NCO Epaulets

[Trung Si Ma]

Just talked to Vanguard reference Gray NCO Epaulets (CAPM 39-1, para 6-1 (pg 97)) and was told that they should be available within 30 days.

[MIKE]

IMO they should have done away with the shoulder marks like the USAF did for E-7-E-9, and stuck with the sleeve stripes or metal insignia for outerwear.

[Trung Si Ma]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

[DNall]

^ for SNCOs yes. If they are going to do gray slides for all NCO grades & do away with AF shoulder stripes all together then I guess that's fine, but it's not exactly following the AF example, pretty far behind the game.

[MIKE]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

IIRC it was done at the same time the circle U.S. insignia was reintroduced.

[Pylon]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Well, it is my understanding that the USAF discontinued use of the epaulets for SNCOs, except for wear on the sweaters.  SNCOs can still wear the epaulets on sweaters, to my knowledge.

IIRC it was done at the same time the circle U.S. insignia was reintroduced.

Yes, both actions were some of the results of the 97th Air Force Uniform Board.

[ddelaney103]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Yep - just another case of the Man trying to keep us down...

[shorning]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Yep - just another case of the Man trying to keep us down...

Dan, real SNCOs wear stripes on the sleeves....

[Trung Si Ma]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Yep - just another case of the Man trying to keep us down...

Dan, real SNCOs wear stripes on the sleeves....

REAL SNCOs wear stripes leading and teaching junior enlisted (and the occasional junior officer)

[ddelaney103]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Yep - just another case of the Man trying to keep us down...

Dan, real SNCOs wear stripes on the sleeves....

Yeah, but real NCO's would have liked to have avoided the expense of two sets of blue shirts. For one glorious moment the wing patch was gone and I could just swap epaulets back and forth.  Frankly, I want the closet space back.

That's why my answer was never "Don't call me 'Sir,' I work for a living" but instead, "Do I look like I'm made of money?"

http://www.chairforce.com/fun/awacker/pages/awacker-029.htm

There's another good ref in airforceblues.com, but I can't figure out the link fu.

[shorning]

USAF did away with the blue shoulder marks?

Yep - just another case of the Man trying to keep us down...

Dan, real SNCOs wear stripes on the sleeves....

REAL SNCOs wear stripes leading and teaching junior enlisted (and the occasional junior officer)

Not always.