Air Force gets Infantry rope
Yeah, I looked everywhere for an indication that this is satire, and if it is, I missed it. The article is a month and a half old, but it’s new to me. From af.mil;
Starting Oct. 15, selected Airmen will begin wearing teal ropes — the color symbolizing sexual assault awareness and support — within the student population. Teal rope members receive specialized training by the SAPRO staff and serve as a link between non-prior service students and SAPRO for information and referral support.
Involvement in the program is open to students who have a minimum of two months left in their training. Students must be recommended by their military training leader, pass a background check and maintain an 80 percent grade point average to be accepted into the program. Teal rope members are expected to model the Air Force core values; uphold the highest standards of professionalism as representatives of the SAPRO; and be an approachable, listening ear for their wingmen in times of need.
“This program is so important because it helps raise awareness among our newest Airmen, and they will carry that knowledge throughout their careers,” said Chief Master Sgt. Angelica Johnson, 81st Training Wing command chief. “This is an opportunity for Airmen to be leaders and help regulate their fellow Airmen on an important issue. It’s also a chance for Airmen to go to a peer they may be more comfortable with, which assists the overall prevention efforts across the base.”
All Airmen deserve an environment that is free from sexual harassment and sexual assault, and a culture where they can be treated with dignity and respect.
Was infantry blue the only color they could find for their cord? And just so the Air Force knows, calling it “teal” doesn’t make it all right.
December 4th, 2012 at 4:36 pm
OTOH, Jonn, the infantry blue cord is already in the supply system, so shouldn’t they get points for saving money? One can only imagine how many millions of $$ DoD would have incinerated if they’d had to come up with a new color (see also: Berets, Black, circa 2001.)
December 4th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
As a cavalryman, I’m obliged to laugh hystericaly, then offer golden spurs to (xbox) Halo champs.
December 4th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
So it is really a Sexual Harrassment and/or Awareness Rope?
Ah … I don’t get it!
December 4th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
What? “sexual assault awareness and support”, then worn on their USAF ACU’s? Ugh!
December 4th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Oh my aching freaking retired a$$. What has my AF come to? I agree with all of the sentiment expressed but seriously, a teal rope? (And yeah Jonn, though I’m a retired AF puke, I do recognize that blue is for the infantry. And guys only recognize primary colors anyway, so what the hell is “teal”, it’s freakin’ blue. Damnit!)
Yes, sexual harassment can be a problem. How about identifying the perps, let ‘em do hard time at the steel bar hotel and toss their butts out with the “Big Chicken Dinner”? And the “SAPRO” staff, at first I misread that as “SAPPHO” staff and damn near had a coronary.
I’m shaking my head in retirement at the further wussification of MY United States Air Force. (Hell, at least we’re not being pimped as “A Global Force for Good”.) Cease Rant…
December 4th, 2012 at 4:48 pm
I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit. What’s next, crossed rifles for EO training?
December 4th, 2012 at 4:53 pm
What the fuck…
December 4th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Teal? Was chartreuse taken? Is this the beginning of the Airmobile Sexual Assault Support Team? Unbelievable.
December 4th, 2012 at 4:56 pm
I’m not a grunt (12B), but that just pisses me off to no end right there.
Hey AF, we’re tired of all your blue footed bullshit!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC301ZbdEyk&feature=plcp
December 4th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
@7…DITTO!!!
December 4th, 2012 at 5:02 pm
So…do they not see the danger of associating sexual mistreatment awareness with a….rope? Really? Were handcuffs and duct tape already taken?
December 4th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
I really, really, really hope that this is some sort of satire or sick joke and Jonn was just unable to find it. I busted my ass for my blue cord, blue disks, crossed rifles, and CIB, not just go to some touchy feely course.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Oops, I didn’t mean a pun with the whole “touchy feely” part.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
@8: 2nd choice was mauve, 3rd was goldenrod and 4th was puce.
@11: Good point, maybe they should have used a ball gag instead?
December 4th, 2012 at 5:07 pm
@12: Last time I checked Duffel Blog was behind some kind of firewall but I’m assuming Jonn checked there first to make sure it wasn’t a satire.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:12 pm
I worked my ass off to get and keep that Infantry Rope, now they give them to the Air Force for taking a class !!!!
