Why don't officers wear marksmanship badges?

I like the answer sir. The Officers job is to point us where, when and who; NCO's will take it from there and point the expert marksmen appropriately.

Wow, things must have really changed. Used to be the most dangerous man on earth was a Platoon SGT with a radio. Just saying.

SGT Larry Benson - Used to be the Platoon SGT job and the LT would be moving with squads, because the PLT SGT has the most experience. Some where between 1975 to 1986 This was reversed. Seemed really stupid and actually was. But that was then not sure what you all are doing now a days.

Capt Jeff S. - It seems to me that this would be something that would earn respect from any and all regardless if the wearer was Commissioned or NCO. Same for jump badge, aircrew wings, medical badge etc. If the person has earned the badge/medal/ribbon/award, extra cred points for them.

I was proud to wear all my badges and awards. My Late Dad (CWO3) wore his badges and awards on all his uniforms. He was acting CO at his last duty station prior to Retirement in 1969. I always wanted to follow in my Dad's footsteps but soon became disenchanted with the way promotions were handed out. I do not regret my time serving in the US Army, US Army Reserve or the US Air Force Reserve. Here is my late Dad's retirement photo. I Salute All My Fellow Veterans!!! GOD Bless America!!!

I too served as an enlisted Marine prior to WO?CWO in the Army and the CO in the army, Always wore mine................

Cpl Dick Reinbold some of the best leaders I’ve known and worked with are former Marines.

I never wore mine on my khaki/summer uniform, my class A's always had all awards.

BG Donald Currier Yes sir! It has been only recently (after 2007?) that the Army followed the playbook of the Marines in that we are all trained as Infantry first before going in the our respective MOS training. As such it is imperative that our skills are maintained The modern battlefield is not linear with the front being “over there”. Officers need to maintain the ability to not just lead, but to fight.

One would then want to ask whether officers should also wear their enlisted earned "mechanics" skills or other such badges???

CW4 Peter McHugh - good point! Some of these qualification badges fall in precedence if you have wings and combat badges, things like weapons qualification, Recondo, mechanics badges just don't make the cut.

Hooorah .... for some of us, there just isn't room ........ but worn or not, pride never fades!

Seems like some one would take time to think, (but of course that’s too much to expect)CW4 Tim Claus to have one main badge and a bar for ea. Addit qualification below that.

Sir, You speak the truth. I caught hell for my mustache that I wore (including in the 82nd ABD) and could still out soldier most of the other paratroopers with me. I even got blocked by the Div CSM once from meeting the Secretary of Defense because I had a mustache. Tradition and impracticality sometimes fill peoples brains. My challenge was that when there is a policy by Division that no facial hair will be worn, I will shave it off, until then, leave me alone...(CSM). Badges? We don't need not stinking badges!!! OK, are you not an Expert Rifle/Pistol? Below Expert, the only other qualification is LIABILITY. Now what? (Mic Drop). Only met one other LTC that had always worn his mustache throughout his career. Neither of you two were negatively affected. Fortunately, none of this ever frustrated me, Just Kidding!!!

Looking at Milley and the other fast movers, they sure wear the I was there and did a really good job ribbons. Maybe they were all non-qualms.

Had a handlebar mustache as a corporal and was always getting grief for it. A new regimental SGTMaj checked in with a great handlebar. He showed me how to wear mine so I was not violating uniform regs and no one ever said anything about it again. I eventually outgrew the handlebar, but still have a very conservative and gray mustache.

Sgt (Join to see) - Sounds like that Lt was stepping out of his lane. Also sounds like an abuse of authority and an NCO needs to step in and suggest to this officer that he is making a poor call.

SSG Iron Mikey Pot - Kettle, read your last sentence. Also, grammar makes a leader about as much as their run time.

MSG Loren Tomblin - I left out my explanation of leadership: It is the ability to influence behavior in such a way that subordinates will act in such a way to take on distasteful tasks. Especially in a combat. My good friend Maximo Yabes received the MOH posthumously. I trained him in FO procedures back in the day. His son owns a restaurant in Chattanooga called "Maxes". If you ever get there say Hello. He was a soldiers SGT for sure. I think of him every day.

SSG Iron Mikey - The word you're looking for is "spelling." Grammar is something else entirely (and it is spelled grammar, not grammer).

There's the alternative theory that since Officers buy their uniforms and enlisted are issued theirs (with a clothing allowance) that pinning on the badges may cause their uinforms to wear out sooner.

