NCOs need to Check Their Soldiers Records

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 11:40:20 -0500

I am currently preparing to submit paperwork to the Army Discharge Review Board, even though I was discharged with an Honorable. During this process I am currently going through every single record I accumulated during my 9 years in the Army. And there seems to be a very disturbing trend that I am discovering. On almost every single document, from Awards to Reenlistment documents, I am seeing error after error. I have also noticed quite a few errors on my ERB regarding overseas tours, duty assignments,  and awards that I have but that are not on my ERB. It is a good thing I have all my Assignment Orders and deployment orders. So, I implore all of you NCOs, from SGT to SGM...when you get a new soldier assigned to you, and prior to your Initial Counseling session, tell your subordinate to gather every single document they have, make copies, and take the time to make sure that all their records, awards, orders, enlistments, everything is correct. And then begin the task of correcting them. There are exponential benefits to doing this in the eyes of your soldiers: 1. You will learn a great deal about your soldiers, the training they have received, the units they have been to, awards and why they received them, specialized training, you name it. It gives you a greater picture of them rather than "it's just another Specialist or Sergeant". 2. You will be forced to read regulations you never knew existed. I can't tell you how many REGS and DA PAMs I have read in their entirety over the past few weeks. A lot of them I remember reading 10 years and they have all been updated with new stuff. The knowledge you will gain about enlistments, chapters, awards, etc, are well worth it and might even help you in your records cleanup. 3. Your soldiers will appreciate the time you take to make sure they are administratively squared away. You never know, there may be that one soldier that has a negative view about the Army until discover an award that he was entitled to and never received. 4. You will set a standard for other NCOs to follow, because we all know that word will get around that SPC Numbnuts' NCO took the time to ensure he was squared away. Anyway, take the time to do right by your soldiers and they may begin to understand what being an NCO is all about.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 2 at 2014 12:59 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 12:59:36 -0500

NCOs should be doing this already. Also the Soldier should be checking there own records and correcting as needed. They should not wait for someone to tell them they are wrong and what right looks like. They should read up on right if they dont know what wrong looks like.

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Mar 2 at 2014 1:16 PM

SGM Matthew Quick — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 13:16:42 -0500

Maintenance shouldn't just be for our cars, bodies, and relationships...maintenance is the process of maintaining or preserving someone or something. We can all set aside an hour or so (many times less) a month to check or maintain our own records and the records of our subordinates.  We own it to our Soldiers AND it's our jobs!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2014 4:17 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:17:57 -0500

Being a 42A (SPC) I review the ERBS for my company that I am assigned to, yet work in a different area, and see some many things wrong with every single persons ERB.  I let the orderly room clerks know what I need from each Soldier so that we can square away the Soldiers ERBS regardless of what their rank may be.  Every Soldiers ERBS should look like it is about to be reviewed by a board and squared away along with their OMPF. I do not know how many times I have heard I'm not worried about them I am worried about myself yet you want to become a NCO. It is beyond me of how NCO'S and future NCO's don't care about taking care of their Soldiers anymore. 

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2014 4:34 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 16:34:28 -0500

Oftentimes Soldiers just plain do not realize the things they have done qualify for them to update one section or another of their ERB. Just getting off of barracks management I saw tons of ERBs where I would highlight an area and write in what I could easily see they needed to update. Many misconceptions were righted and previously ignored areas (as simple as Regimental Affiliation) were righted. It takes mere minutes to quickly scan an ERB. If you are the same MOS you should be more than qualified to get them pointed in the right direction. Most times, soldiers fail to recognize the certificate they received for Combat Lifesaver goes on there but that's an easy one. Compare the OMPF (I personally use the old 'my record portal' to view the OMPF versus the other, centrally located on AKO link...) to their actual documents. Get them to build their so-called "I love me" book and have them take charge of their own career records!

