Thin Ribbons Make Big Impressions

Ultrathin Ribbons
The first time I saw ultrathin ribbons I was sitting across from a sergeant in my unit and he was telling me about what I needed in order to get promoted. He looked impressive as if someone had picked him up by his ankles, dipped him in starch and ironed him. Even his ultrathin ribbons seemed starched. He was crisp.

I asked him about his ultrathin ribbons and how he had ironed them. He laughed and told me that ultrathin ribbons were something that a soldier could buy, not make. He told me he had special ordered his ultrathin ribbons and that he liked how much lighter they were compared to regular ribbons.

Military Thin Ribbons
In his desk drawer he happened to have his old rack of military thin ribbons and he took them out for me to look at them. He had just a couple of more ribbons on his rack than I did and I could not believe how much lighter his military thin ribbon rack was compared to mine. And the military thin ribbons looked as if they had just been removed from a steam press. The looked extraordinary compared to my traditional rack which had fraying ribbons and brass showing in between each awkwardly placed ribbons.

He explained that the military thin ribbons were worth the money when I asked about their costs. The sergeant said they were inexpensive and would more than pay for themselves if I got promoted due to my uniform appearance.

Thin Ribbon Rack
He continued his sales pitch about the thin ribbon racks, but I was sold when I first saw them. Thin ribbon racks were not only lighter and easier to put on a uniform, they were also not as bulky. Thin ribbon racks did not get snagged on things as often as traditional ribbon racks and ordering them was simple.

Personalized Ribbon/Custom Ribbon/National Defense Ribbon
The sergeant also mentioned that each custom ribbon rack was a personalized ribbon rack. I later learned they were designed by experienced professionals for each individual. Custom ribbon racks could be modified easily, if let’s say an individual added an additional award of the National Defense ribbon to his personalized ribbon rack, a soldier could easily just remove the bronze star device and add another to the custom ribbon. It would still be a personalized ribbon rack if it just needed adjustments to the devices on the ribbons. There would not be a need to order a new rack solely because the National Defense ribbon needed another device, whereas a National Defense ribbon on a traditional ribbon rack might require a new ribbon if a soldier uses the traditional ribbon device that punctures the ribbon. 

Super Thin Ribbons 
Eventually I listened to my sergeant friend and I purchased my super thin ribbons for my Class A uniform. He was right, I got promoted and the small fee I paid for the super thin ribbons was more than covered by the extra money I was making monthly because of the promotion. I used super thin ribbons until the day I retired and those super thin ribbons are now hanging in my shadow box looking as sharp as ever.