Pinks & Greens prototypes
The Army unveiled a prototype of their new “pinks & greens” service dress uniforms on models SGT Schacher and SFC Johnson at the AUSA convention this week, because, you know, if those folks who design uniforms don’t come up with uniforms, they’ll have to do something useful like pull triggers and kick doors on deployments. If it ain’t broke, make up some shit.
I was all for the Blues, the color harkened back to our beginnings of the Revolutionary Army. There’s no need to change that. Well, no need except to justify a job position, another flag officer and his minions.
Thanks to Bobo for the link.
Category: Army News
You must be kidding.
Another uniform change?
I was Army all through my career and I have to admit I ENVIED THE USMC when it comes to uniforms, they found out what worked and left it the mo-fuck ALONE while the it seems if you don’t like part of the US Army Uniform you can just wait until next year and see what they change. Why not just bring back the Class A Greens, I’m sure we still have plenty in storage!
And Make the Black Beret a RANGERS ONLY piece of headgear once again, bring back the “Cunt Caps” and “Flying Saucer” hats.
Amen. Enough participation trophies so the masses don’t feel left out. Black for The Rangers, Maroon for The Airborne and Green for The SF.
I thought they did that already?
I agree. Never much a fan of the blues. When I wear them in civil world I get asked what I am “in” since they don’t recognize it as Army. I admit I love the throw back to WWII uniforms. I also agree that the Blues can be a dressier uniform for special events. But for daily wear, I really like the Pink and Greens. Looks sharp. Looks army. I am, an officer and can afford a set. MUST be large special allowance for enlisted to buy them. Or just issue on a one time basis.
Eric the Hat will not approve of that cover for the male.
You know there is a pool of SGMs somewhere trying to fit a PT belt under the epaulets. And the PX stores are now trying to reclaim the shelves formerly stocked with Kiwi.
I’ve heard the contractor for the covers is some guy named Bartholomew Cubbins…
You need a lot more credit for that comment. Well played.
I do like the crushed cap that Army pilots wore during bombing raids in WWII. It’s kind of rakish, jaunty and in-your-face, and tells you what they did, all at the same time.
They should mandate they wear the headsets with the crushed cover.
Earmuffs in cold weather will look the same as headsets.
Shouldn’t we be spending this money on say, I don’t know, training? Ammunition for training and war? Fuel? Food for the troops?
Now that gays can serve openly, I expect fashion to be a bigger topic. 😉
Thank the CiC that Trannies have been stopped.
Although maybe the US was ready for the kilt?
I will probably be in the minority but man I like that uniform. I hated all the uniform changes when I was in the Army but this is a change I would support.
Liking it or not is irrelevant. This will be the 4th “Class A” or Dress Uniform I’ve had to wear in the Army.
4 different types of PT uniforms so far.
6 different types of fatigue uniforms.
It. is. fucking. ridiculous.
Bingo.
And when all is said and done, assuming $200 per set and issue to 750,000 troops (active and reserve) you’re talking on the order of $150M wasted.
The original greens weren’t broke – not as nice as their predecessor, but still serviceable. Neither is the ASU “broke” (though I personally don’t like it). There’s no need to change it yet again.
Just get the E-4 that ordered all of the Berets from China.
Easy to blame.
It’s $1600+ for the guys clothing bag(includes pants, unisex APFU, $33.79, 1 ea.).
http://ec.militarytimes.com/static/pdfs/Updated-3DEC15-Enclosure-ALARACT-FY16-Clothing-Bag-and-Cash-Allowanc.pdf
They will save the money on the Guard. – was never issued and had too buy my own 3 sperate sets of PT’S. Dress Greens and ASU’s, not to mention the new OCP’s they can’t seen to order. Some guys in my company still have woodland rucks issued.
I always thought any kind of PT uniform was ridiculous.
I’ll bet we have the best dressed military in the world, or at least the most expensively dressed. How many different clothing items are issued now? Does the initial issue still fit in one duffel bag?
Key words: “When I was in”. You no longer have to spend money on the rampant uniform changes so why would it matter to you. What benefit does this change provide to our soldiers? As an officer, I am tired of wasting money on the uniform du jour. I’ve been through the old Army sweats, the grey IPFU, and the new APFU. I’ve been through BDUs, DCUs, ACUs, and OCPs. I’ve been through the old greens to the new ASU (which isn’t even that old). Oh, and it is “highly encouraged” that I own the service mess uniform (tuxedo).
