Posted on May 11, 2016
Who is supposed to write the PCS award for a soldier leaving soon?
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I am PCSing very soon and my higher ups have asked me to type up my own PCS award. I thought the unit or my higher ups are suppose to type it up. I'm confused.
Awards
PCS
Responsibility
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 37
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Generally your first line supervisor, as they should know you and your merit best. However, if they're failing you, then get it done yourself. Nobody will take care of your career more than you.
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Suspended Profile
The sad truth of the story is, you are correct. If only senior leaders held leaders accountable for such actions. I have been so accustom to writing my own NCOER and awards, I almost do it without asking. When the company XO from my last unit became my platoon leader she counseled me on day 2 of being there on what she expected. She had the 2166-8-1 completely filled out and not a cookie cutter. She had an additional DA Form 4186 with an extended page. If only we could clone her across the Army so good Soldiers like youself would be taken care of.
SFC (Join to see)
PFC Clifton Hicks - You can write them, but you cannot be the actual recommender and it still needs to go up the proper approval chain.
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COL (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) - Good answer. While tradition dictates that one of your superiors write your award anyone can write and submit an award for anyone else. It is unfortunate that, at least in this case, it looks like leaders are not taking care of their Soldiers.
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Your 1st line supervisor is the right answer, or anyone EXCEPT you. The only thing more distasteful, to me, than a chain of command that fails to take care of their soldiers with awards and evaluations, is service members writing their own awards or evaluations. I have been asked several times during my 28-year career and always refuse, fully realizing that such a move could be to my own disadvantage. My integrity is worth more to me than a cheap piece of medal or stellar OER. Once it has resulted in my PCS'ing without an award, but my perspective has always been that if the command doesn't think enough of my service to bother to write up an award, then my performance must not have merited it. When asked for recommended rater or senior rater comments, I have always put them in a format that at least required my supervisor to reword them, or provided what my previous rater/senior rater wrote.
Stay true to the Army value of Selfless service. Writing your own awards or evaluations smacks of self-aggrandizement.
Stay true to the Army value of Selfless service. Writing your own awards or evaluations smacks of self-aggrandizement.
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CPT (Join to see)
COL Russell, I’m glad I came across your experience here these few years later. Just PCS’d without one myself. I held off writing it because I believe the same, and that it is unethical to write your own award. Eventually submitted one because I was more or less told to, and had to select the lowest option (AAM, would have been an insult anyway given my contributions) due to “it can’t be this if it’s within so many days,” which is a whole can of laziness I’ll not get into here. BLUF, didn’t receive it anyway, but I do now find myself concerned for my future in the manner of racking and stacking; i.e, this is the only CPT that doesn’t have either an AAM or ARCOM, put him on the bottom of the pile. Seeing you as a COL gives me some hope.
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Hey are you still at Fort Hood? 7-17 Cav? If so let me know and I will make sure your supervisor write your award, I'm pcs leave right now but still could reach back and make things right
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SFC (Join to see)
Yes I am. Thank you for the offer though, however, I will take care of it. I have a few months left here anyway. I will try my best to type this up. What's the worst could happen? Haha..... I do appreciate your help and concern. I will keep in touch and have a great and safe leave chief.
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CW3 (Join to see)
MSG (Join to see) -thank you, a PCS move won't stop me, from taking care those with who I served
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