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Letter of Reprimand

Reason:  Article 92 - Failure to obey order or regulation; Dereliction of Supervisor Duty









Key Points to Writing
  • Remember, there the purpose for the documentation.
  • Ask for HELP if you need it, otherwise you can hurt yourself, your Airmen &/or unit.
  • Use the right words, utilize a resource like Merriam-Webster Online.
  • Use a spell checker.  (F7 Word)
  • Related the Reason for the Discipline to UCMJ
  • Do not forget the Privacy Act of 1974 information!

The following Letter of Reprimand example was taken from a Word document.  If you have anything you would like to submit, please do so.  If you have found this information useful, please let me know as each letter has taken a considerable amount of time to prepare.

Copy Directly on to Unit Letter Head!

                                                                                                                                                  DATE

MEMORANDUM FOR MADE A MISTAKE, AMN, FR123-45-6789

FROM: 4 XXX/CC

SUBJECT: Letter of Reprimand - Not Recognizing Outstanding Performers

1.  It has been brought to my attention that you are not fulfilling your role as a Non
Commissioned Officer; specifically you have failed to recognize subordinates for their
outstanding performance.

2.  The Enlisted Force Structure (AFI 36-2618), “Chapter 4, General NCO Responsibilities”
states:

        4.1 Mandatory Requirements. NCO’s must:
        4.1.17 Appropriately, recognize and reward those individuals whose military conduct,
        bearing, and performance clearly exceed established standards.

3.  As you learned in Professional Military Education (PME) there are several motivational
theories; all of them emphasize the importance of recognizing and rewarding outstanding
behavior:

        a. Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”
             - Maslow believed people have a hierarchy of needs which is arranged in a kind of
               pyramid; those at the bottom are the most urgent and must be satisfied to some degree
               before those at the next level begin to operate.
            - The order from lowest to highest in Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” are:
               Physiological, Safety/Security, Social, Self-Esteem, Self-Actualization
            - The “Self-Esteem” need is obtained through compliments, letters of appreciation and
              awards.
         b. Fredrick Herzberg’s “Motivation/Hygiene Theory of Motivation”
             - Herzberger interviewed hundreds of professionals. In his research, he sought to
               determine what job factors motivated and de-motivated those professionals, as well as
               what job factors caused them satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
            - One key factor to human behavior is “Motivators”; these are things that make people
              happy, such as a sense of achievement, personal recognition and opportunities for
              advancement.
        c. David McCelland’s “Three Motivational Needs”
            - Empathized motivational needs are not innate, but learned. We learn motivational
              needs as we interact with our surroundings.
           - The three motivational needs are: power, achievement, and affiliation.
           - Part of achievement, is obtaining feedback on performance, one way to accomplish
             this rewarding people. – Operant Conditioning”
          - This paradigm advocates that worker’s motivation is influenced by the results of
             behavior. In essence, what happens after a person commits a behavior will determine
             whether or not the worker will repeat the behavior.
           - If we want to increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated, then we must
             reward the desired performance. According to Thorndike, these rewards will lead to
             repetition of the behavior or performance. Basically if the consequences of our behavior
             lead to positive results, we will repeat the behavior.

4.  You are hereby reprimanded. You have engaged in aberrant behavior which will not be
tolerated from a member of the United States Air Force. Your past behavior has raised serious
questions about your ability to remain in the United States Air Force. For the last two years,
2003 and 2004, you had 12 individuals under your command and there is not a single
documented instance of any recognition to any of them. You have not created any Letters of
Appreciation, Medals (AF Form 642) or Quarterly/Annual Awards (AF Form 1206) package on
any of your members in this time frame.

5.  In the Air Force, the only way to recognize our outstanding performers is to develop/submit
documentation to award our members. We can not give spot bonuses or raises, like in the
civilian world. This is the only way to acknowledge, thank, and help them obtain a promotion.
As Technical Sergeant, you are responsible for the development of all enlisted personnel under
your supervision.

6.  PRIVACY ACT. AUTHORITY: 10 U.S.C. 8013. PURPOSE: To obtain any comments
or documents you desire to submit (on a voluntary basis) for consideration concerning this
action. ROUTINE USES: Provides you an opportunity to submit comments or documents for
consideration. If provided, the comments and documents you submit become a part of the action.
DISCLOSURE: Your written acknowledgment of receipt and signature is mandatory. Any
other comment or document you provide is voluntary.

7.  You will acknowledge receipt and return this letter to me within 3 workdays of your receipt.
Your signature on this document is solely for receipt purposes and is not an admission of guilt.
Any comments or documents you wish to be considered concerning this LOR must be included
with your response.



                                                                                               LOTS O. PATIENCE, Lt Col, USAF
                                                                                               Commander



                                                                                                                                                  DATE

1st IND, 4 XXX/ XXX (AMN MISTAKE)

TO: 4 XXX/CC

1.  I acknowledge receipt and understanding on ___________. (NOTE: If member refuses to
sign, have commander write, “Member received LOR dated ____ but refused to sign
acknowledgment on ________ (date).”)

2.  I understand that I have until _______ (insert date), which is no earlier than three (3)
workdays from the date of this letter to provide a response, and that I must include in my
response any comments or documents I wish to be considered concerning this letter.



                                                                                               MADE A. MISTAKE, Amn, USAF
                                                                                               FR123-45-6789



                                                                                                                                                  DATE

2nd IND, 4 XXX/CC (LT COL PATIENCE)

Member (did) (did not) provide written matters in response to this letter.



                                                                                               LOTS O. PATIENCE, Lt Col, USAF
                                                                                               Commander



                                                                                                                                                  DATE

3rd IND, 4 XXX/XX (LT COL PATIENCE)

I have considered all matters submitted for my consideration by the member. On reviewing all of
the evidence I have determined that member (engaged) (did not engage) in the conduct noted
above and that, as a consequence, have concluded a Letter of Reprimand (is) (is not) the
appropriate course of action in this case.



                                                                                               LOTS O. PATIENCE, Lt Col, USAF
                                                                                               Commander



                                                                                                                                                  DATE

4th IND, 4 XXX/ XXX (AMN MISTAKE)

TO:  4 XXX/CC

I acknowledge that on _________ Lt Col Patience advised me that she had considered the
matters submitted by me in response to the above LOR and informed me of her final decision
regarding same.



                                                                                               MADE A. MISTAKE, Amn, USAF
                                                                                               FR123-45-6789



Reminder:  Signature lines are 5 spaces below the last line of text.

Comments: All text in blue will need to be modified.


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Letter Added: 16 February 2006

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Revised: 01/19/06.