Where Do I Find the 5 Cadet Responses?

Started by lil_goat, October 17, 2018, 10:54:32 PM

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lil_goat

Hi All,
Could someone direct me to an official CAP regulation where the 5 Cadet Responses (or 5 Responses of a Cadet) are found? I unable to locate anything directly related to CAP, aside from a few squadron-specific websites that provide no regulations to back them up.
Thank you.

Shawn W.

I've never heard of this in 20 plus years of CAP..  Can you please Elaborate a little more on what you are looking for?

lil_goat

Absolutely. As it has been told to me, they are the '5 acceptable answers' a cadet is to give when questioned by a person of higher rank, and they are along these lines: "Yes Sir," "No Sir," "I don't know, Sir, but I will find out" "I don't understand, Sir" and "No excuse, Sir" (all interchangeable with Ma'am).
The problem is that I have heard about 3 versions of these responses, and I have a suspicion that there is no actual regulation to back them up. If there is, I'd like to find it, but I do not believe that they naturally exist (or even belong) in CAP.
Your response helps confirm that suspicion, so I appreciate it very much.

Eclipse

Yep - wives tale. Someone is confusing CAP with West Point.

When a superior, or anyone else asks you a question, answer them directly, politely,
and using your courtesies.

And you've got the right idea, when there's no reg, it's made up, and it's on them to show you,
not you to disprove.

"That Others May Zoom"

lil_goat

Thank you. Much appreciated. I thought so, and I will be sure to share that nugget of wisdom with them  ;)

Fubar

Quote from: lil_goat on October 18, 2018, 02:36:50 AM
Thank you. Much appreciated. I thought so, and I will be sure to share that nugget of wisdom with them  ;)

Be careful! Often folks don't take too kindly to having "the way we've always done it" challenged, even when you're on the right side of the regulations.

Mitchell 1969

"The Five Authorized Responses" came to CAP via the old USAF Flying cadet program, which got it from West Point, which found it in a note from St. Paul.

The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as "Hows the Cow?" And "What is Leather," during the 50's and up to about the mid-60's, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Look long and hard, but you will not find any regulation specifying, requiring or even defining them. If they are still around, it is due to local practice rather than by directive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
_________________
Bernard J. Wilson, Major, CAP

Mitchell 1969; Earhart 1971; Eaker 1973. Cadet Flying Encampment, License, 1970. IACE New Zealand 1971; IACE Korea 1973.

CAP has been bery, bery good to me.

TheSkyHornet

Navy practice was to use:

1.) Yes, Sir/Ma'am/Chief
2.) No, Sir/Ma'am/Chief
3.) Aye, Sir/Ma'am/Chief
4.) Sir/Ma'am/Chief, the (rank) does not know but will find out
5.) No excuses, Sir/Ma'am/Chief

These are typical bootcamp-isms that span virtually every branch in their own tradition.

GaryVC

Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 18, 2018, 10:21:10 AM
"The Five Authorized Responses" came to CAP via the old USAF Flying cadet program, which got it from West Point, which found it in a note from St. Paul.

The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as "Hows the Cow?" And "What is Leather," during the 50's and up to about the mid-60's, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Look long and hard, but you will not find any regulation specifying, requiring or even defining them. If they are still around, it is due to local practice rather than by directive.

I still remember "How's the cow" and a bit of General Washington's Oath (?) on Profanity.

PHall

Quote from: GaryVC on October 18, 2018, 11:04:34 PM
Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 18, 2018, 10:21:10 AM
"The Five Authorized Responses" came to CAP via the old USAF Flying cadet program, which got it from West Point, which found it in a note from St. Paul.

The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as "Hows the Cow?" And "What is Leather," during the 50's and up to about the mid-60's, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Look long and hard, but you will not find any regulation specifying, requiring or even defining them. If they are still around, it is due to local practice rather than by directive.

I still remember "How's the cow" and a bit of General Washington's Oath (?) on Profanity.

That would be General Washington's Code on Profanity...

The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known in the American Army, has grown into fashion.
He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men have little chance of the blessings of heaven upon our arms if we continue to insult it by our folly and impiety.
Added to this it is a vice so mean and low and without temptation that any man of sense and character detests it and despises it Sir.