Response by SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2014 5:08 PM

SFC(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 17:08:27 -0500

ERB and LES scrub are a must for your Soldiers when you first get them, and routinely afterwards. No one wants to have to tell a Soldier that they've been getting overpaid for X months and now its coming out of their next paycheck.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2014 6:03 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 18:03:55 -0500

Back in the day, when your OMPF file was this bulky brown thing called a '201', as a Soldier it was your responsibility to make an appt with the PSNCO and a clerk would review your record with you and ensure your 2-1 was updated and there was a space on the 2-1 for the Soldier to sign/date when it was reviewed. Nowadays Iperms and the ERB is at your fingertips online. Its your responsibility, that electronic file is you and just as important as your assigned weapon. Back then the promotion board would see how many times you reviewed your 201, their viewpoint was if you didn't care enough to take care of your file, how would you take care of Soldiers? I encourage my NCOS to actively look at their file/ERB, I may have missed something when updating their records.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 3 at 2014 7:08 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 19:08:00 -0500

I beat away every 6 months at my ERB mostly on my off time, making sure everything is right, but even so, there are things I can't even get fixed on the ERB like somehow my Home of Residence is my first duty station instead of my city of departure to the military, or the error in the months served at specific stations, even my S-1 is at a loss for how to repair some of the blocks, hell I even showed them the Honors section in the ERB and got my DH put on it.  I give classes on the ERB p.s. I'm a mechanic.  I help those who want help not those who want someone else to do everything for them, that is what the Army has come to.    I mentor and lead Soldiers, I am not a babysitter or parent, if I want to be a parent I will have my own kids.  Stop leaning on the NCOs for everything and make these Soldier responsible for their own actions, that is something we have moved away from.  As a Soldier, an NCO didn't teach me ERBs, awards, ACCP, or special rules to the uniform in AR 670-1.  I researched them myself because of the pride in my service.  Maybe some of these Soldiers need to grow up and unplug the game consoles.

Response by 1SG Jeffery Bertram made Mar 3 at 2014 7:58 PM

1SG Jeffery Bertram — Mon, 03 Mar 2014 19:58:25 -0500

I have sat on EPS boards and can attest to your claim. I was mortified at the condition of soldiers records and NCOERs. Pretty much deplorable overall.

Response by SFC John Brooks made Mar 5 at 2014 11:05 AM

SFC John Brooks — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 11:05:28 -0500

To be honest, keeping those records up to date is the Soldier's responsibility. That's not to say we shouldn't be checking for correctness, just that we should be giving them the guidance and tools to check their records themselves so that they better understand what they are looking at and what right looks like. This comes into play even more when you are talking about a promotion board situation. I want that prospective NCO to understand his records and ERB and be up to the task of keeping them up to date so that down the road he can give the same guidance to Soldiers under him.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 5 at 2014 11:35 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 11:35:40 -0500

I agree with you! As a SQD LDR part of my initial counseling included that the Soldier gives a copy of their ERB, LES and would also check their OMPF because young soldiers wouldn't know what's right or wrong with either document. I would also have them provide these things monthly so there is not a build up and we have to correct these things all at once. I had to learn these things the hard way by myself so I just try and do right by my soldiers.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 22 at 2014 10:21 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 22 Apr 2014 10:21:14 -0400

NGB just rolled out the "Records Review" tab in iPerms. (Coming to the Reserves and RA soon!) Now unit admins and S-1 personnel can initiate the annual record reviews for each assigned soldier, FORCING the soldier to go into iPerms and look at their documents. If the soldier notices deficiencies they annotate it digitally and the reviewer knows right away. The docs get input/fixed. Then the reviewer looks through the record for accuracy and completeness. The system is also designed so this process can be done with the soldier and reviewer sitting there at the same work station. Of course we also need to instruct our soldiers at what exactly they are seeing, what they should be seeing, and if everything is right what they will see. Be available to answer questions about the ERB, 4187s, 5960s, DD 4s, 214s, 215s... the list is truly endless. The responsibility is on the soldier to take possession of their records, but its on leaders to show them how.

