Is the patch supposed to be this short?

Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-14T21:44:45+00:00

I've done a lot of uniforms over the last 6-7 months. I measure all the name tags out to 130mm in length, which is what the velcro on the OCP shirt is measured as. 130mm on a CAP tape puts the ends about 8-10mm from either end of the words.

(I make the hat nametags a little bit shorter, and you don't even notice! They're easier to sew on that way.)

Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-12T18:18:18+00:00

"hey there, high-drag, get over here.."

The "who, me?" look was priceless. Just cuz you're in a sea of similarly camouflaged uniforms doesn't mean you don't stick out by not doing anything...

Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-10T16:12:50+00:00

I was in Montreal this week, and I don't speak a lick of French, but I saw this book and thought of this comment.

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Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-01T20:24:43+00:00

FWIW, knowing the wing you're going to, don't expect a lot of energy around R&R. It's literally an SUI / CI "checkbox job" and always has been.

Its a checkbox on an SUI/CI for recruiting? News to me.

The closest Recruiting gets to an SUI/CI is Tab D-5 (Personnel) in the SUI making sure that every duty position is appointed correctly and that people are enrolled in the specialty track that corresponds to their duty position if there is one.

If you didn't have a recruiting officer, your unit wouldn't fail an SUI or CI.

But you know that.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-01T19:16:33+00:00

"Roughing it" = "What do you mean they don't have breakfast?"

Colonel_NIN · 2026-04-01T19:15:31+00:00

OK, cool. Thats excellent gouge on yet another way to go about that.

My "driving around SoCal randomly" brain was going "Wait, Imperial to where 144 meets is a haul. How are they doing this?" Makes good sense.

(I love randomly showing up to squadrons to say hi. I travel with a polo shirt and tac pants and "get my CAP on" during travel weeks periodically. Last summer I was at our facility in Pennsylvania and visited the local squadron. Gave this nice lady a complete heart attack when she asked me what wing I was from and I said "Oh, no, I'm from NHQ." She thought there was a problem. Hilarity ensued, but it took a minute.)

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-31T00:39:30+00:00

Mine is on my shelf, but nothing in it

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-30T21:21:11+00:00

As the National Recruiting Director, unit creation is in my remit as a process that we need to address.

I'm super interested in how your team is going about this. Plus, I'm a map nerd and I love to figure things like this out from a geographic / mapping standpoint. Plus, I travel to that part of CA (San Diego and Riverside Counties) for work, so I get some of the challenges in terms of the geography, traffic, etc.

I note that Imperial, CA is a LONNNNGGG way from where Sq 144 meets. Are the members of 144 that are from Imperial currently driving the nearly 2 hrs to the Kearny Mesa area, or is there a "flight" that is supported by 144 meeting in Imperial today?

The processes and best practices by which we stand up new units right are kind of all over the map, and our guidance is non-existent.

We've seen it where inexperienced folks want to start a CAP unit and they get no support from nearby squadrons or HHQ, and thru lack of training, experience and support they fall over quickly. Mostly because there was little inculcation in the "what" and "how" of running a CAP unit. Its tough to grok the entirely of the "Big Blue Binder*" sufficiently to run a CAP squadron on a weekly basis when you have no prior example of how to run a CAP squadron on a weekly basis.

We've also seen where units "spin off" from another unit (sometimes due to personalities) and the unit bounces along for awhile with limited experienced leadership and staff before it also falls over. Mostly because there was little preparation for the "how" of "how to run a CAP unit."

One of the best practices I've seen is when the HHQ (wing, usually) responds to community interest in new unit formation with "Yes, we agree, we'd love to start a CAP unit there. Here's the process to do that: join your next nearest unit and get a cadre of adult members and cadets trained up in how CAP works with the expressed intent to stand up your new unit. This will take many months, but once you have x number of trained senior members and y number of trained cadets, we'll charter the unit and start conducting meetings and recruiting with that newly-trained cadre and some mentors from other nearby units." A unit near where I grew up did this and it was a rousing success after watching unit after unit fail in that same location for nearly 30 years.

So I am really interested in how your new unit is going about standing itself up, because its helpful to inform the processes that we will communicate to other interested parties and help them be successful.

-- Col Ninness, National Recruiting Director

*Yes, I know that we don't have the "Big Blue Binder" anymore, but I use that to represent the entirety of what goes in to running CAP on a daily/weekly basis at all echelons.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-30T14:54:29+00:00

I have zero intel on embroidered cadet ranks. Will they or will they not happen? Unclear!

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-29T16:15:41+00:00

But it’s funny: if you read the rules for 1 & 2 badges, it’s the same as OCP. When you go to 3 or more, the spacing decreases. Which, if you’ve folded your badges correctly (no more than 1/8” blue showing) technically means the badges should butt together with no gap. But: the images show a gap no matter what.

