Ribbon Rack?

[BillB]

(If I so much as even see a new thread suggesting that we create headquarters badge now, I'm gonna get sick....pure dee sick.)   

We have one, It's called the NEC badge or even the National Board Badge.

[DNall]

NB badge is kind oif redundant w/ the new CC badge isn't it?

The first photo there is a perfect example. If you are going to stack that much stuff you need to go four wide or it looks insane. If an onlooker sees you had a choice to make & you decided to go with the less conservative approach, that generally looks like your compensating or just egotistical.

[ddelaney103]

NB badge is kind oif redundant w/ the new CC badge isn't it?

The first photo there is a perfect example. If you are going to stack that much stuff you need to go four wide or it looks insane. If an onlooker sees you had a choice to make & you decided to go with the less conservative approach, that generally looks like your compensating or just egotistical.

Remember that the AF doesn't get a choice - you have to wear all on Service Dress.

You can shred out a bunch as an SM - like the lower level SM awards (if you have Gerber, membership is kind of redundant) or prereq's (Encampment attendance can be assumed if you have Mitchell or better).

That being said, 3 vs 4 is a matter of chest size - many can't wear a ribbon bar that wide without it needing to bend.

We could really use to get the Col's out of wearing the NB/NEC badge once they step down, otherwise there's no way to tell the serving from the have served.

[James Shaw]

Looks pretty [darn] intimidating, impressive, and egotistical all at the same time. I would wear the 4 wide on the first couple of bottom rows if the need arrises.

[Hawk200]

We could really use to get the Col's out of wearing the NB/NEC badge once they step down, otherwise there's no way to tell the serving from the have served.

I doubt that would happen. High ranking brass likes their bling just as much as cadets.

[James Shaw]

I personally like the bottom 4 rows with 4 ribbons and then go up. I feel it looks neater. You can fit 35 to 36 with that method.

Egotistical ? Maybe
Overzealious ? Possibly
Pride ? Definitely

[DNall]

I personally like the bottom 4 rows with 4 ribbons and then go up. I feel it looks neater. You can fit 35 to 36 with that method.

Egotistical ? Maybe
Overzealious ? Possibly
Pride ? Definitely

Sergeants are proud, Lts are overzealous, Four star generals that are proud, overzealous, or egotistical get lots of people killed. Bad message to send to subordinates.

[flight dispatcher]

http://www.afa.org/magazine/July2006/0706bluesuit.asp


Some related material in this article.

[MIKE]

With the cut of the new style service dress the staggered racks can sometime look a little off.  JMHO.

[mikeylikey]

http://www.afa.org/magazine/July2006/0706bluesuit.asp


Some related material in this article.

Thats a really cool article!  I can just imagine all those that moved to the AF in '47, decked out with all their Army bling, and brand new airman without anything on thier uniform.  They should have spent more time on the uniform, and I think it would have turned out better today. 

[ZigZag911]

We could really use to get the Col's out of wearing the NB/NEC badge once they step down, otherwise there's no way to tell the serving from the have served.

Doesn't USAF simply change the placement of the badge for 'past commanders'?

CAP should follow suit; that would convey the needed information while keeping those wearing birds happy!

[Hawk200]

Doesn't USAF simply change the placement of the badge for 'past commanders'?

CAP should follow suit; that would convey the needed information while keeping those wearing birds happy!

Yes, they do. Present or current commanders wear the badge one-half inch above the nametag. Past or "graduated" commanders wear the insignia below the nametag.

Added letter on Air Force Command Insignia

[MIKE]

The NB/NEC badges are a whole different animal than the Commanders badge though...

Back to the topic.

[Fifinella]

Perfectly fine to wear your ribbon rack with the long or short-sleeve light blue shirt. I do it all the time. It is an unwritten tradition in USAF (and by extension, CAP) that officers generally do not wear ribbons on the light blue shirt, but if they wear the UMB (Universal Management Badge - aka pilot wings) they're required to do so.  So you won't get sent up the river for doing so. 

No, you don't have to wear the ribbons when you wear the badges - even aeronautical ones. 

