Why don't officers wear marksmanship badges?

I had the same initial impression. When I was enlisted everyone wore marksmanship badges with at least the Rifle and Grenade hangers, but when I reported to the MI Officer Basic Course, none of the officers were wearing marksmanship badges, so I didn’t either.

That changed when I was serving in the 82nd Airborne Division. That’s where I learned that all of the officers in the 75th Ranger Regiment wore marksmanship badges, and they had better be Expert level. There’s a lot of “cross-pollination” between the 75th, the 82nd, and the 173rd, so a lot of Infantry officers in the 82nd wore their marksmanship badges. That’s when I decided to do the same, and I always wore my marksmanship badge after that. The only exception was when I was getting an official DA photo made; in that case , you don’t want to do anything that may stand out as unusual.

I suspect that is because outside of Special Operations most officers couldn’t shoot a garage door even if they were standing in front of the house.

As a "Mustang" going from enlisted to officer, I think it's a good idea to wear them. Any officer should show that he or she can do as well or better than an enlisted, or simply show they are willing to do so. (not everyone can qualify expert). It's called leadership. I always wondered why the officers in my units didn't wear them. My fault for not checking the regs and taking the word of those above me in rank.

I haven't read every last comment here, so this may be redundant... every time I went to the range to qualify, it was required that there be a commissioned officer in charge of the range. That being true, officers should, in theory, be more qualified than enlisted troops. As a civilian, I am certified by NRA as a marksmanship trainer, but would need additional credentials to be a Range Officer. Is it possible that civilian marksmanship is more organic than military marksmanship? After 6 years as a contractor serving on an honor guard, I suspect so. Even though other HG members were current National Guardsmen (some with multiple deployments) I can think of only two who showed any sense of muzzle and trigger discipline. As I contractor, I had no authority even to mention this, except to the unit leader.

My thoughts on this topic are as an Air Force enlisted E-3 Security Police K-9 officer. I would prefer that the officers I served under be at least proficient with the basic weapons of our career field. And while I realize that Officers rotate in and out of career fields I'd sure like to know that when the shit hits the fan my leadership can and will be proficient with a weapon. Because the lessons learned in Vietnam is when it gets really nasty for Air Base defense everyone including Officers better be able to defend the base as well as themselves.

Short answer? Cause most can't shoot wirth a damn. CNN proved that

I was always told that officers were assumed to be experts. However, the EIC (Excellence In Competition) Awards which are for the top 10% in either Pistol and Rifle are the exception. The President’s One Hundred is the highest Tab, higher than SF and Ranger Tabs.

If you earn it, you wear it. My experience is that if an Officer is a good shot and you go into tactical situations, it gives the troops some confidence that if the sh-t really hits the fan, there is an extra decent marksman to help out.

It's an interesting question and I too have heard the "officers are supposed to be expert with their weapons" so no point displaying it. I never did wear mine on my uniform but it was a special point of pride for me every time I ran a range and waited to till all my guys had gone through and then proceed to shoot 40 out of 40 while they all watched. My small way of dispelling rumors that we all can't shoot

Not personally aware of the reason why not but, do know that it is not universal. My Father started his career as a EM, fought in WWII and then in Korea. In early 1951 he was given a 'Battlefield Commission'. Thereafter he wore not only his Marksmanship Badge but, his Good Conduct Medal as well, until he retired as a Major in 1966.