What a bunch of bull shit…
Thunder
December 4th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
At least it’s only for tech school. Unless you’re around AF tech school, you will never see them, most don’t even bother to get the dress cord.
The Airman Leader program is hated by many. Some, like my son, who graduated as a yellow rope, do it with the best of intentions to help people. Others go on a power trip to ding fellow students over every little thing. Becoming a rope yourself also keeps the ‘ropes on a power trip’ off your back.
I doubt adding yet another rope will help things. The existing ropes – green, yellow, and red are already responsible for any situation that comes up, including sex assault. Everyone is already trained death by PowerPoint x 10) on sex assault and DUI.
BTW, my son’s flight chief was a woman and while he was there, only women were selected to be red ropes. There is only one red rope per squadron. The woman who had it for most of his time in tech school was great, but the woman after her had numerous complaints against her and several people recommended she not get it. She was selected anyway. It was pretty obvious she was selected because of her gender, NOT her leadership ability.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:21 pm
Maybe they should consider giving out a rope for taking a class in how to not misplace nuclear weapons.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
So when do the rainbow ones come out for sexuality sensitivity school?
December 4th, 2012 at 5:33 pm
this makes me sad. i’m going to go get a drink.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:38 pm
Cut the Air Force some slack … they have only been around since 1947!
December 4th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
Teal? It’s turquoise, not teal. Why not fuschia? Or burnt orange? Or — ooo! — why not iridescent purple?
It’s silly. For a moment there, I did think it was a joke.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:53 pm
So this is just going to be in a school environment to ID Airmen in leadership positions? … or is it going to be handed out Air Force wide?
Why have a rope for one aspect of training? Totally retarded, just a move to gain favor with the PC crowd. No matter what service uniform you put on, by wearing it you should be acknowledging you know right from wrong as far as sexual misconduct, personal behavior etc. If someone needs a funny colored rope around their shoulder to remind them not to smack a girls ass they dont need to be in anyway.
December 4th, 2012 at 5:57 pm
I’m with John11B (#20)
Gotta be worth a drink. Maybe more.
I wore my Dad’s blue cord for 25 years, my son is wearing it now. Maybe my grandson can be a pro baseball player.
December 4th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
I think silly “decorations” like this are the gateway drug. At the opposite extreme you get characters like MSG Soup Sandwich (remember him?)
December 4th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
This must be similar to what the Rangers felt when Shinseki took their hard-earned black berets and gave them to everyone
December 4th, 2012 at 6:14 pm
Anyone else feel like the AF is being run like a JROTC unit?
December 4th, 2012 at 6:23 pm
Okay, I know a lot of 11-series guys are going to get mad about this. But there have been Air Force folks wearing that blue cord for more than 20 years. The cord photographed above is teal, not blue. The most likely place you’re going to see an AF folks wearing cords is at a training base. The blue cords are worn by Military Training Leaders. Jonn, I’m certain your son dealt with MTL’s while he was in the training pipeline. MTL’s are the NCO’s responsible for students when they’re not in class. It’s a special duty assignment, so Infantrymen take some solace, they don’t just hand them out to anyone. Speaking from my personal experience, MTL’s are usually spit-and-polish professional. Althought, I’m sure some folks will chime in to say they knew some dirtbags. I guess I’d agree with what someone said earlier; they used blue ropes because they were already in the supply chains from the infantry. Regarding the other color ropes, sheesh, they come in every color of the rainbow. Green/Yellow/Red for the three-tier student leader system. Honor guard, drill team, band, sabre team, chapel guides, and now sexual assault training? As soon as the Airman goes to their first duty assignment, the cord goes in a drawer, and is never authorized to be worn again. The only exception to that being USAF & Base Honor Guard Airmen, who wear a silver cord.
December 4th, 2012 at 7:22 pm
Rope-a-Dope: 2012 version.
December 4th, 2012 at 7:23 pm
Concur with AveNCO. Just heard back from a buddy in AETC. This is ONLY for students in tech school and it is teal not infantry light blue. Also rope comes off after tech school it will not be worn by permanent party. With the up tick in morons sneaking through the screening process for MTI/MTL and in our training pipeline in general AETC has to do something that is a visible sign of change/improvement and that they are combatting the uptick in assaults within AETC.