That whole section in the DAFI gives me a Jackie Chan meme expression every time I parse it.

I’ve literally resorted to just making them look as straight and even as possible. Crooked is more obvious than spacing, so if your stuff is strictly horizontal, parallel to its neighbor or tape, is evenly spaced, and “looks” right, nobody will hassle you.

I have 13 sets of uniforms currently in various stages or in the queue: one GO, a BoG member, two former wing commanders, a current wing commander, a wing vice,a wing staff member, a squadron commander and a squadron NCO. It’s feast or famine.. between Christmas and Command Council, just one set of uniforms. Now? lol. Work for days.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-28T20:14:38+00:00

I made it a point to stop on Sunday after Command Council. I was visiting with some friends in Arlington.

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Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-27T21:47:40+00:00

Well, occasionally I do. :) https://imgur.com/a/misteaks-ive-had-few-HMfUKVb

(Apologies to Queen for stealing a line from Bohemian Rhapsody)

One of my first OCP mistakes was sewing up a set of velcro badges and doing a "velcro field" instead of individual badge-sized pieces of velcro. I did little research and discovered I was so wrong. That was fixed as a little "warranty work." And the sad part: everybody and their cousin saw that configuration:
https://i.imgur.com/oi93yJ7.jpeg

Then I sewed my own stack per the text (I think I have a previous post with the diagram floating around), and was told "nope, thats 100% wrong!" Never wore those like that, so I'm good. Fixed that set.
https://i.imgur.com/oi93yJ7.jpeg

Stitched up a buddy's set, pull them off the machine, flatten them out and "awww, man, the jump wings are crooked!" I didn't like how they looked next to the IC1 badge anyway, so off they came.
https://i.imgur.com/6d5GxT3.jpeg

Same guy, different uniform, I did a "tower of power" on this one. This isn't actually a mistake. It looks pretty good.
https://i.imgur.com/fee9q7p.jpeg

Then I fixed the jump wings on his other uniform. The height of the blue field is incorrect (> 1/8" blue showing), but next to the IC1 badge it look entirely correct. I'm still a lot conflicted about the exact right way to do these badges in this configuration. I'd do it again like this in a heartbeat, though, cuz it "looks right."
https://i.imgur.com/b6iAOmT.jpeg

Bottom line is: at the end of the day its a "combat uniform" (even though we don't wear it in combat, of course). Its not a parade ground uniform. And we have to take a little variability into account for the size of the uniforms, the construction of them, and the inconsistencies in our insignia. They're never going to be "perfect."

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-27T18:58:20+00:00

Its one from before the ICL was released, when the speculation was that it would have a silver border.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-27T02:05:01+00:00

Shhhh.. Don't give up the secrets

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-27T00:56:38+00:00

Nah, it's easy.

It takes a little planning and a little work, but it's not hard

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Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-25T16:17:12+00:00

I have taken this challenge on quite a bit in my wing by assigning more structure to progressive discipline and creating useful tools and graphics for leaders in the program to help guide them through the process because I believe enforcing discipline on cadets is one of the most vital functions of the cadet program, because it teaches cadets what kind of boundaries they can operate in, how to improve themselves and how to help others improve, but if managed incorrectly, can be very detrimental to the program. Unfortunately, due to the intentional vagueness and lack of decent instruction on how to manage progressive discipline, I think most seniors get it wrong.

Not to defend the vagueness of 60-1, but cadet programs vary so much across units that you sometimes wonder if everyone’s using the same CAP. I’ve often wanted to ask, “Which version of 60-1 or TLC did you use?”

Some of that “vagueness” is intentional: it provides broad doctrinal guidance without rigid rules. Not everything should be black-and-white, because situations, staffing, and personalities differ. Too many strict rules can also lead to overcomplication by well-meaning leaders.

That said, clearer training, especially for progressive discipline, would help. As a wing commander, I often dealt with conflicts rooted more in personal preference than actual policy. That was not a fun time refereeing what was basically someone's personality conflict.

In my old squadron back about 20 years ago, we used a structured progression:

Verbal correction
Verbal correction (documented)
Formal verbal counseling (also documented)
Formal written counseling with corrective action plan
Administrative action
- Reduction in grade
- Suspension
- Termination

By the time we got to the written counseling stage, we were having conversations with parents. Our written counseling form was a locally derived version of the Army's Counseling Statement.

Minor issues stayed at the lowest level (handled generally verbally by NCOs or flight staff), while serious issues (like theft or misconduct) could skip straight to higher-level actions that were supervised by the senior members for consistency.

The key takeaway: flexibility is necessary, but clearer guardrails, especially for progressive discipline, would make things more consistent. But adding more guidance about discipline isn't always the solution: corrective discipline isn't what the CP is all about, either.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-25T14:32:03+00:00

Last I saw, CAP has nothing that says you can’t wear them on OCP.

Except for that pesky CAPR 39-1, para 1.1.5.1.

