Wearing you beret from NBB outside of NBB?

[Eclipse]

The awarding authority is your bank when NHQ cashes the check for the third year.

Seriously, do you think an RSR needs wing CC approval?  Would there be a situation where it would be denied?

For the most part everything needs somebody's signature, but there are some things worth worrying about and some
that aren't  Ribbons for respiration and gravitational attraction in proper proportion aren't high on my list.

[SarDragon]

So it's OK for you to rag on people for selective enforcement of ES related regs, but forgoing a required form submission for an award passes muster. Is a hypocrite card issued as part of a group commander's kit?

Amazing.

[Eclipse]

So it's OK for you to rag on people for selective enforcement of ES related regs, but forgoing a required form submission for an award passes muster. Is a hypocrite card issued as part of a group commander's kit?

No, it is called the practical reality of running a program with the administrative requirements of a full time profession with a 1/4 staff and limited resources.

It is also the putting the attention of those limited resources where it belongs - ES can mean life and property, whether that is who we are helping, or our own people, an RSR does not.

I still stand by the statement that these awards are self-actualizing, so it isn't hypocritical at all.

[Senty7]

No, it is called the practical reality of running a program with the administrative requirements of a full time profession with a 1/4 staff and limited resources.

It is also the putting the attention of those limited resources where it belongs - ES can mean life and property, whether that is who we are helping, or our own people....

Certainly a noble goal.

The current thread pertaining to the wear of the beret has entered its fifth page.  Searching the archives, I found numerous other threads about the blue beret.  One thread, a nine-pager, ranks among the highest in invective that I have seen as I've perused this forum.  I'm sure many of us are also following the shoulder-cord thread that is paralleling this one.  As a newbie here, I've noticed that it seems to be that any new topic started here will meet disagreement from no less than 52 percent of the CapTalk membership.  Half will automatically disagree, plus a number of individuals who have an opinion on every topic, plus one or two more who will disagree (often tongue-in-cheek) just to spin things up.  With much trepidation, I guess I'm prepared for that with this post. 

As a non-CAP member who will decide whether to call out CAP resources to assist on a search in my jurisdiction, my question is this:  Can you tell me if the leaders here are spending as much time, effort, energy, and reflection in ensuring that your groups, wings, squadrons, and members know how to search?

[Spaceman3750]

Can you tell me if the leaders here are spending as much time, effort, energy, and reflection in ensuring that your groups, wings, squadrons, and members know how to search?

Yes. Many of those you see here are very active leaders in their respective area/specialty and run very successful programs. Eclipse's group is one of the best ES resources in my wing, and I would do back flips to be able to make the 5 hour drive to every training his squadrons hold.

That said, what you see here is only a small sliver of what CAP actually is. Some of our best people won't go near these forums for various reasons. The rest of us put our CAP jobs before our CAP politics. I frequently watch these forums but 99% of my CAP time is still put into making sure I run an effective ES program.

[Eclipse]

As a non-CAP member who will decide whether to call out CAP resources to assist on a search in my jurisdiction, my question is this:  Can you tell me if the leaders here are spending as much time, effort, energy, and reflection in ensuring that your groups, wings, squadrons, and members know how to search?

The simple answer is yes.

CAPTalk is not CAP, it is a discussion forum, and the point of a discussion forum is to discuss things.  By a long shot most members aren't even aware of the issues involved in these discussions, let alone participating.

The fact that many of us are as invested in these discussions as we are is because we >are< actively involved in training and participating, and would like to see some of these baseline issue defined with two sentences and never discussed again, something
we can't seem to squeeze out of NHQ. 

These discussions are the CAP equivalent of Star Wars vs. Star Trek, etc.  They rarely occur during missions or other real-world situations.

It is also a byproduct of an intersection of boredom and bandwidth.

[Senty7]

^  Thank you. 

[NCRblues]

As a non-CAP member who will decide whether to call out CAP resources to assist on a search in my jurisdiction, my question is this:  Can you tell me if the leaders here are spending as much time, effort, energy, and reflection in ensuring that your groups, wings, squadrons, and members know how to search?

The simple answer is yes.

CAPTalk is not CAP, it is a discussion forum, and the point of a discussion forum is to discuss things.  By a long shot most members aren't even aware of the issues involved in these discussions, let alone participating.

The fact that many of us are as invested in these discussions as we are is because we >are< actively involved in training and participating, and would like to see some of these baseline issue defined with two sentences and never discussed again, something
we can't seem to squeeze out of NHQ. 

These discussions are the CAP equivalent of Star Wars vs. Star Trek, etc.  The rarely occur during missions or other real-world situations.

It is also a byproduct of an intersection of boredom and bandwidth.

agree....

I post here and watch here because i care so deeply about the program on every level. We may disagree on a lot of things but in the end, i am still honored to serve among great men and women who get no pay, and (truly) little recognition out of what we do. Makes me proud everytime i put on the uniform.

[exFlight Officer]

As a non-CAP member who will decide whether to call out CAP resources to assist on a search in my jurisdiction, my question is this:  Can you tell me if the leaders here are spending as much time, effort, energy, and reflection in ensuring that your groups, wings, squadrons, and members know how to search?

