infamous third star was Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve Gee Williamson, who broke the news as gently as he could. I got many letters on this error, and during the Reserve Component Leadership Conference in June, I got the chance to apologize to the MCPOCG Jason Vanderhaden. He was very gracious. The third star appeared in earlier draft then, somehow, got switched. Much obliged, gentlemen! We just received a copy of the Reservist uniform issue, and I noticed a couple of things that I thought I could bring to your attention for correction. The picture of the cold weather The correct MCPOCG badge cap on page 42 appears to have the smaller garrison cap insignia on it and not the proper larger combination cap-type insignia as per the uniform regulations. On page 52, the Marine Safety Specialist Deck and Marine Safety Specialist Response Specialties are switched. The Deck specialty device should be the one with the life ring and the Response device is the one with the trident. I know there is a lot to keep track of and the magazine is really awesome and super helpful! Thanks for publishing it! Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rick Nieves, USCG Just as an FYI, it was brought to my attention that the MSSD and MSSR [warrant officer] specialty badges are shown incorrectly (reversed) on page 52. I'm told, but did not confirm, that the trident should now be for MSSR and the new badge with the anchor and life ring is for MSSD. I figured I'd pass along. Everyone loves it though. Lots of good feedback thus far. Not my catch, I have an MSTC here, Chief Petty Officer Tyler Krulla, who just applied for MSSR two months ago. He caught it. Master Chief Petty Officer Allen Garneau, USCGR I read that somewhere, and I remember thinking as I looked at the insignia, that doesn't seem right! After reading your correction, I went to the uniform regs and it said that MSSR insignia was originally used for MSSD specialty, but was changed in 2015. Good catch, Chief Krulla! The correct cold weather cap Same for the cap insignia, Mr. Nieves. We'll correct that one. I was very interested to peruse this latest “Uniform” issue. I wonder though at the omission of the Vietnam Service Medal from the ribbons pages. Please advise. Cmdr. Everett Merritt USCGR (ret.) Appreciate your sharp eye, sir. You're right, the Vietnam Service Medal was not listed on the ribbons page. The last time the VSM was issued was 1975—more than 40 years ago, and in an effort to keep the content relevant to the members of our audience who would be referencing the ribbons page (with regard to their own uniforms), we dropped it. Our currently- serving members are simply too young to have ever owned one. The purpose of the uniform issue was to help current and future service members wear their uniforms correctly, and no slight was intended. We have the utmost respect for our Vietnam veterans and Coast Guard forefathers. My own mentor, Master Chief Petty Officer Buck Ward, is a Vietnam veteran. I was excited to see the latest special edition, number 66, of the Reservist, the uniform edition. As Ms. Devlin states in the From the Editor piece, speaking of the original version in 2006, “it quickly became recognized as a great reference for active duty members as well.” I know I referred to the original in 2006 during my active duty career also. Mr. Davis [of the uniform division] talks about being “progressive, professional, and financially prudent.” With professionalism comes, in my opinion, the responsibility to provide correct information. This is why I am writing this email. Someone should have noticed the incorrect nomenclature of the Tropical Blue Long (TB) uniform. The word “long” was removed from this specific uniform name with Uniform Board No. 43, which states “2. The following changes were approved and are effective immediately unless otherwise noted: A. Change naming nomenclature from Tropical Blue Long uniform to Tropical Blue Uniform.” Yes, this is a small thing, and I was once told by a savvy leader to not sweat the small things. Except this goes along with pride for what you do and the uniform you wear. It should be referred to in the correct manner per official guidance. I have seen TB Long used across the Coast Guard since this ALCOAST, from in-house event uniform of the day notices, to ALCOASTs to a wider audience. Troy Buerger, USCG (ret.) Thanks for the feedback; you’re spot on. The correct name is Tropical Blue, and that’s my fault. After 20 years in the Coast Guard, I fell back on the colloquial, familiar title of the uniform, rather than the official, and I listed the wrong label. Sometimes that mental change takes longer than the official one. Professionalism is important to all Coast Guardsmen, and we’ll do better next time. Again, I appreciate your sharp eye. Marine Safety Specialist Deck Marine Safety Specialist Response Marine Safety Specialist Engineering The correct warrant officer marine safety specialty insignias Issue 2 • 2019 � RESERVIST 3
