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 >1 y ago
Responses: 106
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Gives the new soldiers a sense of accomplishment, IET is not as honorable as a deployment by any means but deserves some sort of recognition and award. Without the ASR any new soldier would have an empty asu.
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We get the NDSM during periods of war, which have been many in the last 30 years. Those serving after 911 got the GWOTSM, so they got two for showing up. Army, AF and CG all have basic ribbons of some sort (I think CG's is for honor grads, so at least it's a little more than just showing up). But, that makes three, or a full row, just for being in. It is a little wacky.
I retired with 4+ rows, with no combat deployments... as you can see, I look like a real "war hero..."
I retired with 4+ rows, with no combat deployments... as you can see, I look like a real "war hero..."
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@ Col Scott Harrison - it always amazes me how many more personal awards the Army and Air Force give compared to the Navy/Marine Corps team...
COL (Join to see)
The Navy/USMC are stingy with awards. The only tour I did not get an end-of-tour award was when my boss was a USMC O6. Instead, I got a book on counter-insurgency and a pat on the back.
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Indeed... and a lot of Surface Nuclear power Navy types are the worst... I didn't get an EOT award until I was an LCDR...
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I say keep it, until you attend NCOPD, the replace it with that one. That way it's a nice visual reminder where everyone is at.
Maybe I'm a product of time I was in, but, barring a bronze star or higher award, the bottom of the stack was the most interesting to me. You could generally outline someone's career with those ribbons.
My other option (jokingly) would be to assign it to MOS qualifications. Plenty of soldiers re-class, make a device reminiscent of your old MOS and slap it on. Used to be a tanker? Mini tank. Infantry? Mini rifle. Supply? Mini hand receipt. Intel? Mini magic eight ball.
Problem solved, ribbon now relevant.
Maybe I'm a product of time I was in, but, barring a bronze star or higher award, the bottom of the stack was the most interesting to me. You could generally outline someone's career with those ribbons.
My other option (jokingly) would be to assign it to MOS qualifications. Plenty of soldiers re-class, make a device reminiscent of your old MOS and slap it on. Used to be a tanker? Mini tank. Infantry? Mini rifle. Supply? Mini hand receipt. Intel? Mini magic eight ball.
Problem solved, ribbon now relevant.
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The Army basically gives out a ribbon for being trained in an MOS? Shouldn't that be a given?
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I don't see why it matters one way or another, I think that soldiers want it to have something on their chest, but at the end of the day it does nothing for you. People look at the ASR, GWOTSM, and the NDSM, and see a rainbow, then you add in the NCOPD and maybe a KDSM, and the rainbow just got a little more green. There are so many ribbons that the Army gives out to signify that you have accomplished something in the Army, why lower morale and remove them? I had soldiers who got out of the Army with between 3-6 ribbons, because they hadn't done anything. I like having all of my ribbons, and we have worked to earn them all. Even if the earning process was "just" graduating from BCT/AIT. The vast majority of Americans cannot/will not ever complete either of those tasks, so it is something to show, "Yes, I have done something above and beyond."
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I think it has outlived its usefulness. Maybe it can be awarded if someone changes branches so we can show off the rainbow.
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Mark Merino , Cmon, that's how you feel now. But i you came in before 2000, how did it make you feel then, when you had that and maybe the National Defense Service Medal. Next time you are in an airport, imagine those lost souls wandering the airport walking around with nothing on their chest. Think about how they will feel at the first in-ranks inspection in the new unit.
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I don't think it serves any meaningful purpose, and is not necessary. That being said, there isn't really a reason to stop using it. Removing the ribbon would actually incur a cost to the government, and I don't think we should add any unnecessary spending to the budget... anymore than we already do.
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CW2 Jonathan Kantor
Not issuing it would mean that we would have to redo all the regs and material that mentions it as being in the inventory. Then the inventory would have to be purged of all the unnecessary ribbons. Eventually, the cost would be met over time, but it doesn't seem worth it to me.
