What is the best way to tell your unit that you in no way shape or form want an ETS award from them?

I can understand the bad taste part as I've seen service members who deserved a specific award get told by company comman and Battalion commands they aren't goin. To receive it because they weren't a specific rank. But for real. Take the award. It helps sum up your total service. I've seen it all to often where people get out and then regret not having a ETS award.

During my time in the military awards were earned and few were given out in the early years, yet as time progressed and the GWOT told on a life of its own; awArda were given out for attending and everybody got one. To add insult to injury the type of award received was based on pay grade. So I began asking for coins in lieu of awards, which I feel have a greater meaning than a ribbon that was given as part of a politically correct mentality. Of all the awards outside of the ones that are given for time, deployments, etc. I feel that I earned only 2 for going above and beyond.

I have had to write my own awards and NCOERs and though I wasn't wild about it, I did it to get it over with. It is what it is.

After just three months in the Army at AIT my PSG handed out National Defense ribbons for service during Desert Storm. This was in 96, well after the end of that operation. Many of us expressed dismay at receiving this. He simply said take it, because there will be many times in your career when you will earn much more recognition than you get. In my 20 years I've seen many get awards they didn't deserve and I've seen many more not get awards they do deserve, in my opinion. I always strived to be fair and impartial, as the creed says. Regardless of the outcome my Soldiers always knew where they stood with me. I retired with a very modest set of ribbons, but I am very proud of my service nonetheless. At any rate, take the award and be proud of your service.

Award packages are written upon request to meet a quota of writing awards. Even though your bosses are trying their best to pick the person that deserves it...more often than not the wrong person gets it. If you put your name on 90% of the work that gets done in the unit...then you are 90% at risk to get a quality assurance fail...which disqualify's you from any award...while in the background the person that actually gets recognition is the piece of shit that gets put in an easy support or back shop job that requires no brains to do and then in turn has a lower chance of qa failure and higher chance of flying under the radar. I feel that the person that got the award was someone that did work his tail off but is smart enough to know that its a bullshit "scooby snack" and he feels offended after recieving the award because he knows the retards are the ones that get awards and afterall he was just doing his job to the best of his ability and wandering/wishing that everyone else had the same work initiative that he does....leave him alone and let him get back to to work....he doesn't need some nonner to tell him he did good because he gets satisfaction and pride from his efficient quality work.....in short...."uh go fuck yourself"

My unit required you to get one as part of your clearing process. But we were allowed to request to waive the award if you didn't want it, to speed up the clearing.

Well, I somewhat understand why you don't want the award. I am moving fast toward my retirement and I have thought about awards. It is standard practice (my perception) that a MSG receives a MSM at the unit I currently work with for their retirement award. The problem is, I have 3 x MSM from PCS moves from units I have worked with. Personally, the math doesn't make sense to me when we talk PCS vs Retirement while receiving the same award. Maybe I will post something when I get closer so I can get blasted, badgered, or bombarded for a bit. Thanks for your service!

Funny thing is that sometimes we spent all this time n our soldiers ends up leaving without those awards nor can anyone explain where it went even when it is summited way ahead of time.

wow I know we used to say in the Navy and Coast Guard that a bitching sailor is a happy sailor...

Since when did soldiers get the luxury of telling their command what to do? Regarding an end of tour award?

I have two thoughts on this issue; first if you're a stellar performer throughout your tour of duty your command probably should had rewarded your performance at the time it happened. The other thought is: "Suck it up buttercup." I'd rather have an end of tour award then no award at all. Performance Recognition should almost be on a daily basis.

One thing I used to suggest to the people who worked for me was for them to keep a record of their performance to show to me at evaluation time. Trouble is not my memory but its we tend to remember the negative things our people do - not the positive....

I did this once, I told my PSG that I wasn't interested, he took me to the 1SG and told me to tell the him why I wasn't interested. I with respect explained it to the 1SG and PSG in detail and that was that. They didn't get pissed off at me or anything. The 1SG told me that he would square it away with the CO and let me PCS. I did get on heck of a good NCOER and a sincere handshake from the PSG and 1SG. I would say try that method, if it doesn't work, just suck it up and drive on. "First In Last Out"

I spent a total of 21 years on active duty, 11 1/2 with the Army and 9 with the Air Force. I got more awards and decorations from the Army than I ever got from the Air Farce. When I saw folks getting awards in the Air Farce (who by no means deserved that award) I just watched on and was glad that I saw people (when I was in the Army) getting awards who deserved those awards. Just saying . . . .