WHY do we need another uniform? What impact does this really have on the force? There are so many other priorities out there, surely this can’t be among the most important.
It doesn’t matter to me except I see the value of uniforms as it relates to a professional military culture.
I use to have to maintain summer and winter weight greens, Dress Blues, Dress Whites, Mess Dress, rain coat, overcoat, blue and green wooly pullys, and cammies that we starched. It was an expensive pain in the ass but those who were less that all in really stood out even in combat situations.
Uniforms are what mark us as different and just like it is easy to fly under the radar as a slacker in todays drip dry no boot polishing utility uniform in garrison as compared to the old starched spit shine and blocked cover days so too the Army has gone to a hideous ASU dress uniform where little effort is required or expected to look professsional.
I live close to Fort Leonard Wood and if you doubt me go watch a basic graduation. The uniforms are universally ill fitting and the privates look like a rag tag bunch of bell hops.
Enlisted Marines are issued Greens and either have to earn their blues or buy them…which is why Marine Dress Blues are so coveted. Army ASU? Not so much.
But again, I know I am against the tide on this one!!
I believe the USMC started issuing the Blues to all graduates in the mid to late 90’s.
The issue you highlight with soldiers looking like rag bags won’t go away regardless of the uniform issued. The Marines take the time and money to fit the uniform to each Marine (something like 15-20 point of fitting), while the Army has like 7.
If these uniforms are made of crap material they will look like crap, if they aren’t properly fitted/tailored they will look like crap. Sure, Ike and Patton looked great in P/G, but they were generals, the average soldier didn’t look nearly as good.
SFC Johnson…..buy some collar stays.
Don’t know what they did in the ’90s – when I graduated PI in 2001, only the honor grads were issued dress blues. Everyone else had to buy them if they wanted a set. Dress blues, after all, are not a mandatory uniform. You can be required to wear dress blue charlies or deltas, but not alphas or bravos.
Of course, everyone wants to wear dress blues, so everyone buys them anyway.
“Enlisted Marines are issued Greens and either have to earn their blues or buy them…”
But man, I still love those greens! Very sharp uniform. In some ways better than the blues IMO.
Lets see. I started with the old cotton fatigues, kakis’ and summer / winter wool class A with bus driver hat. Then came permanent press, recycled Vietnam rip stop and jungle boots (Alabama), BDUs and then some type of desert print (I never wore them, I deployed in civilian cloths with a civilian passport. I worked in an undisclosed warehouse and had to “find” a uniform when some general decided to show up) wore it one day. Still have my expired passport with my “I was there” stamp.
Is this and “official” photo? Cripes! Looks like it was taken with someone’s old iPhone. Doesn’t the Army have some public affairs E-4 with a DLSR and some decent lighting equipment? Or can’t they at least spring a few hundred for a professional portrait photographer?
It was taken at AUSA, so definitely an iphone 3. But its okay, the Army probably funded it for about 300,000 bucks.
And WFT, it looks like they pulled those trousers out of a sea bag. This has to be a duffle-blog joke. no?
I think they look pretty sharp, but I don’t know what is worn now. Hopefully it replaces wandering around town in camo.
Is that patch on the guy’s shoulder some kind of special thing, or is that a generic ‘go army’ patch everybody would have to wear? Looks more like recruiter swag than a uniform item.
That patch is worn by Army HQ and as of a few months ago, brand new BCT graduates
Is that her fingernail or a long white coke spoon.
Looks good, but can they can fight?
it reminds me of my grandfathers uniforms from the mid 40’s. aside from the fact that the ASU was just made mandatory in the past few years and looks a lot better then the old nylon dress greens, i would say go with an ox blood shoe vs this tan thing they have now.
Being a f Marine as well as a soldier, i have already told my wife to bury me in my USMC dress blues since i know they will still be in regs even though i have been out of the Corps since 98’…
The Marine uniform hasn’t changed since before I was born, at least. At the rate the Army is going, they’ll have 10 different choices of dress uniform to bury me in.
The collar looks gay like he is sporting a boa.
Brown shoes? Really? Are they going out dancing?
I like the B-17 pilots cover though.
