Enlisted to Officer Conversion Kit

[flyboy53]

Not that I want to carry on the debate, but in my era of the Air Force, a ribbon's "visible protective coating" referred to the old practice of laminated ribbons.

There was a time when, just like the CAP, you could get laminated individual ribbons or have them mounted on bars and laminated as a unit. If you pealed the lamination off, you were left with a ribbon coated in adhesive that looked gross and got dirty that much quicker.

The act of Scotchguarding the ribbons was meant to keep them from getting soiled and it also protected them from falling apart when exposed to dampness or rain...and it was invisible. In all these years, it has never been questioned and it must work. The set on my dress blues is the same set I left the Air Force with in 94 and it's still looks new.

[HGjunkie]

I don't want to necro post, but I don't want to start a new topic either.

Scotch guard cannot be seen when applied correctly. I bet if you took a look at the ribbon rack on my Service Coat, you wouldn't be able to tell that there was a coating of scotch guard on it.