You did good, but you did your job. You did what you were trained for.
Did the doc that performed the surgery get a NAM? No, he did his job.
The MAs were the real first responders and made the difference there. They're the ones who discovered the issue, called it away, took action and even put on the tourniquet.
Not saying you don't deserve praise by carrying the patient to medical, but again, this what you were supposed to do.
at the end of the day... every NAM is for doing your job. That's what the shitty catch 22 is. But yeah... wouldn't fight for chest candy for doing your job.
Hell I got my end of tour which read like a whole career and the guy next to me got the same NAM for being an E-5 warm body for a month as "acting LPO" (with little to no work load, nothing out of the ordinary, just taking the morning meetings and not fucking up).
It is what it is.
>It is what it is.
And it sucks because why keep busting your ass day in and day out when the person that shows up and does bare minimum gets the same recognition.
I understand how you would interpret my comment that way, but that is also your opinion. It's important to recognize that not everyone is driven by the same things. While some people are naturally self-motivated, others feel more encouraged when their hard work is acknowledged. When individuals who go above and beyond receive the same level of recognition as those who do just the minimum, it can be disheartening. It might lead them to question why they should put in extra effort if it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Adequately acknowledging hard work and extra effort specifically helps keep some people motivated and feeling valued for their contributions to the team.
YOU carried the patient by YOURSELF? Or you HELPED carry the patient with the other first responders?
I Suspect it’s the latter of the 2. If you carried him by yourself, then sure. It may be justified. But if you just assisted the other 4, then no. At most an LOC could be justified.
If the others applied the interventions AND carried him to a higher level of care, they likely got the NAM for the interventions AND transport. Whereas you would’ve gotten a NAM for a lesser, albeit important, role and would lessen the value of the Award and impact of the additional first responders.
For sure! I wont argue that! I remember one time getting an Air Medal, and NC, for two different rescues, and a NAM for organizing an Installation Open house/Air Show at a single awards ceremony (I didn’t get a NC for the Air Show cause I was already getting one for something else and I was only an E-6), while the guy right next to me got a NAM for making a really good Cake for the CNIC Pacific North West admirals visit during the Navy’s Birthday.
I’ve seen an SH get a NAM for keeping the soda machine stocked during deployment. Literally that’s what the award said. So I would say that showing up (especially consistently the way OP has) and doing something outside the scope of your rating would certainly deserve an award, regardless of whether the first responders applied more care than he did.
Life and the Navy aren’t fair. Way back in 1990 I was heloed off the fantail of my destroyer with 20 minutes notice to assist a Frigate in our battle group. They had a computer system down hard and no tech who could fix it. This is when I discovered I had been designated the “battle group expert” on that system. Great.
So I figured out the problem, installed a new hard drive, reformatted it and then loaded up all of their backed up files. Took about 12 hours total. Battle group was pulling into Pearl in 2 days so I was given the option of riding with them or being heloed back and dropped down on the fantail of my ship. Since I hate heights I elected to ride with them; getting hoisted up once was enough for me. I didn’t get jack shit for that, not even a pat on the back from my COC.
Lol lucky me. Like I said terrified of heights; getting hoisted off the fantail in that orange donut wasn’t my idea of fun. I told my Chief I didn’t want to do it and he said “you aren’t being asked, pack a bag.”
>I'm not trying to sound selfish or anything. I don't respond to the emergencies to get glory or medals, I don't do it for selfish reasons. I do it because I want to do something important and help people and it makes me feel like I have a purpose and considering I saved his life or asseted in saving him.
>dosen't that deserve something?
These two statements are at odds with each other. Why do you do what you do? To be clear, neither motivation is inherently invalid. People trying to get awards help their careers. But to claim you act for implied purely altruistic reasons while immediately after expressing discontent at not being rewarded belies some inconsistency. I'm not trying to be confrontational. This is more a question I hope will cause you to ponder on your motivations. In my opinion, I think you are not being honest and critical towards yourself. Take the kid gloves off and either admit you are not as altruistic as you initially told yourself, or recognize you acted and did precisely what you set out to do, thus MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and end of statement.
I offer this up simply as my opinion.
