Army may change sleeve policy
I know you’ve heard it before, but the Army Times says that you Army folks may be able to roll your sleeves up. The Times plays it like it’s some big issue that Army is caving to because of popular demand. But, seriously, who f’n cares;
You’ve asked for it, and the Army has heard you.
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley on Thursday announced during a trip to Fort Hood, Texas, that soldiers will be able to roll the sleeves on the Army Combat Uniform.
But don’t start rolling your sleeves just yet, Army officials said. Milley is calling for a 10-day pilot at Fort Hood with the intention of continuing it for the rest of the Army.
Milley’s announcement is so popular that soldiers at Fort Hood are already rolling their sleeves, Army officials said.
“Feedback from soldiers resulted in us wanting to do a trial over the next 10 days to see the feasibility of updating [Army Regulation] 670-1 and incorporating these changes in the future to give commanders flexibility in wear based upon their unit’s mission,” said Lt. Col. Jerry Pionk, an Army spokesman.
Your pay won’t get a COLA that keeps pace with inflation, out-of-pocket medical costs are going up, the commissary is closing, your housing allowance is being cut, but hey, you can roll up your sleeves.
You win!
Yay!
Thanks to HMC Ret for the link.
Category: Politics
How times change, I remember trying to learn the “Army way” (not the “Marine way” as shown in the pic above) in basic and one rather built, buff and totally jacked 6’3 280lb Pvt Turner (Yes he passed tape with acres to spare) could not roll his up correctly and fit his tree-trunk arms in the sleeve holes, and got chewed out by one of our newer, trainee DIs for showing up at formation unrolled and out of uniform.
Said DI berated said Pvt for several minutes in front of everyone, then attempted to correct said Pvt Turner on the spot in front of the whole Platoon only to learn after doffing his blouse, Pvt Turner’s guns were so huge that it was physically impossible to roll his sleeves at all.
Said DI then personally drove Pvt Turner to the base Tailor and had all of his BDU’s custom refit so that he could roll his tent-flap sleeves now like the rest of us.
And while there, said DI had his cover tailored to fit his big head?
He couldn’t roll up his sleeves so that makes him ‘out of uniform’?
Isn’t ‘roll up’ supposed to be a choice, not a have-to?
Or is military so bogged down in nitpicking that this kind of idiocy matters more than getting the job done?
Yep. Sleeves up or sleeves down for all when in formation. Hence the word “uniform”.
Bonus points for not using the word “uniformity”.
I’m the Marine Corps, it was everyone had sleeves up, or everyone had sleeves down. (Full disclosure, that was quite a few years ago). I believe that the Marine Corps did ban the rolled sleeves, only later to rescind it. Unfortunately for me, in my current position as Director Of Media Relations for a “proud woman owned” software vendor in Bethesda MD, our Vice President has mandated spandex as the only appropriate business attire, and spandex does not roll very well.
Shows the fart bubbles too doesn’t it Hack?
Change the opening line to read “When I was in the Marine Corps…” I am in no way implying that I am “the Marine Corps”, although when we do have the next National Capital Region This Ain’t Hell Beer Summit, I can tell you the story when I found myself in “Joe And Ray’s Marine Corps”. Warning, due to graphic language, you must be at least an E-3 to listen to it.
You have me intrigued… When and where is said summit? Asking for a… ‘friend’.
After working in Walmart for a couple of years, I am here to tell you that wearing Spandex is NOT a God given right…
The ability to wear spandex, must be earned…
There should be a test, followed by licensing.
I was gassing up the car yestiddy when a gal in spandex got off a local bus in fayettenam. Gave me some serious eyeball liberty. When it’s right it’s right.
But when it’s wrong, it is oh sooo wrong. Some of the cases I’ve seen have impressed me with the tensile strength of modern fabrics – I’m guessing the garments were actually Kevlar.
