Writing Assignment #2 - Prepare an MFR

HUMAN RESOURCES ADVANCED LEADERS COURSE 42A

Effective Writing for Army Leaders

STUDENT WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2

PREPARE A MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

Version 3.6

June 2016 U.S. ARMY SOLDIER SUPPORT INSTITUTE

Noncommissioned Officer Academy Human Resources Advanced Leaders Course TLO 0.0 – Conduct Essential Leadership Training

ELO 0.2 – Effective Writing for Army Leaders

WRITING ASSIGNMENT #2 – PREPARE A MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

1. Objective. Memorandums for Record (MFR) serve a variety of purposes and are commonly used in S-1s and other staff sections. MFRs are often used to provide a written record to document why a particular action was taken (or not taken) and by what authority. This Writing Assignment will assess your written communication skills and ability to prepare an MRF in the proper format and style.

2. Instructions. Write a one-page MFR IAW AR 25-50, Preparing and Managing Correspondence, and the Army Writing Style based on the scenario provided below. Type your MFR using Arial font, 12 pitch. Your office symbol is ATSG-NCOA-ALC.

3. You must do your own original work. The ALC Written Communication Rubrics will be used to assess your work.

SCENARIO: Today’s date is 16 May 2013. After graduation from the HR Advanced Leaders Course, you report for duty in the S-1 section at HHC, 548th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, Fort Atterbury, Indiana 31334-9000. The S-1 NCOIC, SFC Davis, welcomes you aboard and explains she has only been with the battalion for about 2 weeks and is still trying to get a handle on the S-1 section which is at 65% strength due to unprogrammed losses. SFC Davis informs you she will conduct your initial NCOER counseling and review your duty description tomorrow morning after PT.

The following day during your initial counseling, SFC Davis tells you your first priority is getting a handle on the Evaluation Reporting System and shares the following information:  There are “rumblings” in the battalion about late and misrouted NCOERs.

 The previous NCOER NCOIC, SGT Young, departed unexpectedly 2 months ago on a Compassionate Reassignment. He was having personal issues at home and medical issues from previous deployments that kept him out of the S-1 section the majority of the last 60 days he was assigned.

The battalion CSM, who is a stickler, reviews all NCO evaluations and insists on a hard- copy so he can write comments on them before they are processed and submitted. The problem is getting the reports out of the CSM’s office and back down to the originators in a timely manner. Several reports are missing and may be in the CSM’s office. SFC Davis tells you to spend the remainder of the day assessing the situation and let her know if you need any help. As you get settled into SGT Young’s old workstation and start getting organized, you open one of the drawers and under a stack of old Army Times newspapers, you find a yellow sticky note dated 4 February 2013 from the CSM attached to the original DA Form 2166-8s for 1SG Miskel and SSG Friends.

SGT Young…make the following changes to 1SG Miskel’s and SSG Friends’ NCOERs, go final and process ASAP……CSM 4 Feb 13

You go to your computer and check the Interactive Web Response System (IWRS) and determine the evaluations were never processed and are late. You immediately report your findings to SFC Davis and she tells you:

“Prepare an MFR explaining the situation that I can provide to the battalion commander and CSM. I need it ASAP!”

4. References.

a. AR 25-50, Preparing and Managing Correspondence

b. AG School Effective Writing Handbook

5. Assignment Due. See HR ALC Course calendar for due date.