That would be interesting to see if they bring back the old crush covers for aviation personnel, the real B-17 pilot’s hat.
Still, anything’s gotta be better than a beret.
The brown shoes look awful.
Going back to the Brown Shoe Army again as well as the Bus Driver cover..
Wonder who the Vender was at the AUSA Convention. Natick? DoD contractors? Private businesses?
Someone has to make the moola shmoola. It’s like appliances, which are not made to last so businesses can stay in business to keep making things that don’t last. Simple.
Reminds me when my Air Force friends were complaining in the 1990s about General McPeak and all the uniform changes he made…
UGGGHHHH!!!
Eden…I gathered that you remembered…😉
Unfortunately, yes.
*FUCK* Merrill McPeak.
I almost want to post the WOI for his smarmy ass.
MM got busted for DUI over 10 yrs ago. Couldn’t happen to a more deserving POS. Gen Dugan would have been a great AF CoS had he not gotten sacked after only 79 days for his diarrhea of the mouth tendencies…and the USAF instead got a pompous ass perfumed prince as the new chief. You ain’t a fighter pilot, you ain’t shit!
No doubt. McPeak with those crappy service uniforms, the v neck t shirt and the leather aviator name tag on BDU!
Those were some ugly uniforms with a capital U. I was in some ten years after McPeak, and the only vestige was the v-neck t. Never understood why we had to show some chest hair. Hated it and thought it looked way worse than a nice collared white t.
I was always jealous of the USMC-types. Their uniforms have heritage, which the USAF’s never did (except the Hap Arnold buttons). Like the Army, too many uniform changes for the sake of some general getting his fourth star.
I wrote an article which essentially attacked McPeak and I was the only person published that used his name. His wife liked chest hair, that’s why we got V-neck shirts, or at least that was the story back them. Worst Chief, Ever.
And a mark of how beloved those changes were … they were almost immediately reversed by Gen. Fogelman when he became CoS.
I asked about why they didn’t just go back to the “Tony Nelson” coat, and someone replied that it would have resulted in a waste of millions of dollars with the new “business suit” uniform. So Fogelman just put the epaulets back on that one, saving tons of cash.
I actually think they look decent, a throwback to the 1940s when Army uniforms really looked good*. That being said, I’m of the opinion that this is ridiculous, as they never should have changed away from that in the first place. Any chance Congress could pass a law mandating each branch to pick a (non-utility/fatigue) uniform and stick with it for no less than 100 years?
* Which is not to say the blues look bad. Last year, one of my younger (adult) cousins married her longtime boyfriend, who’s an E-4 at Fort Hood. He wore his blues to the wedding, and let me tell ya, that kid looked *sharp* for the occasion. Though we expected nothing less, as that lad is the epitome of “squared away.”
I’m a dinosaur. I cannot get used to seeing blues worn as daily office attire. I hated them when we had to wear them just for hail and farewells so I’d really whine about them today.
Am I the only geezer here that has worn the tan uniform? It looked like the greens but was tan. I liked the tan shirts with a tie tucked in under the 1st or second button. Geeze out.
PS: on the subject of clothing, wish we’d get a picture of a certain convict in nice orange at his court appearance today.
You may be but in the only photo I have of my dad in uniform was wearing his TW (Tropical Worsted) uniform (the official term was “Army Tan” but everyone called it TW.) Photo was taken in August of 1966 just before he went over to Vietnam for the first time.
It was a sharp looking uniform. Optional purchase, IIRC. Dad was an officer so I assume that’s why he bought one.
TW! That’s the term I couldn’t remember. Thanks. It wasn’t optional for officers in ’63 in the 82nd. But then, maybe it was “optional” but “strongly encouraged”, i.e., you better have it if you like your career.
Our officer instructors were still wearing them in 1967 when I was in ROTC. It was a sharp looking uniform but not required by 1968. I still have TW (khaki) shirts and pants I had tailor make in Hong Kong in 1971.
Sj: The latest I read about DB is that his Mental Evaluation/Examination was conducted @ 1000 hours today.
Still looking for results. It usually takes the VA Court @ 2-3 hours to post updates on their site.
Sj: DB’s now has a new Court Date.
It will be 15 December 2017 for a Status Hearing.
So it looks as if he will still be wearing that Orange Jump Suit for Halloween and Thanksgiving…and who knows, possibly Christmas as well.
