Today I saw a chaplain with a long tab and a combat action badge. Is there a scenario where this is possible?

I've seen a Navy Chaplain who was a prior enlisted Marine have all sorts of chest candy, a CAR not the least of his decorations.
I think, and I'm not saying this is implied in this thread just something I've been pondering, that the culture of stolen valor might be taken a little bit far in some cases. A buddy of mine is an 0-3 and has enlisted guys straight out (or nearly so) of boot camp come up to him in public and start asking him about all his ribbons and decorations while he was in his whites. They thought they might get the next cool post to youtube. Caution- disrespecting an officer, assumed or not, in public (or anywhere else for that matter) isn't a road that should be trod lightly.
There are cases where there is undoubtedly stolen valor. These are generally easily spotted and dismissed.

We occasionally saw Navy Chaplains with Rifle & Pistol Expert Medals & Combat Action Ribbons in the Corps. They normally had a USMC/USN Good Conduct to go with it.

If I'm looking at him and the picture correctly, he appears to be a Captain, and "well seasoned" so I would guess he's got some enlisted time.

I am an Air Force chaplain who was awarded the CAB while serving with the Army in Afghanistan. With the revision of the AF uniform instructions Airmen are allowed to wear these and similar badges. You should see some the looks and hear some of the questions I get. As you might imagine I don't care what they think.

Past lives. I thought for a little bit about going navy medical after the Corps. I'd have had some unlikely looking ribbons on my Navy blues if I had.

SSG Robert Burns, I've seen (knew only briefly) two Army chaplains that had been awarded the CIB. They were infantry, came home, went to divinity school, were ordained and returned to the field as Army chaplains.
I have a friend here on RP who is an airborne, air assault, Ranger captain. He's served at least two deployments, the last one as an infantry company commander, and has also been awarded the CIB. He returned home, has graduated from divinity school and intends to transfer to the Chaplain Corps.
Happens more often than you might think.

It's definitely possible for a chaplain to receive a CAB because mine got one when we were in Afghanistan.

I once knew a Chaplain with an EIB

I knew a Navy Chaplain with a Combat Action Ribbon. It was legit. I will say on liberty, he NEVER bought a round.

I had a chaplain with a CIB when I was Bn S-3. He had been an Infantry platoon leader in Vietnam. We had an O-6 chaplain while I was at Third Army with a CIB, SF tab and Master Jump Wings. Somewhere along the way, these guys found a different calling. They were great Chaplains.

One of the best Chaplains I ever had the honor to serve with has a scroll, halo wings, EIB, Master Rated Jump Master, and Best Ranger Competition winner Chaplain Jeff Struecker. An amazing soldier and chaplain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy7yoNr9d6E http://jeffstruecker.com/about-jeff-struecker/

Prior service chaplain that was SF in his enlisted or initial commissioned service. All a Chaplain has to do to qualify for a CAB is be engaged by the Enemy (since he can't engage them) and a CAB can be processed. My Chaplain was at FOB Wilderness, Paktika , Afghanistan in 2009 and got caught in a nasty rocket Attack. Along with the Cavalrymen he was with, he was awarded the CAB.

We have been fighting so long, it is entirely possible he could have earned a CAB in one MOS, went to SFAS and Q Course, and just now became a Chaplain.

It's the patch for the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School. It's where Chaps and their assistants go for BOLC/AIT and some parts of NCOES/OES and functional courses. I know several Chaplains that were tabbed, and even a few Assistants that had ranger tabs as well, though none that were long tabbed like the Chaplains.

Long story short, this is a Chap who is probably an SGL for OES or on the staff at the school house. Totally normal if you are down at Jackson.

I happen to know one!

Our chaplain has a scroll and CIB.

As an atheist.....I give zero fucks about this. Stop digging for bullshit to get ass hurt over. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ive known Navy Chaplains attached to Marine Corps units with Combat Action Ribbon. The only criteria for awards like this is to perform satisfactory during a ground engagement with the enemy. If the Chaplain is praying for death and destruction upon our enemy while being engaged in a firefight, he rates it.

Just to be clear The question wasn't if a chaplain can have a CAB but more of if a Special Forces member would have a CAB as opposed to a CIB.

Judging by the CPT's age, he is definitely prior service as pointed out. I'd be willing to say he likely made it up to E8 or so and then converted. Totally legit. Would not have questioned this at all. Doubt he'd be running around Jackson with am SF tab he didn't earn.

Good on him. Would love to have a Chaplain with his background around.

Looks prior enlisted, only an officer would have doubts.

Our old battalion PA was a SFC 18D before going to PA school and still wears the long tab and all his chest candy. The only thing I would find fishy is why he would wear a cab instead of a CIB

Yes, a select few Chaplains can and have go/gone through the Q Course and earn the long tab. He also could have been in a vehicle or FOB that came under attack and been awarded a CAB for being fired upon by the enemy.

I had seen two Chaplains with long tab, one was a LTC, and this was in Fort Benning around 1988, and a MAJ in Korea around 91, both Vietnam Vets, and prior enlisted.

I have not read all of the comments, but I wonder how many of the commentators would be surprised to see a Chaplain wearing the following - EIB, CMB, SF Tab, and Ranger Tab? Said Chaplain served as an 11B in one of the Ranger Battalions, where he earned both the EIB and attended Ranger School, then went SF where he was a medic, earned the SF Tab and earned the CMB, then got out went to seminary, and came back in as a Chaplain. That combination always messed with some peoples minds. The individual above is no surprise.

Our Bde chaplain at Fort Richardson,AK has SF patch because he switched over to the chaplain corp.

Russ Vucci & I joined on the buddy program. He went MP, got to Spec4, got out, joined the Reserves, found God, went to Bible College, then became an Army (USAR) chaplain (Lt. or Capt). He presumably could wear all cabbage he was awarded as an enlisted man.

It is also called a DEPLOYMENT Badge, it just means he was deployed, not nessecarily into combat. One of my Chaplains was an enlisted infantryman before he became a chaplain. My brother was also an enlisted man before he became a Chaplain. So yes, this sinario is possible, you should have just asked him and not been such a creeper taking stalker type pics of people.

Most likely what others have said; prior service SF or a Chaplain attached to SOF before his current posting at what looks like the Signal Corps School. I would bet on prior service SF because I don't believe a Chaplain attached to SOF would have to go through Q Course due to the fact that most don't condone using weapons, even in training (that's what I learned from the MP School Chaplain, not sure if it's a rule or not).

According to my favorite search engine, this is correct.
Thanks,
Rick

Could have easily been prior service and then went SF, then commissioned. Its possibly, but a very unconventional career path

Is it inappropriate to stop someone and ask them about their service if you dont know what the patches mean? Why didn't you just ask him?