Unit Citation ribbon wear finally clarified!

[dwb]

CAP/CC Memo (PDF)

Unit Citation Award. The Unit Citation Award ribbon may only be worn by members assigned to the unit during any portion of the period of time shown in the National Headquarters Personnel Action announcing the award. Individuals who join the unit at a later date are not authorized to wear the Unit Citation Ribbon.

It's about time someone put the kibosh on the idea of joining a unit and instantly wearing x citations.

[0]

This has already been posted.  Use the search function.

[citizensoldier]

What about active duty unit citations?  My unit got a MUC while we were in Iraq and I was part of the unit.

[Stonewall]

CS,

This is solely for the CAP unit citations.

Your military unit citations can be worn along with your other military ribbons.  However, the Air Force and CAP do not wear military citiations on the wearer's right side, but incorporated with the regular ribbons.

NOTE:  I began this reply about an hour ago before getting interupted at work so this may have been answered already.

[Flying Pig]

OK.....what did I miss?  I thought it was always that you had to be part of the unit during the times stated in the citation?

[citizensoldier]

CS,

This is solely for the CAP unit citations.

Your military unit citations can be worn along with your other military ribbons.  However, the Air Force and CAP do not wear military citiations on the wearer's right side, but incorporated with the regular ribbons.

NOTE:  I began this reply about an hour ago before getting interupted at work so this may have been answered already.

Cool.  How do you do that when it has that gold metalic border that makes putting it on a rack a bit difficult?

CS

[IceNine]

OK.....what did I miss?  I thought it was always that you had to be part of the unit during the times stated in the citation?

You missed nothing.  It was always this way but it was clearly unclear in the reg's

[jb512]

CS,

This is solely for the CAP unit citations.

Your military unit citations can be worn along with your other military ribbons.  However, the Air Force and CAP do not wear military citiations on the wearer's right side, but incorporated with the regular ribbons.

NOTE:  I began this reply about an hour ago before getting interupted at work so this may have been answered already.

Cool.  How do you do that when it has that gold metalic border that makes putting it on a rack a bit difficult?

CS

The AF uses smaller gold frames that will fit onto the ribbon rack on the left side.

[Flying Pig]

CS,

This is solely for the CAP unit citations.

Your military unit citations can be worn along with your other military ribbons.  However, the Air Force and CAP do not wear military citiations on the wearer's right side, but incorporated with the regular ribbons.

NOTE:  I began this reply about an hour ago before getting interupted at work so this may have been answered already.

Cool.  How do you do that when it has that gold metalic border that makes putting it on a rack a bit difficult?

CS

The AF uses smaller gold frames that will fit onto the ribbon rack on the left side.

You beat me to it!  You have to get the USAF one.  Its not as thick.


Jaybird....shouldnt you be somewhere doing a weight and balance or something?

[Stonewall]

There are some military unit awards that aren't made in the smaller size.  I have the Army Superior Unit Award which is exclusive to the Army.  I had to take a frame off an AF citation and switch it with the big one that came with the award.

Or, if you order a set through thinribbons.com, they do it for you.

[jb512]

CS,

This is solely for the CAP unit citations.

Your military unit citations can be worn along with your other military ribbons.  However, the Air Force and CAP do not wear military citiations on the wearer's right side, but incorporated with the regular ribbons.

NOTE:  I began this reply about an hour ago before getting interupted at work so this may have been answered already.

Cool.  How do you do that when it has that gold metalic border that makes putting it on a rack a bit difficult?

CS

The AF uses smaller gold frames that will fit onto the ribbon rack on the left side.

You beat me to it!  You have to get the USAF one.  Its not as thick.


Jaybird....shouldnt you be somewhere doing a weight and balance or something?

You go get back in your egg beater and leave the heavy stuff to me...  

We had a half day today and we're packing up for Christmas leave.  I'll do my final week of school when I get back and then pin on my wings on January 13th!

Of course, then I still have SERE, IQT, etc, etc...

And... um... unit citation.  There, kept the topic in my post.

[Flying Pig]

I could probably fly my egg beater in that thing...wearing my unit citation

[Hawk200]

There are some military unit awards that aren't made in the smaller size.  I have the Army Superior Unit Award which is exclusive to the Army.  I had to take a frame off an AF citation and switch it with the big one that came with the award.

Or, if you order a set through thinribbons.com, they do it for you.

I remember seeing the Air Force size frames sold separately at a few different mil clothing stores. I had no idea what they were for, so I asked one of the employees. She also told that me it is actually possible to wear them with the frame upside down. I managed to help a few folks out that did it after I found that out.