Can't remember algebra but I can remember that! ::)

Shawn W.

Quote from: PHall on October 18, 2018, 11:33:22 PM
Quote from: GaryVC on October 18, 2018, 11:04:34 PM
Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 18, 2018, 10:21:10 AM
“The Five Authorized Responses” came to CAP via the old USAF Flying cadet program, which got it from West Point, which found it in a note from St. Paul.

The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as “Hows the Cow?” And “What is Leather,” during the 50’s and up to about the mid-60’s, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Look long and hard, but you will not find any regulation specifying, requiring or even defining them. If they are still around, it is due to local practice rather than by directive.

I still remember "How's the cow" and a bit of General Washington's Oath (?) on Profanity.

That would be General Washington's Code on Profanity...

The General is sorry to be informed that the foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing, a vice heretofore little known in the American Army, has grown into fashion.
He hopes that the officers will, by example as well as influence, endeavor to check it and that both they and the men have little chance of the blessings of heaven upon our arms if we continue to insult it by our folly and impiety.
Added to this it is a vice so mean and low and without temptation that any man of sense and character detests it and despises it Sir.

Can't remember algebra but I can remember that! ::)


Back in my day as a Cadet, I not only had to know General Washington's code on Profanity, I also had to learn "the Origin of Sir" per my Squadron's Cadet Leadership at the time.


The origin of Sir:

Sir, Sir is a subservient word surviving from the old days of Serbia, when certain serfs to ignorant to remember their masters' names yet too servile to blasphemy them, circumvented the situation by surrogating the subservient word sir by which I now belatedly address a senior officer who correctly surmised that I am syrupy enough to say sir after everything I said sir!


20 year later and I remember that clear as a bell!

TheSkyHornet

Quote from: Shawn W. on October 19, 2018, 03:59:32 AM
The origin of Sir:

Sir, Sir is a subservient word surviving from the old days of Serbia, when certain serfs to ignorant to remember their masters' names yet too servile to blasphemy them, circumvented the situation by surrogating the subservient word sir by which I now belatedly address a senior officer who correctly surmised that I am syrupy enough to say sir after everything I said sir!

The Google results are in, and they determined that answer is false.

"Sir" came from the Latin origin "Senior" which became "Sire" during the High Middle Ages.

ColonelJack

Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 18, 2018, 10:21:10 AM
The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as "Hows the Cow?" And "What is Leather," during the 50's and up to about the mid-60's, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Okay, I'll be "that guy," since I was never a CAP cadet, never attended a service academy, and had two years JROTC in high school more than 40 years ago ...

"How's the cow?"  What does that mean?

Jack
Jack Bagley, Ed. D.
Lt. Col., CAP (now inactive)
Gill Robb Wilson Award No. 1366, 29 Nov 1991
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
Honorary Admiral, Navy of the Republic of Molossia

Stonewall

31 years ago I couldn't earn my first stripe until I met the promotion review board which included reciting several things from memory.

- My CAP ID (SSN)
- Cadet Oath
- CAP Motto
- CAP's Three Missions
- Phonetic Alphabet
- The how of the Cow
- What color is infinity
- Cadet Honor Code (which was the USAFA's cadet honor code)

I still know all of these things today.
Serving since 1987.

audiododd

"Sir (or Ma'am), The mission of the United States Air Force is to organize, train, and equip air forces for the conduct of prompt and sustained combat operations in the air!" 

30 Years and that still rolls off my tongue with ease (Georgia Tech ROTC).
Dodd Martin, MSgt, CAP
MSgt, USAF (Ret.)
Squadron NCO
Safety/Comm/Admin/Personnel/IT
TMP - MO - MS - MRO - MSO

husker

Quote from: audiododd on October 20, 2018, 07:22:07 PM
"Sir (or Ma'am), The mission of the United States Air Force is to organize, train, and equip air forces for the conduct of prompt and sustained combat operations in the air!" 

