Another "wear" quandry...

[Flying Pig]

I have LE ribbons.  I think they would look great on my CAP uniform.

Honestly, every state has different looking ribbons.  At least federal ribbons are all the same.  Good Grief Charlie Brown.  If we bring on NG ribbons, we'll have guys walking around with 50 ribbons.  It doesnt matter.  If your in the guard, wear your federal decorations and your CAP decs and your foreign decs and call it good.

I think most will agree that most CAP members have about had it with uniforms and ribbons.  Really, we're OK. 

[Eclipse]

I think most will agree that most CAP members have about had it with uniforms and ribbons. 

I think most would agree that other than 10 or 20 of us here, no one remotely gives it as much thought  as we do - they wear the ones awarded and move on.  A few wear badges and ribbons they shouldn't, and a few have somewhat...personal... justifications for why they do, or don't wear something.

What frustrates me is the thought that every award, doo-dad, ribbon, and atta-boy given by some other remotely tangentially related service should pile up on the CAP uniform.

Why not wear CAP awards, decs, and badges on CAP uniforms, and save the other stuff for the other guys' uniforms?

[Rotorhead]

What frustrates me is the thought that every award, doo-dad, ribbon, and atta-boy given by some other remotely tangentially related service should pile up on the CAP uniform.

Why not wear CAP awards, decs, and badges on CAP uniforms, and save the other stuff for the other guys' uniforms?

What are you, a communist?

[Hawk200]

If we bring on NG ribbons, we'll have guys walking around with 50 ribbons. 

What exactly are you basing that idea on? I've got far more Federal awards than state decs. Twenty five separate awards (accumulated on nineteen ribbons) as opposed to three state decs.

The Fed awards were accumulated over a period of twenty years, the state decs over a period of ten. Federal awards are for more common. There are Federal awards I'm not even eligible for because I'm Guard, and one I've lost out on. To act as if Guardsman are getting them like candy is showing how completely uninformed some people are about them.

You may not like the idea of state awards being worn, but be accurate. The average Guardsman with no previous active duty time will have fewer ribbons than their active duty counterparts.

[Flying Pig]

Relax warpig.  What I am saying is between State Decorations, Military Decorations and CAP Decorations, all on the same uniform, we are going to start looking silly.  Especially since each state has their own ribbons.  8 yrs in the military, although none of it in the Guard, I would say Im pretty well informed.

[Stonewall]

The average Guardsman with no previous active duty time will have fewer ribbons than their active duty counterparts.

My wife has only served in the Guard, never activated, never been on active duty.  She has 7 ribbons in 6 years.

I spent 4 years on active duty in the Army and left with 6 ribbons.  6 years later when I left the Army Guard I had 12 ribbons (all federal).  I had about 4 or 5 state ribbons that I never wore, nor did I know what they were for.

In my experience, I accumulated more ribbons in the Guard than I did on Active Duty.

[Hawk200]

Relax warpig. 

Warpig? Do you realize how that sounds? The anti military sentiment on this board is bad enough, this doesn't help.

The average Guardsman with no previous active duty time will have fewer ribbons than their active duty counterparts.

My wife has only served in the Guard, never activated, never been on active duty.  She has 7 ribbons in 6 years.

I spent 4 years on active duty in the Army and left with 6 ribbons.  6 years later when I left the Army Guard I had 12 ribbons (all federal).  I had about 4 or 5 state ribbons that I never wore, nor did I know what they were for.

In my experience, I accumulated more ribbons in the Guard than I did on Active Duty.

OK, maybe she did accumulate more. Were they all State decorations? I believe the post implied that Guard personnel get more State decorations than Federal ones. Is this the case with your wife?

Seven in six years is unusual from from what I've seen. She had to be pretty high speed, and have a decent supervisor to get that many. Either that, or the states I've been in have been crap. Which isn't out of the question.

[Flying Pig]

Pig, War-type, 1-each. Green.

[Stonewall]

OK, maybe she did accumulate more. Were they all State decorations? I believe the post implied that Guard personnel get more State decorations than Federal ones. Is this the case with your wife?

My wife didn't even know there were such thing as state awards.  All hers are federal.

