# Why cdt service medals per element?



## Bergeron 971 (14 Oct 2006)

Well as the title says, I personally think that individual elemental service medals are a waste of money and only farther divide the elements from each other. I believe that the Canadian Cadet Movement is one movement and should have one medal for all 3 services.

Having individual medals and ribbon must cost a lot as they are made in smaller numbers. 

Having one general cadet service medal would not only cost less but it would give a common pride in the CCM in general.

Below is a medal I designed years ago.
Description of the medal and the meaning of the colors of the ribbons etc…

Ribbon from left to right:
Navy blue line = Navy element
Red line = Land / Army element
Sky blue line = Air element.
Green line = Youth, (green often represents fresh plants still in grouth.)
Red white and red representing the Canadian flag.

The medal:
Front: taken from CF medal, however, I thought of having the figure of the Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in his military dress but couldn’t find a nice enough picture.  This is the closest I could find: 





Rear: All three elements surrounded by a wreath representing a whole, the words CANADA, SERVICE and CADETS all being bilingual would make it a politically correct medal in Canada.

As you go up in service years, once you have your 3rd bar or Red undress ribbon device, you have a Canadian flag on your undress ribbon.

Gold bars could in some way be added or exchanged for people continuing service once they age out, such as CIC or Civilian Instructors, Civilian/parents committees and perhaps unit sponsors.

The Bitish, and Australian Military both have Cadet Service medals which mainly officers get with service with their cadet organizations.

I would like feed back on my idea, and if you like the design in general. 
Even if it may never be implemented.


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## Trinity (14 Oct 2006)

I won't lie..   the medal does look nice

But why?

Having a nice shiny gong for showing up?
Worse yet, they're complicated with how many years, etc.

Have one or two simple designs.  I disagree with the
addition every few years... but then again i disagree with
the whole concept.  But if i did agree.. I would keep it much
simplier...  hard to express ideas at 1243.  I might be able
to elobrate more later.


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## Bergeron 971 (14 Oct 2006)

I call it the CCD or CCdtD for Canadian Cadet Decoration.


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## Trinity (14 Oct 2006)

Bergeron 971 said:
			
		

> I call it the CCD or CCdtD for Canadian Cadet Decoration.



I have an issue with the word Service.

It's an activity, club, builds young hearts and minds.  
It's not service to their country (IMO).

It's the same as boyscouts... seems to have
been watered down to about boyscouts these days.


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## Burrows (14 Oct 2006)

Thread cleaned.  Keep it mature.


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## Neill McKay (14 Oct 2006)

Bergeron 971 said:
			
		

> Well as the title says, I personally think that individual elemental service medals are a waste of money and only farther divide the elements from each other. I believe that the Canadian Cadet Movement is one movement and should have one medal for all 3 services.



I think you'd find a much larger body of opinion in favour of keeping the elements distinct.  Dividing the elements isn't usually seen as a bad thing.

As for the cost, it's borne by the three individual cadet leagues (each of which is a civilian organization entirely separate from the other two).  I doubt there'd be any measurable cost saving in changing to a common long-service medal.



> Gold bars could in some way be added or exchanged for people continuing service once they age out, such as CIC or Civilian Instructors, Civilian/parents committees and perhaps unit sponsors.
> 
> The Bitish, and Australian Military both have Cadet Service medals which mainly officers get with service with their cadet organizations.



The officers who work in the Canadian cadet programme are Canadian Forces officers, so we are eigible for the Canadian Forces Decoration as our long-service medal.  Cadet medals aren't worn by CF members.


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## condor888000 (14 Oct 2006)

You have to remember, a common medal was the first attempt.

Each element has its own medal because of inaction of the parts of the leagues. The Army Cadet League came up with this idea and brought it to the attention of the others. They both declined at that point in time, so the Army League went ahead with their own. Shortly after, the Air Cadet League decided they should come back into line, and as such created the A(ir)CLSM.

However, unlike the A(rmy)CSM, the ACLSM was for 4 years of service with no decorations awarded for each additional year. The Army League then decided to lower the year requirement from 5 to 4, and I believe they still have the leafs for each additional year. After all this, the Sea Cadet League decided that they might as well have their own, and so it is, 3 elements, 3 medals.

As each had the chance for one medal, and decided to keep them separate, I doubt that they will have one medal in the future. While it makes sense, the Leagues would have to agree, which may prove difficult considering the years(3?) that have been wasted already.


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## ouyin2000 (14 Oct 2006)

condor888000 said:
			
		

> ...However, unlike the A(rmy)CSM, the ACLSM was for 4 years of service with no decorations awarded for each additional year. The Army League then decided to lower the year requirement from 5 to 4, and *I believe they still have the leafs for each additional year*. After all this, the Sea Cadet League decided that they might as well have their own, and so it is, 3 elements, 3 medals...


You are correct on that statement. An army cadet may wear the medal with up to 3 bars, denoting 7 years of service


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## Bergeron 971 (14 Oct 2006)

i just think a collaboration like this between the Army, Air and sea cadet leagues and the CCM or DCdts would be a step in the right direction.
Also isn't the cadet service medals made to imitate the CD. Therefor why not have 3 diffrent CD's per element? Sarcastic :-*


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## CO 113 (18 Nov 2006)

What happens if you switch elements?  In terms of qualifying for a medal does time in one count towards another.  If it doesn't then you wouldn't be able to get one if your parents moved you to a new town which only had another element?


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## ouyin2000 (19 Nov 2006)

Time in one element does qualify for another service's medal.


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## Sgt_McWatt (20 Nov 2006)

ouyin2000 said:
			
		

> Time in one element does qualify for another service's medal.


so, if I were a teenager who found shiny things attractive (not to say all do so don't jump all over me) I could "element hop" and end up with three medals? Anyone else see a problem there?


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## Neill McKay (20 Nov 2006)

Pte(T). McWatt said:
			
		

> so, if I were a teenager who found shiny things attractive (not to say all do so don't jump all over me) I could "element hop" and end up with three medals? Anyone else see a problem there?



I believe the criteria for all three medals prevent getting credit towards more than one for a given year of service, i.e. three years in army cadets followed by a year in sea cadets gets you the sea cadet medal; four years in army cadets gets the army cadet medal, and you get nothing further for service in any other element (because the maximum length of a cadet's career is seven years).

Besides that,  even if you could convince CO#2 to take you on strength without a good reason for having left your first unit, CO#3 would almost certainly be onto you.

And finally, most senior cadets are unlikely to leave their friends and hard-earned posiitons in the leadership of their units for a bit of brass and nickel.


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## Bergeron 971 (20 Nov 2006)

Well we lost a silver star level cadet for the sea cadets, His comment was that he learned the most he would in our corps.
What a joke. He was only starting to learn and act in a leadership role.
Something smells like fish!


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