ACU: What happened to pride in appearance?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:20:19 -0400

PCSing to Fort _____. Went there over the weekend to check out the area.

There were Soldiers (not MP's or civilians) manning most gates. In almost all cases they looked like rag bags. ACU pants too long (sitting on top of their boots), ACU tops too short (you could see the gerber attached to their belt, ACU caps sitting on their ears and multiple, dark stains you could see from a distance on their boots.

Overreaction to appearance, lack of pride in appearance or not that serious (got more important things to worry about)?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2015 8:25 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:25:18 -0400

I am very frustrated by the Uniform appearance of many others as well. I was traveling near Fort Sill and had to have a discussion with a few Soldiers about their crazy apprearance. We are all the standard bearers!

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2015 8:26 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:26:08 -0400

I remember when we got very serious brief about being ambassadors to the community and that we represent the Army everywhere we go.
Woe unto you if one of the garrisson leaders caught you all jacked up.
Sadly those days seem to have gone by the wayside.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2015 8:36 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:36:26 -0400

The ACU is not designed to be ironed or dry cleaned. Obviously, we cannot shine our boots. It seems like the few people who care about their uniforms are Soldiers in a TRADOC environment, and CSMs, contrary to the regulation, press their uniform.

We professionals need to take a hard look at AR 670-1 to see what right looks like, and to tell Soldiers why we need to look exemplary.

I will be chastised for this comment, but perhaps Soldiers in an office environment should wear class B uniforms on duty. This would definetely will instill pride in a Soldiers appearance in my humble and subjective opinion. The good idea fairy may have poked me in the shoulder this morning.

Response by SGT Darryl Allen made May 28 at 2015 8:42 AM

SGT Darryl Allen — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:42:53 -0400

Frankly, I think the ACU's look terrible even when the correct sizes are worn. They are ill-fitted for most body-styles in the army and leave most soldiers looking ragged. However, he PC should be worn correctly, it really does annoy me when people wear it like a baseball cap.

As for boots, I'm an aircraft mechanic, so my boots are almost always dirty. I always found it silly to nit-pick on boots when they're constantly on the ground.

Response by SGT David T. made May 28 at 2015 8:44 AM

SGT David T. — Thu, 28 May 2015 08:44:38 -0400

I don't get my blood pressure up over this sort of thing anymore. That is for their officers and NCOs to deal with. I saw this often about the time I got out in 2007. I think much of it stems from the reduction in entry standards and the rapid promotions of many leaders. It's no secret that if one came in during the height of the wars many basic Soldier things fell by the wayside due to the emphasis on warfighting. I think it will end up working itself out as the OPTEMPO reduces.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made May 28 at 2015 10:37 AM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Thu, 28 May 2015 10:37:10 -0400

Standards of appearance always take a hit during and after conflicts. It takes time to get leadership and soldiers back into a "garrison mentality", where issues like appearance again become important. I am certainly not saying that appearance is not important at all times, but it is simply a fact that it sometimes takes a back seat to other issues when units and personnel are constantly deploying.

Personnel (whether they be MPs, other soldiers, DoD/DA police, or civilian contract guards) manning entry points at military installations create the first impression personnel get about that installation, as well as the units and soldiers therein. For them to look sloppy and unkempt creates a bad impression. Leaders need to address that issue and ensure these personnel present a professional military appearance.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2015 10:45 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 10:45:09 -0400

I had the similar experience when coming to gate. They took no pride in their profession. I think the root cause is a lot deeper than we think.

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Response by SGT Kristin Wiley made May 28 at 2015 11:47 AM

SGT Kristin Wiley — Thu, 28 May 2015 11:47:25 -0400

Sir,

I have never been given a class on proper fitting of the ACU, so I doubt many of these SM's know that they are ill-fitting. When someone told me that my top was too big, I bought a smaller top. Then when someone said my top was too small, I let them measure it to ensure it was in standards (it was). When I bought the new ACU-A top, I had numerous senior officers and NCOs talk to me about how I'm not allowed to get my uniforms tailored (it wasn't). ACUs are made for a 'one size fits all' world; SM's body types do not fit this stigma. The reason I couldn't get a longer top for the smaller size was because my hips were too large. The longer top was narrower in the hips, so I had to a get a shorter top that was just skimming regulations. While the shorter top was in regulations (measured at the position of attention), any movement would make it appear that it was too short. I'm not saying that all these SM's had similar issues, but please be aware that these issues do exist and may be the cause of some of your perceptions.

I own two sizes of the IPFU shorts. 1 size looks as it's supposed, but is difficult to get over my large hips. The other I have no problems getting on/off, but looks too big. We can't have the best of both worlds.

As for my boots, they can be clean 1 second, a scuff later and they look like I've been in the field all week. Unless they are reporting for duty with their boots looking like that, I would say nothing more than to ensure they get cleaned for duty the next day.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 28 at 2015 1:21 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 28 May 2015 13:21:02 -0400

I can remember before GWOT; it was ALL pride then. Then the war kicked off, and the entry standards dropped due to the numbers we needed. When the entry standards dropped, so did the rest of the standards.

Response by SGT Jimmy Carpenter made May 28 at 2015 1:31 PM

SGT Jimmy Carpenter — Thu, 28 May 2015 13:31:15 -0400

When I went to my son's BCT graduation, I was appalled at how the drill sergeants looked. Their uniforms looked like they were just pulled from a duffle bag.

I come from a time with BDUs and if you had a ceremony, those BDUs were "new" and pressed with highly spit shined boots. Maybe the ACUs wear and appearance is different, I don't know. What I do know is that the DS's appearance was pathetic.