Is it possible to get my CIB converted to a CAR, now that I am out of the service?

The whole “convert the CIB” conversation is getting you off the course you need to be on. The CIB certificate seems to be a novelty notion from the unit. If you and your Unit rated the Combat Action Ribbon then there should be documentation about this and the first course of action needs to be contacting your Marine unit and the adjutant. They are the ones who need to fix this.

Hate to tell you, but this is just a pretty piece of paper which can be hung on your wall. Even if you were Army, it doesn't give you the legal rights to wear the award - there is no orders number. I am hoping you received real orders with this? If not you are SOL. With out orders, NFG

The CIB is the Infantry’s version of a CAB. If you are not Infantry. I do not believe you can wear the CIB, someone will correct. Instead your Marine unit if you were deployed with them should have submitted the appropriate type of Combat award through the Army COC and then to be validated by the appropriate level within the Marines. You should still be able to have either or corrected even now.

Sgt Minh Tan Read Section E, Paragraph 1 & 2. It appears that the Army Commander should have submitted a personal award recommendation for the CAR to CMC (MMMA) for consideration.

https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/MARADMINS/Article/895299/revised-eligibility-criteria-for-award-of-the-combat-action-ribbon-car-and-upda/#:~:text=(1)%20NAVY%20AND%20MARINE%20CORPS,NAVY%20OR%20MARINE%20CORPS%20UNIFORM.

Are you asking how to get it converted?

Brother, you need to contact the Marine Corps or Navy HR departments and follow their guidance. None of us on here can give you the correct answer because you NEED an official answer from your service branch. Any questions concerning your records or whatever documents you may have from your service needs to go through them, not RallyPoint. Start with the Navy and they will point you in the right direction for the Marine Corps records updates:

https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Career-Management/Records-Management/Decorations-and-Medals/

Mostly likely you can't. The award comes from the approval authority. At that time it seems that the Army was the higher authority. I have ever seen a CIB Certificate. The Certificate is not recognized as a validating document. You would have to actually have orders. I have attached my CIB orders from when I was in Iraq. You would have to have an orders number. If you don't it may have been more of an honorary award. After, reading the regulation I can confirm that you were only honorarily given a CIB and you were not actually awarded one. Because you were a Marine you were ineligible to be awarded one. This is the same with the Marine combat patches. I have seen Marines that were in combat wear a Marine Division Patch as a combat Patch. The Combat Patch is an Army award that is only awarded to Soldiers. If you were a Marine at the time you couldn't be awarded an Army combat patch.

"A Soldier must be an Army infantry or SF officer (SSI 11 or 18) in the grade of COL/O–6 or below, or an Armyenlisted Soldier or warrant officer with an infantry or SF MOS who, subsequent to 6 December 1941, has satisfactorilyperformed duty while assigned or attached as a member of an infantry, ranger, or SF unit of either a brigade,regimental, or smaller size during any period such unit was engaged in active ground combat. Eligibility for SFpersonnel in MOSs 18B, 18C, 18E, 18F, and 18Z (less 18D–SF medical sergeant) accrues from 20 December 1989.Retroactive awards of the CIB to SF personnel are not authorized prior to 20 December 1989."


https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/MARADMINS/Article/895299/revised-eligibility-criteria-for-award-of-the-combat-action-ribbon-car-and-upda/#:~:text=(1)%20NAVY%20AND%20MARINE%20CORPS,NAVY%20OR%20MARINE%20CORPS%20UNIFORM


According to Marine Corps Policy MARADMINS Number: 038/13
(2) U.S. MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY ASSIGNED TO U.S. ARMY OR U.S. AIR FORCE COMMANDS ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO ACCEPT, WEAR OR RETAIN THE CIB, THE CAB, OR THE CAM. IN CASES WHERE A MARINE'S ACTIONS IN COMBAT MEET THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE CIB, CAB, OR CAM, THE U.S. ARMY OR U.S. AIR FORCE COMMANDER MAY SUBMIT A PERSONAL AWARD RECOMMENDATION FOR THE CAR TO CMC (MMMA) FOR CONSIDERATION.

It looks likes like the recommendation was never submitted. You could try to submit your documents to the CMC and they might but if the command didn't submit it then you might have an issue.