Can’t wait to hear the whole story on this. Thanks.
You are welcome, Sj. Decided not to post todays update here because this is Jonn’s blog and not mine. Did send him a copy; probably others did as well. Just wanted to update you on your inquiry…and again, my apologies for stealing this blog to give you that info.
Yes, it will be interesting. Hope DB gets use to the weather change, i.e. am sure Virginia will be alot colder than FL in the upcoming 2 months.
A lot colder than Florida — (giggle- snooorrrttt!)
Can’t help it!
Ex: Just think if he had to spend time in the Chicago area! And I mean more than weather conditions…😉
It would be tough. Cook County jail is full of guards who are as mean as a snake, especially since two convicts escaped through a cell window a couple of years ago. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-31/news/chi-2-caught-trying-to-escape-cook-county-jail-20120831_1_cook-county-jail-wall-medium-security-section
And then there were the two geniuses who got out of a 15th floor cell in the federal prison in Chicago’s Loop. They almost got away with it, too. http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/12/18/two-inmates-escape-from-federal-jail-in-loop/
Sweet!!
So regardless of the outcome he’ll have a fair share of more incarceration time on the way, nice!!
@ S J:
You wrote:
“Am I the only geezer here that has worn the tan uniform? It looked like the greens but was tan. I liked the tan shirts with a tie tucked in under the 1st or second button.”
______________________________
I wore the khaki uniform with the tie tucked in when I was a JROTC cadet at Austin High School in El Paso, Texas.
We also wore the olive drab Eisenhower uniform.
And my father (now deceased), who was in the Second World War and the Korean War, wore that khaki uniform with the tie tucked in, and went from the Eisenhower OD uniform (my earliest memories of him) to the new dress green uniform.
For a very brief period, he even wore the khaki shorts with the long socks.
I think that was an Army experiment that quickly failed.
My dad told me the same when he was in the Air Force….Khaki shorts, long socks, safari style blouse and a pith helmet. Thought he was joking until I met another Air Force vet who told me the same thing.
Tropical Worsted was the fabric, tan or khaki was the color. Officers wore TW, us enlisted swine wore cotton khakis, which looked like crap as soon as you put them on because they wrinkled immediately. After a day or two of travel you looked like a bleached raisin.
https://books.google.com/books?id=paTolFtLi28C&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=tropical+worsted&source=bl&ots=VghPYoY6IY&sig=ywDWAe5bxL3e_nt3Gqb6zDze7kg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwja26nZwufWAhXBQiYKHd4JAmkQ6AEIYjAM#v=onepage&q=tropical%20worsted&f=false
https://books.google.com/books?id=paTolFtLi28C&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq=army+khaki+cotton+uniform&source=bl&ots=VghPYoZ2DW&sig=v6ofiK8bKYFcEFXQtZqeMUmZJa8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjVm7jexOfWAhUH6iYKHcFMAhcQ6AEIXjAJ#v=onepage&q=army%20khaki%20cotton%20uniform&f=false
Like Guard Bum, I actually like it, as I absolutely HATE the ASU.
As an amateur historian I do have to smile that they have two enlisted soldiers wearing “Pinks and Greens” – since anyone who knows anything about WWII uniforms knows that “Pinks and Greens” was strictly an “Officers only” uniform.
In fact, one of the major changes made to US Army uniforms after WWII as a result of the Doolittle Commission was to do away with having separate officer and enlisted uniforms.
I have many gripes with the ASU but my biggest one is that they did away with the SSI. Adding the SSI back to the ASU (with current unit on the left sleeve and FWTS-SSI on the right) would, IMO, mitigate its worst failing. The SSI has been a part of Army uniforms since WW1 and is one of the major distinguishing features between the US Army and other services.
Still, I have to say I like this. Not enough to support making every Joe and Jane in uniform have to shell out $$ to buy a new uniform, but it does look good. 10x better than the ASU and 1000x better than the silly “Ike jacket” that was floated around a couple of years ago.
BTW I think it’s worth pointing out that one reason recent Army uniforms have looked so crappy is that they are made out of crappy materials and are poorly put together.
My “issue” dress greens were made out of very thin, cheap-looking, crappy material – obviously “lowest bidder” stuff.
