No question the traditional uniforms are very sharp looking. On the other hand, the BDUs and analogous uniforms in the other outfits certainly seem to be more practical for everyday use. Sturdy fabric, no ironing or dry cleaning, and secure pockets that your ID and money won’t fall out of.
Yeah, only the newest ones are no-iron. The BDUs SAID they were no-iron on the care tag, but woe unto the airman that was spotted in an un-ironed uniform by a sergeant, ESPECIALLY in tech school.
You know, with all of this talk about DADT… I can’t think of anything gayer than the U.S. military’s obsession with ironing and polishing. Seriously - ironed camo? Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
In my day, you were required to wear cover indoors if you were carrying arms, or otherwise functioning as a guard/security person.
If you recall from Apocalypse Now, Kilgore’s unit was the 1/9th Air Cavalry and was described as having “traded their horses for helicopters.”
I think that’s still the case, from what I’ve observed. Never asked why that’s the case, but the best answer I can think of is that if they DO need to use their firearm, the last thing they want is to be fumbling with their cover in their hands.
I wonder what possible necessity there is for desert camo fatigues for someone who hasn’t worked outside of a DC area cubicle for at least 15 years. :rolleyes:
I used to get into trouble because I didn’t press my BDUs. Fortunately that is no longer an issue with the no-press ABU, and I wear a flight suit anyway.
To the OP: The Air Force Chief of Staff established a policy that all members of the Air Force not flying or doing maintenance-type activities must wear their dress uniform every Monday. This applies to the Guard and Reserves as well. It used to be that you’d pull them out maybe twice a year if you were a junior enlisted and only slightly more frequently if you were a NCO or officer. Now it’s 52 times a year on top of that.
The point of spit and polish is to give the troops something to do while they’re sitting around back at base, so they don’t get bored and get into trouble. Give em make-work instead.
If you’re actually, you know, fighting a war, then that ironing and polishing crap doesn’t matter so much, unless you’re under a frustrated fashion designer like Patton.
I was at my Dad’s military funeral last week, at a Veterans Cemetery. The Marines present guarding the coffin, etc, wore their best dress uniforms. Very classy and dignified. Those guys never even blinked.
And this was for my Dad who was only an infantry corporal in Vietnam for 4 years.
So wait,
I clicked that link to the Navy Working Uniform
On the other hand, I go through Hartsfield airport a lot. There’s usually lots of military people going through as well.
The Army folk are always wearing camo and boots. But the Navy folk are always wearing something closer to the Service Dress White Jumper in this old-timey pic.
Why the difference?
“Dress” uniform meant wearing your medals in actual bauble-form, not just as ribbons. Ribbons were worn on your traveling & liberty uniform; what the Brits used to call “walking-out” uniform.
In the 1970’s, rebuilding the navy post-Vietnam, Admiral Zumwalt loosened things up. Enlisted sailors traded in their crackerjacks and dixie cups for shirts and pants (black in winter, white in summer) and white barracks ("policeman’s) caps. Chief petty officers were allowed to grow beards (and almost every one did, unless his wife wouldn’t let him).
Before Zumwalt, sailors had to wear their uniforms on liberty off-base, and on leave back home; mainly so the shore patrol could identify them
(One of my favorite paintings: Paul Cadmus’ Sailors and Floozies
Reagan put the enlisted sailors back in Donald Duck outfits and shaved the beards (albeit so they could wear oxygen hoods during fires), but we were still allowed to wear civilian clothes on liberty. However, non-judicial punishment for the sailor could include having to wear his uniform when he was off the ship. Which, in San Diego, guaranteed him an ass-beating (or, in Tiujuana, much worse).
Navy reservist now. In my unit the uniform of the day is the desert cammies but the entire unit was issued the goofy new blue digitals. Thankfully we do not wear them.
In my community, dress uniforms are only for retirements, change of command, or other formal occasions. It is a pain making sure all ribbons or medals are up to date and in the proper order when you only where the uniform once a year.
The khaki shirt of the new working uniform is a mistake. In the past, khaki meant E7 or above. No longer.
Excellent typo.
I almost pity the poor squids that have to wear those things. Inter-service rivalries being what they are, I expect much humor to ensue. Smurfs with Village People hats on parade!
The Marine Corps, I’m proud to see, hasn’t updated the service uniform in awhile.
Though I’ll admit, the Army dress uniforms do a remarkable job of camouflage—they do quite a passable job of making the wearer look like they’re in the Air Force.
The Hap Arnold heritage coats look…interesting.
Here, the formal parades and guard mounting dress is No.2’s or Service Dress, otherwise known as the ‘Ginger Marching Suit’. File:RoyalAnglianRegimentHighStBedford.jpg - Wikipedia
Even in the 1980s, issue of this was restricted to those of us who already had one, and anyone who absolutely had to attend some sort of parade where it was required would be loaned one from the stock and have to give it back afterwards.
Only the Brigade of Guards and regimental bands get the scarlet jacket stuff.
heh, my [army] dad had a navy and marine side party at his funeral … helpfully arranged by my navy husband =)
though i think he went to his grave miffed at the Go navy bumper sticker we sneeked onto his car about 15 years ago …
Actually the military has funeral detail parties available all over the country for funerals, you basically need to arrange them through the nearest base, though frequently any American Legion post or VFW post has a funeral detail as well. mrAru did funeral detail a number of times while he was still active [and he will crack out his uniform and go on them with his legion post also] I think the furthest that the sub base detail went was up to Schenectady - like a 3 hour drive from Groton.
Dunno if this is the reason, but some TSA workers require military personnel in dress uniforms to take off their ribbons and nametag to go through airport security. It’s a huge pain in the ass. According to this TSA page, only the Class A jacket with all the goodies has to come off, but I’ve seen TSA personnel require that ribbons and so forth come off altogether. I saw someone in Air Force blues flying to San Antonio. His uniform was loaded with ribbons and other insignia, and the damn screener made him take it all off.
In contrast, camo doesn’t have all that stuff, so it’s much easier to go through an airport checkpoint. As I said, I don’t know if this is the reason, but it’s at least a side benefit.
They sure do, but that’s not an example of the Hap Arnold heritage coat. IIRC, those were called the Billy Mitchell Heritage Coats. I was the only guy in the Air Force who liked them 
Re: The Navy camo, can’t be any worse than random soldiers walking up to me and saying “Really, Airman? the Airman Battle Uniform? Tiger Stripes?”
The worst part? I didn’t even GET ABUs until two years after they were introduced. The Army guys were picking on a guy in BDUs over the new Air Force uniform that he didn’t even have! :eek::eek:
And TSA workers making a military guy strip his decorations off his uniform to get through security? Yeesh. OTOH, there was the TSA worker who let my buddy get through security with his cigarette lighter “because I doubt YOU are gonna try to set fire to the plane or something.”