New and Old CAP IDs

[Stonewall]

Just got my new photo ID card and looked at the back.  I think I like the back of the old ID cards better.  Here is a pic of today's vs 1990.  I'll have to go through all my old cards between now and then and see how they've evolved.  Kind of reminds me how the Annual Reports to Congress have gotten a bit, um, well, weak.  From the front cover a cadet practicing survival during PJOC to a picture of a kid, not in uniform, playing with a model rocket.

Anyhoo, just an observaiton.

[RogueLeader]

Wow. . .
Don't know what to say about that. . . .

[mikeylikey]

Hey at least they got rid of those cards made out of flimsy plastic. 

[Stonewall]

Hey at least they got rid of those cards made out of flimsy plastic. 

True, but before that, they weren't even plastic, but paper.  Had to laminate it  yourself.

[Flying Pig]

I still have one of my paper ones.....

Most fell victim to the washing machine and the dryer.  Cadet Steht, where is your ID card?  Ummmm, I washed it.

[SAR-EMT1]

I still wish they would get rid of the Mission statement!

The back of the CG Aux cards is the way we ought to go.  OR the Air Force could have us use an expired AF ID format.

[DrJbdm]

you know, the ACA uses a CAC looking card for their personnel.

   I think if CAP got off it's rear end and started mandating REAL standards then we could have CAC looking ID cards too. as it is, we seem to act and look like a bad joke and seem to want to be different then the Air Force. The ACA does things just like the Army, no wonder they have a better working relationship.

  I don't know how the CG Aux cards look, and the sea cadet IDs look similar to the old style military IDs unless they have changed in the past few years.

[MIKE]

COMDTINST M16790.1F Page 46 of the PDF has samples.  Mine is a little different 'cause it is newer and printed directly on the plastic... I think those are the older laminated ones...  the text seems to rub off of the new ones in your wallet though. 

[PHall]

you know, the ACA uses a CAC looking card for their personnel.

   I think if CAP got off it's rear end and started mandating REAL standards then we could have CAC looking ID cards too. as it is, we seem to act and look like a bad joke and seem to want to be different then the Air Force. The ACA does things just like the Army, no wonder they have a better working relationship.

  I don't know how the CG Aux cards look, and the sea cadet IDs look similar to the old style military IDs unless they have changed in the past few years.

They tried to make our ID cards the same format as the CAC a couple of years ago.
The Air Force had major problems with it and said NO!

IIRC there was a thread here on CAPTalk about it too.

[DrJbdm]

Are you really surprised the Air Force said NO! ?? Lets all take a good long hard look at us:

we make every single person who joins an officer after 6months and there is absolutely no qualifications or standards that exist to become an Officer.

We allow anyone regardless of any reason other then being a felon or a child molester to join and we may even allow someone with a felony record in some circumstances. bottom line, we refuse to have any sort of membership standards.

we seemingly refuse to make our personnel comply with uniform standards for wear, we actually go out of way to not come down hard on a violation.

  Now, given my experience those places that are more exclusive generally have little to no problems with recruiting or retention. being very inclusive like we are actually invites more problems then it solves.

   I know this was off topic...   

  OK, back on topic: I think we need to work towards getting a better ID card that resembles the current Air Force card. we need something that looks alot more official then what we have, something that looks government approved and not City Library approved.

  We do not need a mission statement on our cards, they are not supposed to be used as recruiting tools to educate the public about us. They are designed to facilitate us in doing our jobs and identifying our members. in order to that job, you don't take the most basic form allowed and say "well, make this work" you design something that's going to pass muster with the public as being official and a library card is not acceptable.

[mikeylikey]

^  The ACA is indistinguishable from an AD Army Officer until you actually get up and read the nameplate/ branch tape.  The DOD seems to have no problem with them or any other similar group.  CAP is the only one who seems to "get left out" when it comes to uniforms.

[mikeylikey]

OK, back on topic: I think we need to work toward getting a better ID card that resembles the current Air Force card. we need something that looks alot more official then what we have, something that looks government approved and not City Library approved.

We should have DOD Civilian ID cards for performing AF assigned missions.  We are classified as a GS-9 Step 1 when on the AF assigned Mission, and given military benefits when we are in possesion of an MSA.  (half the time members have problems getting on AF bases, while the crackhead that sweeps the floors at the Burger King in the PX/BX gets a DOD Card.  What the crap is up with that?!? 

Someone (or a group) with close ties to the Seanate/ House needs to approach their Senator/ Representative and see what laws we can get changed, or what new MOU's can be presented!

[Grumpy]

A couple years back, I had a member try to get onto Edwards AFB to go to clothing sales.  They not only would not allow him to get onto base with his CAP ID and driver's license, they confiscated his CAP ID.

[MIGCAP]

Just to keep things correct the USAF offered us real CAC Cards several years ago. It was our National HQ that turned them down as a hardship for the members.  When we turned them down the USAF said, not to go making some CAC lookalike.  Their position was that we could have the real thing or one that could not be mistaken for a real one. National felt that having to go to a CBPO to get one and pay for it was a hardship. I suspect the real hardship was the fact that they did not make a profit on real CAC Cards.

[Tubacap]

Wow, that's annoying.  So we now get inquisitive sometimes dirty looks when going on base because it would have been "inconvenient" to get the real thing?

Argh.

[DrJbdm]

I suspect the real they turned them down is the "corporate" mentality that those in charge seem to have these days, thats been an on going problem for the past several years. If those who want us very closely aligned with the USAF was in charge back then, we would have long since had CAC cards.

  I think sometimes National does things or makes decisions that are based on money rather then are based on operational or professional standards. Yes, alot of our members need CAC cards to make life easier, no not everyone needs them but a good number of us do.

[RiverAux]

Proof of CAP turning down CAC cards?

[BillB]

RiverAux....  I was told the same thing by a CAP-USAF NCO at Maxwell a couple of years ago. I doubt that you'll find it in writing due to time lapse.

[RiverAux]

AS we all know, you can't believe everything you hear about CAP.  There are a lot of urban legends floating around out there. 

[mikeylikey]

Just to keep things correct the USAF offered us real CAC Cards several years ago. It was our National HQ that turned them down as a hardship for the members.  When we turned them down the USAF said, not to go making some CAC lookalike.  Their position was that we could have the real thing or one that could not be mistaken for a real one. National felt that having to go to a CBPO to get one and pay for it was a hardship. I suspect the real hardship was the fact that they did not make a profit on real CAC Cards.

Interesting.  Figuring a DEERS enrolment office and ID Card Office are located in every Federal Building.  I would not find the issuing of CAC cards a hardship for members.  I would say the real hardship is the current card, the ridiculous prices Vanguard charges and Membership dues from NHQ.