Watching the Wheels
What we have here is
failure to communicate
--Cool Hand Luke (1967)
_____________
failure to communicate
--Cool Hand Luke (1967)
_____________
Ranger recently applied to the Chief, Military Awards Branch, Department of the Army (DA) to receive his Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) which was awarded to MACVSOG a few years back.
Proper authorizing documentation such as his DD214, 5th Group Orders assigning Ranger to B53/5th Grp. and MACVSOG orders, and my Officer Records Briefs were all submitted to verify that all of my RVN service was with B53, which was also designated as Ops 38 MACVSOG. B53 was a Special Operations Augmentation assigned/attached to SOG (Studies and Observations Group.) Secret stuff stuff at the time, but out in the open now.
Ranger was denied his request, but not because he didn't qualify. Instead, the Awards Branch mistakenly read that he had requested the PUC for the 5th Group, which he in fact did not request. Clearly and specifically, sent with the imprimatur of his local Congressman and Vietnam veteran Allen Boyd, Ranger requested the SOG PUC.
This is mentioned as yet another example of failed communication with a DA that can't find its ass with two hands. Whoever deep-sixed my request had not even read the clearly-worded request. Is it possible that DA still doesn't understand the command relationships of the SOA and SOG?
If the Army can't even award a PUC to an old soldier, then how in the hell are they giving proper administrative support to the troops? How can they find OBL if they can't even read a clearly defined request? You will not end up in Brussels if you read is as "Bratislava".
Though this is a minor speed bump, it is far from an isolated event, and is indicative of careless performance of duty and disregard for a serviceman's request.
Will Ranger ever wear this PUC? No. It is but a loose end that needs to be properly documented in my records. Who knows -- it might be worth a free cup of coffee or even put Ranger closer to the front of the soup line one day.
Ranger would also like to point out that he learned of this award by reading Soldier of Fortune magazine. Ranger received no request nor was he informed about the award ceremony. How is that for a thank you from a grateful nation? You would think they would want survivors to attend the ceremony.
Maybe not.
--Jim
Proper authorizing documentation such as his DD214, 5th Group Orders assigning Ranger to B53/5th Grp. and MACVSOG orders, and my Officer Records Briefs were all submitted to verify that all of my RVN service was with B53, which was also designated as Ops 38 MACVSOG. B53 was a Special Operations Augmentation assigned/attached to SOG (Studies and Observations Group.) Secret stuff stuff at the time, but out in the open now.
Ranger was denied his request, but not because he didn't qualify. Instead, the Awards Branch mistakenly read that he had requested the PUC for the 5th Group, which he in fact did not request. Clearly and specifically, sent with the imprimatur of his local Congressman and Vietnam veteran Allen Boyd, Ranger requested the SOG PUC.
This is mentioned as yet another example of failed communication with a DA that can't find its ass with two hands. Whoever deep-sixed my request had not even read the clearly-worded request. Is it possible that DA still doesn't understand the command relationships of the SOA and SOG?
If the Army can't even award a PUC to an old soldier, then how in the hell are they giving proper administrative support to the troops? How can they find OBL if they can't even read a clearly defined request? You will not end up in Brussels if you read is as "Bratislava".
Though this is a minor speed bump, it is far from an isolated event, and is indicative of careless performance of duty and disregard for a serviceman's request.
Will Ranger ever wear this PUC? No. It is but a loose end that needs to be properly documented in my records. Who knows -- it might be worth a free cup of coffee or even put Ranger closer to the front of the soup line one day.
Ranger would also like to point out that he learned of this award by reading Soldier of Fortune magazine. Ranger received no request nor was he informed about the award ceremony. How is that for a thank you from a grateful nation? You would think they would want survivors to attend the ceremony.
Maybe not.
--Jim
Labels: department of army incompetence, MACVSOG, SOG PUC award
posted by Lisa at 12:22 PM
4 Comments:
yeah, there's the old problem. remember john gourda? he sported a "v" on a decoration that, while earned in spades, was denied due to sloppy clerks.
gourda shot himself rather than endure the shame of being accused of wearing an unearned decoration.
once, during the second mutiny in india of the "silver shields" unit, who had come in full dress kit to make their protest. instead of talking about his own awards for courage (alexander was given a gold obel by parmenio when he led his first cavalry charge at the age of 16), alexander stripped and pointed out the scars he bore, at least one from every weapon known to man. then, he turned around. there were no scars in the back.
alexander knew that soldiers would value the scars, and their placement, and know what that meant.
one of the problems with units like SOG is that the very nature of the unit places us in areas where we are not supposed to be, doing things we shouldn't do, and the high levels of plausible deniability required often scotch the ability of remf clerks to follow the narrative.
still, your point is well taken. how on god's green earth and blue eyed world could people who can't manage this simple information flow, ever be expected to deal with issues of far reaching importance?
my own introduction to the incompetance and the conjunction of stupid that occurs when the VA tries to deal with DoD came in 92. that's when i got my "oh, by the way lad" letter explaining that i had been exposed to agent orange. like i needed to be told that shit or something.
Yeah. Still waiting for the "thanks for coming" MSM the state CSM swore he approved on my retirement.
Oh, well.
It's been a while since the five-sided fool farm remembered what Napoleon said about bits of ribbon.
Sorry about the PUC, though. Given how rare they are and what the troops have to undergo to earn one, IMO they're one of the few decorations that haven't been devalued over the past forty years. Even the CIB/CMB has been tarnished a little (I think) by what I've heard described as the widespread abuse of awards of the CAB.
i did.you write well.
i have no idea what that award you wrote of is. i'm not very up on those types of things but damn, you deserve it and it's no surprise to me that the gov is trying to either screw you out of it or is toatally inept or both.
Thanks, Sherry.
Ranger will get his PUC, but it will be the usual merry-go-round of re-submissions before it comes. It does seem an intentional game with the government, sometimes, though they say one should never chalk up to malice what one can attribute to mere incompetence.
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