Take a look side-by-side at the comparison between the crap that GI’s get issued at the reception station and the stuff you can buy commercially and the difference is apparent from 20 feet away. That right there is one reason the issue uniforms often look like crap – it’s not the design as much as it is the materials and the cheap execution.
It’s no wonder that any NCO or officer who has to wear their class A’s more than once a year usually shells out the money to buy higher-quality non-DOD branded uniforms, even though they can be costly.
When I was at Bragg I hated how my issue greens looked but blanched at the high price of quality uniforms. So being a cheapskate I prowled the pawn shops and surplus stores until I found a nice set of greens in my size that were quality made. They’re still hanging in my closet and though they’ve shrunk a bit at the waist (or so it seems….) they still look good.
Martin you are right! The material and tailoring is huge in making any uniform look decent.
We still wore BDU’s, Class A/B, and the Blue uniform was truly the full dress uniform back in my day. Spent the coin to buy Class A’s and Creighton Shirts to go with them. My blues were tailored for me by a couple of super nice German ladies at Ft Knox, I cant wear them anymore but they worked well enough for me to win Mrs. Dino’s heart. 🙂
From time to time in real life my team works with the Washington National Guard Civil Support Team, it seems like those guys must have bout six different field uniforms. What a pain in the ass.
I don’t have to buy uniforms anymore, but I hate to see our soldiers spend their hard earned bucks on frivolity. I don’t have anything specific against this uniform, but is has been mentioned the uniform above was originally an officers uniform. Not a big deal, but there was also plenty of bling on the EM/NCO uniforms of those days as well.
I was fortunate enough to wear both the EM and Officer uniforms of the time when I was in the guard and reserve. Loose that ungodly Army patch. I can still recognize an Army uniform and divisional insignia.
My “lets look like soldiers” full dress uniform; check out the Army dress uniforms starting in the 1880’s and going through the 1930’s, but keep all the branch cords, branch specific colors, and NCO Stripes, all the happy stuff… especially the cavalry branch!
The only services I have a hard time telling apart in their dress uniforms are the USCG and USAF. I am not meaning to insult, but my M-1959 Eyeballs aren’t quite as good as they used to be and I need to get close to see the cap insignia, those two shades of blue are just too close.
AS for crappy materials, I still have 2 sets of USMC Dress Blues. One jacket from 1985 made of wool. And 1 made of gabardine. Wool definitely looks better.
The Alphas however did look better when we switched from summer and winter weights and went to all season.
And yes, the Marine Corps did go through some uniform stupidity back in the 80s. Like rank on covers and V-neck t-shirts with Charlies.
What to do with that extra 4th chevron…
I still have the cover I axe-qual’d with the chevron attached (and bent)
@ MARTIN JUMPER:
When I was in, we still wore khaki uniforms in hot weather, and instead of the Army issue khaki uniform, I went to the PX and purchased Tropical Worsted uniforms, which were much more comfortable and had permanent creases sewn in.
I still wear the all weather coat for stormy weather funerals etc.
Excellent quality and looks sharp.
8405-01-308-8696 by American Apparel.
I bet he’s hittin it.
I would, as long as she didn’t work for me.
The only change I would make to the uniform above is to ditch the bus driver hat. The WWII “soft” overseas cap looks much better, is cheaper and easier to carry around.
In fact, as a paratrooper I’d gladly ditch my maroon beret in favor of the WWII style garrison cap with the glider patch. Much sharper looking and unlike the beret – which we copied from the Brits – it is unique to the US Army.
I wonder if the various service uniform “bureaus” are where the “can’t do anything else” types are deposited (like the EO offices)…and those types are too stupid to know they were shitcanned to those boneyards to ride it out to retirement and do no harm…the uniform changes I saw in the 21st Navy (e.g. retro WW2 dress khakis, enlisted Black and Tans, and the infamous Estonian Air Force knockoff “blueberries” convinced me that it was at least so for the Navy.
I remember when Khadafy visited and had female guards wearing something similar
Her brown shoes would look good on my shoulders.
