Today I attended the naturalization (citizenship) ceremony for a close friend of mine, and (as this was officially a session of a federal court) I felt it was right to wear a suit. Not black tie, nothing fancy, but a nice navy daytime business suit.
Now, when the ceremony began, I looked over at the Army band that was to play, and noticed that they were all wearing their grayish-green combat uniforms. :dubious: For a ceremony like this, wouldn’t it be a courtesy to the court and to the participants to wear the dress blue uniform?
And that got me thinking . . . every time I see a military person out in public in combat fatigues, it gives me just the slightest unsettled feeling. I’m not anti-military, and I don’t think anyone could accuse me of not supporting the troops in the current conflict. But in ordinary civilian life, seeing someone shopping at the supermarket while dressed in the same clothes that they wear when they’re on a mission to kill people and break things . . . it seems to me to have just a whiff of casual aggression about it, and of disrespect for civilian society.
It might be neither here nor there, but my dad was in the air force during the Vietnam war, and he’s told me that unless airmen and officers were in transit to another military installation, they would never be allowed off base if not wearing either their dress uniform or civiian clothes. I don’t know if the Air Force had the equivalent of a battle dress uniform at the time, but I got implication that wearing something like that out in the civilian world would be a big no-no.
Usually if you see one in the grocery store or something, chances are they’re just getting off work and going shopping before they get home. Would it be wise to go into a brothel while wearing the uniform? No. Gas station or grocery store, no big deal.
A simple observation placed in no political context:
I remember visiting Israel and seeing ice cream cone-eating young girls at the mall dressed in swim shorts, spaghetti-strap shirts, and flip-flop sandals while packing machine guns over their shoulders. Just hanging out at the mall.
I find it offensive, to be honest. I think it’s because a uniform implies authority, which they don’t have over us. It’s like off-duty police officers and security guards walking around in uniform.
Lo, those many years ago when I was in the military, you wore either khakis or dress blues to civil functions or when out and about town.
Fatigues (combat wear) were for work or training only. You’d get in trouble for going shopping or to a bar in fatigues. I guess I’m old fashioned, but I liked that way better.
So how about doctors, nurses, etc. wearing scrubs? Is that a no-no too? Cos we’ve all got to run errands after work, and what the guy pushing the shopping cart next to me is the last thing on my mind. As long as the clothes are reasonably clean and aren’t, for example, bloodstained from the day’s battle, I’m cool with it.
-Lil
What next, you’re going to start complaining when the BestBuy kids start wearing their blue polo shirts to the grocery store?
It’s just a uniform. Not nearly as catchy or as much panache as a dress uniform, but I guess that’s the casual clothing direction of society.
To feel intimidated by these people is, IMHO, just ridiculous. They can’t order you around because it’s an all volunteer military; just be appreciative for their service.
The fact that they were particularly scheduled to do something not involving training or shooting at people is the tacky part. It’s the band - I think just about anything could have been better.
It is often up to the Base Commander, not a personal choice. Your Air Force info is out of date as I have worked with Edwards AFB and there the Uniform choice is primarily up to the BC.
I agree with the OP that different uniforms send different signals.
I once served in the Swedish Royal Guard at a royal palace in Stockholm and at daytime we wore blue uniform, white spats and helmets signalling “We’re part of an old tradition. Take my picture and have a nice day!” At nighttime we wore combat dresses signalling “Photo-op is over. Stay away - these assault rifles aren’t just for decoration. Have a nice evening.”
I don’t get this. What has volunteering to do with it whether they can order civilians around? And show us conscripts some love too.
That’s because in the IDF, if anything happens to your weapon, you are in DEEP SHIT. So active soldiers are pretty much obligated to carry their guns around constantly.
I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about wearing combat uniforms in public, although I often saw people at the Panera across the street from my office back in the US wearing camouflage. I asked around and never got a good answer: where the hell are these soldiers in the NW suburbs of Chicago coming from?
I agree that in the OP’s example, I would have expected to see dress uniforms.
Companies where people must wear special clothing (either for identification or safety reasons) must provide changing rooms at their facilities, as well as enough time to change into workwear when workers arrive and enough to change and shower when they leave. If you’re in uniform, you’re at work; if you’re not working, you should not be in uniform. A cop or soldier wearing his uniform while not on duty? Unacceptable (there’s caveats for this, for example it’s ok to wear a dress uniform to a wedding, but it also means you can be drafted into duty instantly in an emergency). A cop using his government-provided uniform while being paid to work for someone else? He’d get it so far up his ass, he’d be shitting through his mouth.
It’s one of the little differences, like mayo on your freedom fries…
My husband is in the Air Force, and I see people in uniform all over the place. Unless you’re in a war zone, the people in the military are not killing people and breaking things for a living. My husband repairs aircraft; he’s never been in combat and most of the people in the military never will. Many people have office jobs. They all wear the same uniform.
Frankly, these guys work really long hours, and they don’t always have time to change before they go out in public. My husband hates to go out anywhere in his uniform, and I don’t really blame him. I think the implied authority is kind of in your head, though–I don’t know of anyone in the armed services who thinks their rank applies outside the military. Anyone you see out in uniform is almost certainly on their way home and can’t wait to change.
What? What? Do you require that our soldiers dress down in order to not offend your delicate sensibilities? Get off the cross. “Casual aggression?” “Disrespect for civilian society?” What planet do you live on?
Are you saying that the people that put their lives on the line in the course of duty should change their clothes when in public so as to not upset you? Are you seriously saying that? People that put themselves in the way of actual gunfire, might be disrespecting civilian society, hence, they’d best watch out what clothes they wear. Is this the height of ignorance? I certainly hope so.
Funny that although my normal reaction to a dress uniform is “Yes, sir”, when I see combat fatigues I always assume wino veteran living off handouts and welfare, never active personel. Fatigues have no place in the civilian world, but that’s just my opinion.
When I see guys (or more and more, girls) walking around in BDUs I don’t think, “self-righteous power trippers,” I think, “these troops are people just like you and I, going about their daily business with all the rest of us.” The fact that they’re wearing their uniforms doesn’t bother me at all.