GOMOR Filing Decision
If you are receiving a General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR), you will be given a chance to respond to the action in writing. You will usually have to submit your response within seven calendar days from the date you received notification of the GOMOR. You should never pass up the opportunity to submit matters to the command in a GOMOR action. The GOMOR rebuttal that you submit can impact the GOMOR filing decision, and may make the difference between continuing to serve in the Army and being separated through either a chapter action or a show cause board.
Your GOMOR response may persuade the commander to file the action in your local or restricted fiche as opposed to your performance fiche/Army Military Human Resource Record (AMHRR). If the letter is filed in your local file, it will be destroyed when you PCS to a different duty station. A local filing will mean that it will not hurt your military career. However, if the letter is filed in your performance/AMHRR file, then you will no longer be competitive for promotion, and you will likely face a separation action.
The decision over where to file the reprimand can be influenced by a well written GOMOR rebuttal. In many cases, the statements and documents you attach will be the only favorable information about you in the GOMOR action. An effective GOMOR rebuttal can convince the command that either the adverse action is either too harsh or that you deserve a second chance.
If you are thinking about signing a GOMOR without responding, you should definitely speak with a attorney before making your final decision. If you have questions about what to include in your response, you should either go to the Trial Defense Service and speak with a military attorney, or consider retaining a civilian attorney to assist you in this important matter.
Our office has had a lot of success in helping Soldiers with GOMOR actions. If you are facing a GOMOR action, it is important that you reach out to an attorney for help. Mr. Coombs has over twenty years of experience helping Soldiers, and is prepared to start helping you today.