Originally Posted by
e6bpilot
Not to judge, it is their game and they can make the rules: but for the most part, in the Navy anyway, Fitness Reports are sort of a joke. They all make you sound like you walk on water. There are a few key words and tricky phrases to pick out, but only someone with a deep background in Navy Air would have any idea how to infer those things from the white noise. You would have to be a real d-bag to have a Fitrep that sounds even neutral to someone who isn't in the military.
Also, the grades for someone who is either retiring or separating are probably going to be "team player" grades that are given to boost the careers of those still on the "golden path", so they aren't a true reflection of performance.
Unless they are using it as an additional sanity check (did this guy lie and he wasn't really the Operations Officer or Safety Officer?), I don't see the real purpose.
The guys on the panel know what they are looking for when they go through the military records you submit to them, including Fitreps or OPRs. They pulled some lines out of my OPR, and asked me specific questions about them. Also, they asked me about some awards and decs. I think they are just looking for normal progression/participation. Because the information is readily available, I think they just take advantage of it.