AFI 36-2903   2 AUGUST 2006                  p. 21
Figure 2.4.  Men's Short-Sleeved Shirt.
NOTES:
1. Center name tag on (but not over) edge of right pocket.
2. Center ribbons resting on (but not over) edge of pocket between the left and right edges.  Ribbons
are optional.  If worn, all ribbons and devices will be worn.  See Figure 4.3. for arrangement of
ribbons.
3. Air Force members are highly encouraged to wear their current occupational badge. Aeronautical
and chaplain badges are mandatory, others are optional.  Wear only midsize or regular badges, do
not mix sizes. Center aeronautical, occupational, or miscellaneous badge 1/2 inch above ribbons
or pocket if not wearing ribbons.  Center additional badge 1/2 inch above the first one.  Center
duty or miscellaneous badge on lower portion of left pocket between left and right edges and bot-
tom of flap and pocket, and/or on right pocket between left and right edges and bottom of flap and
pocket.  EXCEPTIONS:  Missile badge is only worn centered on left pocket.  Excel-
lence-In-Competition badge is worn centered on top edge of left pocket flap.
4. Air Force Command Insignia:  Current commanders wear the insignia centered 1?2 inch above the nametag.  Graduated commanders, when worn, wear the insignia centered below the nametag
between the nametag and the button of the right pocket flap.  AF Command Insignia is mandatory.

[DNall]

Perfectly fine to wear your ribbon rack with the long or short-sleeve light blue shirt. I do it all the time. It is an unwritten tradition in USAF (and by extension, CAP) that officers generally do not wear ribbons on the light blue shirt, but if they wear the UMB (Universal Management Badge - aka pilot wings) they're required to do so.  So you won't get sent up the river for doing so. 

No, you don't have to wear the ribbons when you wear the badges - even aeronautical ones. 

Try that again, he didn't say you needed to wear ribbons to wear badges. He said:
1) you are required to wear aeronautical badges (which techincally also applies to parachutist & halo, but that's not the practice)
2) Officers are discouraged from wearing ribbons on the shirt, but must wear wings & should wear any other current job spec badge.

I follow this policy also. I do toss ribbons on the shirt at times in CAP for sorta formal occations. I have & would MUCH prefer to toss on the service coat for that short portion of the event or the whole event if need be, but most CAP members don;t have service coats so that forces default back to the shirt. We have a good supply of old-style & enlisted service coats though & issue them to cadets for warmth (best we can do), so I do actually get to wear my coat a bit.

[Fifinella]

Not trying to start something, but yes he DID say "officers generally do not wear ribbons on the light blue shirt, but if they wear the UMB (Universal Management Badge - aka pilot wings) they're required to do so."

Perfectly fine to wear your ribbon rack with the long or short-sleeve light blue shirt. I do it all the time. It is an unwritten tradition in USAF (and by extension, CAP) that officers generally do not wear ribbons on the light blue shirt, but if they wear the UMB (Universal Management Badge - aka pilot wings) they're required to do so.  So you won't get sent up the river for doing so. 

No, you don't have to wear the ribbons when you wear the badges - even aeronautical ones. 

Try that again, he didn't say you needed to wear ribbons to wear badges. He said:
1) you are required to wear aeronautical badges (which techincally also applies to parachutist & halo, but that's not the practice)
2) Officers are discouraged from wearing ribbons on the shirt, but must wear wings & should wear any other current job spec badge.

[AlphaSigOU]

Not trying to start something, but yes he DID say "officers generally do not wear ribbons on the light blue shirt, but if they wear the UMB (Universal Management Badge - aka pilot wings) they're required to do so."

And yes, I did... I should have clarified the sentence to add: "if they wear only badges on the blue shirt, especially the UMB..." Shoulda doublechecked myself.

[MississippiFlyboy]

I'm only a second louie but I feel that once you acquire a decent amount of ribbons, then you should pick the good ones to wear and leave the fluff off.  Anyone who knows what they stand for will be more impressed and probably have more respect for two rows of ribbons that require service way above the norm than a rack full of fluff. 

The SAR/DR ribbons I got during Katrina are the ones I take the most pride in wearing. Not because of how they look on the uniform but because they remind me of how much CAP did on the coast for the people that needed help.  That's worth a whole rack of "underwater basket weaving merit badges".

My 2 Pesos

[jason.pennington]

If I am going to be speaking to a non-CAP audience, I wear all of my stuff on my service coat.  For meetings, when I am in blues, I just wear wings and commander's pin.  While in the white aviator shirt, I'll usually wear CAP ribbons.  But in the coat I wear all of my Navy ribbons and CAP ribbons.