Meritorious Unit Commendation [US Navy] earned for Civilian Service

[LSThiker]

Now something that I just noticed:

Unit awards are worn on the right side of the uniform, regardless of which
service or agency awarded them.

Here is what is defined as unit awards

U.S. unit awards. A unit award is given to an operating unit and is worn by members of that unit who participated in the cited action. Personnel who did not participate in the cited action, but who are assigned in the cited unit,
are authorized temporary wear of some unit awards; only the unit awards specified in table 22–1 are authorized for
temporary wear. Personnel will not wear temporary unit awards for official photographs or for promotion or selection
boards. U.S. unit awards authorized for wear on Army uniforms are listed below in order of precedence.
(1) Presidential Unit Citation (Army and Air Force).
(2) Presidential Unit Citation (Navy and Marine Corps).
(3) Presidential Unit Citation (Coast Guard).
(4) Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
(5) Army Valorous Unit Award.
(6) Navy Unit Commendation.
(7) Air Force Gallant Unit Award.
( Coast Unit Commendation.
(9) Army Meritorious Unit Commendation.
(10) Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation.
(11) Air Force Meritorious Unit Award.
(12) Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation.
(13) Army Superior Unit Award.
(14) Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
(15) Coast Guard Meritorious Team Commendation.
(16) Navy "E" Ribbon.
(17) Air Force Organizational Excellence Award.
(18) Coast Guard "E" Ribbon.

I just realized that of the few Army SMs with the Navy "E" ribbon, I have always seen it worn on the left.  Not really knowing what that ribbon really was, it never crossed my mind.  Learned something new today.

[THRAWN]

Well with that list and the Col's iPERMs....maybe CAP could track all of former DoD types and soldiers and airman and award all these ribbons and awards and maybe make an Annex to 39-1 and explain it all....might settle these ribbon issues

CAP can't even define what an active member is clearly.

[heliodoc]

I forgot.....amongst many other things ..for a " multi million dollar" Corporation that can "clean sheet" regulations, one ought to expect more...

[Shuman 14]

Well with that list and the Col's iPERMs....maybe CAP could track all of former DoD types and soldiers and airman and award all these ribbons and awards and maybe make an Annex to 39-1 and explain it all....might settle these ribbon issues

If I remember correctly, the old Pink Sheet that used to go in the paper file, had a space to list Prior Service Awards on it.

So the solution is to add a tracker in e-Services that listed prior military awards and Federal Civilian Service Awards.

So the same way you submit your Military Education to get Professional Development credit, you can submit documentation of your awards be it a DD-214 or NGB-22 for prior Service, and actual award certificate for a current Service member or Federal Employee or a memorandum for record to cover anyone else (i.e. a dual CAP/USCGAux member who gets a Federal Unit Award for USCGAux service).

These documents get reviewed by someone at National and they list the Military and/or Federal Civilian Decorations in that section of e-Services that you can wear on a CAP USAF-style uniform.

If it's not listed, you can't wear it. If it is listed, that the end of the argument.

[NovemberWhiskey]

There's literally no regulatory purpose to any of that. Members should wear whatever they feel is appropriate and consistent with a plain reading of CAPR 39-1. Anything else is just paperwork for its own sake, of which we already have plenty.

[N6RVT]

There's literally no regulatory purpose to any of that. Members should wear whatever they feel is appropriate and consistent with a plain reading of CAPR 39-1. Anything else is just paperwork for its own sake, of which we already have plenty.

Just for fun I actually did my CAP rack in Ultrathin.  Came out to $91.50 for a rack that would be uncomfortable to wear if it even fit, which it would not, given two badges would go over it.  I did not order it.

I have a 9 ribbon rack that works on every uniform I have to wear them on.  It will never have to be updated, unless we go to a big enough war that a stage 4 mobilization takes place (thats where you drag people back out of retirement)

[Shuman 14]

There's literally no regulatory purpose to any of that. Members should wear whatever they feel is appropriate and consistent with a plain reading of CAPR 39-1. Anything else is just paperwork for its own sake, of which we already have plenty.

Well, it would be the only way to solve arguments like this thread. Unless there is a definitive answer from CAP HQ as to a "Yes" or as to a "No", it is going to continue.

At least if my idea was implemented there would be an integrity check in e-Services. Otherwise, people will continue to wear whatever they like and it will cause a fight (verbal or otherwise) when someone calls the person out.

