Army tabs
- Thread starter HONOR
- Start date
Guitargirl
New member
- Mar 21, 2008
- 29
- 0
- 1
Nice video for Veterans Day tomorrow. Only scrapes the surface of what is required to earn the tabs though. Mental, physical stress, and time away from your family, Is hard for members of all of the armed forces in every country. The few who step up above the average military person add even more stress. A proud salute to All my brothers and sister's who serve, and have served their country. No mater what country it is. And a moment of silence for ALL who have fallen, pow, and mia. You are not forgotten.
The "mountain" and "airborne" tabs aren't really earned - they come as part of a unit patch (and those patches are not worn without the tab). You can be a "leg" (non Airborne-qualified) and still wear the tab.
The Sapper tab is earned through a fairly short (yet hardcore school), the Ranger tab through a long and tough school and some pre-requisites, and the Special Forces tab through a series of qualification and long schooling.
Check out the US Army Heraldry site for more details
http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Tabs.aspx
The Sapper tab is earned through a fairly short (yet hardcore school), the Ranger tab through a long and tough school and some pre-requisites, and the Special Forces tab through a series of qualification and long schooling.
Check out the US Army Heraldry site for more details
http://www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/UniformedServices/Tabs.aspx
massieblock1313
New member
- Feb 24, 2008
- 22
- 0
- 1
Are Army tabs like service ribbons/medals or is it some special little ego stroking patch for the Army? The only thing I ever saw with service ribbons or any other stupid little things to put on your uniform was "more money spent on something I'll never wear." That's just me though, some guys like to wear their stuff, I could care less.
Emssssssssss
New member
- Mar 10, 2008
- 28
- 0
- 1
Some tabs are part of distinctive unit patches (e.g 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne, 173rd Airborne, Special Forces has an Airborne tab, 10th Mountain Division, etc) - this represent the history of the unit and what their goal or special capabilities were, e.g. having the whole unit able to be deployed by parachute or being specially trained for mountain and cold warfare. When someone leaves the unit, unless they earned it as a combat patch, they remove the patch and tab.
Other tabs are individual awards for extreme training... that normally end up in serving in hard core units. The Ranger tab is awarded after a long, hard school that usually you don't get a slot to until you pass RIP/RASP school, then serve for a while in a Ranger Battalion. Special Forces tab is awarded after a grueling qualifications course/Airborne qualification/language qualification/specific SF training. Some individuals (especially officers) may get the tab through the school and then not serve in a SF or Ranger unit, but most people with those tabs serve in hard core assignments. They are well earned. In a day and age of "gimmee" ribbons and badges, these are still very much earned.
I don't know a lot about the other tabs, the link gives details.
Some awards are on the uniforms as "gimmees", some are well earned. I'd list the SF and Ranger tabs, Parachute wings, Air Assault wings, Pathfinder, HALO, Scuba, EIB, and CIB as the more worthy ones.
Other tabs are individual awards for extreme training... that normally end up in serving in hard core units. The Ranger tab is awarded after a long, hard school that usually you don't get a slot to until you pass RIP/RASP school, then serve for a while in a Ranger Battalion. Special Forces tab is awarded after a grueling qualifications course/Airborne qualification/language qualification/specific SF training. Some individuals (especially officers) may get the tab through the school and then not serve in a SF or Ranger unit, but most people with those tabs serve in hard core assignments. They are well earned. In a day and age of "gimmee" ribbons and badges, these are still very much earned.
I don't know a lot about the other tabs, the link gives details.
Some awards are on the uniforms as "gimmees", some are well earned. I'd list the SF and Ranger tabs, Parachute wings, Air Assault wings, Pathfinder, HALO, Scuba, EIB, and CIB as the more worthy ones.
chucksright
Member
- Feb 24, 2008
- 70
- 0
- 6
That's a lot of little nicknacks to buy. I detested certain individuals in service who were 'ribbon chasers' but some of those are stories that can't be shared with the restrictions in ToS. There are some ribbons/medals that are obviously worth respect and it sounds the same for these tab things. I never really bought into any of it. The CAR (combat action ribbon) was the one all the guys wanted when we went into Afghanaland. One 1st Sgt. went so far as to give everyone on his PB a CAR because some pop shots were fired at the PB (and that's it, nobody hurt, shots didn't land anywhere near anybody, no return fire from them . . . etc.).
