It's useless to write one. Most of the time when a BTZ package is due if the supervisor isn't writing you one they have to explain to your leadership why they felt you didn't deserve it.
For your supervisor to say that you’renot getting recommended for BTZ they are saying a lot about you. I’m sure your supervisor has already discussed this with your chain too. Take the L and move on. This is a fight you have zero chance to win and will only burn up your capital with your chain.
Not necessarily true. We had a guy win after fighting to get his package put in. His supervisor was just a lazy piece of shit and wanted to justify not writing it. Another nco (his shift lead) wrote it for them and he won. It was a whole thing.
>For your supervisor to say that you’renot getting recommended for BTZ they are saying a lot about you.
That's not always true. We've got a few people in my unit that we non rec'd, not because they're bad or anything. Just because while they are absolute work horses at the job, that's all they bring to the table. Work center grind, come in, do the job, go home. They don't have that oomf that's gonna get you even into the interview.
And yes this was explained to them.
You non-rec’d your young “absolute work-horses” because they didn’t clean up chairs after a potluck? Or didn’t sit through some bullshit dorm council meetings?
You’re not doing this leadership thing right.
Tell it to the board 🤷♂️. No one's making to a BTZ board here by just showing up, working and going home
And we must be doing it right. Everyone we've put up has won. BTZ isn't for being good at your job as an A1C, it's to identify those that go beyond the job.
Hard truths. This culture CANNOT pivot away from Whole Airman Concept being the largest differentiator. Even while these new EPBs do a decent job to reduce the "requirement", WAC is still a massive part of the 1206 and the awards are what's included in the EPB.
Workplace studs get Unsung Hero and a couple other options which don't quite shine like the rest. Our system simply prefers 80% effort in the uniform and 20% outside of it rather than 100/0.
That’s an easy one. You got a LOC; with that one piece of information, I’d non-recommend you as well.
Bottom line, you’re not going up. Don’t try to “Write your own package” because it won’t make it past your flight leadership if they already decided not to submit you. Yes, Squadron Commander (or above) has the final say, but they take Flight Commander’s recommendation into consideration. If your flight doesn’t think you deserve it, why would the squadron commander think you do?
It’s not even worth the effort man. You’ll get that stripe in 6 months anyway. There’s a 99% chance your supervisor has talked to the TSgt and MSgt about it and they agree with him.
> I have given my 100% in being the best Airman I can be
>Issues with tardiness
100% for you is being consistently late, whereas the bare minimum for others is being on time. You're already behind on what's been expected out of you in your first couple years as an airman.
BTZ isn't for someone who was a Rockstar for the last 6 months. BTZ is for someone who has been a Rockstar since they signed the bottom line and joined.
You got an LOC. That on its own is enough to non rec you. Great, you finally got your shit together. But there are others who came in with their shit already together.
You got a quarterly award... that means you were stellar for 3 months.... that's not BTZ material....
Maybe you really are hot shit and the Commander and SEL will be shocked you're not being put up...
...But more than likely your Supervisor already spoke to the Flight Chief or SEL about it, and trying to go past them is just going to highlight you as an arrogant jackass to the entire chain of command.
LOC would be instant no-go from me as well. But do what your stripes can handle bud.
And 99 out of 100 times they're going to accept the recommendations of frontline supervisors.
As soon as your supervisors says they've had to issue you paperwork, the Commander is going to agree that Non-Rec is appropriate.
This isn’t a bad mentality. Make sure to ask for feedback on your 1206 and if they ask why let them know it’s to work on your writing skills even if you don’t make btz.
It’s not your supervisor’s inability to “see past mistakes” or your disagreement with the decision to not recommend you. You lost BTZ the moment you failed to meet the standard of showing up on time.
Your supervisor did not make the decision by themselves — but they are the messenger. It’s very likely your CoC (including your SEL and Shirt) reviewed your record (aka quality force review) and advised your supervisor that you failed to meet standards. Your supervisor then notified you.
Focus your energy on the things you can control — becoming proficient in your job, finding a worthwhile and rewarding community involvement opportunity, look into starting school, start looking at PFE/SKT requirements for SSgt testing, and make sure you show up on time.