Gotta say, whoever convinced girls that wearing black tights in the winter is ‘way more modest and covering than parading around in just their panty hose has my vote for sainthood. (I also work around a bunch of Asian no-excess-fat ladies of all ages… no wonder I haven’t retired yet.)
IT IS MY BELIEF THAT one must first undergo an application process before being allowed to purchase either spandex OR a thong swimsuit!
During Basic in my day, it was called “Uniform of the day”. It was usually yelled down the hall at 0445 hrs, and you only got to hear it ONCE. Deity forbid you got it wrong.
If it called for sleeves up, helmet liner and web-gear with full canteens and poncho roll attached at 1300 formation, you better damned well be there with those things presented for inspection, otherwise everyone else was beating their suck because you screwed up.
Later at 1600 barracks inspection those same items better be stored neatly in your bay locker, and canteen DRY.
Yes, some actions were pedantic and idiotic, but it promoted attention to detail, and unit cohesion, also how to buy a second set of canteens, one wet, one dry.
Army tried to get us to roll our sleeves their way when I went through SFMS…FAIL. This is the caprine fornication that makes me glad I’m retired. We had a CSM come in awhile back trying to regulate our beards so we’d look “more professional”….the policy is simple; DA Civilians can have beards as they see fit, so again…FAIL
It’s kinda fun now to run around a Joint Command and recognize or dismiss people’s rank ad libitum. I know it’s childish…don’t care.
Doesn’t sound childish to me. Sounds like payback.
Always thought that rolling the Army way was way too anal, that some Hardo at the Palace had too much time on their hands. Then Navy switched and I definitely knew what a complete pain in the ass it was.
CB, the reasoning behind the way the Army used to roll the sleeves on the old BDU was to have a quick release mechanism in case of a NBC chemical attack.
Not much good if we would have been nuked in place, but something to help out with protection until you were able to go to MOPP4.
I always thought that was an odd excuse – it was the NBC NCO’s fault we rolled the sleeves that way.
In the field, under tactical conditions, I always felt we should’ve been sleeves down already…
Yep, for the most part (in the 4th ID anyway) it was a standing policy that sleeves are not rolled once you passed Cottonwood Junction or the Bayonet Course.
I don’t remember going to the field with rolled up sleeves. Ever.
Cottonwood Junction aka the Division Light Line…
Claw, that is why the Navy has gone Navy Rolls, and Yes I am one of those few Navy Certified CBR guy’s. The other reason was because of the switch for all Navy to go to the Blue Type NWU I BDU style uniform was for ship board fires, however some Fucked up because they are not FROG type gear.
I will say having worn both ways I liked the Army roll verse the Marine roll. I wore the Marine roll for 22 years. We had greens my first 2.
The other thing is they have gone all sleeves up in summer and down in winter, so no one guy sleeves up and the other sleeves down in formation
Yes, Sir, the Army I grew up in was the changeovers happened on 15 April and 15 October each year, regardless of weather conditions.
A bit FU’ed at times (especially in the high desert), but Hey, just go with the flow and it all works out in the end.
Wow! What a strategic win for the troops. Did this decision make it’s way all the way to Ovomit? An important decision like this would most assuredly would have been run by him to make sure someone’s feelings weren’t hurt.
Especially since a female solider might show too much of her arm and some prissy Muslim freaks out and starts shooting the troops. Of course Ovomit would somehow justify his actions. Me must be sensitive ya know.
Retuning from VN, where unless it was night, or due to the never-ending assault from the bugs or other flying critters, or in the bush to protect our arms, our sleeves were always rolled up due to the heat.
At Ft. Sill, OK, where it was just as hot and humid as VN, we were allowed to roll up our sleeves. In fact it was part of the uniform requirement and were considered out of uniform if you didn’t.
Glad to see that the DA is catching up to the learning curve.
Suns out guns out!
This will help raise the reenlistment rates.
What the hell happened to short sleeved uniform working shirts?
I saw plenty of movies and stills of people in Vietnam who had cut the sleeves off their greens because they were practically in rags and useless.