30 Years and that still rolls off my tongue with ease (Georgia Tech ROTC).

What year(s) were you there?  I did went through AFROTC at Tech as well.
Michael Long, Lt Col CAP
Deputy Director, National Emergency Services Academy
nesa.cap.gov
mlong (at) nesa.cap.gov

audiododd

Quote from: husker on October 20, 2018, 11:38:03 PM
Quote from: audiododd on October 20, 2018, 07:22:07 PM
"Sir (or Ma'am), The mission of the United States Air Force is to organize, train, and equip air forces for the conduct of prompt and sustained combat operations in the air!" 

30 Years and that still rolls off my tongue with ease (Georgia Tech ROTC).

What year(s) were you there?  I did went through AFROTC at Tech as well.

I was there in 1988.  I discovered quickly that large classes and I didn't get along well together, so I left GaTech and went back home to a small school and tried to keep up with ROTC.  I eventually got tired of going to school, so I enlisted thinking I'd finish school and get a commission.  That turned into a 24 year enlisted career.

Dodd
Dodd Martin, MSgt, CAP
MSgt, USAF (Ret.)
Squadron NCO
Safety/Comm/Admin/Personnel/IT
TMP - MO - MS - MRO - MSO

Mitchell 1969

#17
Quote from: ColonelJack on October 20, 2018, 10:33:01 AM
Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 18, 2018, 10:21:10 AM
The authorized responses were a valued(?) and constant memory work accompaniment to things such as "Hows the Cow?" And "What is Leather," during the 50's and up to about the mid-60's, when encampments ran for 10-14 days, they had their place.

Okay, I'll be "that guy," since I was never a CAP cadet, never attended a service academy, and had two years JROTC in high school more than 40 years ago ...

"How's the cow?"  What does that mean?

Jack

Higher ranking to lower ranking:

"How's the cow?" *

Response:

"Sir, she walks, she talks, she's full of chalk. Lacteal fluid of the bovine species is highly prolific to the nth** degree, Sir! ***

* There were other ways to ask. Such as "How is the cow?" And "What is the situation with the cow?"

** Although it was extremely common to actually say "nth degree," the "n" was intended to be an actual number. (Keep reading for more on this).

*** There was at least one other way to end this - "...highly prolific to the nth degree. That is the situation with the cow, Sir!"

Although the whole phrase sounds like gibberish now, it originally had a purpose. It wasn't intended to be asked of any random cadet at any time. It was intended to be asked of ONE cadet at a time.

The seating at West Point for meals was a long table with a mix of Plebes and Upperclassmen. Plebes has to sit at a brace, using only the front 4" of their chairs. They could be asked questions from "the knowledge" by upperclassmen during the meal. (Meals were "family style," served at the table, not cafeteria style).

Meanwhile, two of the Plebes were given assignments during meals. One was designated as the "Coffee Corporal." He was responsible for hot drinks at the table and would pour and pass cups.

The other was assigned as the "Milk Corporal." He had responsibility for cold drinks.

The question "How's the cow?" was asked of the Milk Corporal. Nobody cared about any cow. The question actually meant "How are we fixed for milk at this table?" The answer followed - and the "n" in "nth degree" was supposed to have a number replacing it, indicating how many glasses of milk were left in the pitcher.

[Edit: corrected to accurately show which "Corporal" was asked. ]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
_________________
Bernard J. Wilson, Major, CAP

Mitchell 1969; Earhart 1971; Eaker 1973. Cadet Flying Encampment, License, 1970. IACE New Zealand 1971; IACE Korea 1973.

CAP has been bery, bery good to me.

ColonelJack

Quote from: Mitchell 1969 on October 22, 2018, 07:05:02 AM

"Sir, she walks, she talks, she's full of chalk. Lacteal fluid of the bovine species is highly prolific to the nth** degree, Sir! ***


Thank you!  (And a tip o' the hat to Luis Ramos, who sent a PM with the same information.)  Now I know the "how" of the cow.

And they say you're never too old to learn ...

Jack
Jack Bagley, Ed. D.
Lt. Col., CAP (now inactive)
Gill Robb Wilson Award No. 1366, 29 Nov 1991
Admiral, Great Navy of the State of Nebraska
Honorary Admiral, Navy of the Republic of Molossia