Rebuttal to Missing from Place of Work LOR

Responding to a Letter of Reprimand

MEMORANDUM FOR TSGT CHEREE NOTTING

FROM: SSGT JAMES G. BOND

SUBJECT: Response to Letter of Reprimand, dated 23 Dec 10

1. Ma'am, I respectfully offer this statement as evidence for you to consider before you make a final determination as to the resolution of this matter.

2. Ma'am, while I recognize that my handling of the situation could have been better, I did not knowingly or purposefully intend to be negligent in the performance of my duties. I respectfully ask that you consider all of the evidence attached in making your decision as to whether or not I actually did what I am accused of doing.

3. On 22 Dec 2010 at approximately 1300 hours, I reported to the Command section to perform secretarial duties. At 1400; due to the lack of heat, I was generally concerned for my health and safety. I was continuously shivering and my legs and arms were beginning to stiffen. I made the conscious decision to relocate to one of the few warm places in the building. I made sure all the phones were transferred, so that the duties I was responsible for could still be performed. I noticed my body was unable to warm itself, which may have been a result to cold stress. I then asked SSgt Hojohn if he could watch the phones for me while I went to the bowling alley to warm up. While unknowingly and unaware that I may have been making a poor choice in judgment, the general concern was for my health due to the frigid weather. I do recognize that I need to do a better job in the future of making better decisions as an NCO, and I apologize for any behavior that you found to be negligent or unprofessional.

4. Since July 2009, I have completed over 432 decorations, with this one mistake that equates to a 99.76% accuracy rate. Generally those numbers are worthy of an award, but in my case it's an LOR. I acknowledge responsibility for my error, and realize attention to detail is an important core value. While I agree that I was definitely in the wrong, I strongly disagree with the severity of my punishment. As I understand it, a Letter of Reprimand is used to correct either a repetitive misbehavior after other means have been exhausted, or to correct a clear and intentional breach or disregard to the rules of conduct. I strongly disagree that either of these situations are the case.

5. Ma'am, I hope that my explanation above demonstrates I did not intend to neglect my duties, nor did I just decide to conveniently transfer the phones solely for my benefit without a valid reason. I've thoroughly enjoyed my military career to this point and will continue to enjoy it until I retire some years from now. In over 11 years of enlisted service, including over 4 years in the Air Force Legal Operations Agency, I have been working hard to comply with all regulations and to restore my good record. I consider my reputation to be a valuable asset, and having my integrity continually questioned upsets me deeply. I am submitting this rebuttal so that my integrity will no longer be questioned and so that my reputation will be restored.

6. Ma'am, based upon the above, I respectfully request that you find that I did not commit the offense and consider rescinding the LOR or dropping it to a lower level action, such as a verbal counseling or an LOC. I regret my actions and request that the decision to present this LOR be reconsidered based on my promise to adhere to all instructions in the future

7. Ma'am, thank you for your time and for considering my side of this situation.

Respectfully submitted,

JAMES G. BOND, SSgt, USAF
Knowledge Operations Manager