Seven in six years is unusual from from what I've seen. She had to be pretty high speed, and have a decent supervisor to get that many. Either that, or the states I've been in have been crap. Which isn't out of the question.

It's the Air Force/Air Guard...  She got 4 just for finishing BMT (BMT, Honor Grad, NDS, GWOT-S).  She has since acquired Expert Shooter, AFCOM and one other that I don't recognize.

My point about ribbons, especially state ribbons, is that they are so insignificant that I have no clue which ones I have.  Same with my wife.  I know I have some because I saw them in some file a year or so ago.  I didn't even know I had some of them.  My wife didn't even know the Guard had their own ribbons.  If they mean that little to people in the Guard, why would they ammount to any sort of status in CAP's world?

Seriously?  Ribbons?  State awards?  There is a line, please don't cross it.  They're just ribbons.

[Spike]

Lets not bash State DEC's, while some Federal Dec's are actually handed out like candy as well too.  Graduating Basic Training?? Um, ya if you didn't you wouldn't be serving.  There is one ribbon gone.  Service ribbons and deployment ribbons and GWOT ribbon and the list goes on as to which ribbons are awarded for the same activity. 

However, I am working on my second Community Service, so not a hater here of anyone's decorations. 

[Stonewall]

Sorry, I didn't mean to discriminate towards State Decs.  I should have bashed most Federal Decs too.

I have as many ribbons as my grandfather and father combined.  My grandfather stormed the beaches of Normandy earning a BSM(V) & PH.  My father served 20+ in the Navy with multiple tours in Vietnam as part of the Brown Water Navy.  I've got almost 14 years in and have only deployed once, yet I look like a hero.  NATO, BMT, NCOPD, GCM, Longevity, NDSM(S), GWOT-S, all gimmies.

[Hawk200]

Pig, War-type, 1-each. Green.

Now I know where you stand. Enjoy the free flying, that's obviously what you're here for.

It's the Air Force/Air Guard...  She got 4 just for finishing BMT (BMT, Honor Grad, NDS, GWOT-S).  She has since acquired Expert Shooter, AFCOM and one other that I don't recognize.

Fairly standard. I had almost all the same ones (minus GWOT, Honor Grad) when I was in about the same place.

My point about ribbons, especially state ribbons, is that they are so insignificant that I have no clue which ones I have.  Same with my wife.  I know I have some because I saw them in some file a year or so ago.  I didn't even know I had some of them.  My wife didn't even know the Guard had their own ribbons.  If they mean that little to people in the Guard, why would they ammount to any sort of status in CAP's world?

In the states I've been in, they're harder to actually get than most Federal awards available to Guard personnel.

As far as "status" in CAP, most people don't even recognize many of my Federal awards. I don't think that should equate to not amounting to anything. Just because it isn't recognized, doesnt mean it's nothing.

Our ribbon racks are resumes. Just like a paper one, if something isn't clear, you ask.

If state ribbons are disallowed, fine. But they shouldn't be considered candy. They don't come easy like many people think. A lot of CAP awards are given far more freely than any state dec ever will be. I find it amusing how some people talk about how they "earned" a Membership ribbon, but think that military awards are "gimmes".

[Flying Pig]

Pig, War-type, 1-each. Green.

Now I know where you stand. Enjoy the free flying, that's obviously what you're here for.

It's the Air Force/Air Guard...  She got 4 just for finishing BMT (BMT, Honor Grad, NDS, GWOT-S).  She has since acquired Expert Shooter, AFCOM and one other that I don't recognize.

Fairly standard. I had almost all the same ones (minus GWOT, Honor Grad) when I was in about the same place.

My point about ribbons, especially state ribbons, is that they are so insignificant that I have no clue which ones I have.  Same with my wife.  I know I have some because I saw them in some file a year or so ago.  I didn't even know I had some of them.  My wife didn't even know the Guard had their own ribbons.  If they mean that little to people in the Guard, why would they ammount to any sort of status in CAP's world?

In the states I've been in, they're harder to actually get than most Federal awards available to Guard personnel.

As far as "status" in CAP, most people don't even recognize many of my Federal awards. I don't think that should equate to not amounting to anything. Just because it isn't recognized, doesnt mean it's nothing.

Our ribbon racks are resumes. Just like a paper one, if something isn't clear, you ask.

