him. Gave all us dedicated personnel officers a bad name.