Iwondereee
New member
- Apr 10, 2008
- 22
- 0
- 1
It always seemed to me that the Marines were the 'stingiest' when it came to individual awards (and rank) - not a bad thing at all (I don't know if this has changed much in the past 20 years - I do see that Marines now wear nametags and seem to have more stuff on their uniform than I remember). The Air Force seemed to be the most generous, with awards for everything (but also the best chow and housing).
There is a lot of "ticket punching" that goes on with awards and decorations, especially if they count as points for promotion. I think the Army has a lot of ribbon-only awards that could be dropped (they were added in the 80's to make people feel good). I think some of the service medals and campaign medals are a bit too broad in who they are awarded to. I see Privates coming out of BCT with the ASR, GWOT, NDSM just for finishing basic! I also think some significant awards (like Bronze and Silver Stars) are sometimes given out for someone's rank rather than action, but now many of the citations are available online. I like qualification badges (like EOD, Airborne, etc) and highly respect the CIB and CFMB.
It might be time to winnow out some of the awards (there was quite a bit of heat for the "I flew a drone" award) and get back to a more conservative requirement for what ends up on uniforms (like the WWII guys who fought on two continents who came home with 4 or 5 ribbons and a CIB)
There is a lot of "ticket punching" that goes on with awards and decorations, especially if they count as points for promotion. I think the Army has a lot of ribbon-only awards that could be dropped (they were added in the 80's to make people feel good). I think some of the service medals and campaign medals are a bit too broad in who they are awarded to. I see Privates coming out of BCT with the ASR, GWOT, NDSM just for finishing basic! I also think some significant awards (like Bronze and Silver Stars) are sometimes given out for someone's rank rather than action, but now many of the citations are available online. I like qualification badges (like EOD, Airborne, etc) and highly respect the CIB and CFMB.
It might be time to winnow out some of the awards (there was quite a bit of heat for the "I flew a drone" award) and get back to a more conservative requirement for what ends up on uniforms (like the WWII guys who fought on two continents who came home with 4 or 5 ribbons and a CIB)
xxtlovintxx
Member
- Apr 11, 2008
- 32
- 0
- 6
I went to the crapper once, our lovely gasoline filled feces catching drum under a hole in some plywood, and started reading a service magazine that listed all the awards that were given out a few months prior. The Bronze Star had about 50 people in it so I started reading the ranks. Officer, officer, officer, officer, officer, officer (repeated for all but 3-5 names. those 3-5 names were SF enlisted). I almost threw the magazine in the barrel. I need a little more than the colorful band of ribbons and medals to respect anything, they get handed out like candy.
The Marine Corps is pretty stingy about what they give out. A lot of guys would make fun of E-6 and up that liked to beat their chest and talk about how badass they are and then they had 0 deployment ribbons, and all their ribbons added up to a Good Cookie, and the ribbon you get for joining during a time of war. I think I had 10-11 ribbons. I just got contacted a few days ago about possibly getting an award for something else I had been put up for that I didn't know about so I may get to add an extra . . . two years after it, lol. Woo hoo?
My favorite thing coming back from Afghanistan was the award ceremony we had to go to in which something like 15 NAMs were passed out, all to people who were admin/logistics and never left the wire. We ran out of water on our PB twice for a full two days (not good in 130 degree weather). I don't know what guy dropped the ball on that one, but I'm sure he got a NAM for it.
I get a little bitter when it comes to talking about ribbons and awards if you couldn't tell.
The Marine Corps is pretty stingy about what they give out. A lot of guys would make fun of E-6 and up that liked to beat their chest and talk about how badass they are and then they had 0 deployment ribbons, and all their ribbons added up to a Good Cookie, and the ribbon you get for joining during a time of war. I think I had 10-11 ribbons. I just got contacted a few days ago about possibly getting an award for something else I had been put up for that I didn't know about so I may get to add an extra . . . two years after it, lol. Woo hoo?
My favorite thing coming back from Afghanistan was the award ceremony we had to go to in which something like 15 NAMs were passed out, all to people who were admin/logistics and never left the wire. We ran out of water on our PB twice for a full two days (not good in 130 degree weather). I don't know what guy dropped the ball on that one, but I'm sure he got a NAM for it.
I get a little bitter when it comes to talking about ribbons and awards if you couldn't tell.