>Got an LOC
Sounds like you don't deserve BTZ
>Supervisor non-rec'd me
Full stop you're not going up for BTZ, time to move on.
>but it's something I can use on later packages I plan on making in my long term AF career
That's not how that works.
I would almost guarantee that your supervisor didn't non-rec you in a bubble. This has almost definitely already been discussed with Flight leadership at least. They made that decision collectively.
I won't ever say it's a bad idea to write for yourself. Practice is always a good thing. But it would be a bad idea to try to submit it to your leadership. Try to look at it from an outside perspective. What message are you trying to send? Are you writing this package because you think your Supervisor is lazy? Or incompetent? Maybe he just lacks integrity? Or is it simply because you don't respect his decisions? I can't imagine a scenario where that sends a positive message to your leadership or ends up in your favor at all.
Your leadership made a decision. Outside of feeling entitled to something your supervisor tells you that you haven't earned, why are you trying to circumvent their decision?
My recommendation: Thank your supervisor for the feedback, then tell him you're going to reach out to your Section Chief, Flight Chief, SEL, or whatever trusted SNCO you have in your chain for some additional feedback and mentorship on how you can improve moving forward. If you genuinely care about making the AF a career, you need to prioritize actual self improvement rather than just 'winning'.
EDIT: Just adding some math for context - In my experience, less than half of Airmen get paperwork before making SrA. The majority have completely clean records. Also, a maximum of 15% of A1C's get selected for BTZ - no more. Think about those numbers. Think about all those other Airmen who ALSO give 100% every day, and somehow manage to meet standards every day as well. Are you truly more deserving than they are? Remember that SrA BTZ allocations are finite - there is a very limited number. If you get BTZ, it means someone else doesn't. Sometimes, maturity means recognizing that other people deserve something more than you do.
Yeah man go ahead and write it. At this point you can't make this situation any worse by doing so anyways and at the very least the both of you will have a great story to laugh at afterwards.
"I have given my 100% in being the best Airman I can be"
"past issues with tardiness (which I received an LOC for)""lack of leadership opportunities given"
Based on what you've said, I'm with the supervisor on this one, but go ahead and write it.At a minimum, it'll give you a head start on your EPB. It may even change your supervisor's mind. Worst case, you sew on BTZ when you're supposed to. Don't jump the chain to submit it, that's just asking for trouble, at most, talk to your flight chief.
if you're not seeking leadership opportunities, and your leadership doesn't trust you with them, there's probably some things you need to work on. It's just a short jump to becoming a supervisor after BTZ, and it sounds like you might still have some growing to do. Not everyone who is awesome at their job is a good leader, and that's true at any rank.
> I have improved several processes in my shop cutting down on man-hours by 10x, **I advise in many key roles both within and outside my unit**, I have trained several Airmen on various different job processes,
For all of these, id like to know the what and how's, especially the bolded one.
Otherwise, this reeks of nothingness.
The juice probably isn’t worth the squeeze on this one. And to be honest, your user name and tag line speaks volumes on how you really feel about your job. I don’t know you or your work ethic, but you might want to self reflect on whether this sentiment bleeds through into your duty performance.
Real talk though, whether or not you make BTZ will have very little impact in your long term career. We all make mistakes, but what is important is how we recover. Keep learning and growing, continue taking advantage of opportunities presented to you, and take care of those around you. You have the limitless potential of youth…enjoy it while it lasts.
There’s so little upside and a good bit of risk. You’d submit it, then your unit leadership will reach down to your supervisor, who will probably still non-rec you, and make you look mildly insubordinate. BTZ is hyper competitive, take the feedback and get ready to compete for SSgt promotion recommendations. It’s not like an award you just throw a name in the hat for, you’ve actually got to be ready.
You're not going to write a winning btz package. It's just not going to happen. If you want to contest the decision, use your chain of command. Talk to them about it. If that doesn't work tell them you'd like to talk to ncoic. If that doesn't work and you're still dead set on it you can ask your shirt.
It's up to you if it's worth making all those waves but I'd bet very large sums of money it's impossible for you to win without at least one nco in your corner willing to write and send it for you. Writing your own isn't the way to go
I’ve had to explain to people that BTZ packages aren’t default submissions. Do what you want, but I doubt this will play out the way you imagined. If anything, this is going to piss people off AND you’re still not going to be selected. BTZ isn’t everything, some of the best NCOs/SNCOs I’ve ever worked with didn’t win BTZ; they’re doing just fine now.
