Posted on May 5, 2014
Army Service Ribbon - Should it be discontinued?
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The Army Service Ribbon (ASR) was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990. It is awarded to members of the U.S. Army for successful completion of initial entry training.
Enlisted Soldiers will be awarded this ribbon upon successful completion of their initial MOS producing course. For those enlisted Soldiers assigned a MOS based on civilian or other service acquired skills, this ribbon will be awarded on honorable completion of 4 months active service.
Enlisted Soldiers will be awarded this ribbon upon successful completion of their initial MOS producing course. For those enlisted Soldiers assigned a MOS based on civilian or other service acquired skills, this ribbon will be awarded on honorable completion of 4 months active service.
Awards
Ribbons
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 106
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We as the Army have already given up to much history and tradition already with the change of dress uniforms and everything else..
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I never have understood why soldiers do not like any ribbon that everyone else has. Perhaps it is part of the belief that everyone is special and unique despite being in an organization that demands some facets of uniformity. Th army service ribbon cane out in a time when the army struggled, truly struggled to keep soldiers in. The days of retention being one of the most important duties of a senior leader are long gone now with the money they throw at servicemembers now. Keep the ribbon, it hurts no one to have it. If you are that broke, I will pay the 1.05 for you to buy it.
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SGM Mike Bachini
1SG John Millan
Well I can’t argue with your logic. Let’s look at the history of the medal. 1981 was the mid point between end of Vietnam war and desert storm. Soldiers didn’t have the same opportunity to earn medals. With hordes of volunteer Soldiers now entering the service how do you keep morale and actually have them participate in a class a inspection. That would be easy enough if you didn’t have any medals. Today’s Soldiers are still volunteers, they have families that show up to their graduations. The ASR is the cheapest and most effect recruiting tool for goodwill amongst not the Soldiers but their families. Who in turn are going to either badmouth of pontificate about how their children are being treated by Uncle Sam and his minions. Eventually the wars are going to end, thank goodness and even the other freebie medals time period will end. The ASR will become the tool that allows Soldiers to feel qualified in their job and participate in the rest of the army during the far and few between class a inspections and unit functions. There will be time when you will see CSMs with 6 ribbons at retirement because there won’t be a conflict and one of those will be an ASR.
Well I can’t argue with your logic. Let’s look at the history of the medal. 1981 was the mid point between end of Vietnam war and desert storm. Soldiers didn’t have the same opportunity to earn medals. With hordes of volunteer Soldiers now entering the service how do you keep morale and actually have them participate in a class a inspection. That would be easy enough if you didn’t have any medals. Today’s Soldiers are still volunteers, they have families that show up to their graduations. The ASR is the cheapest and most effect recruiting tool for goodwill amongst not the Soldiers but their families. Who in turn are going to either badmouth of pontificate about how their children are being treated by Uncle Sam and his minions. Eventually the wars are going to end, thank goodness and even the other freebie medals time period will end. The ASR will become the tool that allows Soldiers to feel qualified in their job and participate in the rest of the army during the far and few between class a inspections and unit functions. There will be time when you will see CSMs with 6 ribbons at retirement because there won’t be a conflict and one of those will be an ASR.
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Keep it. Completion of BT/AIT for me was a kick in the nuts at Benning in 1985. The six years of Active duty and fourteen years of Guard/ Reserves and three deployments to The Middle East were easy.
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As a consequence of petty changes we are further diminishing what was gained and this includes all services. Ironically too on or about Memorial Day,
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You ask to keep it to preserve history. That is something the Army struggles with in my opinion. Do Soldiers know why that ribbons is there besides a piece of cloth? Enforce the standards of what graduating from AIT is and teach them the time honored tradition for each MOS.
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LTC (Join to see)
Correct but I think though finishing Basic and AIT should be given a ribbon. You're awarded a ribbon for completing NCOES school. Same thing. Shows different levels of accomplishment.
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LTC (Join to see)
Yes to an extent. The bottom line isn't the ribbon or medal that is awarded more than showing the accomplishment.
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Seems a bit rendundant in my mind. Wouldn't the uniform serve the purpose.
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It felt good to have a "bit of cloth" on my Class A's when I arrived at Ft. Carson after I graduated 19E OSUT back in 1987, however I agree with a lot of individuals that I have spoken with over the years that we have too many ribbons for pretty much nothing. We prove that we have earned the right to be Soldiers by successfully completing OSUT/BCT & AIT and that in and of itself should be enough to start your career. I don't see it going away, but honestly, do we really need it?
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SFC Craig Dalen
In putting it like that why have any awards? They are just doing their job right? I have heard people say this before and it is frustrating. Soldiers will not want to excel if there is no seperate treatment between them and the ones that just get by.
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SFC William Swartz Jr
There is a difference, I will use my experience as a Tanker to try and illustrate: a tank crew must qualify their tank during gunnery by scoring 700 points out of 1,000 with at least 7 out of 10 engagements qualified, that is the minimum to be a qualified tank crew: do that and you have done your job, nothing awarded for that. That same crew scores over 900 points and qualifies 9 of 10 engagements and that crew is Distinguished, they have set themselves apart from most if not all of their peers on the rest of the tanks within that unit: these Distinguished crews have done their jobs, yes, but they have also demonstrated that they are among the best within their CO, BN and BDE and are awarded with an AAM for distinguishing themselves and if they are the "Top Gun" crew, will be recognized with an ARCOM. If you graduate from OSUT/BCT & AIT, unless you are the "Top Soldier" or from the "Honor Platoon", everyone has "gotten by" and gets the ASR. Like I said by successfully completing your training you earn the right to be a Soldier and everyone sees that and knows that. Honestly trying to compare the ASR with the awarding of an AAM or ARCOM for excelling in your field is an "apples to oranges" argument. Have we watered down the awards presented over the years, yes we have and unfortunately I think it is a reflection of society as a whole where everyone gets a trophy just for participating.
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Keep it. for some Soldiers it's one of the few ribbons they'll get. How many of us have seen WWII, Korea, Vietnam vets sporting an Army Service Ribbon?
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