Do I need to apply for the red service ribbon? I have been in for about two years and I'm almost a chief in good standing. If you know whether or not you have to apply for it please tell me.
C/SMSgt Alkhatib.
Go to eServices, click on your name in the top right corner, and then go to "service ribbons". Select the red service ribbon from the drop down menu, and submit it and the date that you earned it (when you have been in officially for 2 years).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you very much for the help.
Quote from: WillTheCommsGuy on January 29, 2019, 06:37:44 PM
Go to eServices, click on your name in the top right corner, and then go to "service ribbons". Select the red service ribbon from the drop down menu, and submit it and the date that you earned it (when you have been in officially for 2 years).
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Negative. You cannot do a Red Service Ribbon on eServices. You must fill out a paper CAPF 2a and submit it to your squadron commander for approval, and then, he sends it up the chain for approval per wing directive as appropriate. Once approved, then you can add it in under previously approved service ribbons.
Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk
EDIT: I didn't read the last part of the last post. I submitted my RSR through eServices and it got approved.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It depends on the Wing.
On some wings, the Wing Commander has delegated approval of some awards on the Group Commander. It stands to reason your Wing Commander may have delegated this award approval on the squadron Commander.
Whether to prepare a CAPF2a then submit it online, or submit it online only, or who ultimately approves, your squadron should have a Personnel Officer who should know about these requirements. And if a cadet, you have to also follow your COC for the cadet part!
Quote from: Luis R. Ramos on January 29, 2019, 08:46:09 PM
It depends on the Wing.
On some wings, the Wing Commander has delegated approval of some awards on the Group Commander. It stands to reason your Wing Commander may have delegated this award approval on the squadron Commander.
Whether to [...] submit it online only[...]
Just so that we are clear, you cannot submit a service award for approval through eServices. The 'Service Ribbon' area of eServices is only for entering ribbons that have already been appropriately approved. In most cases, that means preparing a CAPF 2A and submitting it through channels for approval. For the Red Service Ribbon, the default approval authority is wing, though that can be delegated to the group or even squadron level.
I think we're off the mark with the above responses. The cadet shouldn't be filling out his own awards paperwork for this.
Go to your unit's Personnel Officer and ask if you should be receiving the Red Service Ribbon since you met the time-in-membership criteria. Check with your chain of command first to see if you have protocols on this internally.
Let's not normalize the responsibility of the member to request their own decorations. Unit staffs should be keeping up on this.
Quote from: TheSkyHornet on January 30, 2019, 12:04:20 AM
I think we're off the mark with the above responses. The cadet shouldn't be filling out his own awards paperwork for this.
Go to your unit's Personnel Officer and ask if you should be receiving the Red Service Ribbon since you met the time-in-membership criteria. Check with your chain of command first to see if you have protocols on this internally.
Let's not normalize the responsibility of the member to request their own decorations. Unit staffs should be keeping up on this.
39-3 Section F part 19 states it is the responsibility of the individual member's responsibility to fill out and submit the 2a.
19. Administration Procedures for Award of Activity and Service Ribbons. The individual
member is responsible for preparing and submitting to the unit commander CAP Form 2a, Request
for and Approval of Personnel Actions, when the requirements for an activity or service ribbon have
been completed.
Sent from my VS988 using Tapatalk
In my 20 years of service, and different squadrons I have participated, I expected members, whether seniors or cadets to prepare their own decorations and awards requests. And their commanders backed me. Reasons:
1. Members, whether seniors or cadets will not learn how to do them unless they practice on their own. Give a person a fish... Teach a person how to fish...
2. A squadron of 15, 20, 25 members can get pretty overwhelming for a Personnel Officer to do these 2a's by himself.
It is like having cadets prepare their own encampment requests, or do you fill those requests for them? If you do not, what is the difference?
I will still fill those forms for the members if they have problems...
LOL.
So....in a perfect world....we should have commanders, personnel officers and a computer system that automatically keeps track of these things.
But we live in CAP not a perfect world.
So. If you have earned a ribbon/award/decoration what ever....by all means talk to your personnel officer and get the ball rolling. Sometimes just asking is all that it takes....sometimes filling out the bloody form and E-mailing it is all that it takes.
Even on Active Duty we took care of our selves when it came to awards and decorations (especially for the "participation" type ribbons).
Quote from: BraveRifles19D on January 30, 2019, 12:16:34 AM
Quote from: TheSkyHornet on January 30, 2019, 12:04:20 AM
I think we're off the mark with the above responses. The cadet shouldn't be filling out his own awards paperwork for this.
Go to your unit's Personnel Officer and ask if you should be receiving the Red Service Ribbon since you met the time-in-membership criteria. Check with your chain of command first to see if you have protocols on this internally.
Let's not normalize the responsibility of the member to request their own decorations. Unit staffs should be keeping up on this.
39-3 Section F part 19 states it is the responsibility of the individual member's responsibility to fill out and submit the 2a.
19. Administration Procedures for Award of Activity and Service Ribbons. The individual
member is responsible for preparing and submitting to the unit commander CAP Form 2a, Request
for and Approval of Personnel Actions, when the requirements for an activity or service ribbon have
been completed.
That's the standard "You're responsible for your own stuff" deal. I get it. Like Patrick above said, it's not new from an active duty standpoint.
How many cadets read through CAPR 39-3? How many seniors...? This is where the SMEs in their duty assignments generally monitor their focus areas and tackle these responsibilities.
We can do the regulation dance and go to R20-1 where it says that Personnel Officers at all levels should be familiar with the 39-Series regulations. I don't see the guidance that new members...especially cadets...get in the regs or pamphlets that tells them they should be familiar with 39-3.
I can see how this can play out:
"Go fill out a Form 2A and send it to me."
"A what?"
*sigh* "Go read CAPR 39-3. Fill out a Form 2A for a Red Service Ribbon. Send it to me."
*doesn't understand*
I know it's a practice at some units/locales to have members handle their own paperwork. I, personally, favor centralizing the process.
Just like with the "In a perfect world, we should have a computer system that automatically keeps track of these things." We managed to put historical activity ribbons on eServices; then why not the Red Service Ribbon? That debate can go on for quite sometime.
I yield back to the OP...and that's not the point of this thread. Didn't mean to derail it.
Well, the guidance is where you do that w/o the "sigh."
PO takes cadet online or has a printed form.
"This is the CAPF 2a, fill it."
Since cadets do not know how to write the accomplishments or justification I would do that part. Or just ask them to write it in their own words. They can do that, right?
Would you acknowledge they are smart enough to be able to write accomplishments and justification on their own, right?
And that's it.
In my opinion, if you earned an award, you earned it. I don't think we should have to go to wing level to get a RSR. We are not the military, we are a (sometimes very poorly put together) CIVILIAN auxiliary of a branch of the military. Here we are, b****ing about how to get a service award approved, when in reality none of this matters. A lot of squadrons don't pay attention to the awards system, and need to be reminded to award someone a ribbon. That's just how it is. Plus, we are a search and rescue organization. Yet too many members take the "military" aspect of CAP WAY too seriously. Quit griping over how people recommend themselves for awards that they earned. This is why some people don't take CAP seriously.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
RSR's are self-actualizing. I've done one 2a for them in 19 years.
asked and answered///