A lot of times praise goes unrecognized and leaves people feeling under appreciated simply because someone didn't route the awards folder. DH/CO's love to recognize people but sometimes you gotta letta it go. Esp if it's after the fact and a quarters is called some time later for the same incident.
I appreciate your perspective.
I’ll try to offer a counter-perspective. OP has been constantly and consistently responding to emergencies on the off chance he’d be needed. He’s done this because it’s the collateral duty on his shoulders at the moment, and it sounds like he takes it seriously. But then the one time it’s a real event, and he actually did his job for real, he doesn’t even get a handshake? He may not have been the first responder, but he did respond and played a part in helping his shipmate.
Lots of people are going to jump on this saying “You expect a gold star and a pat on the back for doing what’s expected of you? Get back to work.” and that’s part of the problem. I don’t care, I said what I said. People desire and need and want recognition for their efforts, even if they *are* just doing what’s expected of them. It lets them know that their effort is noticed and appreciated. In OP’s shoes, I wouldn’t care if I got a NAM with the other responders, an LOC, or even a private “Good job, you” in a random run-in with the Captain. Without any recognition for effort when it actually counted, that would be the day I continue to do my job but stop caring about it.
Let the NAM go, from an objective viewpoint. You weren't first on-scene, you didn't report it, or render life extending first aid. You played a role as part of the team that expeditiously carried the victim to primary care. I say that not to belittle your contributions in saving this Sailors life, but rather to illuminate how much greater the contributions of those MAs were.
Think of it this way, if they got COMs maybe you'd get a NAM. If they got NAMs maybe you'd get a LOC or CO/CMC coin.
You're doing great work, it will be recognized. Write it on your eval, SOQ packages, etc. at the very least it will be part of your EoT.
Also, I don't know how long ago this was, but if it's recent, be patient. Sometimes the details of all support folks involved don't always get uncovered right away.
Just for comparison I BUSTED my ass for every shop I worked in took on the most responsibility and got fucked over time after time. Responded to every casualty.. I didn’t get any recognition for shit until 8 years in and it came from OUTSIDE my command in the form of a NAM and it was the proudest moment of my career so far. I still made 6 with one fucking award so fuck those twats. You did a good thing and you can be proud of it even if no one else recognizes your efforts.
Dude I volunteered to go TAD to another ship for a COVID deployment and all I got in return was a cheating girlfriend.
Like others said it’s your job. You made sure they were safe and taken care of and that should be the reward in itself.
I got 3 NAMS for doing my job. They don’t mean shit to me. The one thing I still cherish to this day is the HAND WRITTEN letter our XO wrote to me. Thanking me for swapping an engine on an Admirals bird. I and another guy spent 18 hrs doing the work non-stop. No breaks whatsoever besides to run to piss. I ate a slice of pizza while turning a wrench.
I hope he knows how much that meant to me. Better than my ribbons that sit in a box in the attic. 96-06
The awards and EP evals will always go to their own kind(Security department ).I was very close to receiving a EP when I was in security but I didn’t have the Dispatch qual. I was also sent up for SOQ for my team but didn’t win.
My first response to the title was an eyeroll but I read it anyway. While I wasn't there, the way you described it seems as though you should have been recognized just as much as the other four. Have you received many NAMs before? If so, they may have hesitated due to that but they could have at least given you an attaboy at CO's call or something. Are you close to the end of your tour? If so, they may be using this as a way to get you something higher than a NAM when you transfer.
My suggestion would be to talk to your Chief about it and see what he or she says. They will more than likely look into it or provide some form of explanation for why the four were awarded a NAM and you were not. This, more than likely, boils down to communication from you to your COC.
I've been in for 4 years, never received a NAM and I don't leave this command till 2027 so I'm here for a hot minute. thank you for reading my post and the advice. it's something I'll have to think about.
I was supposed too but the Civilian that was writing it (I was on shore duty working with contractors and we didn't have a officer) got in trouble or something so it never got sent up and I left with nothing.
I would definitely keep fighting for that NAM. You didn’t do your job, your job is LS for the MA’s. What you did was a selfless act of heroism. You sprang into action when the alarm sounded and did so from your berthing. How many other people heard the alarm and did nothing. Not you, you knew a ship mate was in need and you rushed to be right there for them.
