Wear of military ribbons on AF style uniform

Started by cwade1775, January 04, 2012, 02:32:39 AM

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medicmike

I wear all of my Air Force ribbons plus my two CAP ribbons whenever I wear blues.  Most of the prior military folks in my squadron wear both as well.  I think wearing both shows your pride in CAP and in your prior service and looks appropriate.
Michael Bridge          USAF Retired
2d Lt CAP
Health Services Officer
GLR-OH-003

PHall

I do a variation of the above. I wear all of my CAP ribbons plus the five individual decorations I have from the Air Force (MSM, AM, AAM, AFCM & AFAM).

Private Investigator

Quote from: arajca on January 04, 2012, 03:05:43 AM
There is no rule against it.

Personally, if they do not want to wear their CAP ribbons on the CAP uniform, I have to wonder if they're ashamed of the CAP ribbons and if so, is that reflected in their attitude toward CAP?

If you are retired military for example and you want to add a CAP ribbon, it will cost you about $40 to make a new rack because I do not recycle ribbons and I think most Vets will not recycle old ribbons to make a new rack.

lordmonar

Quote from: Private Investigator on January 05, 2012, 02:04:18 PM
Quote from: arajca on January 04, 2012, 03:05:43 AM
There is no rule against it.

Personally, if they do not want to wear their CAP ribbons on the CAP uniform, I have to wonder if they're ashamed of the CAP ribbons and if so, is that reflected in their attitude toward CAP?

If you are retired military for example and you want to add a CAP ribbon, it will cost you about $40 to make a new rack because I do not recycle ribbons and I think most Vets will not recycle old ribbons to make a new rack.
I wish it only cost me $40 to build a ribbon rack!

So I only wear CAP ribbons on my short sleeve blues and aviator shirt....but wear all of them on my service coat and mess dress.
PATRICK M. HARRIS, SMSgt, CAP

CAPsteve

I have 31 Ribbons.  All but 6 are Military I "Earned" in combat and service from the Air Force and Army. The 6 are CAP.
Now my problem: Ribbon Racks only go to 32 Ribbons plus more than 32 will go over the "top noch" of the collar.
so, if I receive any more CAP Ribbons, by the Regs., I won't be allowed to wear them and there is no way I will ever remove my Military Ribbons.  I guess to solve this problem, I don't earn or receive anymore CAP Ribbons.

I guess if I could wear them all, i'de look like one of those "Commie Generals" in Russia.

NCRblues

Quote from: CAPsteve on February 10, 2012, 07:18:44 AM
I have 31 Ribbons.  All but 6 are Military I "Earned" in combat and service from the Air Force and Army. The 6 are CAP.
Now my problem: Ribbon Racks only go to 32 Ribbons plus more than 32 will go over the "top noch" of the collar.
so, if I receive any more CAP Ribbons, by the Regs., I won't be allowed to wear them and there is no way I will ever remove my Military Ribbons.  I guess to solve this problem, I don't earn or receive anymore CAP Ribbons.

I guess if I could wear them all, i'de look like one of those "Commie Generals" in Russia.

Oh that's the spirit.... Don't get anything else cap related....  ::)
In god we trust, all others we run through NCIC

SarDragon

That seems like a narrow attitude to have. Are all of your military ribbons so important that you can't remove some of the unit and theater related items, and retain the ones awarded to you for your personal efforts, like Good Conduct, achievement medals, etc?

I'm proud of my military ribbons, too, and if I was in your position, I'm sure I could pick and choose to make an acceptable rack. As it is, I can't even wear any of my military ribbons because of my beard. But that's my choice to have it.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

Cliff_Chambliss

Taking a different stance, I will only wear the ribbons awarded to me.  The very idea that CAP expects me to fill out a form requesting that I be awarded such and such a ribbon denegrates the entire program to little more than a collection of PX soldiers.  Now should I do something notable and be presented an award by "higher ups" as an "attaboy" great.  But I have way too many things on my plate to go running to the commander or anyone else saying "gimmee an award I showed up" and then go buy my own ribbon/award. 
Academic at best as I again state it's the man that makes the uniform and not the uniform that makes the man.
11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
2d Armored Cavalry Regiment
3d Infantry Division
504th BattleField Surveillance Brigade

