Posted on Dec 11, 2019
Why is the boonie cap so demonized in the army?
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Seriously I wanna know. Mainly from you senior leadership and your mentality when it comes to this specific headgear, or even as to why it's frowned upon in the field when it's clearly authorized to be worn in the field.
Also if you are just going to bash me or make smart ass remarks because I'm asking this question, then don't even leave a comment. Thanks
Also if you are just going to bash me or make smart ass remarks because I'm asking this question, then don't even leave a comment. Thanks
DA Pam 670-1
Uniforms
Army Regulations
Posted 5 y ago
Responses: 353
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Sr NCOs fight things like boonie caps because they are busybodies and need something to do.
I am a bit of a contrarian (no surprise, for those who know me).
One AT, I went the other way and ordered that the boonie cap was part of the uniform of the day. The Guard people in the contonement area went nuts, trying to talk about there was a Guard regulation (don't care, we're USAR... and it wasn't true) or a post commander edict (there wasn't) and who authorized it (this guy, with more stripes than you high-speed).
All of the kerfuffle was a lot of fun, frankly. And my troops loved it, especially when it was time for chow. "Refer all questions to the 1SG" was the order of the day, and very few would have the balls to roll up and question me.
Marys.
I am a bit of a contrarian (no surprise, for those who know me).
One AT, I went the other way and ordered that the boonie cap was part of the uniform of the day. The Guard people in the contonement area went nuts, trying to talk about there was a Guard regulation (don't care, we're USAR... and it wasn't true) or a post commander edict (there wasn't) and who authorized it (this guy, with more stripes than you high-speed).
All of the kerfuffle was a lot of fun, frankly. And my troops loved it, especially when it was time for chow. "Refer all questions to the 1SG" was the order of the day, and very few would have the balls to roll up and question me.
Marys.
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1SG (Join to see)
MSG Eryk Yoakam (Retired) - Nonsense level: 11.
You know, last I checked ape-shit CSM didn't have authority to issue article 15s, he'd have to have his commander onbpard. I feel like MAYBE there are better things for him to do.
You know, last I checked ape-shit CSM didn't have authority to issue article 15s, he'd have to have his commander onbpard. I feel like MAYBE there are better things for him to do.
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SGM (Join to see)
1SG (Join to see) - In some instances, such as USASMA, E9's have command authority under 600-20. I don't know all of those circumstances I retired in 2012.
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SFC Pop Pop
Sounds like Anonymous up there wanted to get into a pissing contest with the CSM, won, and it cost one of their soldiers some UCMJ. Is the CSM wrong? 100%. Is he then going to make hell for every one of Anon's troops? 110%. Lesson: sometimes just take your lumps so your juniors don't become targets.
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1SG (Join to see)
LCpl Michael Cappello that is among the best compliments I have ever received. Thank you Lcpl, you made my day
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The best answer is that wearing it makes too much sense. The actual answer is that soldiers do not wear it correctly. They want to shape and form it to look like some Australian sergeants major. So instead of constantly correcting soldiers, leaders just decided to not even let anyone wear them. Pretty sad but that's the truth.
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LCpl Michael Cappello
If that were true, why do Marines not have that problem? Granted that our recruits may be a different caliber of person. I prefer to believe that it boils down to training. We are NOT attempting to look like anything other than a Marine. I suggest that if those "Soldiers" wish to "Shape and Conform" their Boonie hats in order to look "COOL" they should be encouraged to look like the coolest warriors to wear a Boonie hat. MARINES. So simple. No one will ever look UNIQUE. Thereby achieving uniformity. Perhaps they should be TRAINED to remember that they are supposed to be "SOLDIERS" and NOT a fashionista. Then again, it was the Army itself that made the Beret a "fashion statement" rather than a mark of pride for those who strove to excel and earned the right to visible distinguish themselves. Green Berets and and other Spec Forces have earned that title. While RANGERS may Lead the Way, EVERYBODY gets a BERET. They have turned the Beret into a stinking participation trophy. How do you expect "soldiers" to behave. I have NEVER seen ANY of the other branches have the problems that seem to be about individualism as much as I see it with the ARMY OF ONE. There should be no "constantly correcting" and the avoidance there of. IT IS YOUR DAMN JOB !!! DO IT !!! "Smoke" Em like you mean it. Enforce discipline and regulations. Isn't that how you build discipline in the first place? Sound like a bunch of unruly children and their parents letting them get away with it. DISGUSTING. Sounds like your promotion system is nothing more than TIS and TIG.
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PV2 Tommy Smith
"While RANGERS may Lead the Way, EVERYBODY gets a BERET."
Man LCpl you said a mouthful with that one. I always thought that it was wrong to let everyone ware a beret other than the ones who earned it. Now you can't tell who is who.
Man LCpl you said a mouthful with that one. I always thought that it was wrong to let everyone ware a beret other than the ones who earned it. Now you can't tell who is who.
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SPC Keith Lindsey
LCpl Michael Cappello - I completely agree with your comment about the berets in the U.S. Army. In my humble, but most accurate opinion, the Army should go back to C-caps for dress greens (though I think that a hard cap would be much better!) or the hard cap for dress blues. Berets were meant for combat specialties and should return to that.
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SGT David Schrader
I had a CO when I was in the gulf that must have thought he was Crocodile Dundee. It almost looked like he starched his boonie cap to keep its shape.
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What's this "you senior leadership" statement? Most senior leadership outside of CSMs don't care. It's usually CSMs who have the issue and that's because they have to have some kind of pet peeve. A 1SG once jokingly said that at the SGM Academy they all get assigned a pet peeve.
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1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR)
Unbelievable how you paint all CSMs with the same brush! I defy you to tell Billy Waugh that he is not a "Real Soldier"! His Silver Star and eight Purple Hearts totally disprove your assertion! Waugh was a United States Army Special Forces soldier and CIA paramilitary operations officer who served more than 50 years between the U.S. Army's Green Berets and the CIA's Special Activities Division. He served in wars in Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan. He was 71 years old when he deployed to Afghanistan as part of a Special Forces-CIA team to hunt down bin Laden and other al-Qaida operatives. He was also a participant in the US military's first HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) combat jump. At 93, he died a Real Soldier!
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PO1 David M Burns
1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR) - I doubt that he would even be involved in such a useless discussion. had to much to do being a REAL Soldier! no time for the keyboards.
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1SG Dean Mcbride (MPER) (CPHR)
I don't think Special Forces SGM Billy Waugh gave a Sh.t about what anybody thought about wearing a bonnie hat. Here are two photos of him in a bonnie hat. One from a Combat HALO drop in 1971 and the other with freedom fighters near Benghazi in 1979.
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