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2014 5:22 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 05:22:24 -0400

EVERY Soldier should be checking his/her ERB and OMPF/iPERMS on a regular basis (no less than monthly). It is YOUR career, so why wouldn't you take care of it?

While it IS the responsibility of each first-line supervisor to check that his/her Soldiers are keeping on top of their careers, each Soldier needs to realize that no one else is going to do it for them. There is no "autopilot" for your career.

It is an easy thing to do. As a former 42A S-1 NCO, I can tell you that ERB updates do not take much time or effort to do. Scanning and uploading documents to iPERMS is a little more involved (for the S-1 Clerk) but for the Soldier it is as easy as presenting either the original or a copy of each document that you want uploaded.

What I have done, and continue to do is to download my ERB *EVERY* month to both check for accuracy and compare with the last month's version.

So when the Army hands you an official piece of paper, copy it, put it in your "I Love Me" Book, scan it, burn it to a CD/DVD, E-Mail it to yourself, and make sure you have it accessible to you in almost any situation. Then make an appointment with your BN S-1 and make sure it gets to your OMPF/iPERMS. Then check your ERB and iPERMS. It will take a week or two for some documents to make it to your iPERMS. If it takes more than 2 weeks, check with your S-1 to see a status. They should have noted the Batch Number and with that can track it down.

So take your career in your own hands and maintain it like your bank account-- always check on it for accuracy. Just remember that NO ONE is going to care about your career as much as YOU DO. If you don't care about your own career, no one else will either.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 27 at 2014 4:26 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 27 Apr 2014 16:26:41 -0400

In the Reserves we have a different form than the ERB/ORB unless you are AGR. I know when I was a TPU (reservist) my file was never updated and I was only adding files to my 201 just because I graduated a course without annotating it anywhere. I have gotten into the habit of sitting down with all of my AGRs to ensure that their ERBs and ORBs are updated. I am familiar with their forms and how to get them fixed. This helps demonstrate that I care for them and helps them understand what needs to be on them and what cannot be. They can then pass it on to their Soldiers in the future.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2014 12:26 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 00:26:41 -0400

There is a new process called the Records Review Tool that requires EVERY Soldier to go thru their entire OMPF/iPERMS/AMHRR with a Records Manager (42A/S1 HR Soldier) and verify documents. The Soldier will view each record and can provide comments about missing/duplicate entries and then sign the review as complete. Then the RM will do the same and sign as well.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Jan 2 at 2015 6:20 AM

SGM Mikel Dawson — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 06:20:30 -0500

NO ONE CARES MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER THAN YOU! This is the advice I've given those under me ever since I had a leadership position. Only once did someone else do a promotion packet for me, that was to SGT, every other one I did myself. I kept a "shadow" 201 file all the time. When I got the chance I also copied my medical file.

If you don't take the time to do it, and understand what goes in it, then you loose. I know 1st line leaders are suppose to do lots, but I always made my soldiers do their own packets, then I'd sit down with them and review it. Records are the same. After I retired, there was so much stuff I saved and didn't need to. One thing to remember - one of the most important pieces of paper you will ever need is LES. Being paid is proof of service!

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2018 11:35 AM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 11:35:11 -0400

This should be a standard for NCO's and the individual Soldiers alike. This is the entire reason we have records reviews once a year at a minimum. It is ultimately up to the Soldier to ensure that their records are correct and up to date, but a good NCO will sit down with that Soldier and review at least the key aspects of their record. Their ERB, iPERMS performance folder, etc. I have told everyone that I have had this conversation with. There is no one that is going to look out for you but you. When you go to a board or get looked at for a special assignment if your record is jacked up, you are jacked up. It shows me that you don't have the attention to detail to take care of yourself much less someone else. If you don't take care of yourself, then the buck is going to be passed to someone else eventually.