WUH, I got a very nice letter from air officer when I was promoted to fg off a year early. I also got an equally good letter from the Staff College when I passed the ISS. I appreciated both letters, I am not sure I would have enjoyed a public award.
It is though an RAF thing as when I was in Ascension, SNOW, Senior Naval Officer Wideawake, had a change of command ceremony. The Naval personnel were paraded outside operations, the outgoing SNOW said a few words, the new SNOW then read out his orders, the men could see who was now in charge and the whole thing certainly seemed far more traditional than a few CoC lines in SROs and possibly a small thank you in SROs by the outgoing staish. It was all the more touching as the parade consisted of 3 PO and 2 2.5s.