The simple answer is yes.

CAPTalk is not CAP, it is a discussion forum, and the point of a discussion forum is to discuss things.  By a long shot most members aren't even aware of the issues involved in these discussions, let alone participating.

The fact that many of us are as invested in these discussions as we are is because we >are< actively involved in training and participating, and would like to see some of these baseline issue defined with two sentences and never discussed again, something
we can't seem to squeeze out of NHQ. 

These discussions are the CAP equivalent of Star Wars vs. Star Trek, etc.  The rarely occur during missions or other real-world situations.

It is also a byproduct of an intersection of boredom and bandwidth.

agree....

I post here and watch here because i care so deeply about the program on every level. We may disagree on a lot of things but in the end, i am still honored to serve among great men and women who get no pay, and (truly) little recognition out of what we do. Makes me proud everytime i put on the uniform.

Very Much Agree!

:clap: :clap:

[ol'fido]

The major point of most of these threads is that the regs and manuals are at times ambiguous, contradictory, obsolete, and at times MIA on many issues. Not to mention policy letters, email orders, directives, etc. that vary from wing to wing, region to region, and many that originate at National that are never collected, codified, and published in any coherent or findable form. The switch to online regs has not changed this and in some cases has made it worse.

[Thrashed]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but it seems silly to call the program Blue Beret.  Why name the event after a silly French hat?  Let's name it something meaningful.  What is the focus of the program?  SAR/UDF/GT or fashion?  I don't understand why you couldn't wear a hat that you earned in a CAP activity.  If you can't wear it for more than that week, then don't waste the money on it. Give out a patch or something.

Former NBB cadet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MedHanoUnoY

[HGjunkie]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but it seems silly to call the program Blue Beret.  Why name the event after a silly French hat?  Let's name it something meaningful. 

Why name the Green Berets in the army after a silly french hat?

[davidsinn]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but it seems silly to call the program Blue Beret.  Why name the event after a silly French hat?  Let's name it something meaningful. 

Why name the Green Berets in the army after a silly french hat?

They didn't. That's their nickname. The proper term is United States Army Special Forces.

[Senty7]

^^ Nice try.     Thank John Wayne for that.  They're called "Special Forces," and within and between units they're referred to simply as "5th Group," "7th Group," etc.  Can't help Hollywood.  Never heard anyone in four years at Bragg say, "He's away at Green Beret School."  Gunner C could probably give us all a bit more wisdom on this, as evidenced by the pedigree in his signature block. 

[bosshawk]

I never was in SF, but I worked with them on a number of occasions, including VN, and I never heard them refer to themselves as Green Berets: always by Group or by SF.  Oh well, that was another war and another time.

[isuhawkeye]

And the historical name of the blue berets is the "special service corps" unfortunaitly that name has been lost over the decades

[flyboy53]

And the historical name of the blue berets is the "special service corps" unfortunaitly that name has been lost over the decades

Say Again? The 1st Special Service Force was a joint Canandian/American unit that fought with distinction in places like the Aluetian Islands in WW II. I thought their beret was red.

The blue beret as you know it in the Air Force starts with Air Force Combat Comptrollers and some PJs and then is awarded to Air Force Security Forces by act of the uniform board and CSAF sometime in the late 1970s. The Elite Guard of the Strategic Air Command were already wearing it.

Coming from that era of Security Forces, I can tell you that there was a certain amount of resentment between the Combat Controllers who wore it in Vietnam and those of us newly minted security specialists...I never fogot the dressing down I got from one at Elmendorf AFB, but then he bought me a beer and started to explain what he went through. The story could curl your toes. but I can tell you that over the years, the blue beret has been universally recognized with Security Forces.

[jeders]

And the historical name of the blue berets is the "special service corps" unfortunaitly that name has been lost over the decades

Say Again? The 1st Special Service Force was a joint Canandian/American unit that fought with distinction in places like the Aluetian Islands in WW II. I thought their beret was red.

The blue beret as you know it in the Air Force starts with Air Force Combat Comptrollers and some PJs and then is awarded to Air Force Security Forces by act of the uniform board and CSAF sometime in the late 1970s. The Elite Guard of the Strategic Air Command were already wearing it.

Coming from that era of Security Forces, I can tell you that there was a certain amount of resentment between the Combat Controllers who wore it in Vietnam and those of us newly minted security specialists...but I can tell you that over the years, the blue beret has been universally recognized with Security Forces.

NBB has nothing to do with the Special Service Force or AF SF/PJ/etc. NBB started as the North Central Region Special Services Corps. and, much like the Army Special Forces were nicknamed Green Berets, got the nickname Blue Berets. This is highly simplified, for a full history, go here.

[flyboy53]

Cool history. I stand corrected.

[Major Carrales]

Always be careful not to confuse CAP Traditions with those of any other organization.  Many people make this mistake when looking at CAP ribbons, activities and the like.  Then ensues many posts based on misinterpretation of the tradition.