The Importance of Submitting a GOMOR Rebuttal

If you are receiving a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR) you will be given a chance to respond to the action in writing.  The period of time that you will have to submit your response is usually seven duty days from the date that you received notification of the GOMOR.

You should never pass up an opportunity to submit a GOMOR rebuttal.  A well drafted rebuttal may persuade your commander to file the GOMOR in your local or restricted fiche as opposed to your performance fiche.  This filing determination could also mean the difference between being allowed to continue your service and being required to show cause why you should not be separated.

GOMOR Rebuttal Tips

To aid you in the process of submitting a GOMOR rebuttal, you should consider the provided tips below.  These tips are not intended as a substitute for the advice of an experienced civilian attorney.  In preparing a rebuttal, consider the following guidelines:

• Submit your Rebuttal on Time: Do not miss the submission deadline for your GOMOR rebuttal.  If you need more time for your rebuttal, you should request an extension from your commander.
• Support your Submission with Facts: You can expect everything that you include in your rebuttal will be verified by your chain of command.  If possible, make sure that each statement of fact in your rebuttal is supported by either a witness statement or some other documentation.  It is important to be truthful and accurate in your rebuttal.  Your GOMOR rebuttal locks you into a specific version of events; once it is on paper, you cannot change it later without hurting your credibility.
• Be Complete: Your response should address every negative point in the GOMOR.  You should explain why a certain piece of evidence against you is either misleading or unfair.  You should also provide your own documentation to support any available defense or extenuating circumstance in your case.
• Attach Character Statements: You should identify other soldiers in your present or former chain of command that are willing to submit a statement on your behalf.  Each character statement should include information about the following: How long the soldier has known you; duty relationship to you; personal relationship with you; evaluation of your duty performance; your attitude about military service; and problems that you have had within the unit or your personal life and your efforts to overcome those problems.
• Be Tactical in your Submission: If you are likely to face a show cause board or some subsequent administrative action based upon the GOMOR, you may not want to disclose all of you evidence at the GOMOR rebuttal stage.

If you have questions about what to include in your response, a civilian counsel can assist you in this important matter.  Mr. Coombs is a civilian military defense attorney with extensive experience in GOMOR rebuttals.

GOMOR Rebuttal

If you are facing a GOMOR, and would like our assistance in drafting your rebuttal, contact our office by sending us a message in the form to the right of this page.