Clusters on Achievement Ribbons?

[SSgt Rudin]

I was cleaning out our supply closed and I found a bag of old goodies, about 5 pairs of small C/FO pips, and old cadet flight cap patch and a Lindbergh Ribbon with three bronze oak leaf clusters on it. Did this mean something BITD or is this just the product of a cadet trying to make his rack look more impressive?

[AlphaSigOU]

Sounds like the latter... no devices are worn on cadet achievement ribbons or milestone awards except under the following conditions:

Silver star on Goddard achievement ribbon: completion of all three levels of the CAP model rocketry program.

Silver star on Mitchell award ribbon: graduate of Cadet Officer School. Silver star transfers to the highest milestone award earned when a cadet succumbs to the 'dark side'.

[ßτε]

If the pips are from the time of the flight cap patch, they would be C/WO pips.

[AlphaSigOU]

If the pips are from the time of the flight cap patch, they would be C/WO pips.

True, the term cadet flight officer originates around the time the senior member flight officer grades were introduced in the early to mid-1980s. Previous to that, it was cadet warrant officer. The AF retired its last warrant officer in 1980, if I remember correctly. CAP got rid of the WO/CWO grades shortly afterward.

[mikeylikey]

If the pips are from the time of the flight cap patch, they would be C/WO pips.

True, the term cadet flight officer originates around the time the senior member flight officer grades were introduced in the early to mid-1980s. Previous to that, it was cadet warrant officer. The AF retired its last warrant officer in 1980, if I remember correctly. CAP got rid of the WO/CWO grades shortly afterward.

Oh man.....I was a C/FO.....and in those days you still were not considered a Cadet Officer, until you got 2nd Lt.  I am so glad they got rid of that from the program.

[Hawk200]

The AF retired its last warrant officer in 1980, if I remember correctly.

The last retiring active duty warrant was in 1980. The last warrant officer that the Air Force ever had retired in 1992. He was a Reservist, for some reason they never count him.

[Senior]

Hey  2nd Lt Rudin.  Are those pips the small gold pips worn by cadet
officers on their blue epaulets?  I would be interested in buying a set.
I would buy a set even if they were the full size also.  I gave my insignia
to the junior cadet officers as I moved up.  I don't have any of my old rank
except my 3 diamonds.  Thanks.

[Pylon]

Hey  2nd Lt Rudin.  Are those pips the small gold pips worn by cadet
officers on their blue epaulets?  I would be interested in buying a set.
I would buy a set even if they were the full size also.  I gave my insignia
to the junior cadet officers as I moved up.  I don't have any of my old rank
except my 3 diamonds.  Thanks.

Yeah, off topic too...   I have a set of the large size C/FO pips, but I'd be willing to make a contribution to somebody's squadron for a set of the miniature ones for a future shadowbox project.  I surmise they'd be the only ones I'd have difficulty getting.

[SSgt Rudin]

Hey  2nd Lt Rudin.  Are those pips the small gold pips worn by cadet
officers on their blue epaulets?  I would be interested in buying a set.
I would buy a set even if they were the full size also.  I gave my insignia
to the junior cadet officers as I moved up.  I don't have any of my old rank
except my 3 diamonds.  Thanks.

Yeah, off topic too...   I have a set of the large size C/FO pips, but I'd be willing to make a contribution to somebody's squadron for a set of the miniature ones for a future shadowbox project.  I surmise they'd be the only ones I'd have difficulty getting.

well you could always take a pair of silver pips and get them plated.

[Ned]

Hey  2nd Lt Rudin.  Are those pips the small gold pips worn by cadet
officers on their blue epaulets?  I would be interested in buying a set.
I would buy a set even if they were the full size also.  I gave my insignia
to the junior cadet officers as I moved up.  I don't have any of my old rank
except my 3 diamonds.  Thanks.

Back then, there was only one size of cadet insignia -- what we now call "large" or regular size.

(C/Captains and colonels had extreme difficulty wearing their insignia on jackets and raincoats -- which is why the miniature insignia was developed.)

At the point when I was a C/WO we had not yet gone to the blue epaulet sleeves.  Cadet officers wore their grade on either their collars or shoulder boards, depending on the uniform. 

Ned Lee
Aged Former Cadet

[arajca]

I had the distinct privilege of being both a C/WO and a C/FO. I also had the pleasure of wearing the hard shoulder boards on the light blue shirt w/o epaulets.

[SarDragon]

For you olde guys (and gals if there are any here), was there ever a time when C/WO or C/FO wore the shoulder boards? I know when C/WO first came out (1968), we couldn't.

[ßτε]

IIRC, there was a short time in the late 1970's or early 1980's where the shoulderboards were on the blue shirt fo C/WO. It has been a while, but I remember wearing mine on the collar, then on shoulderboards, and then on the blue epaulet sleeve.

[arajca]

I did in the early 80's.

[rdmcii]

For the record, there was a time before the Eaker when a star was worn on the Earhart to signify Ach 15

[baronet68]

For the record, there was a time before the Eaker when a star was worn on the Earhart to signify Ach 15

I believe it was a silver clasp on the Earhart for Achievement 15.