Is it really that important to make Distinguished Honor Grad, Commandant's List, etc., in the NCOES?

At each NCOES there are numerous awards a Soldier can earn - High APFT, Commandant's List, Leadership Grad, Distinguished Honor Graduate, Research Paper Awardee, etc.<div><br></div><div>Less than 25% of each class will excel and earn some type of recognition.</div><div><br></div><div>I have to believe that those folks who earn some type of honors set a goal, prepared and then disciplined themselves to achieve one of those honors - I can't believe it is just luck, it is hard work.</div><div><br></div><div>That means they invested the extra time in their career and made themselves better, their unit better and the Army better.</div><div><br></div><div>I say we have to reward them for that - hence, the additional column on the ERB to help the board panel members more easily identify those folks who earn honors at NCOES. Sometimes stuff gets buried on the 1059s and it could be missed.</div>

Bottom Line: &nbsp;Do your best at each and every school you attend (and current and future assignments, for that matter). &nbsp;If Commandant's List is an option - you should aim for it. &nbsp;In fact - aim for Honor Graduate at each course. &nbsp;Exceeding Course Standards is NEVER a bad thing…and each 1059 is reviewed when it comes time for promotions. (At least briefly)

It really depends on your overall record and MOS...NCOES awards/achievements are not unilateral centralized promotion board factors, but they can put an individual record over the top of another if all other factors were similar.<br><br>Yes, like others have stated, you should always strive for these achievements because you should always do your best...should 4-weeks out of a 12-month rating period make or break a promotion potential? &nbsp;Not at all. &nbsp;If one does not achieve top 20% or greater, don't dwell on this, but do more in other areas, based on DA PAM 600-25.<br><br>Note: &nbsp;I have never earned NCOES commendations, but I would like to during the Sergeants Major Course, and have been selected for promotion in each first look in the secondary zone...that's why I say it depends on your MOS and overall record.

Everyone loves a winner.&nbsp; You should always strive to do your best.&nbsp; I'd say don't worry so much about the future and do it for you.

Honestly, the simplest answer is yes. &nbsp;Go to HRC's website, search enlisted promotions, look at the active duty senior enlisted promotion boards section, and read the board AARs. &nbsp;One thing that is consistently highlighted is how much civilian degree completion and exceeding course standards in NCOES sets you apart from your peers in a positive way.

In the survival of the fittest environment of RIF, it may have some type of effect, but I had honor grad, commandant's list, class leader for many NCOES and other military education classes or courses I attended during my career, and other than an attaboy from command or unit, it never really did anything for my career that I know of. I got various certificates from the schools or courses, but other than going into my "I Love me" book, it didn't amount to a whole lot from branch or DA.

These things should be important but sometimes the system does not work. This is one thing that I hate about the Army. I had a Commandant at one of my leadership courses who thought PT was the most important thing in the Army. In order to be eligible for any type of awards you had to score a 240 on your APFT (80 points in every event) regardless of the GPA you had in the course. So the Honor Grads in my course actually had the lowest averages in the entire class. We had Soldiers with 100 and 99 averages not be honor grad because they could not score 80 points on their run. This made no sense to me but you got to love how "leaders" make their preferences "standards".&nbsp;

In my personal opinion, I believe demonstrating excellence amongst your peers in the NCOES environment holds weight when boards are reviewing your file. If you had to chose between a group of people for promotion, having that distinction helps separate that Soldier from the pack. I was the DHG for my ALC course and I firmly believe it helped as I was selected in the secondary zone in my first look for SFC. My NCOERs were well written and gave a clear picture of my accomplishments and abilities. I've never been&nbsp;a PT stud, but I'm always a Expert at the range. I don't have a degree but I have college hours equivalent to an Associate's. I have multiple military education courses as well.

It's obviously important but the Selection Boards only give your +/- based on Education, APFT HT/WT, etc.

NCOERs give you your hard numerical score, if you're a 3 or 4 in a 1-6 range getting DHG in every NCOES school won't matter. However if you're a 5 or 6 then it's going to be used as a tie breaker. Being a 5+ all things being equal and there are 20 SSGs that are 5+ you having CL, Leadership or DHG would put you above your peers.

I'd advise every SSG to look at the DA Secretariats Board score sheet to get an understanding of how they wil ultimately be graded. With the Army downsizing I would strive for the best I could get.

Also you can most definately get CL and not Exceed the Standards in NCOES if the class is small. 20% could just be the DHG, HG and the Leadership Awardee.

Yes it is important. It should be one of goals before going! Being selected for an award while attending an NCOES school will set you apart from your peers when you are being look at for promotion. This will send a strong&nbsp;message to the board. For example, I was selected for the Distinguished Leadership Award while I was in SLC as a SSG. The board members know that only 1 Soldier per class receives that award. On my first look, I was selected for SFC. Of course, I did other things like college, Platoon Sergeant and Drill Sergeant. Everything plays a factor. Just remember, do whatever you can to set yourself apart from the crowd. Hard work and dedication will pay off.