Posted on Jan 24, 2014
Can somebody deny a promotion ceremony, or is it mandatory?
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I have a newly promoted SFC in my unit that does not want a promotion ceremony. I can not find any regulations that states there must be a ceremony to pin on your next rank. His 1SG is telling him that if he does not have his ceremony by next Thursday that they will initiate a Bar to Reenlistment. Now i have read AR 601-280 that states a little about discrediting the unit and the U S Army but counselings on each occurrence must be done and nothing has been given to him to that fact. Can you please give me a little more insight on this situation. Can he deny this promotion ceremony and pin on his rank?
Posted in these groups: 
Promotions
Promotions
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 63
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Such a HOT topic!!! Let's be honest, Soldiers earn promotions and should have them at THEIR convenience. Nothing will break the morale down faster than a COC demanding when and where. Soldiers should be afforded the opportunity to plan it the way they want just like a reenlistment. Never interfere with plans that deal with family on these special occasions. These memories are a life time for them and their families. Build a fighting force that works together and has eachothers backs thru thick and thin!
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1SG (Join to see)
Could not agree with you more. It is the soldier's day..should not be dictated by the COC.
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SFC (Join to see)
I would have to agree with all the statements made above. I the reason I say this is because when I got promoted to SFC, I was deployed to Iraq and my BN CDR said that he was the only one that was going to promote me when I wanted my mentor a CW3 that has been there for me and shown me the way of being a good NCO. so it is the soldiers day for his/her promotion but not to do it in front of his/her soldiers makes you wonder why. I hope this helps, in the fact that the 1SG or CDR can not Bar to Re-enlist a soldier because he don't want to be promoted when they tell him to.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
i personally don't like public ceremonies, for no other reason but i just don't like drawing attention to my own accomplishments. especially when there are a lot of soldiers that go unrecognized for theirs. i like to think of myself as a good leader, as i was a small business owner before i came into the army and i had several different employees before i had to close my doors. but i just don't think that my promotions and advances are that important to me to draw a spectacle out of it, its just a pay raise to me. I do however stand up to leadership and those who are over me in defense of the ones under me and who look up to me because of my life experience. so i do not think that if a sm doesn't want a ceremony then no one should force the issue.
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OK here is my .02 worth. I personally don't care for MY promotion or award ceremonies to be presented in front of the unit or to even have a ceremony.
I have been scolded and publicly berated for this preference. Just let me pin on or give me the green folder and lets get back to the task at hand.
I believe it should be up to the Soldier who has earned it. To threaten the Soldier with a bar to reenlistment or berate makes a statement about the ego of the leader involved.
I have been scolded and publicly berated for this preference. Just let me pin on or give me the green folder and lets get back to the task at hand.
I believe it should be up to the Soldier who has earned it. To threaten the Soldier with a bar to reenlistment or berate makes a statement about the ego of the leader involved.
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SGT Jose Perdelia-Torres
Exactly what I did when i got my stripes... I was happy to do it amongst my team versus the whole element.
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I've known people who have gotten promoted without a promotion ceremony. I have also promoted people with a very small and modest ceremony in an office. I promoted somebody to E-9 while deployed and we only had a handful of Americans there. So what? I can't prove a negative, but I am not aware of any requirements to have a promotion ceremony. On the active duty side, promotions are given by the DA, not by the unit anyway.<div><br></div><div>It sounds like the 1SG really wants a promotion ceremony, and it may very well be within the rights of the Commanding Officer to order one. If your SFC really wanted to fight this (which is not what I would recommend), he should ask for orders by his formal CoC to have a promotion ceremony. Preferably in writing.</div><div><br></div><div>Without being directly ordered to have a promotion ceremony and subsequently not following order, a Bar to Reenslitment sounds like it's going to get the 1SG in a lot of trouble, as it would be completely unfounded to bar somebody from reenlistment without some significant documentation. </div>
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MAJ(P) (Join to see)
I'm going to have to go against a the grain here sir. A bar to reenlist him will be perfectly legal. There are, at a minimum, 21 reasons to bar to reenlist someone. Refusing a lawful order is certainly one of them.
Reenlistment is not a right. If a Soldier cannot uphold the standards inherent to reenlist, he can be barred to do so.
"Standards for Reenlistment."
a. Only Soldiers of high moral character, personal competence, and demonstrated adaptability adaptability to the requirements of the professional Soldier’s moral code will be reenlisted in the Active Army.
Fighting to get promoted in a manner as a senior leader should, calls his "morale character" and "demonstrated adaptability to the requirements" into serious question.
As a leader, I would simply just let him skirt that responsibility and not put him in the position of authority that comes with the rank. We cannot simply choose which responsibilities to accept and which examples to set.
Reenlistment is not a right. If a Soldier cannot uphold the standards inherent to reenlist, he can be barred to do so.
"Standards for Reenlistment."
a. Only Soldiers of high moral character, personal competence, and demonstrated adaptability adaptability to the requirements of the professional Soldier’s moral code will be reenlisted in the Active Army.
Fighting to get promoted in a manner as a senior leader should, calls his "morale character" and "demonstrated adaptability to the requirements" into serious question.
As a leader, I would simply just let him skirt that responsibility and not put him in the position of authority that comes with the rank. We cannot simply choose which responsibilities to accept and which examples to set.
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MAJ (Join to see)
I would hate to see the fall-out from that bar. For a Soldier with more than 10 years of Active Federal Service the approval authority would be the first G.O. in the Chain of Command - appeal authority is the Commander of HRC. Juice is not worth the squeeze. I wouldn't walk away from this action, I would run.
Leaders shouldn't just ask "can we" do this, but also "should we."
Leaders shouldn't just ask "can we" do this, but also "should we."
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SFC (Join to see)
Okay here is my 2cents. I've seen all sorts of promotions in the field and at garrison. I've seen where members didn't want a ceremony due to specific reasons and others who just didn't want that attention. With that said I'm marking the range of ranks from E 4 to O 4. As for retirement I've seen where people just wanted to retire without a ceremony. These events should be. celebration and not punishment. If you take care of your soldiers they will want to have special events including their COC. I think there is more to this story.
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Suspended Profile
MAJ(P) (Join to see) - Is it lawful for a 1SG to order a ceremony that is not required per regulation? Sure, but the bar would require documentation and counseling, and, as noted by others, would make COC look draconian to higher. Bottom line, ceremony (or lack thereof) should be at a Soldier's discretion.
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