JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
Prior to becoming a first sergeant, I was a 17-year personnelist. The personnel career field has changed quite a bit since I was in it, and the personal one-on-one career counselings of the past have been replaced with the technologies of virtual on-line briefings.
Some of us pay better attention to those briefings than others, but one of the most important lessons to pass on is to ensure you are saving your documents throughout your career.
While most documents are filed electronically online, it is imperative you print a copy for yourself for safe keeping. When you retire or separate, those documents will prove to be very valuable when applying for veteran's benefits and it's even more crucial to have when finalizing your Department of Defense Form 214, Certificate of Discharge.
Some of the documents you should maintain are:
1. Enlisted Performance Reports and Officer Performance Reports
2. Awards, decoration citations and orders - as well as printouts of service medal authorizations
3. Temporary duty orders and all corresponding paid travel vouchers
4. Enlistment or commissioning documents
5. Permanent change of station orders
6. Certificates of training or qualification
7. Record Review documentation (all pages with no errors)
As an old retirement counselor, these were the documents that Veterans Affairs requested to prove presence in a certain operation or location. I keep mine in an accordion file, but my best customer was a 30-year chief who had his entire career alphabetically categorized in three binders. However you choose to store them, just make sure you keep them safe.