CAP’s Outgoing Command Chief Proud of His Service
by ANN Staff
MAXWELL AFB — Civil Air Patrol’s Command Chief Master Sergeant, the senior-most noncommissioned officer in the organization, was honored this week as he stepped down from his position in the organization. He did so while wearing an impeccable CAP Class A uniform, with command chief master sergeant chevrons adorning his sleeves, and without a single CAP decoration in sight.
Despite his 17 years of service in Civil Air Patrol, including time as a squadron commander and NCO advisor at multiple echelons, the Chief’s CAP uniform remains void of CAP ribbons. Asked whether he’s earned any of the standard CAP awards, like the Yeager or Levels I–V, the Chief nodded and said: “Of course I did. I just don’t wear them. I’ve got standards.”
“I served 28 years in the Army,” said the Chief, brushing a speck of dust from the Bronze Star ribbon on his service coat. “And that clearly carries more weight, more meaning, and more street cred than anything I’ve done in CAP. It sends the message that I’m part of the right club. I’ve been there. That I’ve done the hard stuff. And that I’m not showing off some professional development ribbon I got for passing a Moodle quiz.”
“He’s One of Them“
The gesture has drawn admiration across the membership of CAP. To average members—those without federal service—it’s a visual statement of real-world experience; experience that counts far more than CAP service. A number of former military members in CAP have embraced the minimalist approach, wearing only their federal awards and forgoing CAP ribbons altogether. It’s become a sort of unspoken code; understood by those who served, and openly admired by those who didn’t.
“No CAP awards? Not even the Membership Ribbon? That’s leadership!“ said MSgt Leonard Brooks, who wears only his Navy ribbons on his CAP uniform. “When you walk into a room full of Senior Members, wearing even an NDSM says a lot more than the ribbon I got for serving slop to Cadets at encampment. It says, ‘I’m better than you.’”
In Brooks’s view, CAP awards are best left to those who need them. “Look, CAP awards serve a purpose—for people who are just CAP officers, sure. Let them wear it. But for those of us who served in the real world, our federal awards already tell the story. We’ve got nothing to prove by overdoing it with bottom-tier bling.”
“It’s the new challenge coin,” said one Senior Member under condition of anonymity. “You walk into a room with just your military rack and no CAP clutter, and people instantly know: he’s one of them. I wish I had the confidence—and the service record—to pull that off.”
One Voice of Resistance
Of course, not everyone agrees.
Lt Col Sherman Klemp, a long-serving and well-decorated officer from Great Lakes Region, voiced concern. “What message does it send to other Senior Members? To the Cadets?” he asked. “That we don’t value our own achievements? That regardless of good things you’ve done in CAP, it doesn’t deserve recognition?”
Klemp’s CAP ribbons are full-width and four rows high and reflect over three decades of dedicated and consequential service. His awards include the Meritorious Service Award, multiple Commander’s Commendations, the Gill Robb Wilson Award, and an array of duty-performance ribbons that tell the story of commitment to the organization. He has held key leadership roles, authored materials still used at National Staff College, and commanded several exceptional Wing encampments.
“I earned these,” he explained, gesturing to the precisely arranged ribbons, “and wearing them reminds others that CAP service counts.”
Fellow members confirmed that Klemp’s service is far from ornamental. But while they are widely respected, his accomplishments don’t carry the weight of the Command Chief’s. “He’s the real deal, don’t get me wrong,” one Group NCO said quietly, “but in a room where someone’s wearing campaign ribbons from overseas deployments, it’s hard not to feel like Lt Col Klemp’s rack tells a different, lesser, kind of story.”
“Sherm’s definitely walked the walk,” said one fellow CAP officer, “just mostly indoors, with a clipboard.”
A Personal Choice
While CAP uniform regulations permit members to wear both CAP and federal decorations, there is no requirement to display either. Many say this flexibility empowers authenticity. For the Chief, that authenticity comes from years of Army service, not validation by CAP.
“He doesn’t wear the ribbons to be noticed,” said SMSgt Len Brooks. “He wears them because they’re part of who he is. If you need more explanation than that, you haven’t earned the conversation.”
According to internal sources, when presented with a CAP’s Distinguished Service Award for his period as CAP’s senior NCO, the Chief responded, “Thanks. I’ll frame it. Maybe.”