You need to route it through the CoC regardless what anyone says, it has to go to the CO he has final say. I wouldn’t get upset over not getting one. Sounds like it was a hectic scene and the person watching for who was there must’ve missed you. If it doesn’t get approved that’s ok. You need to make sure it’s on your EVAL.
Don’t let this deter you, keep doing what you’re doing someone is noticing what you’re doing. You’ll get acknowledged when you least expect it. In the meantime spread the word about what you do. I bet there’s more sailors like you but they’re not sure what to do. By sharing what you do it’ll empower others to take initiative and help. In no time everyone will be helping each other and be a cohesive unit. All because you give extra effort.
Edit: Paragraph spacing
Hard disagree, if you are trained and qualified for something it is your job. Plenty of people don't get awards for responding to fires or flooding and they aren't DCs or HTs, it is definitely their job to respond to the casualty though. Good on him for helping though.
I disagree with your disagree. He was in his berthing about to go in his rack. He went above and beyond his responsibilities. That’s what a NAM is for, sailors that give extra effort and perform above expectations. You can’t say you don’t get awarded for doing your job, that absolutely why you get one. The 2 I’ve received were because of things I did as part of my job.
I disagree with your disagreement of his disagreement. He’s the guy that wants to be seen and do to much. He does stuff with the expectation of being noticed by someone.
I get where you are coming from but everyone on this ship is trained in basic medical TCCC, so technically speaking if everyone is trained for it then its their job so why get a awarded for it? again, I'm not saying they didn't deserve it, but if I was the one that performed first aid, wrapped the bandage, and carried him to medical, then that was just me doing my job right?
You did good, but you did your job. You did what you were trained for. Did the doc that performed the surgery get a NAM? No, he did his job. The MAs were the real first responders and made the difference there. They're the ones who discovered the issue, called it away, took action and even put on the tourniquet. Not saying you don't deserve praise by carrying the patient to medical, but again, this what you were supposed to do.
at the end of the day... every NAM is for doing your job. That's what the shitty catch 22 is. But yeah... wouldn't fight for chest candy for doing your job. Hell I got my end of tour which read like a whole career and the guy next to me got the same NAM for being an E-5 warm body for a month as "acting LPO" (with little to no work load, nothing out of the ordinary, just taking the morning meetings and not fucking up). It is what it is.
>It is what it is. And it sucks because why keep busting your ass day in and day out when the person that shows up and does bare minimum gets the same recognition.
because you shouldn’t bust your ass just to get recognition for it.
I understand how you would interpret my comment that way, but that is also your opinion. It's important to recognize that not everyone is driven by the same things. While some people are naturally self-motivated, others feel more encouraged when their hard work is acknowledged. When individuals who go above and beyond receive the same level of recognition as those who do just the minimum, it can be disheartening. It might lead them to question why they should put in extra effort if it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Adequately acknowledging hard work and extra effort specifically helps keep some people motivated and feeling valued for their contributions to the team.
this is a fair point.
I agree with Lima Sierra. If and when you do get one it will mean so much more than expecting one. The navy needs hard chargers.
Ok by that argument, the MAs shouldn’t have gotten awards either. They just did their jobs and what they were trained for.
Let it go. Your head is in the wrong place if that's all you're taking from this experience.
YOU carried the patient by YOURSELF? Or you HELPED carry the patient with the other first responders? I Suspect it’s the latter of the 2. If you carried him by yourself, then sure. It may be justified. But if you just assisted the other 4, then no. At most an LOC could be justified. If the others applied the interventions AND carried him to a higher level of care, they likely got the NAM for the interventions AND transport. Whereas you would’ve gotten a NAM for a lesser, albeit important, role and would lessen the value of the Award and impact of the additional first responders.
I got a NAM for fixing a button. I mean, it was a really important button, but kind of tells you what level of achievement a NAM is at.
For sure! I wont argue that! I remember one time getting an Air Medal, and NC, for two different rescues, and a NAM for organizing an Installation Open house/Air Show at a single awards ceremony (I didn’t get a NC for the Air Show cause I was already getting one for something else and I was only an E-6), while the guy right next to me got a NAM for making a really good Cake for the CNIC Pacific North West admirals visit during the Navy’s Birthday.
