Former Boston Area Cadet

[Anthony Gennaro]

I was a cadet 1/Lt before I joined the Navy in 1986 at the old Logan Airport Squadron in East Boston, MA. UID: 19073
Mitchell Award # 6315
I can't believe all the new ribbons and ranks in the Cadet Program. Those kids must look like Generals from a Banana Republic. I remember it being very difficult to earn other ribbons besides the Promotion ones. Seems like they get one for everything. Oh well.
I was thinking about joining as a Senior Member at a local Squadron now that I am retired from the Navy. I sampled several as a guest over 3 months and decided against it. I thought I may have had something to offer as a former Cadet and Navy Veteran. Something about not being able to wear my Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin. Guys who were never in the Military acting like they were with kids. One guy actually told me I should try the Sea-Cadets! WOW! I remember how much fun I had with the Senior Members when I was in the Cadet Program during Squadron Functions.

I would love to chat with anyone that was a Cadet from 81-86 and the old days and how much the program has changed.

[Garibaldi]

Since that was my time period, yes, I will jump in.

Your sampling is not indicative of the SM program as a whole. Sure, there are a lot of little "banana republic generals" with eleventeen ribbons and badges and patches for remembering to wipe and flush, but that's not what I came back to in 1993 as a SM. There are a lot of people in CAP for the wrong reasons and sad to say some do act like Gunny Hartwell. I've been in 5 units in 3 states and assisted with several more, and I have to say this ain't your father's CAP. The rules in place now are because of the crap we did in our day.

I miss rappeling and jungle fatigues and 5/4 trucks towing trailers of gear and food to the mountains, with one or two gung ho SMs and little oversight. But those days are gone.

It's not for everyone, now. Even some former cadets try to get involved and end up leaving, like me, after nearly 20 years of BS and politics and too many conflicting rules and whatnot. It's just not fun anymore.

[AlphaSigOU]

I can vouch for Garibaldi's experiences as a cadet, as we were in the same cadet squadron but a few years earlier. The days of bottle rocket warfare, rappelling off a 250 and later a 750-foot mountainside, sporting ripstop jungle fatigues and mil-spec web gear, dropping for pushups at the slightest infraction, running in fatigues and combat boots, and peppering our vocabulary with the foulest language that would blister paint off the walls make for great 'war stories' but are now very tightly controlled or proscribed in today's cadet program. When I rejoined as a senior member in 2005 I had to unlearn many of the bad habits of old. That's one reason why I participate in cadet activities at an arm's length.

BTW, it's Gunny Hartman.

[GroundHawg]

I was thinking about joining as a Senior Member at a local Squadron now that I am retired from the Navy. I sampled several as a guest over 3 months and decided against it. I thought I may have had something to offer as a former Cadet and Navy Veteran. Something about not being able to wear my Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

This is not correct. You can and should wear your Dolphins and Dive badges

[Eclipse]

This is not correct. You can and should wear your Dolphins and Dive badges

To be fair, this is pretty recent based on the change in the AFI which CAP references for this sort of thing.
(i.e. it has to be approved for the USAF to be approved for CAP).

Most likely this gent brings a lot more to the table then badges, but if the only reason for not joining is that, well...

[SarDragon]

I just took a close look at CAPM 39-1 and AFI 36--2903, and it looks like the wear of dolphins and the dive badge is authorized.

From CAPM 39-1: 4.1.5.4.4.4. Military Badges. US military badges authorized by AFI 36-2903 for wear on the USAF-style uniform may be worn when earned through qualification, awarded by competent authority for service performed in any branch of the armed forces of the United States or its allies, AND authorized for wear on the USAF uniform by AFI 36-2903.

From AFI 36-2903: 10.5. Qualification and Miscellaneous Badges and Patches. Qualification badges are defined as badges earned and permanently awarded that reflect special skills that an Airman has demonstrated proficiency or qualification in that complements their primary mission. Wear of other services' qualification badges, if earned and awarded, is authorized.

Emphasis mine.

This applies only to the AF-style CAP uniform.

[JacobAnn]

Most things in life evolve and sometimes whether the change is good or bad can vary with who is making that assessment.

[rustyjeeper]

Since that was my time period, yes, I will jump in.

Your sampling is not indicative of the SM program as a whole. Sure, there are a lot of little "banana republic generals" with eleventeen ribbons and badges and patches for remembering to wipe and flush, but that's not what I came back to in 1993 as a SM. There are a lot of people in CAP for the wrong reasons and sad to say some do act like Gunny Hartwell. I've been in 5 units in 3 states and assisted with several more, and I have to say this ain't your father's CAP. The rules in place now are because of the crap we did in our day.

I miss rappeling and jungle fatigues and 5/4 trucks towing trailers of gear and food to the mountains, with one or two gung ho SMs and little oversight. But those days are gone.

It's not for everyone, now. Even some former cadets try to get involved and end up leaving, like me, after nearly 20 years of BS and politics and too many conflicting rules and whatnot. It's just not fun anymore.

I also miss those things.
Lots has changed = little for the better. It is what it is.