ASU, SSI, BDU, DCU, ACU, OCP, IPFU, APFU???? WTF? So, besides uniform bling it looks like the army likes uniform acronyms…
Too much for this Jarhead…
You get used to it after a while… 😉
PS:
ASU – Army Service Uniform (think dress blues/class A’s)
SSI – Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
BDU – Battle Dress Uniform, aka what every branch wore before you guys kicked off the digi pattern wars with MARPAT!! 😉
DCU – Desert Combat Uniform
ACU – Army Combat Uniform, the grey pyjamas we’ve been wearing for a decade now
OCP – Operational Camouflage Pattern, the pyjamas, but with a sensible pattern
IPFU – Improved Physical Fitness Uniform, grey and black t-shirt and shorts with built-in reflective crap
APFU – Army(Advanced?) Physical Fitness Uniform, all black shorts and shirts, aka we’re going to wear the PT belt no matter what, so we might as well at least try to look badass 😉
lol, thanks. Yeah, I guess we did start this mess…
Never understood the Navy or Air Force jumping into it, though.
Don’t know about the Navy, but the Air Force still has an identity crisis after 70 years as a separate service. Gotta look badass, but not too much like the Army. . .
The Navy had enlisted men in crackerjacks WWII through now. During WWII, WAVES wore aviation greens, khaki 2-piece dresse, gray 2-piece dresses, dark blues w/white shirt and black tie, and dress whites. After Korea, WAVES wore dark blues (2-piece suit with a white blouse and black tie) and light blues (2-piece short sleeved dress) and dress whites. And gloves! Don’t forget the gloves!!!
“The Navy had enlisted men in crackerjacks”
yet another reason I opted to go Marine regs 🙂
Well, at least the WWII guys didn’t have to wear the WWI flat hat worn by their predecessors.
When I joined the Marine Corps in 1977 the Navy didn’t have Crackerjacks, I think those were brought back in the 1980s sometime.
They had the Salt and Pepper uniform, you could have a beard, and there were no enforced weight or physical fitness standards that I could tell. I’m still traumatized from my Shell back initiation!!
[Retirement], shit. I’m still only in [Retirement]. Every time I think I’m going to wake up back in the [bullshit Army]. When I was home after my first tour,
it was worse. I’d wake up and there’d be nothing…
I hardly said a word to my wife until I said yes to a divorce.
When I was here I wanted to be [back in the Army]. When I was [reading about uniform bullshit], all I
could think of was [staying retired].
I’ve been here a [a while] now. Waiting for a mission, getting
softer. Every minute I stay in this room [, Retired as fuuuuuuuuuk] I get weaker [;)]. And every minute
[The] good idea fairy] squats in the bush [blowing Staff Officers] he gets stronger.
Each time I look around the walls move in a little tighter.
Everyone gets everything he wants. I wanted [DD 214], and for my sins
they gave me one. Brought it up to me like room service. “
Well, this should save the average GI a lot of money. All he has to do is go home and get grandpa’s old uniform out of the attic.
Easy for you to say. I’m 6’3″ and my grandfather was 5’10”.
I’d do it as a challenge, but I’m sure someone wouldn’t find it funny.
I like it (except the brown shoes–black looks better), but the Army just switched to ASUs. This is too soon.
Looks like the greens I saw some soldiers wearing in the late 1960s. Someone else said the same thing. I had no idea the Army was so fashion conscious. If this is a light summer weight uniform, fine.
BUT – I still think the light blues (WAVES and WAFs) and light greens (WACS) for summer working uniforms are a lot more attractive on us girls than crackerjacks. I realize that the not-sorely-missed-at-all SEcNav whatshisname detested wimmin, but we aren’t GUYS and should not be made to pretend we are. Pants are the only appropriate thing to wear on a ship, but on shore duty station, MUST this idiocy be perpetuated. Maybux & Carter, Inc., were/still are mental cases. Just my opinion.
Is this stuff synthetic fabric or wool?
fyi, the wife was one of the last WACs and HATED that lime green summer weight thing
“Brown shoes
Don’t make it
Quit school!
Why fake it?”
apologies to Mr. Zappa.
Bus driver hats? No friggin’ way, c*nt caps or nothing.
Nice looking uniforms for 1946. I second the comment about crappily tailored uniforms, we used to have the summer (polyester) and winter (wool) greens – and if you wanted to look squared away you made damn sure your profile picture was taken in the winter class As. Not sure how many uniform changes I have seen come and go (starchies, permanent press pickle suits, BDUs, old khakis, permapress khakis, green shirts, wooly pullies, and that was just on active duty – but starchies or pickle suits cost about $18 for shirt and pants. BDUs were several times as expensive, hot and uncomfortable… it should be mandatory that anyone who proposes a uniform change should have to go before an enlisted review board to justify the cost and the change: with his career and retirement on the line if he fails.