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SGT (Join to see)
Maybe it's just me, but I'd feel like I was really failing my Soldiers if the only thing giving them morale was from a ribbon everyone gets. That, and I'd probably let them know if their morale was really so degraded by losing it, they could have my rack instead because that's not what their focus should be on anyway. I don't think ribbons are worthless, but if that's all that's driving you, then in the end you're completely focused on the wrong things.
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SGT Alfred Cox
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. Now I copied and pasted this because I want to get a point across. And that point is that its a part of history now. as I said. Morale. Now young Soldiers such as yourself don't look at the deeper meaning of symbols. Hell fuck it. First they take away the Ribbon.. hey here's an idea. lets just ditch the American flag on the uniform as well. Everything has meaning, history and purpose. Now I'm not placing the ribbon next to The MOH by no means... but ask yourself. what else will be taken away. Me I really could care less.. I have a DD214, and rocking 90%.
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. Now I copied and pasted this because I want to get a point across. And that point is that its a part of history now. as I said. Morale. Now young Soldiers such as yourself don't look at the deeper meaning of symbols. Hell fuck it. First they take away the Ribbon.. hey here's an idea. lets just ditch the American flag on the uniform as well. Everything has meaning, history and purpose. Now I'm not placing the ribbon next to The MOH by no means... but ask yourself. what else will be taken away. Me I really could care less.. I have a DD214, and rocking 90%.
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SGT (Join to see)
SGT Alfred Cox, Then more power to you. But I still don't think that your succeeding as a leader if your Soldiers only can be motivated by a little piece of cloth.
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The army service ribbon is just that, a ribbon, an accoutrement that shows you have or had "army service". It's on par in my opinion with the national defense
Medal and global war on terror ribbons. Yes they are given to you pretty much for breathing deeply and completion of training that fully "qualifies" you as a Soldier. The only downside to having them is the 1.25 per ribbon everyone has to spend to buy them and the 4 bucks for the ribbon rack. (Go max out your DPP at AAFES private!). I would submit that it is better you have that ribbon than nothing. It's been over twenty years and the Cold War vets still want their ribbon for having served, more power to them and I hope they get it. Speaking of giant racks of ribbons, the ones that perhaps should be in question for deletion maybe should be the ones that only general officers can wear, last count I believe there are at least 5 or 6 ribbons that only BG and up are even in a position to earn. What is better, a ribbon given to PVT snuffy who just graduated AIT? Or the ribbon GEN blowhard earned for being in charge of AAFES?
What ever happens to the submission of the twenty year ribbon? I think that would close out and tie into the asr ribbon very well.
As far as campaign ribbons, deployment and pcs awards go, hand em out like candy I say. At least you went, you ate the same dust as I did, which set you apart from most of the population and makes you my brother...
Medal and global war on terror ribbons. Yes they are given to you pretty much for breathing deeply and completion of training that fully "qualifies" you as a Soldier. The only downside to having them is the 1.25 per ribbon everyone has to spend to buy them and the 4 bucks for the ribbon rack. (Go max out your DPP at AAFES private!). I would submit that it is better you have that ribbon than nothing. It's been over twenty years and the Cold War vets still want their ribbon for having served, more power to them and I hope they get it. Speaking of giant racks of ribbons, the ones that perhaps should be in question for deletion maybe should be the ones that only general officers can wear, last count I believe there are at least 5 or 6 ribbons that only BG and up are even in a position to earn. What is better, a ribbon given to PVT snuffy who just graduated AIT? Or the ribbon GEN blowhard earned for being in charge of AAFES?
What ever happens to the submission of the twenty year ribbon? I think that would close out and tie into the asr ribbon very well.
As far as campaign ribbons, deployment and pcs awards go, hand em out like candy I say. At least you went, you ate the same dust as I did, which set you apart from most of the population and makes you my brother...
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