Why were cloth Specialty Track badges never a thing?

[N6RVT]

Everything else exists in a cloth version, even the new "Volunteer University" badge.

And you can get them put on a polo shirt.  But for some reason they were never BDU pocket badges.  Yes I know a lot of other stuff CAN go there.

Its too late a this point, the next field uniform change will be to something that doesn't have a place for pocket patches anyway.  I'm just curious as to why it never happened.

[SarDragon]

I think because, for the most part, Specialty Track badges are not part of the Operations arena, even several of them apply. Those that do are usually covered by other Ops Quals.

[PHall]

Which is kinda weird since the CAP Specialty Track Badges are sorta equal to the Air Force Occupational Specialty Badges. And the Air Force wears them on all uniforms so they're available in two sizes of metal insignia and in cloth too. Another missed profit opportunity for Vanguard...

[etodd]

Has CAP ever considered something like a Boy Scout merit badge sash? Then everyone would have lots of room to put everything on it for display. You could wear it on top of every type of uniform.

[Spam]

Yeah, I think I once proposed a Girl Scout badge sash, a  few years ago, along with a Knights of Columbus style admirals hat (with colored plume to denote rank and/or specialty track). Sword too, for regular daily wear in the gray and whites. It would match the cute berets and the orange "I'm a Very Bad Ass GT Guy" hats, and the Azerbaijani Navy fruit salad ribbon stacks that provide chest armor and Alpha male dominance display plumage for a certain segment of our membership.

Obviously the comment count for uniform discussions here vastly outstrips productive ops, AE and CP topics, but I'm not so into the uniform fetish and costume play (cosplay). So amidst that constant drumbeat of uniform "ideas", we once had a guy who kept lobbying for the most insane, set-the-controls-for-the-heart-of-the-sun, East German army feldgrau and other uniform stuff, and I snapped. 

Sorry.

[Spam]

Its too late a this point, the next field uniform change will be to something that doesn't have a place for pocket patches anyway.

It may be that, in the interest of workplace safety, the effort to reduce patches on the newer DoD uniforms may simply be to deny the enemy a clear aimpoint in an incident.

Food for thought?

(I once was actually in an active shooter DoD workplace incident, so the black humor there comes easier to me)

[PHall]

Its too late a this point, the next field uniform change will be to something that doesn't have a place for pocket patches anyway.

It may be that, in the interest of workplace safety, the effort to reduce patches on the newer DoD uniforms may simply be to deny the enemy a clear aimpoint in an incident.

Food for thought?

(I once was actually in an active shooter DoD workplace incident, so the black humor there comes easier to me)

And where is your grade insignia worn on the OCP?

I rest my case...

[Spam]

... Center of mass, baby!!! You got it!

Cheers,
Spam "Don't salute me in the field" 

[Eclipse]

[GZCP31]

SNIPER CHECK!!!!!!

[TheSkyHornet]

Yeah, I think I once proposed a Girl Scout badge sash, a  few years ago, along with a Knights of Columbus style admirals hat (with colored plume to denote rank and/or specialty track). Sword too, for regular daily wear in the gray and whites. It would match the cute berets and the orange "I'm a Very Bad Ass GT Guy" hats, and the Azerbaijani Navy fruit salad ribbon stacks that provide chest armor and Alpha male dominance display plumage for a certain segment of our membership.

Obviously the comment count for uniform discussions here vastly outstrips productive ops, AE and CP topics, but I'm not so into the uniform fetish and costume play (cosplay). So amidst that constant drumbeat of uniform "ideas", we once had a guy who kept lobbying for the most insane, set-the-controls-for-the-heart-of-the-sun, East German army feldgrau and other uniform stuff, and I snapped.

Sorry.

The gentlemen from Georgia's time has expired. But I will grant him an additional 5 minutes of floor time to hear what he has to say next, for I'm strangely intrigued and entertained.

[JohhnyD]

This thread has degenerated fast.

[Spam]

This thread has degenerated fast.

Yrsh, it did. For my part I apologize to Dwight, to the CT team, to the Scouts (the Girl ones, as referenced, whom I still respect) and the Knights of Columbus for my vile calumny. I value their worthy organizations. of course. I further recognize the need for unfettered concept exploration of all exciting new military style CAP uniform options, to keep our CAP vital and fresh (looking) in its role as the 43rd line of national defense (right after the League of Women Voters).

Sorry.... string of 14 hour days and I'm up again, working on flight deck airworthiness planning this SAT AM. Let's hope I can at least keep THAT professional.

Cheers (and seriously, sorry Dwight, you're a good man Sir)
Spam

[NIN]

The gentlemen from Georgia's time has expired. But I will grant him an additional 5 minutes of floor time to hear what he has to say next, for I'm strangely intrigued and entertained.

I'll second that it's entertaining...

I was a little worried Spam had "gone off," but I see it's just temporary.

Edit: I see the graphic now, on mobile.  His chicken has no bones.

Also,  and I'll reiterate this for those in the cheap seats: part of the reason for uniform discussions being so prevalent here (vice ops, AE, CP "mission" discussions) is that we _all_ wear a uniform of some stripe in CAP, but not everybody is involved in all those areas.  I bet if you combined the count of all those "mission area"  discussions,  you'd come much closer to the number of uniform posts. 

[N6RVT]

Also,  and I'll reiterate this for those in the cheap seats: part of the reason for uniform discussions being so prevalent here (vice ops, AE, CP "mission" discussions) is that we _all_ wear a uniform of some stripe in CAP, but not everybody is involved in all those areas.  I bet if you combined the count of all those "mission area"  discussions,  you'd come much closer to the number of uniform posts. 

I was not suggesting they should exist, it just seemed odd that they did not.  CAP uniforms today seem like a drug deal gone bad.  A massive compromise that makes nobody happy and this message board was always an outlet for that and COVID just turned it up to 11.

[TheSkyHornet]

To turn this back into an actual uniform debate:

I'm not sure if it's one of the reasons behind the decision to reduce patches, or perhaps a better term being the exclusion of patches, but I think that it's a better approach to have less 'bling' on the uniform under the sole fact that it would be an Andy Warhol concoction of awful blue stickies posted everywhere all over a camouflage blouse. Subdued patches, in that case, would definitely appear much more user friendly but at a substantial monetary cost to the person procuring the badge.

Now, that said, in respect to the specialty track badge, in particular, those are really not equivalents to occupational badges. A special track rating in CAP is commensurate solely with training where one can receive training in any track one chooses to be a part of; not always tied directly with a specific duty position. An Air Force occupational badge tends to be more aligned as part of training completion in assignment to a AFSC, not volunteer/preferred training into the training assignment the individual elects to complete in their spare time.

Occupational badges are worn up to two at a time: the occupation one is in currently, and a preferred second badge. Although authorized, you don't see a lot of dual-worn occupational badges.

CAP does, however, include duty badges/patches, specifically in respect to command duty.


My vote goes to wearing less as long as the patches are blue and stand out like someone dropped their Icee all over their shirt.