# Ft. Hood memorial - no dress uniforms? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116 "2009-11-11T00:39:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/21 "2009-11-11T22:25:53Z")
Thanks for the info. Good to know. And thank you, on this Veterans Day, for your service to this great republic. ---
**Author:** ![Fearless\_Leader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Fearless\_Leader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fearless_Leader)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/22 "2009-11-11T22:42:35Z")
Not sure if this is totally relevant to your question, but when my brother graduated from boot camp last month, they all wore their ACUs - we were told they are not allowed to graduate in their dress uniforms during a time of war. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/23 "2009-11-11T23:33:00Z")
When did “BDU’s” become “ACU’s”? ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/24 "2009-11-11T23:48:22Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Bi-monthly??? Lucky bastard! If I don’t get a haircut every week between Saturday evening and Monday morning, I’m fucked! i get it cut down to the scalp so I only I have to get haircutsevery two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/25 "2009-11-12T02:51:57Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Doesn’t matter what the Soldier spends it on; the thing that matters is that they got it. It’s a jay-oh-kay-ee. > [@Balthisar](#): > > When did “BDU’s” become “ACU’s”? Roughly around 2005 was when they started making the transition. [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10540036&postcount=77) old post has a brief breakdown of the different cammie uniforms out today. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/26 "2009-11-12T03:12:32Z")
I may be hijacking this thread, but anyway. A heartfelt thanks to all veterans and current members of the allied armed forces. Because of you, I live as I wish to do. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/27 "2009-11-12T04:58:17Z")
> [@Skylark](#): > > It’s a jay-oh-kay-ee. Of course, but throughout my military career I heard a lot of people whining about “having to pay for their own uniforms.” Speaking of whining, it just occurred to me that perhaps the trend of having the ACU as the uniform for memorials is so the Soldiers going to it don’t have to do all the spitshine stuff of yesteryear. I’d see that as a good trend! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/28 "2009-11-12T05:15:24Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Speaking of whining, it just occurred to me that perhaps the trend of having the ACU as the uniform for memorials is so the Soldiers going to it don’t have to do all the spitshine stuff of yesteryear. I’d see that as a good trend! Roger that. Looking sharp is one thing, needless chickenshit is another. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/29 "2009-11-12T15:58:20Z")
I was Navy, not Army. I served in relative peacetime, and I never had to attend a service for a lost coworker or friend. This makes my theory below only an educated guess: When a full dress uniform event comes up (change of command, retirement ceremony for senior personnel, awards ceremonies…), they impact the regular working day in a significant way. Everyone has to take time off to get their uniforms ready (as mentioned in post #10), and people are going to need to set aside some time that day to actually change into the uniform (most folks don’t wear their inspection-level dress uniform longer than they have to, because it gets soiled quickly), which usually involves touching up the shoe polish, checking for and removing Irish Penants, and stuff like that. This can add an hour or more to the actual event itself, possibly making the ceremony an all day affair. The community is possibly still in a little bit of an emotional shock, and making this event a full dress uniform affair was considered an unneccessary source of stress. Allowing the use of the working uniform may also make it feel like it’s more “in the family”, and less of an intrusive dog and pony show. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/30 "2009-11-12T17:53:00Z")
Irish Pennants? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/31 "2009-11-12T17:59:28Z")
Join the Marines, and you can _really_ go to town: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/PlateV\_Evening\_Dress.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f1/PlateV_Evening_Dress.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/32 "2009-11-12T18:02:34Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Irish Pennants? :smack: Yeah, those. Sorry for the poor spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/33 "2009-11-12T18:06:10Z")
Well, I was actually asking what an Irish Pennant _is_. I didn’t even notice your spelling. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/34 "2009-11-12T18:11:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Well, I was actually asking what an Irish Pennant _is_. I didn’t even notice your spelling. It is a little bit of stray thread or string, usually on the seams or cuff/hem of a garment. > **[Irish pennant](https://waywordradio.org/irish_pennant_1)** > > Irish pennant n.— «The term “Irish pennant” derives from the Royal Navy during the time of sailing ships. It was a loose or untidy end of a line. In Navy and Marine Corps parlance today… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/35 "2009-11-12T18:13:39Z")
Ah, thanks. I figured from the context that it was something that wasn’t part of the uniform, like a burr, but it was capitalized so I thought maybe it was a type of uniform patch that was inappropriate for certain occasions or something. ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/36 "2009-11-12T18:15:56Z")
An Irish Pennant is basically slang for lose fibers. Usually they get snipped or burned with a Bic lighter. [Short link](http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/citations/irish_pennant_1/). [Action photo](http://www.mcnews.info/mcnewsinfo/marines/2008/Drill/features/images/drillEpitome3.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/37 "2009-11-12T18:24:54Z")
Ah, too slow. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/38 "2009-11-12T18:26:27Z")
Well, the action photo was a nice touch anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/39 "2009-11-13T12:56:09Z")
I’ve seen the term in the Aubrey-Maturin books, appiled to sails and rigging. From the context, the meaning is similar. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116/40 "2009-11-13T17:59:40Z")
Back to the main topic, I’m pretty sure the reason they wore ACUs was because these soldiers were probably at work an hour earlier and went back to work an hour afterward. They’re in their duty uniform because they’re on duty. When I saw the nice setup they had there, my first thought was that there was some sergeant major, somewhere, ordering around a platoon saying “the President is coming. This had better look good.” and making the soldier’s life…‘stressful’. I was conflicted about whether I approved of Obama going to the ceremony at all, for that very reason. So I’m sure there was enough to-do just with the president coming. It’s too much to make everyone jump through a bunch of hoops to wear a dress uniform too. Had they done so, I definitely would have cringed for the soldiers and certainly disapproved. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ft-hood-memorial-no-dress-uniforms/517116.md?page=3)