I remember David Hackworth (check out his book About Face, about his service in Korea and Vietnam) discussing the whole give-'em-out-like-candy thing by saying that people with the senior bravery awards (like Silver Star, Bronze Star, DSC, etc), especially multiple one, should probably also have the Purple Heart. If people have lots of senior awards, but no PH, it raises questions.
I served during a relatively peaceful time and was not deployed (since I was active during Persian Gulf I, I did get the NDSM). I ended up with 2 ribbons and 3 medals, which for a 4 year enlisted guy, was "pretty good". The ribbons were gimmees - Army Service and Overseas Service Ribbons. Two medals were fairly mild - NDSM and GC (whcih by rights should be ribbons, not medals) and an AAM for my work in my unit (which I felt I earned... even if it was downgraded from an ARCOM). Add in a driver's badge, Jump wings, and weapons qualification badges (as well as a German Marksmanship Award), and I thought I had a smart looking uniform. Nowadays, guys with similar background add in one or two GWOT medals and, if deployed, the campaign medals and any sort of end or tour award... it's quite a lot.
When I got out, I really didn't think about my awards and such for quite a while and only over the past few years have dug them out and put them in a shadowbox. It makes for a good conversation starter with my students (at High School) and helps open the door for them to discuss what their friends/parents/siblings are going through nowadays.
Also, when I got out, I just sort of figured I had done my time and that's it, not worth talking about. But now it seems like it's a pretty small group who serves and the general public often pays lip service to them or at the least has no idea of what these guys (and the ones before have gone through). I'm not a combat vet but I have enough background to try to provide some support to those who need it. As such, I've gotten more involved in the American Legions (and the Legion Riders).
I served during a relatively peaceful time and was not deployed (since I was active during Persian Gulf I, I did get the NDSM). I ended up with 2 ribbons and 3 medals, which for a 4 year enlisted guy, was "pretty good". The ribbons were gimmees - Army Service and Overseas Service Ribbons. Two medals were fairly mild - NDSM and GC (whcih by rights should be ribbons, not medals) and an AAM for my work in my unit (which I felt I earned... even if it was downgraded from an ARCOM). Add in a driver's badge, Jump wings, and weapons qualification badges (as well as a German Marksmanship Award), and I thought I had a smart looking uniform. Nowadays, guys with similar background add in one or two GWOT medals and, if deployed, the campaign medals and any sort of end or tour award... it's quite a lot.
When I got out, I really didn't think about my awards and such for quite a while and only over the past few years have dug them out and put them in a shadowbox. It makes for a good conversation starter with my students (at High School) and helps open the door for them to discuss what their friends/parents/siblings are going through nowadays.
Also, when I got out, I just sort of figured I had done my time and that's it, not worth talking about. But now it seems like it's a pretty small group who serves and the general public often pays lip service to them or at the least has no idea of what these guys (and the ones before have gone through). I'm not a combat vet but I have enough background to try to provide some support to those who need it. As such, I've gotten more involved in the American Legions (and the Legion Riders).
Ribbons are given. Tabs are earned.
I was attached to an lrrp unit. All were airborne, most were rangers. No one wore wore tabs unless there was a visit from a col. or above. In fact due to the very nature of a lrrp unit most of the uniforms did not even have rank or name tags perminatly attached.
I was attached to an lrrp unit. All were airborne, most were rangers. No one wore wore tabs unless there was a visit from a col. or above. In fact due to the very nature of a lrrp unit most of the uniforms did not even have rank or name tags perminatly attached.
chuckimagine
New member
- Feb 20, 2008
- 23
- 0
- 1
I would agree in some cases. Some of the tabs come with the unit patch (Airborne, Mountain) and you don't need any qualification to be given them. Ranger and SF tabs are (very much) earned.
Thank you for your service.
Of course, there is a difference between what is worn in the field and what is worn in garrison (or on dress uniforms). We had a LRS unit (E/51st Inf - LRS) attached to our MI Battalion and I helped out once in a while picking up jumpers on the DZ. I got to know some of them pretty well. Great guys and a very tough job.
Were you a LRRP or support? When did you go through Jump School (I went through in 1991)?
Thank you for your service.
Of course, there is a difference between what is worn in the field and what is worn in garrison (or on dress uniforms). We had a LRS unit (E/51st Inf - LRS) attached to our MI Battalion and I helped out once in a while picking up jumpers on the DZ. I got to know some of them pretty well. Great guys and a very tough job.
Were you a LRRP or support? When did you go through Jump School (I went through in 1991)?