Posted on Jan 23, 2014
What is the single most improperly worn ribbon?
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Every time I pick up a new issue of the Reservist magazine, I seem to see photos of people wearing the Armed Forces Reserve Medal (AFRM) improperly. It is probably the most complicated medal / ribbon in the military, but still, a Master Chief or Admiral should be able to wear it correctly. It is never worn without an attachment of some kind, so a naked ribbon immediately jumps out as just plain wrong. Are there other ribbons that rival the AFRM for improper wear?
Edited 8 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 113
Kind of off topic....I was in Iraq in 03 and got out in 04. My DD214 has an Expedition medal listed. How do I go about finding out if that was retroactively changed to ICM and any other subsequent changes?
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SGT (Join to see)
I was there for the same period and my orders authorize both. Can only wear one or the other, but both were authorized. May want to take another look at your actual orders if you still have them.
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there are just too damn many new ones coming out, try having been in two branches of service and keeping a proper rack.
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Years ago, about 20 of us Coasties attended a class at the Naval Supply Corps School in Athens, GA. About 6 of us were Chief Petty Officers who in less than a month were being commissioned as CWO2 (Finance and Supply).
1991 was a bad time or the Navy WRT personnel issues. Flight Training was hurt the worst and a lot of the Navy O-1 and O-2s in attendance at the Bsic Supply Officer Course had been in flight training weeks earlier. They had been hosed...bad.
That didn't stop us; most of us Chief's had already earned 3-4 rows of ribbons; many of the Navy personnel had but the National Defense Ribbon - of which we had a bronze star denoting second award. Some of my friends retired with three National Defense Ribbons. We considered the young O-1s to be fair game and as they would question us about our ribbons, one of us would invariably mention to the "victim" that their National Defense Ribbon was upside down! Eventually, our Class Instructor asked us to go easy on them - up till that time we didn't know many o them had been forced to the Supply Corps involuntarily!
1991 was a bad time or the Navy WRT personnel issues. Flight Training was hurt the worst and a lot of the Navy O-1 and O-2s in attendance at the Bsic Supply Officer Course had been in flight training weeks earlier. They had been hosed...bad.
That didn't stop us; most of us Chief's had already earned 3-4 rows of ribbons; many of the Navy personnel had but the National Defense Ribbon - of which we had a bronze star denoting second award. Some of my friends retired with three National Defense Ribbons. We considered the young O-1s to be fair game and as they would question us about our ribbons, one of us would invariably mention to the "victim" that their National Defense Ribbon was upside down! Eventually, our Class Instructor asked us to go easy on them - up till that time we didn't know many o them had been forced to the Supply Corps involuntarily!
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So... what worries me is they didn't notice the incorrect placement of the special skills badge in the picture here.... divers badge goes to the wearers right closest to the heart... just saying
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I was at the ww2 museum in New Orleans and they had ribbons mislabeled in the incorrect order and upside down. I brought it to their attention but they seemed disinterested. They had the American campaign medal upside down.
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SFC Bruce Pettengill
and a bunch of unit patches upside down, the have a sign that acknowledges this but it is too labor intensive to change
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I see many ncos n officer alike put a numeral 2 or more on their AFRM, when asked they say I deployed 3-4 times to Iraq or Afghan for OIF, OEF, or ONE. I remind them same contingency is still 1, regardless of multiple deployments. Of course i get shrugged off.
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SFC Bruce Pettengill
No is exactly correct a Major claims to have been involuntarily mobilized 8 times, on GWOT, sorry to say only the M devise was authorized to wear
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SFC MadMan Meade
Previous versions of the Regulation were much more vague regarding qualification for subsequent awards of the M device...
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Typically when I would have to wear the dress uniform I would have the Korean at the dry cleaners check the order to avoid an error. About the only comment given would be along the lines of dam you are old.
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SGM (Join to see)
Capt Gregory Prickett - Okay, that makes sense. It still seems implausible to have 22 years (or 20 good years, anyway) and have had all those years of service and nothing to merit even an AAM, let alone an ARCOM?
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SPC Thomas Bourland
SGM (Join to see) stated it is not uncommon... with a few minor exceptions I made numerous efforts although with the ptsd I was just sorta stuck in my position and finally bounced into the IRR where i finished my last six months no med board just kicked to the curb. In a way I was the architect of my own advice by seeking help for the behavioral health issues. first thing was having my security clearance revoked the next was a nice no weapons profile and the no pt profile which effectively suspended favorable actions. I did not moan or groan I just did my job to the last day like any soldier would, so my unit commander took issue with the PTSD as he believed it is an imaginary condition but at the end of the day it is what it is.
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SGM (Join to see)
SPC Thomas Bourland - When was this, Thomas? It's pathetic that commanders and the chain of command can still be managing people with PTSD this way. I don't give a hot damn what your unit commander believed about PTSD or if he believed in Santa Claus and that Elvis was really dead. He isn't the expert or the ruling authority on the matter, and if he isn't following the rules he should be held accountable for that. I'm just really sorry you had to go through such a situation - it wasn't fair to you as a soldier or as a human being. Nobody deserves to be treated like that. I gave that same advice to my troops, but fortunately I was in a position to make sure they were cared for properly and not treated like you were. Sorry, but this really set me off. This goes back to the 1970s treatment of mental health hygiene for soldiers.
