Rifle badge regs?

[teufelmonteur]

So I'm thinking this should probably be made into a sticky, because there seems to be a great debate over what the actual rule is on this.

I have qualified multiple times as an expert, but my last time on the range, I just missed it. So the question is, do I get to continue to wear my expert badge (with appropriate "n-th award" according to MOL), or do I have to wear the badge of the level at which I most recently qualified?

I've never been able to find the actual regulations on this, and every Marine says something different, usually depending on what their last qual was (i.e. last-time expert is going to say nay, while a last-time SS would say yea to continued expert badge wear).

I'd love to keep wearing my expert badge, but obviously rules are rules. So who's got the *real* answer? Thanks for the help.

[elliscraig12]

You wear what you qualify as. You qualify expert, you wear expert. You qualify marksman, you wear marksman. It doesn't matter what you did last year, what counts is this year, just like your PFT and so on.

Here's a link:

http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sit...CH5.htm#ur5500

[elliscraig12]

"It doesn't matter what you did last year" Unless you re-qualify as expert.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Correct. However, that having been said, if you Re-qual as 'expert' next year, you can continue to add to your ladder expert badge with the next appropriate level. In other words, if you were wearing 'Expert 3rd award', next year you can put on "Expert 4th Award".

[teufelmonteur]

Thanks for the info. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear haha, but I'll take it. Oh well, I'll get it back next year!