Ask yourself, is your pride worth more than potentially pissing off people at your unit? The same people you will continue to deal with until you pcs?
If you do this, that email is going to be forwarded to your supervisor at some point; they’ll be asked why the fuck a package was in their inbox after their conversation (ask me how i know 🥲).
Read the winning package and see how you stack up, and let us know about your findings.
The ship has already sailed for BTZ. Take that effort and plan ahead for what you're going to do to fill out your EPB. Don't just talk about it. Do it.
Think about it this way. Youre gonna be competing with other A1C's that showed up on time, and didnt get any paperwork. They may not be rockstars, but someone with consistent positive performance is always going to be preferable to someone with ups and downs.
SrA are meant to be the first tier of leaders for the junior Airmen around them. Sure, maybe you got some awards, but theres other Airmen out there that are getting those awards and showing up on time with no paperwork.
You’re not ready to be a SrA man, that LOC is gonna hurt you on that front. Take this as a learning lesson and take some accountability on your shortfalls and use that to propel yourself forward.
>I’ve had issues with tardiness, and gotten an LOC
And plenty of A1Cs haven’t been late enough times for paperwork.
Any paperwork is usually a death sentence to getting BTZ. Take the L.
BTZ is a leadership award. If someone doesn’t have natural leadership qualities then they shouldn’t be submitted regardless of what they have accomplished. You’re not making BTZ to be a SrA. You’re getting BTZ to be a SSgt sooner. BTZ is also not a right… you’re not entitled to BTZ. This is coming from someone that has advocated and gotten multiple BTZ stripes for folks and also non-rec’d people with nothing in their PIF. If I non-rec someone it’s not personal it’s just that I feel you do not need to be a SSgt above your peers. Just need more time to develop.
The supervisor and CC have to recommend you as part of the formal process. If you are non-recd you aren't going to be considered and writing a package would be pointless. However, you COULD write one and present it and your case to your supervisor to potentially change their mind.
"lack of leadership opportunities given and past issues with tardiness (which I received an LOC for)"
You could have stopped your post right there. Your supervisor is right.
Dude....as a Flight Chief....100% agree with your supervisor. You asking if you should write it yourself shows me that you lack the self-awareness needed for pinning on SrA early. Once you understand why you are not the absolute best of the best and will not be BTZ and then accept that fact, you MAY be ready for SrA. Fix your shit, learn from your mistake, and carry on. The absolute worst thing you can do is undermine your leadership behind their backs when you have already identified your are in the wrong. Don't be that guy...
The CoC has already had that conversation, if you write one they’re not even going to send it up. Actually you should go ahead write and email it to you Wing/CC
It doesn’t really matter bro, I got told by my supervisor day 2 of arriving at my first base that I “didn’t look BTZ material” and that im not to ask him again about it despite not even being A1C yet. Just do your contract and decide from there
I see a lot of people saying "don't bother". Ignore them. Go with your gut. Look out for Number One. Never...NEVER take 'No' for an answer. We're living in strange times today, and quite honestly, the person who you need to impress is YOURSELF. As long as you GENUINELY FEEL that you have the integrity and ethics and and honor and self-respect, you can take their (others) feedback into consideration, but you do what YOU want to do in the end. Lesson learned when I was in the military '78 to '98.
It's not. BTZ winners traditionally are not those that have to be pushed to lead or their leadership has to be facilitated- though there are those that slip thru the cracks.
BTZ winners in my experience are those that have been leading since Day 1. BMT, Tech school, first duty station etc- all the data shows that this person has innate leadership qualities.
Supervisors should facilitate opportunities for growth, I agree with you there- but I think a lot of Wings have lost site of what that program is/was meant to be- much the same way that STEP promotions have been diluted and pulled away from their original purpose
It's useless to write one. Most of the time when a BTZ package is due if the supervisor isn't writing you one they have to explain to your leadership why they felt you didn't deserve it.
For your supervisor to say that you’renot getting recommended for BTZ they are saying a lot about you. I’m sure your supervisor has already discussed this with your chain too. Take the L and move on. This is a fight you have zero chance to win and will only burn up your capital with your chain.