If this is all the DoD thinks is important, those silly people who are running things need to be replaced.
This is DA, a uniquely special kind of stupid 🙂
A 10-day pilot program is needed for rolling up sleeves?
Seems a bit excessive, but I can see it. The ACU was not designed to rolled, so, for instance, I’d be interested to learn how they intend to get around the pen holster on the forearm and the large velcro patches on the shoulders getting in the way of the roll. Little issues are often overlooked and don’t surface until they are tested for a period of time. I think taking a couple of days to thoroughly test the idea before making it official is a good thing.
Yep, and what better place to do it than at Fort Hood where everybody wears a horse blanket on their sleeves.
Welcome to the modern Military.
A 10-day pilot program, and they probably hired some former General’s “consulting” firm to do a year long study on it first, for the low low price of $5 million or so.
I have NO DOUBT about that…
Wonder how many will get busted now for illegal tats?
That didn’t show in PT uniform you mean?
Finally! An issue that MATTERS!
In today’s military, this gives a whole new meaning to “fruit roll-up”…
IF we can have a deity-darn turban within ranks, I think that we should be able to roll – however, then we need to all look the same… so we don’t roll like the jackhole depicted above.
Not sure how it would/could be done, but more than once I’ve wished for the authorization to roll the sleeves of my ACUs. Unblousing (with permission) works only for no-hat areas.
And how does this improve the “Kill people – Break Things” ratio?
Train like you fight — Fight like you train.
Keep you eye on the 10m target.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming…..
I was under the impression Combat Arms never roll the sleeves.
Seriously?
Seriously. We never rolled our sleeves up. If it is too hot, we take the blouse off. It has to be hot, or one better be working their ass off. At least in my limited experience.
We rolled our sleeves up in about late March and rolled them down around late October…..
And though we took our blouses off sometimes the flak jacket or body armor usually remained.
If you are too stupid to understand when to roll down your sleeves and have to be told to keep them rolled down all the time because of that then you shouldn’t be aloud to even touch a bang stick.
I have never understood the Army obsession with sleeves and have heard they rolled them the way they did or kept them down because of a. NBC issues (not likely to get an NBC attack in garrison CONUS but…), b. Skin cancer….c. Camo (again, if you are too stupid…..).
If its fucking hot and there is no tactical reason for them to be down, roll your sleeves. If its cold, put on a jacket, sweater, long johns etc.
It isn’t that damn hard. But then again, we now put Sailors in blue cammo…I guess so if they fall overboard it will be harder to see them.
“I have never understood the Army obsession with …”. With the success of the Stop Smoking Campaign (and less cigarette butts in the parking lot) CSM found themselves with less to do.
Idle fingers are the devil’s workshop…..
I thought reflective PT Belts and trolling social media filled the gap left by the Stop Smoking Campaign.
Haha awesome!
Most of you already know this, but I’m going to say it anyway and then run for cover: the body actually stays cooler with your sleeves down in the heat…
This shouldn’t be a big deal.
This is true. It is also cooler when if allowed (by the reg) when you uncuff your wrists and unblouse your boots. But I have yet to see someone actually let anyone follow that reg. Even in Iraq where we did do that outside the wire, we had to fix it as soon as we rolled back in. Because the sun isnt as hot on a COP as immediately outside it./sarc.
We allow this, but I usually do not participate because maybe I really do not give a shit about how hot it is. In my mind I know it is hot. I know it is not going to change, until I get AC, so fuck it. Obsessing about how hot it is does not make it any better. Uncuffing & unblousing does not help much anyway. Maybe psychologically.
Can’t risk the wrath of the roving CSM…
I will be happy when this foolishness ends. We now have an Army that allows men soldiers to wear panties and women to wear boxers. But tats? That’s important.
Speaking of rolling. What has happened to the navy that they don’t roll their white hatsany more? I see these docu films showing hashmarked sailors wearing those unrolled,unfolded hats looking just like boot camp squids. The only thing missing is the first wash yellow stain.