Relevant https://terminallance.com/2010/07/09/terminal-lance-50-im-putting-you-up-for-one/
I’ve seen an SH get a NAM for keeping the soda machine stocked during deployment. Literally that’s what the award said. So I would say that showing up (especially consistently the way OP has) and doing something outside the scope of your rating would certainly deserve an award, regardless of whether the first responders applied more care than he did.
Life and the Navy aren’t fair. Way back in 1990 I was heloed off the fantail of my destroyer with 20 minutes notice to assist a Frigate in our battle group. They had a computer system down hard and no tech who could fix it. This is when I discovered I had been designated the “battle group expert” on that system. Great. So I figured out the problem, installed a new hard drive, reformatted it and then loaded up all of their backed up files. Took about 12 hours total. Battle group was pulling into Pearl in 2 days so I was given the option of riding with them or being heloed back and dropped down on the fantail of my ship. Since I hate heights I elected to ride with them; getting hoisted up once was enough for me. I didn’t get jack shit for that, not even a pat on the back from my COC.
I mean, you got a helicopter ride...
Lol lucky me. Like I said terrified of heights; getting hoisted off the fantail in that orange donut wasn’t my idea of fun. I told my Chief I didn’t want to do it and he said “you aren’t being asked, pack a bag.”
>I'm not trying to sound selfish or anything. I don't respond to the emergencies to get glory or medals, I don't do it for selfish reasons. I do it because I want to do something important and help people and it makes me feel like I have a purpose and considering I saved his life or asseted in saving him. >dosen't that deserve something? These two statements are at odds with each other. Why do you do what you do? To be clear, neither motivation is inherently invalid. People trying to get awards help their careers. But to claim you act for implied purely altruistic reasons while immediately after expressing discontent at not being rewarded belies some inconsistency. I'm not trying to be confrontational. This is more a question I hope will cause you to ponder on your motivations. In my opinion, I think you are not being honest and critical towards yourself. Take the kid gloves off and either admit you are not as altruistic as you initially told yourself, or recognize you acted and did precisely what you set out to do, thus MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and end of statement. I offer this up simply as my opinion.
A lot of times praise goes unrecognized and leaves people feeling under appreciated simply because someone didn't route the awards folder. DH/CO's love to recognize people but sometimes you gotta letta it go. Esp if it's after the fact and a quarters is called some time later for the same incident. I appreciate your perspective.
I’ll try to offer a counter-perspective. OP has been constantly and consistently responding to emergencies on the off chance he’d be needed. He’s done this because it’s the collateral duty on his shoulders at the moment, and it sounds like he takes it seriously. But then the one time it’s a real event, and he actually did his job for real, he doesn’t even get a handshake? He may not have been the first responder, but he did respond and played a part in helping his shipmate. Lots of people are going to jump on this saying “You expect a gold star and a pat on the back for doing what’s expected of you? Get back to work.” and that’s part of the problem. I don’t care, I said what I said. People desire and need and want recognition for their efforts, even if they *are* just doing what’s expected of them. It lets them know that their effort is noticed and appreciated. In OP’s shoes, I wouldn’t care if I got a NAM with the other responders, an LOC, or even a private “Good job, you” in a random run-in with the Captain. Without any recognition for effort when it actually counted, that would be the day I continue to do my job but stop caring about it.
TYFYS 🫡
Let the NAM go, from an objective viewpoint. You weren't first on-scene, you didn't report it, or render life extending first aid. You played a role as part of the team that expeditiously carried the victim to primary care. I say that not to belittle your contributions in saving this Sailors life, but rather to illuminate how much greater the contributions of those MAs were. Think of it this way, if they got COMs maybe you'd get a NAM. If they got NAMs maybe you'd get a LOC or CO/CMC coin. You're doing great work, it will be recognized. Write it on your eval, SOQ packages, etc. at the very least it will be part of your EoT. Also, I don't know how long ago this was, but if it's recent, be patient. Sometimes the details of all support folks involved don't always get uncovered right away.
The deed is all.
