CAPM 39-1's Issues

[NIN]

As I alluded to earlier, sometimes it is hard to know what the heck the regs are saying without a little historical context.  If CAPM 39-1 had been dropped from orbit and landed at your feet and you'd never seen a uniform manual before, chances are you'd wind up wearing your uniform a little oddly.

Not saying its right, its just sort of the way it is. 

Many, many years ago now, I had a wing commander who had not spent a long time in CAP before he was made the wing commander (memory serves that he was 2-4 months shy of a Red Service Ribbon on appointment).  One day he and I are looking at the reg set in HQ ("The Maxwells" as we used to call them) and he is trying to tell me how the Unit Citation is supposed to be worn.

At this point, I'm an almost 20 year CAP member, former cadet, and I was a cadet in a unit with a unit citation back in the period following the change to the Unit Citation criteria in 1980.  WIWAC, we were all handed green ribbons and told "Wear it."  We were slick-sleeves, so we shrugged our shoulders and did what we were told. 

The year prior, 1980, the Unit Citation criteria had been changed to basically disallow the so-called "temporary wear" of the unit citation by members who are assigned to a unit that has had a previous unit citation awarded but were not members during the period cited. (The current 39-3, dated 1998 in para 12c(2) calls out "may worn permanently" which sort of lends one to believe that there was a "temporary" option. The 1980 rewrite of 39-3 basically got rid of that option, and in the intervening 30 years this particular paragraph has never been cleaned up or rewritten more clearly)

Having been told "take off that unit citation" at encampment a month after I joined, and *knowing* that my unit commander was 100% right (*wink*), I researched this particular topic fully as a C/Amn, including the previous iterations of the regs.  Sure enough, the reg had changed but my unit kept handing out Unit Citations (and this fact was pointed out to my cadet commander, who very tactfully brought it up to the commander, who told the cadet commander to go back to coloring within the lines.. LOL)

In any event, so in 1999 or so, I'm having to explain to my wing commander why the CAP reg says what it does, with the historical context, because he hasn't been in CAP long enough to see a unit citation awarded.  (He said "Well, in the Air Force..." and I had to say "Understood, sir, but this ain't the AF..")

It is important to take your time, listen to the people around you who have "been there and done that" and move cautiously when you're out of your depth.

Whether you're a C/Amn or a Colonel.

[Devil Doc]

NIN is retired, so i would listen to him very much. Hes one of them "Olde Corps" type of person. He has been in CAP since the 1940s so his views are kinda askewed. Carry On

[SarDragon]

Nin - he just called you olde!  :clap:

[Cool Mace]

Nin - he just called you olde!  :clap:

This is where we run, hide and watch it all unfold.

[NIN]

NIN is retired, so i would listen to him very much. Hes one of them "Olde Corps" type of person. He has been in CAP since the 1940s so his views are kinda askewed. Carry On

You Navy boys are all about that wax plug in your ears to keep the salt water out.

It is true, I am of the Olde Corps persuasion.

But 1940s Olde? Yeah, doubtful.

[Devil Doc]

Ok fine not 1940s, Atleast 1950s then. Darin was in when Ground Observers were training with Light bulbs and Bathroom Plungers to help track satellites in the Sky. NIN attennded the 5th Annual IACE, Jack Sorenson was his first Squadron Commander!!

[NIN]

Ok fine not 1940s, Atleast 1950s then. Darin was in when Ground Observers were training with Light bulbs and Bathroom Plungers to help track satellites in the Sky. NIN attennded the 5th Annual IACE, Jack Sorenson was his first Squadron Commander!!

OK, you caught me.

[AlphaSigOU]

And we former cadinks who were in the cadet program way back when the earth cooled and dinosaurs roamed the earth are fond of recalling that the Oooooold Civil Air Patrol was the best Civil Air Patrol...

[SarDragon]

You're not olde. Your Mitchell has a number. 

[PHall]

You're not olde. Your Mitchell has a number. 

But mine doesn't...

[SarDragon]

You're not olde. Your Mitchell has a number. 

But mine doesn't...

We already knew you were olde.

[JeffDG]

You're not olde. Your Mitchell has a number. 

But mine doesn't...

Grandpa, what was it like having to list Velociraptors as a risk on your ORM?

[That Anonymous Guy]

USGC-Black smooth leather
U.S. Air Force- Black Smooth Leather with dress uniforms
U.S. Army-Black Smooth leather(common among paras)
U.S. Navy-Black Smooth leather with NWU

The Air Force would be wearing combat boots with their dress uniform.

[NIN]

Who uses the term "paras" in the US?

I call shenanigans.

[AlphaSigOU]

Who uses the term "paras" in the US?

I call shenanigans.

"I swear to God I'll pistol-whip the next guy that says 'shenanigans'!" [Super Troopers] 

[FlyTiger77]

Who uses the term "paras" in the US?

I call shenanigans.

Would you like for me to lend you my BS flag?

[Airman De Ruiter]

I'm not from here, I'm Russian.

[Майор Хаткевич]

I'm not from here, I'm Russian.

So am I. In fact, for a good minute or three I was Chekov on the USS Enterprise (The USN style at Great Lakes). Doesn't mean much, you seem to handle English just fine.

[Eclipse]

So am I. In fact, for a good minute or three I was Chekov on the USS Enterprise (The USN style at Great Lakes).

((*sniff*)) Memories...

[Майор Хаткевич]

Indeed. IIRC you got to keep some of those name tapes?