ARMY:  Because even the Marines need heros.    
CAVALRY:  If it were easy it would be called infantry.

kirbahashi

I see no issues with wearing military only ribbons.  I would wonder, and probably ask why, and respect that persons reason.  As for me?  I need to update my CAP ribbon rack.  I am about to add digits to my RSR, need to add clusters to my encampment, and my Level IV is coming through any day...  Plus I will wear some of my USAF ribbons.  However, I have 22 ribbons and medals, plus my 10 CAP Ribbons.  And my interests in looking like a Panamanian Dictator are not high on my lists.  I will probably wear about 7 or 8 of my ribbons with my CAP ribbons, and politely answer questions as to why I do.

But someone had me rolling with their JROTC comment...  FTLOG, I was at my Son's winter drill-athon or whatever it's called.  His flight commander had a billion ribbons AND medals AND aguilletes (SP) on his shoulder cord.  He over exagerated his facing movements so his aguillete would hit his medals.   ::)

Like an old cadet commander of mine.  He got butt hurt when I called out the fact he had the same ribbon on (with no devices mind you). Told me they were for drill team, saber team, and clapping hands to thigh team.  Regardless if JROTC was cool with it, I still thought it looked dumb.  (with the B pronounced)
There's only one thing I hate more than lying: skim milk. Which is water that's lying about being milk.

Private Investigator

Quote from: CAPsteve on February 10, 2012, 07:18:44 AM
I "Earned" in combat and service from the Air Force and Army.

Marines and Army so I know what you are saying. 98% of the time I wear just the three highest. You want to see everything go to the Wing Conference. But for a Squadron meeting three is enough   8) 

The CyBorg is destroyed

Quote from: kirbahashi on February 15, 2012, 03:40:34 AM
But someone had me rolling with their JROTC comment...  FTLOG, I was at my Son's winter drill-athon or whatever it's called.  His flight commander had a billion ribbons AND medals AND aguilletes (SP) on his shoulder cord.  He over exagerated his facing movements so his aguillete would hit his medals.   ::)

It was possibly me that said that.

I remember one of our dual-status JROTC/CAP cadets about 15 years ago.  Nice kid, really, but I didn't have the heart to tell him how overdone a four-wide rack with about five rows looked.  I tried to be tactful and tell him that he needed to take better care of his ribbons, because some of them were dirty, and some were frayed.

I remember he wore one that looked EXACTLY like the AF Good Conduct Medal ribbon...he said it was a JROTC ribbon.
Exiled from GLR-MI-011

flyboy53

Quote from: CyBorg on February 15, 2012, 08:47:06 AM
Quote from: kirbahashi on February 15, 2012, 03:40:34 AM
But someone had me rolling with their JROTC comment...  FTLOG, I was at my Son's winter drill-athon or whatever it's called.  His flight commander had a billion ribbons AND medals AND aguilletes (SP) on his shoulder cord.  He over exagerated his facing movements so his aguillete would hit his medals.   ::)

It was possibly me that said that.

I remember one of our dual-status JROTC/CAP cadets about 15 years ago.  Nice kid, really, but I didn't have the heart to tell him how overdone a four-wide rack with about five rows looked.  I tried to be tactful and tell him that he needed to take better care of his ribbons, because some of them were dirty, and some were frayed.

I remember he wore one that looked EXACTLY like the AF Good Conduct Medal ribbon...he said it was a JROTC ribbon.

Don't see that ribbon in their current list. Anyway, it goes to show just how rediculous it can get with all this awards and decorations stuff.

In the original post, the member was commenting on the fact that a senior member would only wear his military ribbons. Why criticize the individual for his choice and obvious conservative appearance when the opposite borders on another extreme. Everyone seems so ripe with criticism.

It comes down to personal preference. As long as it conforms with the reg, why make an issue of it. These uniform posts always seem to split between those who want to pull the CAP away from anything military related and make it an organization of polo shirt-uniformed flying club members.

From an other perspective, I wish CAP ribbons had the same standard of quality of military ribbons. so they wouldn't soil or frey so easily. I wish also the membership wouldn't have to resort to things like E-bay to find certain ribbons. It was one of the reasons why I originally stopped wearing CAP ribbons. It took me more than a decade to chose to put just one row of the 14 I'm qualified to wear. I know an officer who earned a Falcon Award back in the day as a Spaatz cadet turned senior member. He still wears the original ribbon. You can imagine who it looks so many decades from when it was first awarded and that's sad.

