Marine Corps Combatant Diver Course

[BeatArmy2027!]

I’ve seen a few mids wearing the Marine Corps Combatant Diver badge. Are mids allowed to go to Combatant Diver school during their time at USNA or are these only prior enlisted Marines with this badge?

Thanks

 

[USMC Crayons]

To my knowledge, you have to complete the Basic Recon Course for the badge (which is 12 weeks)...so thinking they must be prior enlisted.

 

[Skipper07]

AFAIK there are no MIDN wearing that gold pin. Some mids wear the silver Navy SCUBA diver pin because they early selected submarines and went to dive school after 2/C year.

 

[USMC Crayons]

It appears that the badge in question is not even authorized for wear at Annapolis, so sounds like you may be correct.

 

[Computerman21]

Skipper07 is correct. There are no midshipmen who wear the combat dive pin (gold dive bubble). All mids who wear a dive pin are among the roughly 6-7 submarine early selects chosen to attend dive school each year in 1/C Summer. Those midshipmen wear the Scuba Diver insignia (silver dive bubble)

 

[IronmanDaremo]

Interesting they wouldn't authorize an award/pin.

I was Army air crew, so had wings. I wore those at both NAPS and the few times during PS where we wore uniforms that allowed ribbons. No one ever told me I couldn't wear them. Maybe if I stuck around through an academic year, I would have been "corrected" and not allowed.

 

[Skipper07]

I’ve never heard of awards being disallowed here. Mids rate wearing any award they’ve earned, whatever service it may be from, as long as there isn’t a larger big Navy regulation prohibiting it.

Many international cadets get badges and occasionally ribbons from their home country approved for wear in USN uniforms as well.