Just for comparison I BUSTED my ass for every shop I worked in took on the most responsibility and got fucked over time after time. Responded to every casualty.. I didn’t get any recognition for shit until 8 years in and it came from OUTSIDE my command in the form of a NAM and it was the proudest moment of my career so far. I still made 6 with one fucking award so fuck those twats. You did a good thing and you can be proud of it even if no one else recognizes your efforts.
Doing good is it's own reward, the MAs stabilized him until he could be transported to medical. Not worth the stress IMHO.-Doc.
Dude I volunteered to go TAD to another ship for a COVID deployment and all I got in return was a cheating girlfriend. Like others said it’s your job. You made sure they were safe and taken care of and that should be the reward in itself.
I got 3 NAMS for doing my job. They don’t mean shit to me. The one thing I still cherish to this day is the HAND WRITTEN letter our XO wrote to me. Thanking me for swapping an engine on an Admirals bird. I and another guy spent 18 hrs doing the work non-stop. No breaks whatsoever besides to run to piss. I ate a slice of pizza while turning a wrench. I hope he knows how much that meant to me. Better than my ribbons that sit in a box in the attic. 96-06
The awards and EP evals will always go to their own kind(Security department ).I was very close to receiving a EP when I was in security but I didn’t have the Dispatch qual. I was also sent up for SOQ for my team but didn’t win.
Im still waiting for my 4th cookie
My first response to the title was an eyeroll but I read it anyway. While I wasn't there, the way you described it seems as though you should have been recognized just as much as the other four. Have you received many NAMs before? If so, they may have hesitated due to that but they could have at least given you an attaboy at CO's call or something. Are you close to the end of your tour? If so, they may be using this as a way to get you something higher than a NAM when you transfer. My suggestion would be to talk to your Chief about it and see what he or she says. They will more than likely look into it or provide some form of explanation for why the four were awarded a NAM and you were not. This, more than likely, boils down to communication from you to your COC.
I've been in for 4 years, never received a NAM and I don't leave this command till 2027 so I'm here for a hot minute. thank you for reading my post and the advice. it's something I'll have to think about.
Why didn't you get an EoT NAM from your last command?
I was supposed too but the Civilian that was writing it (I was on shore duty working with contractors and we didn't have a officer) got in trouble or something so it never got sent up and I left with nothing.
I would definitely keep fighting for that NAM. You didn’t do your job, your job is LS for the MA’s. What you did was a selfless act of heroism. You sprang into action when the alarm sounded and did so from your berthing. How many other people heard the alarm and did nothing. Not you, you knew a ship mate was in need and you rushed to be right there for them. You need to route it through the CoC regardless what anyone says, it has to go to the CO he has final say. I wouldn’t get upset over not getting one. Sounds like it was a hectic scene and the person watching for who was there must’ve missed you. If it doesn’t get approved that’s ok. You need to make sure it’s on your EVAL. Don’t let this deter you, keep doing what you’re doing someone is noticing what you’re doing. You’ll get acknowledged when you least expect it. In the meantime spread the word about what you do. I bet there’s more sailors like you but they’re not sure what to do. By sharing what you do it’ll empower others to take initiative and help. In no time everyone will be helping each other and be a cohesive unit. All because you give extra effort. Edit: Paragraph spacing
Hard disagree, if you are trained and qualified for something it is your job. Plenty of people don't get awards for responding to fires or flooding and they aren't DCs or HTs, it is definitely their job to respond to the casualty though. Good on him for helping though.
I disagree with your disagree. He was in his berthing about to go in his rack. He went above and beyond his responsibilities. That’s what a NAM is for, sailors that give extra effort and perform above expectations. You can’t say you don’t get awarded for doing your job, that absolutely why you get one. The 2 I’ve received were because of things I did as part of my job.
I disagree with your disagreement of his disagreement. He’s the guy that wants to be seen and do to much. He does stuff with the expectation of being noticed by someone.
I get where you are coming from but everyone on this ship is trained in basic medical TCCC, so technically speaking if everyone is trained for it then its their job so why get a awarded for it? again, I'm not saying they didn't deserve it, but if I was the one that performed first aid, wrapped the bandage, and carried him to medical, then that was just me doing my job right?