I think covid has highlighted a lot of ghost volunteers in the system where paperwork wasnt processed properlyz
Lots of medals left over for volunteers who had left & no contact details.
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Having looked at the DINs of Gold and Diamond there does seem to have always been a have you done enough days in each TY. seems that from what everyone is saying that previously Wings and HQ RAFAC just ignored that and issued on Length of service only for Gold and Diamond and I’m guessing someone noticed and they got their knuckles rapped for it and that’s why they are being so detailed this time.
The fact people volunteer and are willing to give up their free time is doing more than enough to get this. It’s only in our own little bubble that we have people (like us) who try to make people (like us) feel like they have to do loads of other things to deserve plaudits and be eligible for something like this. Perhaps the people who think and advocate this are in the wrong organisation.
The fact that our admin supremos can’t do the job they get paid to are supposed to and have dropped the ball, has sod all to do with us volunteers … the only people in the organisation who do anything remotely meaningful, no matter how much, it is far more than the salaried ones ever do.
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But that’s the issue, some volunteers are running absolutely ragged, others turn up & spend the night gassing & drinking tea.
If you volunteer your time that should be recognised, but those your turn up & get in the way should politely move on.
This is something HQ should have been measuring ages ago but never did although pre Bader it was probably quite hard to do.
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The org has never been good at recognising volunteers.
By all rights there should be 500 more MBE holders in the org. But there aren’t.
It’s still very much a ‘mates’ club and who you know. (Or who youre sleeping with).
I mean just as a basic point.
Do 10 years as an OC.
That’s gotta be automatic BEM time… surely?!
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I couldn’t agree more, but there probably isn’t the capacity in the Military Division of the Order to accommodate all of our ‘deserving cases’. Trying the Civil Division route is a non starter too because you’re competing against all other charities and voluntary organisations as well. I know that our Lords Lt suggest that their Commendations are one down from State Awards, but they’re not.
Just a thought and I’d be interested in peoples’ views, I’ve long belived that we need something along the lines of the military’s Meritorious Service Medal; a Cadet MSM if you like. A justified and carefully considered award that recognises the ‘above and beyond’ and which isn’t automatic after x years service like the CFM is. I’d probably limit the number to around 200 per year across all the cadet forces, that would make it special and if nominees didn’t make the grade, they wouldn’t get it just to fill quotas, so perhaps not all 200 would get awarded in a year if the field wasn’t good enough. I’d also suggest that there might be a need for a minimum qualifying criteria could be 25 - 30 years, but maybe not; the key thing is that it would be awarded following a written citation and formal Boarding by the MoD, not decided by single service cadet organisations. That way you’d get consideration of merit against the other cadet forces. And I’d have it available to all CFAVs, not just uniformed.
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Hahahahahahaha
Its not. Its really not.
Might as well be a food hygiene certificate.
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We’re veering off topic here, but wasn’t the BEM re-instituted to accommodate awarding more people than could be done with MBEs?
Are there separate military and civil lists for the BEM?
The Lord Lt is the monachs representative in that given location, so if they give you a commendation its them giving you one on behalf of the current monach, which sounds pretty close to 1 step down. But given this fourms opinions of them as worthless, then what it the next step down from State Awards? Even though the value of these types of awards and medals are only worth what the person reciving them thinks there worth. As I could get the VC, yet might only think of it as a piece of metal and a ribbon for doing my job.
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They only reinstated the civil BEM afaik. Though I think some military folk get awarded one on the civil list. Bringing it back on the military list but limiting it to CFAVs could work (although on a strict reading of the statutes of the order I don’t think CFAVs are eligible for the military list with the cadet forces commission. NCOs always went on the civil list as they were not reservists but officers went on they military list as they held a reserve commission but they haven’t changed that since withdrawing the commission)
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The problem with a Commendation, at any level is that no post nominals come with it or a fancy medal to wear in 1s.
For some it’s sufficient and nice recognition as a Pat on the back that someone has nominated you and that nomination was good enough to be selected.
For others they want something that shows they have been recognised and others can see how “great” they must be.
Equally you listen to some commendations for Comdt level and it’s just that this person has been doing it for 20 year, which is great but that to me is what the CFM is for.
We need to do better at recognising those that go above and beyond the expectations of their primary post and make a difference.
Could be that an OC has built a failing sqn to a very successful one over 10 years, rather than just keeping the lights on, or someone putting a lot of work in to redefine how we deliver some types of training or making it more accessible etc.
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I didn’t say they were worthless, just that they are not considered to be the next step down from State Awards. Looking at the Honours Lists which the RAF publish, next down are CAS Commendations. And you don’t have to accept any Honour, Award or medal if you don’t want it or don’t think you deserve it.
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Cough platinum jubilee cough.
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Everything in your post 1000 times.
Sorry, off topic! Feel free to split out into a separate thread, people seem to have views on something in between CFM and State Awards!
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This is the nature of volunteers and I don’t know of anywhere other than Air Cadets where people get a bug up their backsides. The situation you suggest is one managing the situation. But if whatever it is running fine, then not a problem. It’s like work … if things are OK time for a break, if not crack on.
I’ve known in all aspects where I volunteer you wish that some others would do more, BUT they do what they can when they can and you accept this. We lost some good people in one of our churches when one of the Churchwardens got on their high horse and insisted they did more. They came to church but did mothing more.
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Having worked with & in several volunteer organisations (military & civilian) it’s all of them.
Similar headaches and issues & techniques needed to resolve which is why volunteer management is developing into its own industry.
& similar to work this is where the issue is. Different volunteers work in different ways often not appreciating that others do things differently.
Because it’s volunteering everyone has a different vision & philosophy on what needs doing & there is always something to do. Volunteers don’t like change & when a change needs to occur it’s often difficult to make it happen. Yes you may have lost good people, but you may not have lost good (effective) volunteers.
It’s a shame but it’s the nature of life & along those lines shouldn’t the volunteer who gives 30 hours a week trying to help everything run get a bit more recognition than the volunteer you comes in once a week to do a single hour helping on one specific task?
In a transactional universe more effort/energy should get more recognition.
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Met up with a mate from another Wg today and we were chatting about the QPJM (as you do). They mentioned that their permanent staff collated a list based on SMS attendance over the past 8 years. When they asked why only 8 years because the rules allow aggregation over any period, they were told ‘no, you’ve got to have 5 years over the past 8’. They’re ex RAF, with over 15 years Regular service and several years RAFAC, but not enough to get over a seemingly ‘automatic qualification’ gate.
It seems as though some Wgs are doing this immediate ‘automatic qualification’ list based on SMS, which makes sense. But it also seems as though some might be making up their own rules as well - quelle surprise! Let’s hope they don’t try to stick to the 8 years for aggregation when those who don’t automatically qualify are allowed to apply.
My understanding from my wing and talking to friends in various wings in various regions is that in tranche 1 it is only RAFAC service that is being counted and then only it is 5 years over the last 8 for as that is as far back as the spreadsheet provided by HQ RAFAC allowed them to go to allow tranche one to be processed in the time required but that in tranche 2 ie manual applications you can go as far back as evidence can be provided using any type of eligibility group and that was always the intention. Now that doesn’t mean some wings aren’t going to make up their own rules.
That sounds like a completely different spreadsheet to the one CCF(RAF) used