I think everyone proposing these should have to wear and maintain them for 6 months.
Yes, c*nt cap or nothing.
If this uniform is approved along with the brown shoes, does this mean brown leather boots will return for those who blouse their pants/trousers as part of their uniform?
Wooden barracks and going back to the M1 rifle would be in order if this uniform is adopted.
And heated by coal!
@ S J:
In Basic Combat Training, I was the one who shoveled the coal!
The M1 isn’t terribly handy for clearing rooms, but on the flip side, why bother kicking in the door when you can just shoot through the walls?
Besides, my M1 has gotten me laid.
TOW –
Ok, I’ll bite – How did your M1 get you laid?
(This sounds like a story that’s too good not to give you an excuse to tell)
Quite simple, actually. The M1 in question was my very first rifle of my own, purchased from Big5 when I was 14. When I was 20, I started dating a 19-year-old girl who had never fired a weapon before and was curious, despite her annoyingly anti-gun leanings. She instantly liked it, shot all of my ammo (bitch! Not cool! ), and with the ammo depleted told me she wanted me to do her right there on the firing line. I told her that the RSO probably wouldn’t be cool with that, as there were young children two lanes over from us. So she wanted to have sex in the bathroom instead. I told her that all the range had was a single jack shack. So she agreed to wait until we got back to my place, at which point she, uh, got her wish. And continued getting it past my point of exhaustion because she was still excited and insisted we weren’t done.
After that relationship ended, I took the next girl I dated to the range and started her with the M1, with the same result. And the next one. And so on and so forth. The last one was six years ago, and she is now Mrs. Whitey.
To be honest, I’m not entirely certain whether it was the M1 itself or the natural aphrodisiac properties of propellant residue at play.
It’s the scent of gunpowder burning. Even the Chinese knew it was an aphrodisiac, and they discovered how to make it.
Maybe it was the scent of Hoppe’s number 9?
A couple drops of CLP behind your knee helps too!
“Happiness is a warm gun”
Sounds like you may have to redo that old standard;
This is my rifle
This is my gun
The rifle’s for fighting
They’r both for fun.
Here’s your WWII uniforms, courtesy of Olive Drab. There’s link in the article to a complete listing of 1943 inductees’ clothing requirements.
http://olive-drab.com/od_soldiers_clothing_combat_ww2.php
Personally I think you guys would look great in the 1939 field uniform with the puttees wrapped around your calves. But that’s just me.
While the pre-WWII Kelly helmet had a bit of elegance to it (not a whole lot of ballistic protection, though), I have never been able to make any kind of sense of puttees.
I had to look that up to see if I used the correct word. I think they were also called gaiters, and they were supposed to protect trouser legs from mud and slop.
Basically used to convert low-quarter shoes into half-assed “boots.”
So why not just go with boots? Early example of government efficiency?
Boots were for cold weather or other special wear. Check out pictures of soldiers from before WWII, almost all non-cavalry wore shoes rather than boots (and the cav wore riding boots, which were great for riding but not so great once you were not in the saddle.)
It wasn’t until WWII that people saw paratroopers in bloused leather boots and thought “we should make those for everybody.”
Cav boots are fine for walking, if they are fitted properly. I have a pair of Civil War style boots (custom made) I lived in for two weeks while making the cav portion of the movie “Gettysburg.” Also I did a two week cavalry training school culminating in the Little Bighorn reenactment, wearing those cavalry boots. The problem was the ill fitting boots issued to the enlisted troops. Army Cav officers were still wearing custom made riding boots until the late 30’s early 40’s with their pinks and greens. During or after WWI enlisted cav troopers transitioned from leather leggings to canvas ones.
The 1″ heel (aka “roper”) is the reason cavalry boots are comfortable. Not like 1.5″ ~ 2″ underslung Cuban heels!
Boots cost more than shoes. They were made of leather then, instead of synthetics.
I think if you look real close at the Cav guys of the time, the officers actually were wearing some kind of riding boot, the enlisted troopers wore a leather version of the gaiter with their field shoes that used a wrap around strap to secure the gaiter. I always thought this was the sorta kinda origin of the tanker boots we used to unofficially wear.