If state ribbons are disallowed, fine. But they shouldn't be considered candy. They don't come easy like many people think. A lot of CAP awards are given far more freely than any state dec ever will be. I find it amusing how some people talk about how they "earned" a Membership ribbon, but think that military awards are "gimmes".

OK, maybe your the only one who sees the connection with that comment.  Ive been in CAP since I was 13.  Im now 34.  Ive only been a pilot in CAP for the last 2yrs.  So I would say your internet psychic abilities have failed you.  I fly about 50 hrs per month as it is and get paid to do it.  So again, I dont need free flying. If anything, I usually pay or lose pay when I fly for CAP.  Lets not make assupmtions about people we have never met.  Its childish.

[Hawk200]

OK, maybe your the only one who sees the connection with that comment.  Ive been in CAP since I was 13.  Im now 34.  Ive only been a pilot in CAP for the last 2yrs.  So I would say your internet psychic abilities have failed you.  I fly about 50 hrs per month as it is and get paid to do it.  So again, I dont need free flying. If anything, I usually pay or lose pay when I fly for CAP.  Lets not make assupmtions about people we have never met.  Its childish.

You're the one with the anti-military sentiment. Seems to me that those against the military aspect of CAP are "flying club" types. "Give me the keys to the airplane, but keep your uniform and regs".

You have some inconsistencies between your posts. You speak of Law Enforcement awards being appropriate for wear on CAP uniforms:

I have LE ribbons.  I think they would look great on my CAP uniform.

But in the next paragraph, you make an inaccurate statement:

If we bring on NG ribbons, we'll have guys walking around with 50 ribbons. 

Then you throw something in restricting legitimately earned awards that you don't seem to be familiar with:

If your in the guard, wear your federal decorations and your CAP decs and your foreign decs and call it good.

Seems a little inconsistent. It also gives the appearance that if it's to your own benefit, it's good. If it's someone else's (such as the military awards discussed), it's not. I've seen the same thing before from people that suffer from simple envy.

The "Warpig" comment doesn't help. Either you are not familiar with the term's connotations, or you intentionally insulted military personnel. The statement would seem to reinforce that you're against the military aspect of CAP.

My viewpoint is based on what you have posted. References to being "psychic" are childish. Don't want me to form an opinion of you? Don't post. Choice is up to you.

[RiverAux]

I'm fairly sure he was being sarcastic about how great his LE ribbons would look on a CAP uniform.

[Hawk200]

I'm fairly sure he was being sarcastic about how great his LE ribbons would look on a CAP uniform.

I took it at face value. Probably time for me to forget this thread. There's others that are more informative and less controversial.

[Stonewall]

Seriously, Hawk, I think you did take it to heart a bit much.  Pig was being sarcastic, that's how I took it.  I think we let personal pride get in the way of constructive criticism and individual opinions.

With the exception that you want state ribbons allowed on CAP uniforms and Pig doesn't, I'd say you guys are on the same side.

Now, have a brew and shake hands.

[Flying Pig]

I can assure you I have no anti-military sentiment.  8 yrs as an Infantry machine gunner myself.  I had a 1st Sgt who used to call everyone "War Pig".  I was benig sarcastic about the LE ribbons.

Lets chalk it up as a misunderstanding.

[PHall]

I have 18 years in the ANG and the only "State" ribbons I have are Drill Attendance, Federal Service, State Service, California Service Medal and a California Medal of Merit. And the Medal of Merit should have been an AF Commendation Medal but it got screwed up in Sacramento.
Everything else is Federal.

I would say the vast number of awards given in the ANG are "Federal".

[Stonewall]

Wikipedia has a page about State National Guard Ribbons here.

I remember getting the Virginia Commendation Medal (twice).  Once for deploying to Bosnia (the whole company got it) and then once for soldier of the year.  Funny, I was awarded an Army Achievement Medal for being named Soldier of the Year as well. 

Many of the state awards are back-up awards for federal awards.  If they can't get you a federal commendation, they'll hook you up with a state medal.  Again, these things meant nothing to me.  I didn't even know where to buy them.  In fact, the one gig I got on my uniform during the SOY board was the fact that I didn't have my state awards on my uniform.