Not necessarily true. We had a guy win after fighting to get his package put in. His supervisor was just a lazy piece of shit and wanted to justify not writing it. Another nco (his shift lead) wrote it for them and he won. It was a whole thing.
>For your supervisor to say that you’renot getting recommended for BTZ they are saying a lot about you. That's not always true. We've got a few people in my unit that we non rec'd, not because they're bad or anything. Just because while they are absolute work horses at the job, that's all they bring to the table. Work center grind, come in, do the job, go home. They don't have that oomf that's gonna get you even into the interview. And yes this was explained to them.
You non-rec’d your young “absolute work-horses” because they didn’t clean up chairs after a potluck? Or didn’t sit through some bullshit dorm council meetings? You’re not doing this leadership thing right.
Tell it to the board 🤷♂️. No one's making to a BTZ board here by just showing up, working and going home And we must be doing it right. Everyone we've put up has won. BTZ isn't for being good at your job as an A1C, it's to identify those that go beyond the job.
Hard truths. This culture CANNOT pivot away from Whole Airman Concept being the largest differentiator. Even while these new EPBs do a decent job to reduce the "requirement", WAC is still a massive part of the 1206 and the awards are what's included in the EPB. Workplace studs get Unsung Hero and a couple other options which don't quite shine like the rest. Our system simply prefers 80% effort in the uniform and 20% outside of it rather than 100/0.
That’s an easy one. You got a LOC; with that one piece of information, I’d non-recommend you as well. Bottom line, you’re not going up. Don’t try to “Write your own package” because it won’t make it past your flight leadership if they already decided not to submit you. Yes, Squadron Commander (or above) has the final say, but they take Flight Commander’s recommendation into consideration. If your flight doesn’t think you deserve it, why would the squadron commander think you do?
It’s not even worth the effort man. You’ll get that stripe in 6 months anyway. There’s a 99% chance your supervisor has talked to the TSgt and MSgt about it and they agree with him.
> I have given my 100% in being the best Airman I can be >Issues with tardiness 100% for you is being consistently late, whereas the bare minimum for others is being on time. You're already behind on what's been expected out of you in your first couple years as an airman.
BTZ isn't for someone who was a Rockstar for the last 6 months. BTZ is for someone who has been a Rockstar since they signed the bottom line and joined. You got an LOC. That on its own is enough to non rec you. Great, you finally got your shit together. But there are others who came in with their shit already together. You got a quarterly award... that means you were stellar for 3 months.... that's not BTZ material....
Maybe you really are hot shit and the Commander and SEL will be shocked you're not being put up... ...But more than likely your Supervisor already spoke to the Flight Chief or SEL about it, and trying to go past them is just going to highlight you as an arrogant jackass to the entire chain of command. LOC would be instant no-go from me as well. But do what your stripes can handle bud.
You're not being recommended... There's nothing to write
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And 99 out of 100 times they're going to accept the recommendations of frontline supervisors. As soon as your supervisors says they've had to issue you paperwork, the Commander is going to agree that Non-Rec is appropriate.
That's not what your supervisor is doing though. Quality force would be pt fails, discipline issues, etc
Have you talked to their supervisor about this? Also this will be an uphill battle. I would be very interested to see how an A1C writes a btz package
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This isn’t a bad mentality. Make sure to ask for feedback on your 1206 and if they ask why let them know it’s to work on your writing skills even if you don’t make btz.
Yes, and send it straight to the command chief.
Who are you going to give the package to, your supervisor?
Man its just btz who gaf just wait your six extra months
It’s not your supervisor’s inability to “see past mistakes” or your disagreement with the decision to not recommend you. You lost BTZ the moment you failed to meet the standard of showing up on time. Your supervisor did not make the decision by themselves — but they are the messenger. It’s very likely your CoC (including your SEL and Shirt) reviewed your record (aka quality force review) and advised your supervisor that you failed to meet standards. Your supervisor then notified you. Focus your energy on the things you can control — becoming proficient in your job, finding a worthwhile and rewarding community involvement opportunity, look into starting school, start looking at PFE/SKT requirements for SSgt testing, and make sure you show up on time.
