Senior Member uniform question..

[BrannG]

Okay, so it has been a long while since I wore the CAP variants on the AF Uniform. I am awaiting National to process my paperwork and once that happens I'll be proud to wear the AF Blues to CAP standards, but I have some questions since it has been a very long time.

1st off -> When I was last in CAP, we wore wing patches on our left shoulder... am I correct that this was dropped? I still see wing patches on uniforms when I google CAP uniforms, so I wasn't sure.

2nd -> I know I can't wear my ABUs Not an issue, but I will say I look forward to when I can convert one of my ABUs for CAP. Till then, on the BDU I understand we can now wear squadron patches on the right pocket? Am I correct or mistaken?

And lastly.. -> Sadly I think I read that we can wear metal rank on our hats anymore.. This is a sad day! (I hate the [darn] overly large officer's hat device on the blues hat) Please tell me this isn't true!

Thank you for your input! I keep getting different views and I think I found several memorandums to the 39-1 so its all just.. yea.. lol Can't wait till they update the 39-1, it is dire need for a revamp!

RM - your input is NOT required. Thank you.

[abdsp51]

No on the wing patches for the blues uniform. I have always worn a sq patch on my bdus ajd its allowed but check your wg to see if they have a sup fot 39-1.  Metal grade to the best of my knowledge is not authorised unless it is on the blue bdu.

[BrannG]

what about wing patch for BDU?

Thanks for the reply abdsp51!

[Eclipse]

All above are correct.

Metal grade has not been worn on the flight cap for at least 15+ years, probably more than 20.

what about wing patch for BDU?

Optional in most states.  Left shoulder is worn.
A recent ICL opens up the left shoulder to other optional patches if the wing patch is not mandatory.

[BrannG]

All above are correct.

Metal grade has not been worn on the flight cap for at least 15+ years, probably more than 20.

what about wing patch for BDU?

Optional in most states.  Left shoulder is worn.
A recent ICL opens up the left shoulder to other optional patches if the wing patch is not mandatory.

Awesome. Questions answered! Yea.. the metal rank thing on the flight cap shows my age.. lol

[spacecommand]

And lastly.. -> Sadly I think I read that we can wear metal rank on our hats anymore.. This is a sad day! (I hate the [darn] overly large officer's hat device on the blues hat) Please tell me this isn't true!

I assume you mean "we CAN'T wear metal rank any more on our hats".  This is correct when it comes to the air force flight cap. 
Also if you mean the large hat device that goes with the service cover (aka bus driver hat), that is a different larger device than the one that goes on the  flight cap.  The device on the flight cap is much smaller, the size is slightly larger than a quarter.

Current regulations only allow metal grade insignia on the blue bdu cap only.  For your regular BDU cap, regs now require cloth insignia. 

[ßτε]

All above are correct.

Metal grade has not been worn on the flight cap for at least 15+ years, probably more than 20.

what about wing patch for BDU?

Optional in most states.  Left shoulder is worn.
A recent ICL opens up the left shoulder to other optional patches if the wing patch is not mandatory.

Awesome. Questions answered! Yea.. the metal rank thing on the flight cap shows my age.. lol

That is odd. Senior members have not worn grade insignia on the flight cap with the AF-style uniform in your lifetime.

[BrannG]

I left CAP in 2000, and we used to wear metal grade on the flight cap and bdu cap as senior members all the time in my wing. It was nice to just look and see how to address someone vs have to look for the top of the gray shoulders. BDUs were easier, just look at the collar, but yea.. then going active, we still wear metal rank on our hats all the time.

[Eclipse]

I left CAP in 2000, and we used to wear metal grade on the flight cap and bdu cap as senior members all the time in my wing.

We can't argue what your wing might have been doing, but by 2000 metal grade was loooong gone from being authorized.

[BrannG]

No argument needed! Just wanted to make sure I was reading it right. Thank you all for the help! Fly safe!

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

1st off -> When I was last in CAP, we wore wing patches on our left shoulder... am I correct that this was dropped? I still see wing patches on uniforms when I google CAP uniforms, so I wasn't sure.

Correct, and thank God for small favours.  Trying to get wing patches to look good on the AF blue shirt was a nightmare.

2nd -> I know I can't wear my ABUs Not an issue, but I will say I look forward to when I can convert one of my ABUs for CAP. Till then, on the BDU I understand we can now wear squadron patches on the right pocket? Am I correct or mistaken?

Correct, if so authorised by squadron/wing brass.

And lastly.. -> Sadly I think I read that we can wear metal rank on our hats anymore.. This is a sad day! (I hate the [darn] overly large officer's hat device on the blues hat) Please tell me this isn't true!