-Ish
December 4th, 2012 at 7:35 pm
@8
Airmobile Support System for Hatebased Assault Teams (A.S.S.H.A.T.)
(sorry, best acronym I could come up with off the top of my head)
December 4th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
WHAT THE FUCK, USAF? whats next, issue CIB’s if you watch “Saving Private Ryan”?
If I was still in I would have a collection of them ripped right off the Airmens shoulders.
December 4th, 2012 at 8:10 pm
They need to do away with all of this nonsense. I’m in the AF and my deputy CC came by to tell me that I needed to remove my sign that says “Men dig chicks with tools. I am that chick!” How is that offensive!?!? I’m a maintainer and a chick! WTF?!?! The AF wants to be politically correct and its all about image. They don’t care how well we do our jobs, just that we all resemble the runner body type. You’d better run fast b/c they could care less if we can actually hit the target with our M-4s. The training airmen think they have a lot of power until they get to their first base and realize that they are at the bottom of the totem pole.
December 4th, 2012 at 8:14 pm
wait… isn’t the the exact same color used on the new iranian submarine?
December 4th, 2012 at 9:05 pm
So the Queens of Battle join the USAF. How very apt in the era of gay marriage.
December 4th, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Hory clap!!! My infantry cord hanging from my rear view mirror marks me as some kind of zoomie sex counselor? Damn. Bet the Sky Cops at the Randolf AFB gate were laughing at me every time I went to pickup my meds at the pharmacy.
Jeeze!! Infantry OSUT at Ft. Polk, IOBC and IOAC have qualified me as an AF guidance counselor. Who’d a thunk it!?!
December 4th, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Easy fix: Abolish the Air Force and re-absorb it back into the Army. the U.S. won a world war that way…against a power with an independent air force
December 4th, 2012 at 10:15 pm
MAJ Mike, maybe you should charge the Zoomies for your expert counseling.
December 4th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
@37. On behalf of the United States Army, no thanks. You keep ‘em.
December 4th, 2012 at 10:30 pm
@39. Touche
December 4th, 2012 at 10:38 pm
@36
Infantry OSUT at Ft. Polk, IOBC and IOAC have qualified me as an AF guidance counselor.
Specializing in wall-to-wall counseling?
December 4th, 2012 at 11:26 pm
Aim High…is their motto…not “Get high”?
December 5th, 2012 at 12:12 am
Teal??!! Effin’ TEAL!!!
At least it wasn’t Signal Orange!!
(Former 31E & 35H)
December 5th, 2012 at 12:23 am
Why is the sky blue?
Why does God love the Infantry?
And it ain’t “into the wild, blue yonder”.
IN
RLTW
December 5th, 2012 at 12:51 am
hahahahahahahaha….
That is just funny…
I love it…I may have to ask some of my blue cord wearing friends if they are branching into the Air Force now.
December 5th, 2012 at 1:02 am
AF will make it a reflective teal rope…with all the harping about wearing glow belts in low vis conditions.
December 5th, 2012 at 1:07 am
@32 No worries Sean. Airmen are not authorized to wear the CIB. Even if an airman was assigned to an Army Infantry unit, (ie. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party), and was engaged in combat that qualified for a CIB; they still wouldn’t wear the CIB. They would wear the Air Force Combat Action Ribbon. A lot of this was discussed during the Soup Sandwich fiasco. If an Army Infantryman earned a CIB, and then switched services to the Air Force, he would still only wear the CAR with the AF uniform.
December 5th, 2012 at 7:44 am
I’m currently at Fort Sam Houston, which is the new primary medical training base for all branches of the US military, but still mostly Army, with a lot of Navy and Air Force. We see the AF rope system daily.
I wonder how all the Army is going to deal with the new ropes being right in their face. It’s one thing at an AF base. Quite another on an Army installation, I’d think.
December 5th, 2012 at 8:42 am
I’m sooo glad the Marine Corps doesn’t do cords, discs, flashes, badges, patches, scrolls, etc. The common myth is Marines are dumb. Yeah? At least we don’t need all that crap to know who’s who! I didn’t need a cord for everyone to know I was NCOIC of the NBC Decontamination Team. I didn’t need a disc for everyone to know I was 2nd section leader of 2nd Plt, Charlie Co.