The CyBorg is destroyed

Quote from: flyboy1 on February 15, 2012, 12:27:01 PM
I know an officer who earned a Falcon Award back in the day as a Spaatz cadet turned senior member. He still wears the original ribbon. You can imagine who it looks so many decades from when it was first awarded and that's sad.

In that case I would probably get a duplicate ribbon and put the original in a display case.

I often suggest to new cadets and NPS SM's that a good way to keep their ribbons in better shape is to give them a little blast of Scotchgard.

We had a guy in our unit - great, great guy and a real asset - who had prior service in the Navy, ANG and concurrent service in the USCG Aux.

He had a combination of active duty Navy and Air Force ribbons, State ribbons (which aren't supposed to be worn anyway), and active and Auxiliary Coast Guard ribbons...finally he just went to wearing his top Navy, AF, CG/Aux and CAP ribbons.
Exiled from GLR-MI-011

MSG Mac

Quote from: CyBorg on February 15, 2012, 08:47:06 AM
Quote from: kirbahashi on February 15, 2012, 03:40:34 AM
But someone had me rolling with their JROTC comment...  FTLOG, I was at my Son's winter drill-athon or whatever it's called.  His flight commander had a billion ribbons AND medals AND aguilletes (SP) on his shoulder cord.  He over exagerated his facing movements so his aguillete would hit his medals.   ::)

It was possibly me that said that.

I remember one of our dual-status JROTC/CAP cadets about 15 years ago.  Nice kid, really, but I didn't have the heart to tell him how overdone a four-wide rack with about five rows looked.  I tried to be tactful and tell him that he needed to take better care of his ribbons, because some of them were dirty, and some were frayed.

I remember he wore one that looked EXACTLY like the AF Good Conduct Medal ribbon...he said it was a JROTC ribbon.

And no one told him that he can only wear 3 (J)ROTC ribbons on the CAP uniform
Michael P. McEleney
Lt Col CAP
MSG USA (Retired)
50 Year Member

SarDragon

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't  the Falcon award a porcelain over metal ribbon? Didn't get dirty or fray.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

BillB

Dave you are correct. However a senior that earned the falcon can't wear it. Why? becuase it's considered a cadet ribbon (even though earned as a senior) and order of presedence put's it in the middle of a row of ribbons. A metal ribbon can't be installed. (and would look stupid)
Gil Robb Wilson # 19
Gil Robb Wilson # 104

flyboy53

Quote from: SarDragon on February 15, 2012, 09:29:15 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't  the Falcon award a porcelain over metal ribbon? Didn't get dirty or fray.

FYI...At some point it becomes this cloth ribbon.....

Ned

Quote from: BillB on February 15, 2012, 10:27:21 PM
Dave you are correct. However a senior that earned the falcon can't wear it. Why? becuase it's considered a cadet ribbon (even though earned as a senior) and order of presedence put's it in the middle of a row of ribbons. A metal ribbon can't be installed. (and would look stupid)

Non-concur.  Seniors who were awarded the Falcon Award may wear it.  See CAPR 39-3, Para 15 g (2) and Attachment 2.  Indeed, a regulations wonk would indicated that Falcon Award winners cannot wear their earned Spaatz awards since we can wear only the "Falcon Award or highest cadet award earned."

Putting the enamel "ribbon" on the rack just takes a little skill and creativity.  Which every Falcon awardee possesses in abundance.   8)

(And yes, most of us went to the cloth ribbon when it was later authorized.)


Ned Lee
Spaatz Award #356
Falcon Award

RiverAux

In response to the original post, the person obviously has the ability under our regs to wear just their military ribbons.  However, to make the conscious choice to spurn any CAP awards in favor of those awarded by another organization seems somewhat disrespectful to CAP.  Now, there are some CAP awards that aren't worth bragging about, but to say that none are worthy of being worn just doesn't seem right. 


Hawk200

Quote from: RiverAux on February 16, 2012, 12:20:58 AM
However, to make the conscious choice to spurn any CAP awards in favor of those awarded by another organization seems somewhat disrespectful to CAP.
What is your definition of "spurn?" Just curious.