I can't find my first comment, so I'll post again. My second deployment, I was singled out and treated like something you scrape off the bottom of your boot. When it came time for the mandatory end of tour awards, mine was downgraded to below the minimum they were allowed to put in for. To me, that's not an award. That's a slap in the face. What it says is that I was a POS to them, but they were required to put me in for an award. I didn't then--and still don't--want a slap in the face. I refused to go to the award ceremony at all. They rescinded the award and shredded all the paperwork for it. Which is exactly what I wanted.

I didn't want the automatic end of tour award after my last deployment. I simply didn't go to the formation at all, and they rescinded it.

The best way to handle this is take the award but ask to speak.
Then tell the whole company that it is an award for your men doing a super jobs and pump upi how the men make make you the leader, how the men working their asses off for you made it....
Without good men under you, you can never be a leader.

When I was the awards clerk in my PAC, we had this big awards ceremony and I remembermber how one reward had three people absolutely going crazy. My PAC sergeant got into a fight about the placement of a comma with our Major. And to add insult to everything, the guy who the award was for was trying to get it cancelled. Me and this guy were trying to end this with a file this under later. But my seargent and Major were still arguing over the comma. We had the award ceremony scheduled at 7 am, as like a treat and not do pt. And I'm not even joking about it being over a comma. One idiot said it went before that word, the other one said after. To make sure they win, they marked up the actual certificate. It was after 4 am that me and this other soldier just had it. I typed up both ways, one had it before, one had it after. We lied to my seargent and said the major wants us asap. Once everyone was there, we had a mini mutiny. First I put both certificates in front and told them to decide which one gets in the pile. But before we do that, can someone please ask this private why he doesn't want it. Then I turned left, went back to office and waited for mps to show up because I knew there was no way I was going to get away with what I did. Than, a miracle shows up. In the form of our Seargent Major. He asked why I was up early. And because by this time I had lost all filters every soldier has, I told him. May the lord bless him, he sent me to bed and gave me that day off. I never asked what happened. When they tried to tell me, I said I didn't want to know. After almost thirty years, I wish I knew.

I received a NAM after my second cruise just before I was due to get out. While I was told it was for my contribution as the surface supervisor. However; it was known that people would receive this reward as an incentive to stay in the Navy. I felt that this practice devalues the medal. Whether I earned it or not, any possible value that it would have brought had little meaning to me due to the practice.

Sadly, today I regret getting out. 19 years after my ETS, I wish I had remained in the Navy. While I realize that things happens for a reason, I still regret that decision.

Accept the award no matter. You may not like it, just should've sucked it up. Don't act a fool. You showed your ass and will probably never receive a regonition again. If you don't like what you do, then leave. There are others who deserve the praise more than you. Glad I didn't serve with you. Otherwise, a blanket party might be necessary you ungrateful ass.

Tell it straight up. I did during Desert Storm I was informed that I was to be written up for Meritorious Medal for being out there and I passed the word up to the C.O. that I was doing my job and no award is called for.

I had a bad taste after deployment. I sent my awards home in the mail without even really looking at them. 11 years later, I cherish them. This is part of your life and career, just take the award :-). The issues will be nothing but memories.

What I did with one of EOT awards is I wrote a special request and requested that my people that worked for me get an award for it always is them who either make or break you. Long story short they each got their award and I got mine. I however was more humbled when they got theirs. Honored to get mine though I wasn't expecting it.

Not for nothing, but taking the award and moving on seems like the more adult thing to do. Not accepting an ETS award isn't going to spark some miraculous change in the service, and the statement your trying to make will more than likely just be forgotten in a few weeks. Second, accepting it shows your soldiers that even when things don't go the way you want them to, you still do your duty. Part of that ETS is recognition for your qualities as a leader, it is therefore logically recognition for the work performed by the soldiers under you, since every leader is nothing without the people under them.

Speaking strictly as an adult, I'd say just take the award and move on.