December 5th, 2012 at 9:05 am
Maybe I just look at it differently cuz I’m one of those A-hole airmen out there, but this is all simply a part of the AETC rope designation bit, as Common Sense pointed out earlier.
Yellow and Red Ropes are for the flight leads, White rope designates that the Airman’s extra duty in tech school is a chaplain’s assistant, a black rope desgnates honor guard. The joke was a brown rope was for a shit bag Airman. I’m guessing the blue rope will designate an Airman who has been assigned this extra duty. It has nothing to do with the infantry.
FYI, blue rope MTIs were the highest of the MTI hierarchy, again absolutely nothing to do with the infantry, you’re all over reacting.
December 5th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Oops just saw that 28 pretty much already said that, and so much better.
December 5th, 2012 at 9:20 am
@50.
No, we’re not overreacting. Just having some fun. We get it. The AF isn’t being singled out. It’s their harebrained idea so they get the spitballs. The other day the Army caught theirs for the politically correct Audie Murphy crest or whatever it was.
Soldier: “Hey, airman, what’s that rope for?”
Airman: “Oh, that means I’m a sexual assault and response leader.”
Soldier: ‘Bwahahahahahahahaha.”
December 5th, 2012 at 9:30 am
I gotcha 52, trust me, I get front row seats to some of the ridiculous things that get tossed around being that I’m IN the actual Air Force. Today I was reading an MFR signed by one of the heads of the uniform policy council, who was a civilian… just seems a bit ridiculous to me to have a civilian on the uniform wear policy board… Then I saw what we were wearing and it made some sense.
December 5th, 2012 at 9:42 am
OMFG- This is just EMBARRASSING.
I was a yellow rope in tech Training at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls AND I was a White rope (WTF- White? – It’s classified… {;-D)
FYI——–
Red – (Shift Leaders) are responsible for all Airmen assigned to a shift or squadron.
Yellow – (Floor Chief and Flight Leaders) are typically responsible for all Airmen assigned to a dormitory floor and/or flight.
Green – (Bay Chiefs and Element Leaders) are typically responsible for all Airmen assigned to a dormitory bay and/or element.
Black – Drill Team
White – Chapel Assistant
———-
And this is just more PC Crap from my beloved PC AF.
Just think of it as our version of the Army’s reflective belt.
This is probably next:
http://www.belts.breflective.com/rainbow/rainbow.jpg
December 5th, 2012 at 9:43 am
@ 49, just make sure the Air Force doesn’t get the color “aquamarine”!
Then everything goes to hell!
December 5th, 2012 at 10:00 am
@52. Excellent attitude! Just be sure never to speak your mind to the true believers.
December 5th, 2012 at 10:02 am
Sorry. Talking to myself again. Comment 56 was for 53, not 52.
December 5th, 2012 at 10:34 am
Hmmmm, Infantry cord qualifies me to charge the zoomies for wall-to-wall counseling!?! My graduation from FAOAC in addition to IOAC just proves that an 11Bravo can be trained for anything.
December 5th, 2012 at 11:26 am
shows they were trained in sexual harassment – meaning they are proficient in it? Nice of them to warn all the female zoomies like that.
December 5th, 2012 at 11:30 am
Why not just give them a friggin panda suit?
December 5th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Dude. It ain’t Infantry Blue … unless my monitor is out of calibration.
As for all the rest … it’s the Air Force …
@49 Yat Yas 1833: True, there is a certain elegance in simplicity.
December 5th, 2012 at 11:55 am
I learned to drive, showing my age, in my dad’s TEAL 62′ Electra 225. The rope is blue! All for education in the military but that rope is about the silliest thing I’ve seen in a long long time.
Honor and Courage
December 5th, 2012 at 11:59 am
Infantry blue and handicap placards that hang from people’s rearview mirrors are the same shade. Coincidence?
December 5th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
@63, different shade of blue, but touche anyway.
December 5th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Thanks for the clarification AverageNCO.
Still, it will be lost on those rushing to judgment about these sorts of things.
December 5th, 2012 at 12:21 pm
Guys, that’s NOT an infantry cord:
The color isn’t even particularly close.
December 5th, 2012 at 12:30 pm
I’m pretty sure most of us realised it was a different shade.
Ebenezer Hondo is spoiling our fun.
December 5th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Hondo close enough to give infantry shit…
December 5th, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Twist: fair enough. But I’m not sure everyone did.