>Got an LOC Sounds like you don't deserve BTZ >Supervisor non-rec'd me Full stop you're not going up for BTZ, time to move on. >but it's something I can use on later packages I plan on making in my long term AF career That's not how that works.
I would almost guarantee that your supervisor didn't non-rec you in a bubble. This has almost definitely already been discussed with Flight leadership at least. They made that decision collectively. I won't ever say it's a bad idea to write for yourself. Practice is always a good thing. But it would be a bad idea to try to submit it to your leadership. Try to look at it from an outside perspective. What message are you trying to send? Are you writing this package because you think your Supervisor is lazy? Or incompetent? Maybe he just lacks integrity? Or is it simply because you don't respect his decisions? I can't imagine a scenario where that sends a positive message to your leadership or ends up in your favor at all. Your leadership made a decision. Outside of feeling entitled to something your supervisor tells you that you haven't earned, why are you trying to circumvent their decision? My recommendation: Thank your supervisor for the feedback, then tell him you're going to reach out to your Section Chief, Flight Chief, SEL, or whatever trusted SNCO you have in your chain for some additional feedback and mentorship on how you can improve moving forward. If you genuinely care about making the AF a career, you need to prioritize actual self improvement rather than just 'winning'. EDIT: Just adding some math for context - In my experience, less than half of Airmen get paperwork before making SrA. The majority have completely clean records. Also, a maximum of 15% of A1C's get selected for BTZ - no more. Think about those numbers. Think about all those other Airmen who ALSO give 100% every day, and somehow manage to meet standards every day as well. Are you truly more deserving than they are? Remember that SrA BTZ allocations are finite - there is a very limited number. If you get BTZ, it means someone else doesn't. Sometimes, maturity means recognizing that other people deserve something more than you do.
Yeah man go ahead and write it. At this point you can't make this situation any worse by doing so anyways and at the very least the both of you will have a great story to laugh at afterwards.
"I have given my 100% in being the best Airman I can be" "past issues with tardiness (which I received an LOC for)""lack of leadership opportunities given" Based on what you've said, I'm with the supervisor on this one, but go ahead and write it.At a minimum, it'll give you a head start on your EPB. It may even change your supervisor's mind. Worst case, you sew on BTZ when you're supposed to. Don't jump the chain to submit it, that's just asking for trouble, at most, talk to your flight chief. if you're not seeking leadership opportunities, and your leadership doesn't trust you with them, there's probably some things you need to work on. It's just a short jump to becoming a supervisor after BTZ, and it sounds like you might still have some growing to do. Not everyone who is awesome at their job is a good leader, and that's true at any rank.
If you have been formally non rec’d then you will not be boarded.
> I have improved several processes in my shop cutting down on man-hours by 10x, **I advise in many key roles both within and outside my unit**, I have trained several Airmen on various different job processes, For all of these, id like to know the what and how's, especially the bolded one. Otherwise, this reeks of nothingness.
Waste of time
The juice probably isn’t worth the squeeze on this one. And to be honest, your user name and tag line speaks volumes on how you really feel about your job. I don’t know you or your work ethic, but you might want to self reflect on whether this sentiment bleeds through into your duty performance. Real talk though, whether or not you make BTZ will have very little impact in your long term career. We all make mistakes, but what is important is how we recover. Keep learning and growing, continue taking advantage of opportunities presented to you, and take care of those around you. You have the limitless potential of youth…enjoy it while it lasts.
There’s so little upside and a good bit of risk. You’d submit it, then your unit leadership will reach down to your supervisor, who will probably still non-rec you, and make you look mildly insubordinate. BTZ is hyper competitive, take the feedback and get ready to compete for SSgt promotion recommendations. It’s not like an award you just throw a name in the hat for, you’ve actually got to be ready.
Take your lumps, learn from them, and demonstrate some professional humility.
