Top 3 Tips for a GOMOR Rebuttal

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At Military Justice Guides, we help Soldiers respond to a GOMOR rebuttal almost every single day. The General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand (GOMOR) is often referred to as the Army's "dirty little secret" or an Army "career killer." These names are common for two reasons. First, a GOMOR can be issued for anything, from minor allegations to sexual misconduct, and the evidence supporting the GOMOR can be (and often is) very weak. Second, a GOMOR has a tremendous impact on your career.

However, there are "best practices" to responding to a GOMOR in a persuasive manner. Here are Military Justice Guides' Top 3 Tips for a GOMOR Rebuttal:

#1. Confront the Allegations and Evidence

The reason you received a GOMOR is that one of your superiors, and specifically the General, believes that you did something wrong. In your GOMOR Rebuttal, it is important that you confront those allegations and the evidence against you. There are three common ways to respond to claims based on our “best practices.”

First, you can accept the allegations as true and simply hope for the best outcome.  This most commonly happens when the evidence against you is clear.  (For example, you sent inappropriate text messages to someone, and your command has those text messages.)  Second, you can dispute the allegations but not make a statement.  This most commonly happens when the evidence against you is unclear, but anything you say about what happened could make things worse.  (For example, someone claims you said something inappropriate to them, there is no hard evidence or witnesses, but you know that you actually did say the inappropriate thing.)  

Finally, you can dispute the allegations with a statement and evidence.  This most commonly happens when the evidence against you is unclear, and your statement could change things.  (For example, someone claims you said something inappropriate to them, there is no hard evidence or witnesses, and you know you did not say the inappropriate thing.)

If the evidence against you is unclear, and your statement could change things, it is essential that you detail what you recall about the event in question. It is also vital that you point out the ways in which the evidence against you is being misinterpreted or otherwise does not support the allegations. Finally, if you have hard evidence supporting your case, you should strongly consider including that in your GOMOR Rebuttal.

Although the team at Military Justice Guides are not lawyers, and cannot give you legal advice, we can say from experience that these are the best ways to address the allegations you are facing in your GOMOR Rebuttal. There are many ways to respond to a GOMOR.  The key is to decide on a strategy and stick to your message.  Provide information and evidence that helps your command understand your position and, hopefully, resolve your case in the most lenient way.

#2: Build Up Yourself and Your Character

When you receive a GOMOR, you might think that it is all your leadership or command cares about. In our experience, however, it's important that your leadership, and the General, understand all the good things you have done. You need to show them that what led to your GOMOR was out of character for you. You should include positive details about yourself and your career.

We always encourage our clients to detail their careers. Talk about your assignments and what you learned from them. List your training opportunities. You should definitely include lots of information about any awards you may have won or been nominated for, even if they are "small" awards. Explain your successes, including any major projects, decorations, recognitions, etc.  Explain that, because you have been successful in the past, you know you will be successful in the future.

#3: Get Support from Others

Perhaps the most powerful way to respond to a GOMOR is through character letters. Character letters allow you to ask other people, like your supervisors or co-workers, to stand up for you and help you show your true character. In any character letter, you want the author to talk about three things: how they know you, what they think about you, and what your best character traits are. Character letters are an excellent way for you to show your leadership how you contribute to the military community and how other people think you will succeed in the future.

When you ask for character letters from others, you should explain the allegations against you so that they understand why you need their support. You can also provide them with a Character Letter Template, which is a good way to show that you are planning to submit a professional rebuttal and need help.

Character letters are truly the best way to show that others support you and will help you in the future.

Writing a Persuasive GOMOR Rebuttal

The tips above should help you write a persuasive rebuttal to your General Officer Memorandum of Reprimand. Our products can also help. If you are interested, please feel free to read more on our website or purchase a GOMOR Response Template below:

Army GOMOR Response Template

Our GOMOR Response Template is written by experienced military officers. When you purchase this template, you will be able to download and get started!

$25.00

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