The Marine Corps told Marines to expect the official release soon regarding the combat instructor ribbon to be awarded to Marines who complete a 3-year assignment at the School of Infantry West or East.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus approved the ribbon last month with the Marine Corps set to publish a MARADMIN to formally introduce it in the near future. Many Marines are set to receive the new ribbon as it "may be awarded retroactively to all Marines with qualifying service beginning on or after Oct. 9, 2002," a Marine release stated.
"In order of precedence, the new ribbon will be placed after the Marine Security Guard Ribbon and before the Armed Forces Reserve Medal," the Marine release stated.
Marine Corps Times reporter James K. Sanborn acquired a photo of what the ribbon will look like. It has a black stripe down the middle with a thicker tan stripe on either side along with two green stripes on the ends.
The ribbon will be released 30 days after the MARADMIN is released. A specific date was not put forth by the Marine Corps.
The Marine Corps outlines who would qualify in the statement below:
"To be eligible for the ribbon, Marines serving in an MOS 0913 billet must remain qualified as a combat instructor and successfully complete a tour of duty. Additionally, School of Infantry billets containing the word “instructor” are eligible if they possess and maintain the 0913 MOS for the duration of their tour. Other specifically listed billets in the Advanced Infantry Training Battalions, and specific leadership billets in SOI East or West, including subordinate battalions, are also eligible."
Further details on qualifications for the ribbon can be found in this Navy message.