GOOD GOD I pay waaaaaaay too much attention to this history stuff…
Yes, but it does give you a sense of perspective, doesn’t it?
Gaiters buckled, puttees are wrapped.
These look like WWII Army soldiers staged in England.
All they need now is the “50 Mission Crush”.
Sj (and Jonn), sorry I am hijacking this Blog, but I wrote a comment about DB current status (see above posts).
Here’s something I did not know was happening. Not all kids nowadays are mindless idiots. This video about a WWII uniform kit is done by a 12-year-old re-enactor. Apparently, there is something stirring in these people.
Good catch!
Am I the only one to notice the change in salute from palm forward to palm down?
Dear Lord, save us from the Good Idea faeries!!
FWIW, the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets wears almost this same uniform as their Class A uniform (with black shoes, thankyouverymuch), and has for over 100 years, with only slight changes from time to time (when enough uniforms wear out and they need to order new ones–the uniforms are rented to the cadets, not issued or purchased). The seniors, of course, wear the riding trousers with riding boots (which are custom made).
Sent this to Claw in another post a couple of weeks ago:
“240 Years of US Army Uniforms in 2 Minutes:
Where are the chocolate chips?
They’re in my cupboard, waiting to be turned into cookies.
Good Answer, Ex…better than mine!
😉
Plus, the famous Black Beret is missing…
Saw that missing as well.
Wore them in the late 80s.
And wore the uniform depicted under Gulf War from 2001-2004.
Guess nothing is perfect…😎
Am I the only one to notice the change in salute from palm forward to palm down?
I don’t know, since I joined back in the last century (late 80’s) I’ve had three different PT uniforms, five different duty uniforms (six if you count the large collars and small collars on the BDU’s), and two and half Dress pretties (two different colors for jackets). So I can see why they want to add yet another dress uniform to keep up with all the other uniforms.
Word is the next field uniform will include the tricorn hat and powder horn
as accessories.
So, we are going back to the old brown shoe army. That is so “retro.” The proggies aren’t going to like going back to the 40’s early 50’s look. So, for that reason alone, I like it. Now how about a Sam Brown belt to go with it.
And mustaches authorized.
For both sexes (Or how many there are now).
If we get another Democrap administration, there will be at least six.
You guys need to chill out.
This is important……
Look. Even if those two had pressed their uniforms and polished their shoes correctly the NAME TAGS would render the uniforms unwearable.
Did I miss the CIB (photo not optimal)? Or is this an office weenie type rig?
Nice to see the US copying the UK re brow shoe. Top Tip to the colonials. Never, ever, make dress uniforms from man made fibres. Wool rules and improves with wear. Search; Royal Marines Lovat inform for ideas
” Wool rules”
Not at places like Ft. Benning, Ga.
Cotton “tropical” uniform for sticky season
Curious what TOG thinks on this…..?
As a current SNCO, I can tell you that many Soldiers hate the Blues as the ASU. The black jacket absorbs heat, the white shirt needs replacing as soon as you sweat into it-which is often because it’s nearly 100% cotton, and the shoes hurt your feet. I know all of this because I just wore it to my wedding this weekend and that shit HURT, not to mention the sheer amount of sweat (several layers) from the heat. I love these new uniforms, very retro! Cannot wait for the cloth SSI, rank on the sleeves, and BRING ON THE BROWN CORCORAN JUMP BOOTS WITH IKE JACKET. As my Soldiers say these days “That’s fuckin’ Pimp!” I think it means that looks STRAC, but I’m not fluent on E4 these days….
I’d also say make them out of wool again because wool wicks moisture away from the skin and I’ve worn an100% wool uniform during many a Civil War Reenactment.
Looks like we dodged the “trannie” bullet courtesy of
POTUS. Otherwise, depending upon whatever day they identified as male or female, the tranni-binary-queer quaternary species suffering from gender dysphoria who “deserve to serve their country with distinction” would have to buy BOTH uniforms. UNFAIR !!
CAPT Bones USN (ret)
As usual, the Duffel Blog is ON IT!
“Army to bring back WWII-era uniforms in lieu of WWII-era victory”
https://www.duffelblog.com/2017/10/army-pinks-and-greens/