Mess Dress - what exactly is right

Started by Stonewall, March 17, 2019, 02:56:05 PM

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SarDragon

Fair enough. I'll bet there aren't that many of those folks, though.
Dave Bowles
Maj, CAP
AT1, USN Retired
50 Year Member
Mitchell Award (unnumbered)
C/WO, CAP, Ret

baronet68

Quote from: BHeck73 on April 24, 2019, 10:23:34 PM
I am thinking just my Commanders Com and Achievement Awards, Eaker, IACE, and Find. Maybe unit citation, but that's about it.

Good selection... In the five medal configuration, I wore Commanders Commendation, Lifesaving, Unit Citation, Eaker, and IACE (each representing personal achievements I'm very proud of).

I haven't worn my mess dress in a long time, but five seemed to be a good number to wear since all of the medals are visible enough to be identifiable.  If you wear more than five, medals in the middle and bottom start to bet get obscured.

Wearing your medals/ribbons is like wearing your resume... and you're allowed to make adjustments to emphasize (or not) certain accomplishments to fit the situation.
Michael Moore, Lt Col, CAP
National Recruiting & Retention Manager

flyboy53

#22
I'm one of the rebels, I guess. It cost enough to do my Air Force Medals (three rows) that I just continued to wear them with the CAP Mess Dress and didn't bother with the CAP awards, just the badges. Never was challenged about that, either.

As far as trying to mount CAP medals with an existing military set, I would suggest picking those awards that have the most meaning and then -- especially if there are even rows -- mount them as a separate unit underneath and behind the military medals. That way, the mount won't be that obvious.

As far as the badges, though, I would just consult the reg. In my era, while CAP would allow bullion embroidered badges, the Air Force would not. While the general rule of thumb was miniature badges and miniature medals, there were exceptions when the full-sized badge was the only option. So, I would continue wear a miniature AF SP qualification badge (the issue one) with my miniature senior observer wings -- long after that became a "legacy" badge. There are other AF badges that are considered legacy badges that are allowed to be worn even if they are not the current finish.

These days, AF occupational badges are either regulation (full) sized or mid-sized. AF Aviation wings are still miniature.

N6RVT

Quote from: flyboy53 on April 26, 2019, 05:13:59 PMI'm one of the rebels, I guess. It cost enough to do my Air Force Medals (three rows) that I just continued to wear them with the CAP Mess Dress and didn't bother with the CAP awards, just the badges. Never was challenged about that, either.

I do the same thing.  I wear 9 ribbons from the Army that works for either CAP blues or USCGAUX uniforms.  I don't wear ribbons on aviator whites.

I think in California maybe 1% of the membership has mess dress.  Even at formal Wing events I see maybe 3 or 4 at most.