[NIN]

Yeah, that wear policy has only been in question off and on since it was originally changed around 1979 or 1980.

WIWAC in 1981, I was told "Here, wear this green ribbon."

"What is it for?" asks the ever-inquisitive Cadet Airman Basic.

"Unit citation. Our group got one in like 1977 for having three squadron in the top units in the country all at once. Or something like that.  Anyway, don't ask questions, cadet, just wear it."

That was pretty much the answer I gave a month and a half later at Summer Encampment when the IG went up one side of me and down the other for wearing "ribbons you're not even authorized to wear, cadet!"  Yeah, well, "Because my CO, the guy who out ranks me by like a factor of 7,000,  told me to wear it, sir!" is apparently not sufficient enough of an answer for an Airman Basic to give when confronted with that particular conundrum.  (like me with 6 weeks in CAP knew bupkis about CAPR 39-3....)

Fast forward to the late 1990s, when my wing commander (who, at the time of his appointment as wing commander, was not qualified to wear the Red Service Ribbon, if you take my meaning), got into a gigantic argument with me about "what the regulation really means here.." and "how they do it in the real Air Force."   The whole "permanent" and "temporary" thing in the regs really confused him.  Enough so that he thought he'd tell me (a guy who was quite nearly a 20 year veteran of the program at that point, and had essentially lived thru "dark and confusing times" immediately after the regulation was changed) what the writers of the reg intended.  I took about 5 minutes and outlined the history of that reg change back to the 1979 or 1980 change the brought about all the confusion.  And of course, he says "Well, I didn't know anything about all that!"  (and the whole time I'm thinking "If you'd stop trying to explain to me the mistaken impression you got third-hand from someone at the Wing Commander's course over a year ago, coupled with your nearly 20 year old remembery of how the Air Force handles unit citations, and just listen to a guy who has a full understanding of what the regulation says, including the organization's intent based on a telephone conversation with Renova Williams, you'd be a LOT further ahead right now... Sir.")

*sigh*

Glad someone decided to clarify that crap.  It was unclear in 1981, and nobody has ever really done much to "clarify" it since.

[Timbo]

^ That story is like many situations I am sure many Members have faced.  I remember a brand new 1st Lt Squadron Commander who was in CAP less than anyone else in the SQD, including the newest Cadet, and he walks in the first week after the Change of Command wearing a UC, with two devices attached.  He lasted just under 4 months, and we never saw him again. 

Then there was the Wing Commander who decided all the members of his Wing will wear the Wing Patch, unless you went to Hawk Mountain then you get to wear your HAWK patch in place of the Wing Patch there, and at the Sarex that year he had the guts to yell at a group of Cadets from a SQD who placed their Blue Beret patch in place of their Wing Patch, because they believed (along with many) that the policy was to place Special Activity patches in place of the Wing Patch, not just the Hawk Patches.  My Wing has for a very long time not had written policy letters, just the "word of mouth" type thing going on.

I am happy to finally see some type of clarification on the UC Award.  Now if we could only get the members to follow the guidance.

NIN.......I bet the unit citation you were forced to wear when you first joined felt kind of good.  I remember when I was told to put one on when I first joined as a Cadet felt good also.  Then kind of felt bad after I was forced to remove it when the Unit got a SQD Commander who actually carried the Regs around with him.     

[IceNine]

I also lived a similar experience NIN.  I was told to take mine off around 2000.

It amazes me that I had to have this exact conversation with one of my unit commander's just a few months ago.

a 1/4 century and we are finally just now clearing this up.

[Eclipse]

History shows that cleared up or not, there will be lpenty of members who refuse to change their racks.

[Stonewall]

+1 with NIN's experience.  I told it in a different thread just a few days ago.  Joined CAP and before I had a stripe I had a green ribbon with two clasps.  I was told to wear it and a good cadet does what he is told.

And for those of you wearing military unit citations, the wheat in the frame "grows up".  Yes, you can have the metal frame upside down.

This is the Army Superior Unit Award that I was awarded while serving in a unit:

And here is a rack I found online with two different unit awards mixed in with the AF ribbons.

[Stonewall]

Sorry, I'm really trying to illustrate this for folks...   

Here is the perfect example of the difference between Unit awards for the Army vs for the Air Force...

 

[Timbo]

^ Worn in two different locations as well??  AF= on ribbons side, while Army= on nameplate side