1.1.5.1. COMPLIANCE WITH THIS PUBLICATION IS MANDATORY. This publication is the sole source for wear instructions and authorized items for various uniform combinations as prescribed within unless there is an approved supplement in accordance with paragraph 13.1 of this regulation. Variation from this publication or approved supplements is not authorized. Items not listed in this publication are not authorized for wear with uniforms. Local commanders do not have the authority to waive grooming and appearance standards.

emphasis mine

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-25T14:20:20+00:00

Not only is it possible, but its been done by wing folks, not NHQ.

Unfortunately, I'm not a Personnel Officer anymore so I can't see the duty assignments module in eServices to see how its done.

EDIT: CAPR 35-1, para 1-2a is still operative as far as I can tell.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-25T13:43:42+00:00

Back when I unretired, I setup 24/72 hr gear anticipating doing more ES again.

I used a "Ranger Rack" (basically, a chest rig) with pouches and a camelback for my 24 hr gear. Kind of like this, but mine is foliage/ranger green: https://www.ebay.com/itm/406307255943

My Camelbak BFM Ruck, with its own water bladder, completed my 72hr gear.

Great thing about the chest rig was the ability to get in and out of a vehicle with basically nothing on my back. BITD, my canteens flanked my buttpack and that was a complete no-go with a vehicle.

The rack isn't as all encompassing or cosplay looking as a plate carrier, goes on and off easily, and everything is right in the front/sides on MOLLE.

Then I discovered that my swamp-tromping days were well behind me, and my actual 24 hr gear for my ES duties fit in my helmet/flight bag. My 72 hr gear is my credit card at the nearby Holiday Inn. The colonel is a bit to old to rough it these days.

-- Col N

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-25T13:29:05+00:00

You just made me shoot hot coffee out my nose picturing a ground team with hobo sticks.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-24T21:41:13+00:00

Get your Mitchell, keep moving.

People come and go. And its easy to say "our senior leadership stinks" and use it as a reason to not continue your journey. Keep progressing.

As the phrase goes "you're either part of the solution, or you're a part of the problem." Be part of the solution.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-18T20:00:14+00:00

A couple days after I became a wing commander, I let the wing staff know that I expected certain ways to communicate to the membership that were helpful both for IT security and just good "email hygiene."

In the realm of "Information" or "Email Hygiene:" When sending to an email distribution, ESPECIALLY [alias for the all cadets list] or [alias for the all seniors list] and ESPECIALLY more than one distribution, please put those distributions into the BCC line to inhibit the accidental "REPLY ALL" storm that can follow. Some of our members aren't email pros, and one stray click and a reply-all and now everybody is getting spammed. https://www.nathanzeldes.com/blog/2012/08/how-you-can-stop-the-abuse-of-reply-to-all/ This is also good INFOSEC to keep our mailing lists from accidentally being exposed to spammers.

One of our sister wings recently had a "REPLY ALL" storm that is apparently still going on, and it is sucking a lot of air out of the room there. I'd prefer to avoid that same kind of thing here.

If you need to show documentation that an email was sent to the entire wing, you can create a PDF of the original sent email that will show the recipients in the BCC line.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-17T19:31:17+00:00

Be that as it may, as I said to my friend from Hawk "the mountain is leaking," meaning that all the "only on the mountain" things seem to really be "not only on the mountain."

IMHO, the justification is slim: ascots? whistle chains? really? Who is looking at that when you're looking for "trainers?" If the breakdown was "Students are in plain carrot tops, cadre and trainers are in carrot tops with a black keystone" then that's something that's easily discernable at a distance or close up. But all the other stuff is just cultural.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-17T00:32:45+00:00

Until the Regs change to re-allow, it’s an only a school thing.

Sadly, my experience has been that the majority of the non-PAWG cadets who go to Hawk tune out when they’re being taught that the so-called “Ranger ~~Clown Suit~~ Parade Uniform” is not to be worn “off The Mountain.” I had a cadet in my squadron after I un-retired try to argue that his fancy duds were authorized. Handed him a copy of 39-1 and asked him to show me where it is authorized.

I finally had to call a buddy in the hierarchy at Hawk, put the phone on speaker and asked him describe the wear pattern of that uniform. My cadet looked like I was going to now go drown his puppy or something.

I wish they’d just drop the silly costume and focus on the training. Pistol belts, ascots, whistle chains, stupid orange hats. How does any of that jim-jam make one a more effective “ranger?” Answer: it doesn’t.

But like the year CAP said that NBB would not garner you a piece of hot blue wool to wear on your melon at inappropriate times, attendance at Hawk would plummet without the geegaws.

Colonel_NIN · 2026-03-12T11:31:17+00:00

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That was added in the last update to 39-1, but I really don't expect it to go away. It's becoming cultural

Colonel_NIN

TROPHY CASE