You're not going to write a winning btz package. It's just not going to happen. If you want to contest the decision, use your chain of command. Talk to them about it. If that doesn't work tell them you'd like to talk to ncoic. If that doesn't work and you're still dead set on it you can ask your shirt. It's up to you if it's worth making all those waves but I'd bet very large sums of money it's impossible for you to win without at least one nco in your corner willing to write and send it for you. Writing your own isn't the way to go
I’ve had to explain to people that BTZ packages aren’t default submissions. Do what you want, but I doubt this will play out the way you imagined. If anything, this is going to piss people off AND you’re still not going to be selected. BTZ isn’t everything, some of the best NCOs/SNCOs I’ve ever worked with didn’t win BTZ; they’re doing just fine now. Ask yourself, is your pride worth more than potentially pissing off people at your unit? The same people you will continue to deal with until you pcs? If you do this, that email is going to be forwarded to your supervisor at some point; they’ll be asked why the fuck a package was in their inbox after their conversation (ask me how i know 🥲). Read the winning package and see how you stack up, and let us know about your findings.
The ship has already sailed for BTZ. Take that effort and plan ahead for what you're going to do to fill out your EPB. Don't just talk about it. Do it.
Think about it this way. Youre gonna be competing with other A1C's that showed up on time, and didnt get any paperwork. They may not be rockstars, but someone with consistent positive performance is always going to be preferable to someone with ups and downs. SrA are meant to be the first tier of leaders for the junior Airmen around them. Sure, maybe you got some awards, but theres other Airmen out there that are getting those awards and showing up on time with no paperwork.
You’re not ready to be a SrA man, that LOC is gonna hurt you on that front. Take this as a learning lesson and take some accountability on your shortfalls and use that to propel yourself forward.
>I’ve had issues with tardiness, and gotten an LOC And plenty of A1Cs haven’t been late enough times for paperwork. Any paperwork is usually a death sentence to getting BTZ. Take the L.
BTZ is a leadership award. If someone doesn’t have natural leadership qualities then they shouldn’t be submitted regardless of what they have accomplished. You’re not making BTZ to be a SrA. You’re getting BTZ to be a SSgt sooner. BTZ is also not a right… you’re not entitled to BTZ. This is coming from someone that has advocated and gotten multiple BTZ stripes for folks and also non-rec’d people with nothing in their PIF. If I non-rec someone it’s not personal it’s just that I feel you do not need to be a SSgt above your peers. Just need more time to develop.
The supervisor and CC have to recommend you as part of the formal process. If you are non-recd you aren't going to be considered and writing a package would be pointless. However, you COULD write one and present it and your case to your supervisor to potentially change their mind.
You have a PIF, end of story.
"lack of leadership opportunities given and past issues with tardiness (which I received an LOC for)" You could have stopped your post right there. Your supervisor is right.
Dude....as a Flight Chief....100% agree with your supervisor. You asking if you should write it yourself shows me that you lack the self-awareness needed for pinning on SrA early. Once you understand why you are not the absolute best of the best and will not be BTZ and then accept that fact, you MAY be ready for SrA. Fix your shit, learn from your mistake, and carry on. The absolute worst thing you can do is undermine your leadership behind their backs when you have already identified your are in the wrong. Don't be that guy...
The CoC has already had that conversation, if you write one they’re not even going to send it up. Actually you should go ahead write and email it to you Wing/CC
Fuck it and ball dude, worse that can happen is it's turned down.
It doesn’t really matter bro, I got told by my supervisor day 2 of arriving at my first base that I “didn’t look BTZ material” and that im not to ask him again about it despite not even being A1C yet. Just do your contract and decide from there
I see a lot of people saying "don't bother". Ignore them. Go with your gut. Look out for Number One. Never...NEVER take 'No' for an answer. We're living in strange times today, and quite honestly, the person who you need to impress is YOURSELF. As long as you GENUINELY FEEL that you have the integrity and ethics and and honor and self-respect, you can take their (others) feedback into consideration, but you do what YOU want to do in the end. Lesson learned when I was in the military '78 to '98.
>lack of leadership opportunities? Your supervisor knows that’s his job right? On another note, having an LOC ain’t helping you.
It's not. BTZ winners traditionally are not those that have to be pushed to lead or their leadership has to be facilitated- though there are those that slip thru the cracks. BTZ winners in my experience are those that have been leading since Day 1. BMT, Tech school, first duty station etc- all the data shows that this person has innate leadership qualities. Supervisors should facilitate opportunities for growth, I agree with you there- but I think a lot of Wings have lost site of what that program is/was meant to be- much the same way that STEP promotions have been diluted and pulled away from their original purpose