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SPC Thomas Bourland
Around 2010 but in all honesty the commander was and is a bit of a douche. Now before people start in on this that or the other I will give a good example. Shortly before this a friend left the guard and joined the unit i was in he had a tbi ptsd and a general negative outlook on humanity. Decent enough fellow and an outstanding NCO since he was rated at 100 percent he performed duty for points not pay. Needless to say the SGT's condition went downhill and sadly he took his life. The unit was more concerned if he had or had not completed suicide awareness training which he had not but as if by magic he was listed as having completed it. At Sgt. Nelsons funeral he was awarded an AAM for doing .... nothing anyone that knew timothy would get that he hated awards given for doing ones job to standard. But this reflects on the culture within the army and even more so within the reserve components. There is always that one guy who serves not for his country but for himself and my former captain was one of those types of individuals.
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I go by the importance and ranking of the ribbon, I also have a chart that shows where the ribbons are suppose to go.
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SFC (Join to see)
By chart I hope you mean your erb. Because your awards are listed in order of precedence on it
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CPO Jon Campbell I usually consider myself pretty up on ribbons and medals but when I retired I had no idea I was authorized a device on my Armed Forces Reserve Medal. when I had some mounted at Medals of America, they mentioned it to me. I'm not sure if that change came out after I retired in 1996. And even the picture that you posted is interesting in that you dont see many E-6's with the Legion of Merit.
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SFC William Farrell
SFC Bruce Pettengill - Not a retirement device Bruce. I just meant when I retired I had a new set up made and they mentioned the hour glass device Bruce.
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The Battle "E" on a Army Uniform. Yep try and figure it out if you have other medals that go on the right side.
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I mostly see peoples unit awards upside down ("the wheat grows UP not down")
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I have had so many students come to my class with a star on their NDSM. I tell them to go to the MPF at lunch and get it fixed.
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
Correct. They stopped the medal for a bit. Like me, I served in the 90's, got out and came back in 2010. I rate the star.
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SFC Matthew Willis
The NDSM was awarded from 1990 until 1994 to cover Desert Storm and Mogadishu, Somalia. It was then reinstated in 2002 (retro to 2001) for OEF/OIF operations. I was constantly explaining my NDSM star to CoC for that reason.
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SSG(P) (Join to see)
I was award it the NDSM in 1995 in marine corps basic. It was my only award on my dress blues. A month later my buddy graduated from there and didn't get it. So I have am
One of the old timers that get to wear a star on mine.
On that note I did serve with a guy that was award it three times.
1. Vietnam
2. Persian gulf
3. Iraq
One of the old timers that get to wear a star on mine.
On that note I did serve with a guy that was award it three times.
1. Vietnam
2. Persian gulf
3. Iraq
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Numerous ribbons with a symmetrical color design or mark that are worn upside down or backwards. This is right out of the Navy's uniform Regulations covering Navy ribbons (some are dated, however, I'm sure were still mounted and worn incorrectly):
Section 5310, para 4:
Display ribbons which have a symmetrical color design or have stars as part of the design, as follows:
a. American Campaign Service Medal. The dark blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
b. Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
c. Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. The dark blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
d. Combat Action Ribbon. The outermost blue stripe is to the wearer's right, even when worn on the right side when large medals are worn..
e. European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
Korean Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The red portion of the circular device in the center is
uppermost, and the ribbon has a gold frame.
g. Kosovo Campaign Medal. The broad blue stripe is to the wearer's right.
h. Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait). The black stripe is uppermost.
i. Inter-American Defense Board Ribbon. The red stripe is to the wearer’s right.
j. Medal of Honor Ribbon. The star should form an M with the single ray of all stars pointing up.
k. Merchant Marine Combat Bar. The light blue stripe is uppermost.
l. Merchant Marine Mariner's Ribbon. The red stripe is to the wearer's right.
m. Navy and Marine Corps Ribbon. The blue stripe is to the wearer's right.
n. Navy Occupation Service Ribbon. The black stripe is to the wearer's right.
o. Philippine Defense Ribbon. The stars form a triangle, base down.
p. Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
q. Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The blue stripe is to the wearer's right,
worn with gold frame.
r. Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The blue stripe is uppermost.
s. World War II Theater Ribbon. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
Section 5310, para 4:
Display ribbons which have a symmetrical color design or have stars as part of the design, as follows:
a. American Campaign Service Medal. The dark blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
b. Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
c. Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal. The dark blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
d. Combat Action Ribbon. The outermost blue stripe is to the wearer's right, even when worn on the right side when large medals are worn..
e. European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
Korean Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The red portion of the circular device in the center is
uppermost, and the ribbon has a gold frame.
g. Kosovo Campaign Medal. The broad blue stripe is to the wearer's right.
h. Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait). The black stripe is uppermost.
i. Inter-American Defense Board Ribbon. The red stripe is to the wearer’s right.
j. Medal of Honor Ribbon. The star should form an M with the single ray of all stars pointing up.
k. Merchant Marine Combat Bar. The light blue stripe is uppermost.
l. Merchant Marine Mariner's Ribbon. The red stripe is to the wearer's right.
m. Navy and Marine Corps Ribbon. The blue stripe is to the wearer's right.
n. Navy Occupation Service Ribbon. The black stripe is to the wearer's right.
o. Philippine Defense Ribbon. The stars form a triangle, base down.
p. Philippine Liberation Ribbon. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
q. Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The blue stripe is to the wearer's right,
worn with gold frame.
r. Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon. The blue stripe is uppermost.
s. World War II Theater Ribbon. The blue stripe in the center is to the wearer's right.
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