Posted on Mar 18, 2017
Is it socially acceptable to enhance your uniform for a military ball?
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Responses: 80
I double dog dare you to walk into that Military Ball with an orange bow tie while wearing your ASU's. Hell, I triple dog dare you.
For someone who has a "P" and you ask this question.....I am utterly amazed. But to stress what 1LT (Join to see) said, AR 670-1 says NO GO. I can guarantee that if you modified your uniform like that for any kind of function, then you would NOT have that "P" for much longer. I even dare say that your probably wouldn't be a SPC for much longer, as well.
For someone who has a "P" and you ask this question.....I am utterly amazed. But to stress what 1LT (Join to see) said, AR 670-1 says NO GO. I can guarantee that if you modified your uniform like that for any kind of function, then you would NOT have that "P" for much longer. I even dare say that your probably wouldn't be a SPC for much longer, as well.
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SGT (Join to see)
I have been to balls where people wear their branch colors... Up and down the chain...
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LTC Stephan Porter
I thought your response was overly critical. At dining-ins especially this is done across all branches.
After the formal proteins igniter balls I’ve seen senior officers and enlisted dance without their jacket and a custome made shirt with crazy sleeves.
This question is not out of the norm.
After the formal proteins igniter balls I’ve seen senior officers and enlisted dance without their jacket and a custome made shirt with crazy sleeves.
This question is not out of the norm.
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LTC Stephan Porter
True CPT Michael Barden, my comments in support are only at a dining in. I’ve not seen the bow tie color change, but heard of it.
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I think the SPC(P) is getting responses that are overly harsh. I say that because there is a kernal of truth in his question. Yes, all that type stuff is unauthorized by the regs. But also yes, I have been to many military functions where field artillery officers wore red socks, red suspendrs and sometimes red bow ties, as well as the Order of St Barbara medals. So it's not like "enhancement" never happens and is always wrong.
For the artillery crowd, those items are normally worn only at artillery hosted events, like if there was a Division Artillery Ball or an artillery battalion dining in or dinng out. I've also seen the attached artillery officers wear that to their infantry battalion functions. Each time it was authorized by the commander hosting the event. So I can see hiw a young soldier would hear about those events and wonder if they apply to their branch. Now, I've never heard of a commo person wearing orange the way artillery wears red. But maybe they started that tradition after I got out, for commo unit events.
But definitely they aren't worn for generic military functions vs a branch specific function. I think it was smart for this poster to ask. Better safe than sorry.
For the artillery crowd, those items are normally worn only at artillery hosted events, like if there was a Division Artillery Ball or an artillery battalion dining in or dinng out. I've also seen the attached artillery officers wear that to their infantry battalion functions. Each time it was authorized by the commander hosting the event. So I can see hiw a young soldier would hear about those events and wonder if they apply to their branch. Now, I've never heard of a commo person wearing orange the way artillery wears red. But maybe they started that tradition after I got out, for commo unit events.
But definitely they aren't worn for generic military functions vs a branch specific function. I think it was smart for this poster to ask. Better safe than sorry.
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LTC (Join to see)
CPT (Join to see) - yeah, I remember at a bde dining in where we all took off our Blues jackets, even though it's against the regs. Of course, that's because we moved all the tables to the side of the Ft Bragg Oclub ballroom, and the brooms and cabbage heads came out as we played broom hockey. The bde cdr hurt his shoulder getting body checked into the fireplace by a group of LTs, a ceiling fan was broken by a high stick (broom) and our S3 broke his leg in the competition to see who could hurdle the most dining room chairs lined up in the hallway. And maybe some officers even had more than two beers. But that was a very different time.
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CPT (Join to see)
Completely agree. There's nothing wrong with little pride in your branch. I have attended a few balls where the attendees wore branch-specific suspenders at least. However, unless its a Signal Ball and specifically authorized, I would stay with the standard uniform.
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SGM Joel Cook
I was a 31U Signaleer then transitioned to 25X on my last NCOER when I retired. I have never been to a Signal Ball where orange socks, ties, or suspenders were worn. However I was a 1SG of a Field Artillary Battery at Fort Sill, OK circa 1998. There at the Field Artillary Ball if you showed up without all of the above you were chastised. While I was in 1 Cav DIVARTY circa 1984-1990, under then COL Tommy Franks, at Fort Hood, TX one Warrant officer showed up pretty drunk, to the FA Ball with these red items on and he was told to leave and go change them out immediately. So I guess it just depends who the ranking Officer present at the Ball is and what they accept, expect, like, or demand as far as uniform appearance.
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1SG (Join to see)
I concur, I recall an installation CG wearing red suspenders, as did several at the head table during an Army Ball. He was an Engineer. Although GOs have the latitude, I'm sure he authorized it for the others.
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You want to ignore uniform regs around military members more senior than you? Maybe I'm old school, but that seems like dropping your pants and mooning leadership!
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SGT(P) (Join to see)
It's probably best to don't be "that Guy" because things likely won't go that well for you later on. You are supposed to go there and have a good time, you don't want it coming back and haunting you later because it can and quite often does. When in doubt, it's in the regs... Just saying...
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