The simple answer to "You can't wear that on a CAP uniform" is to print out my proposed section in e-Services, hand it to the confronter and say "Yes I can".

Until then, the gorilla dust is just going to get stirred up because someone thinks THEIR interpretation of CAP regulations is better than ANYONE else's.

[NovemberWhiskey]

Well, it would be the only way to solve arguments like this thread.

The arguments in this thread are also essentially without purpose. The overwhelming vast majority of the membership neither knows nor cares about any of this, nor are the purposes of the Civil Air Patrol and its ability to accomplish its mission affected in any way.

The ideal outcome here is, as I mentioned above, for members to wear whatever they feel is consistent with a plain reading of CAPR 39-1 and for everyone else to mind their own business.

[Eclipse]

Or just your CAP awards

[Shuman 14]

The arguments in this thread are also essentially without purpose. The overwhelming vast majority of the membership neither knows nor cares about any of this, nor are the purposes of the Civil Air Patrol and its ability to accomplish its mission affected in any way.

The ideal outcome here is, as I mentioned above, for members to wear whatever they feel is consistent with a plain reading of CAPR 39-1 and for everyone else to mind their own business.

I would tend to agree with your ideal outcome, but you and I both know that human nature won't let that happen.

[Shuman 14]

Or just your CAP awards

And that will happen right before the end of the world... moving on.

[THRAWN]

Or just your CAP awards

And that will happen right before the end of the world... moving on.

You'd be shocked, surprised, horrified, at the number of people that actually do this.

[Shuman 14]

You'd be shocked, surprised, horrified, at the number of people that actually do this.

About shocked as unicorns grazing in my front yard, but I digress.

That has not been my experience in CAP. I see more people who are upset that they cannot wear their military decorations on corporate greys and whites than Veterans who don't wear them on USAF-style uniforms.

This is why a tend to wear a polo shirt and tac pants, nothing to worry about and if I forget to shave that day, no one gets butt-hurt about it.

[PHall]

You'd be shocked, surprised, horrified, at the number of people that actually do this.

About shocked as unicorns grazing in my front yard, but I digress.

That has not been my experience in CAP. I see more people who are upset that they cannot wear their military decorations on corporate greys and whites than Veterans who don't wear them on USAF-style uniforms.

This is why a tend to wear a polo shirt and tac pants, nothing to worry about and if I forget to shave that day, no one gets butt-hurt about it.

What about that unicorn grazing in my front yard?   On my CAP uniforms I only wear CAP decorations, it's just easier that way. Mostly because of the number of CAP, Federal and State military decorations I've managed to collect over the past 45 or so years.

[baronet68]

You can always do as I do and have multiple racks so you can color coordinate according to the season, your mood, or what's being served for dinner.

My themes are red, white, and blue:




    

[Shawn Stanford]

You'd be shocked, surprised, horrified, at the number of people that actually do this.

About shocked as unicorns grazing in my front yard, but I digress.

What about that unicorn grazing in my front yard?   On my CAP uniforms I only wear CAP decorations, it's just easier that way. Mostly because of the number of CAP, Federal and State military decorations I've managed to collect over the past 45 or so years.

Yeah, ditto. I don't wear everything I rate on my Army uniforms, and I still have 21 ribbons.

I wear 7 CAP ribbons on my CAP uniform.

[Shuman 14]

What about that unicorn grazing in my front yard?   On my CAP uniforms I only wear CAP decorations, it's just easier that way. Mostly because of the number of CAP, Federal and State military decorations I've managed to collect over the past 45 or so years.

There is a clear prohibition against wearing NG and/or SDF decorations on a CAP uniform already. I don't agree with that, the same way I don't agree that NG and/or SDF decorations cannot be worn outside of Title 32 Status by Service Members. I believe that if you earned it, you should be authorized to wear it.

Now if that's what you choose to do, bully for you.

For those that choose to wear both their Federal and CAP decorations, bully for them.

It's the uniform Nazis I have an issue with. CAP members that are going to attack another CAP member because he or she is also a USCGAux member and has USCG awards or the civilian employee of the Navy that has a Naval MUC, because they read the regulation different than the wearer of those decorations.

The only way to shut those petty tyrants down is to have and official system (like e-Services) where there is an official final answer.

[Shuman 14]

Just an FYI the ALCOAST clarifying the award of the DHS Outstanding Unit Award was posted on 07FEB2022. Auxiliarists were included.

Thanks Groundhawg for sending me the link:

ALCOAST 040/22