MSG McEleney, That's funny ! Having gone from draftee, to enlisted then on to OCS back in'67, I wrecked virtually all my issued uniforms. During OCS ! Boots and shoes too. As the TAC officers explained the first day: "You are no longer in the Army, this is not a democracy, you do what we tell you to do, or you are free to leave, you volunteered for this duty, and if you don't like it, you can leave any time you want, no questions asked !". We were lined up on both sides of the Company hallway and were then ordered to low crawl, in Full Class "A"s down the hall and down three flights of stairs to the basement for issuance of our OCS gear. The only item of clothing worth salvaging after that foray were a few caps. I (and we) destroyed more clothing during that six months than the entire rest of my career. Upon graduation I had purchased 20 sets of fatigues, 2 each winter and summer "A"s, 2 Dress Blues, bunch of white shirts and ties, 5 pair boots, 4 pair low-quarters, top coat, 2 raincoats, 5 sets of khakis, and more socks/underwear and misc. than you can "shake a stick at". Most of those items were tailored either at the base Sears store or local cleaner (horrors). My clothing allowance didn't begin to cover the cost of all that. But, as they say, what else did we have to spend our pay on ! LOL. Anyway, I pinned every shooting award I had earned as an EM on my "A"s , and what was allowed by regs on my Dress Blues each and every time I wore them. When you have multiple sets of uniforms, they don't get ruined by "pinning" on badges, bars, unit awards, ribbons, or unit crests on one's apulets. Having accumulated all that gear allowed me to put European gas in my car in Germany after my ration stamps ran out, instead of buying more clothing !

MSG Michael McEleney - WOW I don't ever remember not paying for my uniforms even in boot camp. Even our dungarees we had to pay for them granted we did get $10 a month uniform allowance which was a drop in the bucket. Shipboard life will wear out your uniforms real fast.

From 2LT through Major, I have NEVER been in a unit that did not require all officers (except chaplains) to qualify with their assigned weapon. It was a given that everyone went to the range and qualified with their weapon and passed their PT test, etc. God help you if you didn't. The only exception was during the times I was in school/TDY. I would not confuse the absence of a marksmanship badge with an unqualified officer. This is something I have never had to grapple with.

CPT Brad Wilson - When I was wounded, I packed and M-16, a .45 a PRC-10, binoculars and a map case. I was an FO and a sniper nailed me. I unloaded my M-16 on him but made it home retiring in 1983. HOOAH!!!! BTW, I relieved my RTO because he was drafted and not suited for cannon fodder. That was in 1966.

MSG Loren Tomblin - As a FO, also in the Nam, I carried a shotgun and .45, map case and binos. RTO carried the PRC-25. Mine was competent.

LtCol Bruce Janis - My RTO was not suitable for the Infantry. I felt better packing my own radio. Got him another duty packing 4.2's. He was most appreciative. The poor kid was overweight and barely made the height requirements. He was a draftee. The side benefit was his personal attention and mealtimes when we were back in the base..

I guess the Artillery is different the only officers in an artillery battalion issued a pistol are on the battalion staff all the rest of us we issued rifles We only had enough pistols in the battalion for the staff the battery commanders (most still carried rifles) and the medics

COL (Join to see) - Are you discounting the fact that the original WWII Rangers were put though the British Commando Course? Of course you won't find non-jump qualified position in the Ranger Regiment. I do believe WWII Ranger personnel were "grandfathered" into being Ranger qualified and a good number of Ranger Companies were formed before the formal Ranger School was operational.

OK. I will try again to express this as clearly as I can. My comments are on the photograph that accompanies this thread. It shows a modern-day uniform with a Ranger Tab and a Ranger Regiment distinctive unit insignia (RDI), but no parachutist badge. This is not a possible combination of insignia.
At no point did I say anything even remotely suggesting that the precursors of modern-day Rangers were inferior or less effectively trained than modern-day Rangers. I did not mention Vietnam rangers at all, though if he were a Vietnam Ranger he would have the appropriate campaign ribbons and at least one star on his NDSM. My point was never about whether this Soldier was Ranger qualified. It was about the fact that without being Airborne qualified, authorized wear of the RDI is not plausible.

SGT (Join to see) Thats not true, my ex-wife received a MSM as an E6 Supply NCO, so i guess it just depends what unit ur assigned to and ur leadership. I know this to be true, I saved a soldiers life while attending training at NTC, I received an AAM, it was downgraded because leadership didn't write it correctly. I didn't expect anything, one day my Squad leader walked up to me and said here ya go, Congrats. SMH.

SSG Sauders is a PX dummy with multiple 670-1 violations. The Ranger tab takes precedence over marksmanship awards, and would never be worn in the middle of the pocket like that. Never mind that actual marksmanship awards are incorrectly displayed.

SGT Aaron Atwood - kudos to those hard-chargers in combat sporting a tuba.
Play us some ♫ 'Colonel Bogey March' ♫

Cpl Dan A. - Well said Marine, Semper Fi!

Not anymore. Recruits train and qualify with optics now.

If they lead from the front, they doggone well better be throwing something downrange besides rocks! Semper Fi!

Sir, I liked going to the range too....if only because I like to shoot....and like it even more when I'm not the one footing the bill for the ammo.... ;o)

I mean if Marine officers wear their qualifications Army officers should too!!

CW3 Harvey K. - outstanding!!

Unless wearing is mandatory, I am not sure why it is being discussed on this site.