[Private Investigator]

This is not correct. You can and should wear your Dolphins and Dive badges

To be fair, this is pretty recent based on the change in the AFI which CAP references for this sort of thing.
(i.e. it has to be approved for the USAF to be approved for CAP).

Most likely this gent brings a lot more to the table then badges, but if the only reason for not joining is that, well...

Good point indeed sir. 

[Tim Day]

Were you by any chance a Flight Sergeant at Encampment in 1985 or so, Fort Devens? Your last name looks familiar somehow...

Anyway, I retired from the Navy in 2012 and rejoined CAP the same year. I work with other SMs who run the range of never-been-in-the-military to several Vietnam Veterans and have rarely had a bad experience.

Our Cadet Program today provides a lot of advantages to our cadets, if run correctly. Yeah, we have a lot more oversight and rules, but I'm also a parent and as such I'm glad we don't have as much unsupervised and unstructured time around unaccountable adults and others. There's good and bad, and sometimes NHQ pulls some weird hijinks with unsocialized rule or process changes, but it's mostly standard levels of organizational disfunction.

We'll have a rappel tower at next summer's encampment. We'll also have qualified instructors and safety observers on hand and we'll have done ORM worksheets in advance.

My son just turned 18 and is dual qualified as a CAP GTL and as a state search team leader. He was introduced to SAR through CAP and has had some excellent experiences doing technical rescue work during joint CAP / other SAR group events, under the supervision of qualified personnel.

The restrictions don't really stop us from doing anything operationally relevant. The do prohibit us from doing it unsupervised, unstructured, and above our qualification levels.

Still, the program should be a lot less restrictive than what you're used to as a Nuke.

[Flying Pig]

Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

Thats awesome..... sorta like a pilot with jump wings 

[Angus]

I was a cadet 1/Lt before I joined the Navy in 1986 at the old Logan Airport Squadron in East Boston, MA. UID: 19073
Mitchell Award # 6315
I can't believe all the new ribbons and ranks in the Cadet Program. Those kids must look like Generals from a Banana Republic. I remember it being very difficult to earn other ribbons besides the Promotion ones. Seems like they get one for everything. Oh well.
I was thinking about joining as a Senior Member at a local Squadron now that I am retired from the Navy. I sampled several as a guest over 3 months and decided against it. I thought I may have had something to offer as a former Cadet and Navy Veteran. Something about not being able to wear my Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin. Guys who were never in the Military acting like they were with kids. One guy actually told me I should try the Sea-Cadets! WOW! I remember how much fun I had with the Senior Members when I was in the Cadet Program during Squadron Functions.

I would love to chat with anyone that was a Cadet from 81-86 and the old days and how much the program has changed.

Are you still in the Boston area?  There's a cadet unit that meats over on Summer St.  if you're interested in more PM, that's my unit.

[PHall]

Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

Thats awesome..... sorta like a pilot with jump wings 

There's a LOT of pilots in the Air Force who have jump wings, especially if they went to the academy...

[Flying Pig]

Yeah I know.... it was a joke. 

[GroundHawg]

Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

Thats awesome..... sorta like a pilot with jump wings 

There's a LOT of pilots in the Air Force who have jump wings, especially if they went to the academy...

And I still dont think that they should have the same wings. Maybe when they start making round canopy, static, equipment, mass tac, night, water, etc.. jumps and not all hollywood football game stuff. They are a civilian skydive club with a really cool memento.

[stillamarine]

I was a cadet from 88-92. I miss running around the jungle of Okinawa "searching for a down plane" that we'd never get to do anyways.

When I came on I was told I couldn't wear my gold wings and would have to wear a lead sled because that's all the Air Force was authorized. I'm like eh.

[PHall]

Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

Thats awesome..... sorta like a pilot with jump wings 

There's a LOT of pilots in the Air Force who have jump wings, especially if they went to the academy...

And I still dont think that they should have the same wings. Maybe when they start making round canopy, static, equipment, mass tac, night, water, etc.. jumps and not all hollywood football game stuff. They are a civilian skydive club with a really cool memento.

Well, until you're in a position to change the regs, I guess you'll have to accept it.
People have been complaining about this for years and years and nothing has changed.

And how is this different from the "5 jump chumps" you see in the Army? Especially amoung West Point grads?

[LSThiker]

Submarine Dolphins and Divers Pin.

Thats awesome..... sorta like a pilot with jump wings 

There's a LOT of pilots in the Air Force who have jump wings, especially if they went to the academy...

And I still dont think that they should have the same wings. Maybe when they start making round canopy, static, equipment, mass tac, night, water, etc.. jumps and not all hollywood football game stuff. They are a civilian skydive club with a really cool memento.

Yet it is still fun to mess with them.

Air Force Free Fall?
Yeah
Sorry.  Never mind

Just like it is fun to mess with Infantry Officers that do not have a set of jump wings (a small percentage albeit):

<Saluting>  Airborne All the Way.......Oh.  Good Afternoon, Sir

Easier when we had branch insignia instead of ACUs.