Partially correct.  We can wear hard rank on the BBDU cap only.  This is one of the great conundrums of CAP uniform (il)logic.  Hard rank is anathema everywhere else for us (including all other BBDU items) but on the BBDU cap.

Thank you for your input! I keep getting different views and I think I found several memorandums to the 39-1 so its all just.. yea.. lol Can't wait till they update the 39-1, it is dire need for a revamp!

Wake me if that ever happens, beyond multitudes of ICL's that contradict each other and have Texas-sized loopholes of logic in them.

I left CAP in 2000, and we used to wear metal grade on the flight cap and bdu cap as senior members all the time in my wing. It was nice to just look and see how to address someone vs have to look for the top of the gray shoulders. BDUs were easier, just look at the collar, but yea.. then going active, we still wear metal rank on our hats all the time.

?

I've been in CAP since 1993 (just after we got blue shoulder marks and hard rank taken from us) and I have never seen anyone in CAP wearing hard rank on a flight cap.

An early version of the Corporate Service Uniform (which was taken from us without explanation in 2010) had hard rank on the left side of the flight cap but that was removed at the behest of the USAF.

[PA Guy]

Hard grade insignia for seniors hasn't been authorized on the flight cap for at least 40 yrs. We could wear it on fatigue covers but it went away about the time BDUs came in IRRC.  What wing authorized hard grade on flt caps for seniors?

[MIKE]

Noticed your ribbons in your sig.  Senior members don't wear the Cadet Recruiter ribbon.  You'll have to remove it until you have enough recruits for the senior ribbon.  See CAPR 39-3.  Also, your highest cadet achievement/award ribbon is missing.

[Private Investigator]

I've been in CAP since 1993 (just after we got blue shoulder marks and hard rank taken from us) and I have never seen anyone in CAP wearing hard rank on a flight cap.

I was visiting in the TXWG about six years ago and that unit was wearing actual hard rank on their flight cap. Of course in my travels in CAP I have seen Senior Members with polo shirts and flight caps too.   

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

I was visiting in the TXWG about six years ago and that unit was wearing actual hard rank on their flight cap. Of course in my travels in CAP I have seen Senior Members with polo shirts and flight caps too.   

I have never seen that, but back when the Smurf suit was still authorised, I saw flight caps with that quite frequently.  Of course, I don't remember the regs at that time, but that could have been an authorised combo.

[BrannG]

At the moment, I don't wear anything except the polo, as I am not yet back in CAP. Waiting on financial stuff at the moment, so I will NOT wear the AF uniform at all till I am authorized to do so. So no worries about the ribbons on my sig, I was just trying out the sigs and didn't really pay much attention. I think I changed that like 10 times when I got it up here.

Anyway, thank you all for the answers to my overly basic question. Like I said, just wanted to be clear. As for the hard rank on the flight cap - like I said, it was something we did in TXWG when I was -last- in CAP, granted, that was a long time ago, but who knows. It would be nice to have our hard rank on our flight cap, as it would be clean looking as well as easy to ID a senior officer to yourself. But alas, regs are regs. We can wish to see something all we like, doesn't mean it will happen I'm happy to follow the regs without issue or question.

Thanks again and have a great day! #salute

[EMT-83]

If you're not a member, why would you be wearing the polo? It's just as much a uniform as any other.

[BrannG]

as I agree with that, the squadron commander of the unit I am looking to join gave me a polo. I have no issues however wearing CAP shirts and polos - I'm proud of CAP and I wear them same as I wear my AF shirts and polos.

[SARDOC]

Noticed your ribbons in your sig.  Senior members don't wear the Cadet Recruiter ribbon.  You'll have to remove it until you have enough recruits for the senior ribbon.  See CAPR 39-3.  Also, your highest cadet achievement/award ribbon is missing.

If he earned the Ribbon when he was a Cadet, he is entitled to wear it.  It is in the service ribbon category and they are permanent awards regardless of their membership category, same as Air Search and Rescue, Red Service, Find ribbon among others.  There is no provision to remove a service ribbon based on membership category. 

[jimmydeanno]

Noticed your ribbons in your sig.  Senior members don't wear the Cadet Recruiter ribbon.  You'll have to remove it until you have enough recruits for the senior ribbon.  See CAPR 39-3.  Also, your highest cadet achievement/award ribbon is missing.

If he earned the Ribbon when he was a Cadet, he is entitled to wear it.  It is in the service ribbon category and they are permanent awards regardless of their membership category, same as Air Search and Rescue, Red Service, Find ribbon among others.  There is no provision to remove a service ribbon based on membership category.

The cadet recruiter ribbon can't be worn as a senior.  It gets converted to the senior recruiter ribbon if the member recruited enough folks.

Cadet recruiter requires 2 recruits.  The senior requires 7.