Yes this might be a ‘salty’ thread… and no I and most dont do this for gongs.
BUT. When we have no thanks. No meaningful acknowledgement of effort… it does get a bit gripping.
Especially when other community volunteers receive the BEM for example for 2 or 3 months effort and ‘services to knitting’ or ‘has been a community leader since 2019’…
A sign of very poor leadership in my view. Always thank your team for their efforts and a good boss is always first to the bar to get a round in. Also, they should be aware where possible of things in their teams private lives which may affect the team and delivery and most importantly how to support them.
Just looked at ACP3, and given that it only references VR(T) officers maybe that’s why no one gets anything - we aren’t eligible based on our own policy 
The medal office would be all too happy to apply that ruling too if they knew it.
‘Save the gongs for others’
A bit off topic but I worked in the COVID labs for over a year and the only thanks I got from the government was impending redundancy. There was a big campaign to thank healthcare staff. They got the COVID Star etc but us lab staff got nothing.
Moral of the story - don’t expect thanks from any governmental organisation 
So interesting thread re volunteer recognition (it’s not just us!)
https://twitter.com/robjconsulting/status/1617795984511356931?s=46&t=r4tXX3viXT5zdz5W1yso_Q
quite amazing - according to this just 18 cfavs nominations were received at wing/ region for state awards in 2022.
we know therefore that no one of the few that were nominated were successfull in gainig a SA (one cfav did receive a and mbe for other reasons (charity work) in qbhl 2022, but this wasn’t a rafac nomination like).
Just proves that OC Squadrons need assistance on how to write citations/nominations, and Sector Commanders need to push harder
Up to Wing HQ
Lets get real - we have to apply for our own CFMs & clasps these days, so we stand no chance of being nominated for any honours !
But RAFAC is a charity, so why no nominations ??
Yes please… I’ve just done best cadet nominations and it was a struggle.
I have some award nominations that I’ve made a start on, but I’m looking at BEM for one (not sure will qualify as ACP3 has them for the charity side) otherwise I’m targeting Comdt / AOC level.
Theoretically, no CFAVs (apart from the fly-boys) are now Military, so it will only be civil list now.
That’s not true, nothing has changed it’s still the military list as it always has been for SNCO’s and CI’s.
But it’s not for me as a CI to be recommending OCs/WSOs that I think are deserving, is it?
It very much is !
But it should also work the other way - CIs should get recognition too.
I’ve said it before but we shouldn’t be military list under the Regulations of the Order, but no-one that has the power to sort things out has realised yet
How come ?
We are not subject to KRs.
The same way that it always has, even when we were VR the NCO’s, CI’s and CWC weren’t and it was still military list.
yes this means like we are competing against the rest of 22 gp for award. rich maddison looked at all 18 nominations according to the foi, but thats along with no doubt hundreds from the regulars and reserves and against a quota system
# Milestone Moment for CI Michael DeTorre as he is awarded a Defence Letter of Appreciation
60 years and gets a DLA!
Whilst is right to show appreciation this for me just shows the system is broken irrevocably when you see what others get gongs for - even the few we get within RAFAC seem tainted by ‘right contact, right place’
There were a few RAFAC in the Kings Birthday Honours this year. LaSER seem to have done quite well out of it.
