39-1 Issues

[CAPDCCMOM]

I am having a 39-1 issue and I am not sure to whom I must speak. I saw a school squadron the other day. They have been issued BDU's. None of them had the Civil Air Patrol tape or Name Tape. None had covers. Most of them were wearing tennis shoes, while in said BDU's. Some still had on Army and Military school patches and Military Stripes. IMHO, this did a lousy job representing CAP.

They are not my cadets, as such I did not address these lapses. Do school units have different regulations from Composite Squadrons?

[Ned]

The short answer is that school squadrons have the same uniform rules as traditional units.

We do have some school squadrons that also function as JROTC units, so what you saw may be caused by some confusion at the unit.  If you PM me the school/unit involved we can clear up any misunderstandings.

Ned Lee
National Cadet Program Manager

[jeders]

Not knowing anything else, it may simply be that because the school year just started, the name and CAP tapes simply haven't arrived yet. As for the hats and boots, it could be that the school didn't issue any due to the inherent health concerns.

[sarmed1]

This happens at many non school units as well..... Someone is usually required to put the foot down and say no uniforms unless they are complete uniforms.  I imagine in a school unit, unless someone in the unit is/was a CAP or former military member, there is no "big foot" to put down; ie they dont know they are really doing something "wrong"

MK

[TheSkyHornet]

This happens at many non school units as well..... Someone is usually required to put the foot down and say no uniforms unless they are complete uniforms.  I imagine in a school unit, unless someone in the unit is/was a CAP or former military member, there is no "big foot" to put down; ie they dont know they are really doing something "wrong"

MK

That's usually my stance, but if I can't make that call, my recommendation is to at least remove the obsolete/non-uniform items from the uniform, such as incorrect patches or name tapes, and wear a blank BDU until the correct items come in and they get tailored.

We had a new cadet finally get some BDUs from our supply house. I was aware that at the last meeting, she had gotten those BDUs, but I was not aware that they were someone else's old BDUs that still had the name tapes on them. She showed up at the meeting wearing them incorrectly and wearing someone else's name because she didn't have her own name tapes. I get it. First timer, not properly shown how to wear her uniform. So, we corrected it once the meeting got rolling, and I got her paired up with another female to help her get her hair up, cover on straight, collar right, etc. I said I wanted her to leave looking proper in uniform so she knew how she should look next she showed up. Nothing mean about it or stern even, just talked about it one-on-one and helped her out. Major progress when she left at the end of the day. CC authorized her to wear the name tape, which I personally didn't approve of, but it wasn't my authority, so we didn't worry about that.

It's all about how you handle the situation. Storm in and start screaming "They look ridiculous," or make suggestions calmly and rationally to address the issues and get them fixed before the day was over, if possible.