JPJ: of course. (smile)
December 5th, 2012 at 1:10 pm
I still think they ought to be issued panda suits.
Just sayin.
December 5th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Hey Jonn the Army needs to revoke your blue cord and have the Air Force issue you one of those teal jobs, since you’re all about sensitivity.
December 6th, 2012 at 12:15 am
WOW! Im glad im on the verge of retirement! Im not sure how much more of this jackassery i can take! For all you Army guys…just relax, it wont take long till they change the name to air superiority blue!
December 6th, 2012 at 4:03 am
Why not “chartreuse color” cords.
My turning blue ceremony was in a waist deep swamp on Ft. Benning……..this is about like Air Force Security Forces calling themselves the “Infantry of the Air Force”. Horseshit.
December 6th, 2012 at 6:27 am
@73 popsmoke, “Infantry of the Air Farce?!? WTF!!! as an Amtracer I was more Infantry than any zoomie MP!?! In the Marine Corps we’re “riflemen first”. Every quarter 99.9% of everyone had to spend time training as a grunt, at least back in the day (the ’70s). Forced marches, squad & platoon tactics, land nav, defensive tactics, etc. If memory serves the first few days were serious then we had some fun. Enlisted vs Officers, Plt vs Plt, Co vs Co, etc. “Infantry of the Air Farce”??? Stop it Smalls, yer killing me!?
December 6th, 2012 at 6:42 am
Yat Yas 1833, picked up the topic on this thread: USAF Security Forces ARE the USAF Infantry
http://forums.military.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3321924461/m/9470014982001
December 6th, 2012 at 7:29 am
Due to OPSEC I will not reveal the location of the Air Force Base. I recently drove by the entry control point and observed a non SP checking I.D. while propping himself up with a sham stick….so much for the Air Force Infantry.
December 6th, 2012 at 8:57 am
popsmoke, I saw what the Air Force was when I was at 29 Palms in ’78. There was a JFX and everyone was playing. The AF was operating out of Dead Mans Lake. They had these huge tents with cots and pot-belly heaters, we were in shelter halves, pup tents. They had a field kitchen, we ate c-rations. They did shift changes, we operated for 18 hours a day. Yeah, they’re hard core Infantry.
December 7th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
“Oh, boo hoo! Someone is wearing our blue rope! Now we’re not SPECIAL anymore!”
What is the difference, really?
December 8th, 2012 at 12:25 am
@78
If you don’t yet understand the value of having earned something, I doubt anyone here can explain it to you.
December 8th, 2012 at 2:59 am
ImanAzol, I always loved your work. I am also a big David Bowie fan. However, I am not sure you are qualified to comment on military uniform issues. Care to share any fashion tips?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iman_%28model%29
December 8th, 2012 at 3:32 am
Yat Yas 1833, Oh yea, I hopped a MAC flight out of McGuire, AFB in 1978. I could not believe the barracks and mess hall. We had those old WWII wooden bastards. Was on 30 day leave prior to PCS and stopped at a local base to get paid. Reported to finance. Outside, Air Force enlisted were milling about with hands in their pockets smoking and joking. One base recently did away with “To the colors” when sounding reveille. This bunch cannot take one freaking minute to render the hand salute. They decided to follow AFI 34-1201 8.1.6.2. in July. The colors have flown 24/7 for years. I just don’t get it.
http://www.tinker.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123309688
December 11th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
This is the epitome of the pussification of my country. Next they will have pink laces and blousers to signify gay pride.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
This is not exactly a sexual awareness rope…. They did an awful job describing it, they left out the main reason for it. It is a rope for airmen that want to step up and basically become a counselor. It signifies that they are a part of the SASH program and are a trustworthy airmen that can help them with any problems that have occur during tech school. Sexual harassment is a huge growing problem in the Air Force and in any military branch at the moment. They are trying to do what ever they can to help and protect their younger and new airmen. New airmen are afraid to come to an MTL (Military Training Leader) or an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer). So this is clearly for an airmen who is having problems with sexual harassment or assault to be able to come to another airmen that is near the same rank/pay grade or of the same age. It is to help our younger airmen who get taken advantage of or hurt by this. It truly does help though and is a really good idea. Shows a lot of responsibility to keep that type of confidentiality. A lot more than a black or white rope.