What would you change on your uniforms?

TSgt Terry Hudson — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 10:16:15 -0400

What changes would you like to see on your dress blues and/or your camos?

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 7 at 2014 1:32 PM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 Sep 2014 13:32:46 -0400

I would like to see more color with our blues, maybe a yellow or silver stripe down each outer pants legs with either color hacks (metal like cheverons not fabric sewn in) down the sleeve as a record of years I've dedicated to the service by increments of 1. For each 5 year period of service a solid silver or yellow band is sewn into the jacket on the right starting at the right wrist. Also I would like to see a revamp of the service jacket, make it look more military like the uniforms of Germany during WWII, yet not with the high knee gloss boots. Last item is to do away with the flight cap, we all are not flyers, or work on a/c, so why do we need flight caps with our blues?? Moreover most flight caps take flight with the shifting of the wind, which causes distractions when in formation and when walking in blues.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2014 9:58 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 21:58:58 -0400

@SrA - I'd bring back E-4 Sgt. I was both senior airman and sgt at E-4;

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 9 at 2014 10:50 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 09 Sep 2014 22:50:28 -0400

I would tell the Army to not change my uniform any more.

I would have the Army wear an OD green uniform in about the same cut as the current uniform with bright patches and when we deploy we would be issued a uniform for that area.

This way when the Army wants to update the pattern they only need to change the uniforms in storage and I don't have to buy new ones again.

Just my opinion. In the end it doesn't matter much what color the uniform is if your armor and truck don't match.

Response by SSgt John Carroll made Sep 10 at 2014 2:49 AM

SSgt John Carroll — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 02:49:36 -0400

First off ABUs are a Maintainers worst enemy, they rip, they stain, they fade, sometimes turn colors & they are way to expensive to be that easily ruined bring back the BDUs or at least the black tees & boots.

Second make our utility uniform more easily worn/modified. We still sew on EVERYTHING and still button closed everything having the Velcro/Zipper/Pin mods would have been a whole lot more useful than a pen pocket you can't use when you work without your top on or with your sleeves up...

Third The blues are just that a Blue Suit with rank & ribbons

Forth can someone explain why the only Branch with an Insignia for E-1 is the Coast Guard... With the ABUs the Officer ranks are getting harder to notice from a distance & it really pisses me off when you get these slick sleeve E-1 getting giggly because they got saluted at the Chow Hall...

Last but not least as my WWII Grandfathers used to call them & I got in trouble for calling them a couple time ditch the cunt caps, unless you flight crew then well the PC name for them is a flight cap...

Response by TSgt Joshua Copeland made Sep 10 at 2014 7:22 AM

TSgt Joshua Copeland — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 07:22:09 -0400

One garrison utility uniform for all services.

Response by PO2 Tony Casler made Sep 10 at 2014 8:55 AM

PO2 Tony Casler — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:55:53 -0400

Service wide: On working and service uniforms officers wear rank on their collar and enlisted on their sleeve. No more wondering from a distance if that is a Specialist or a LTC coming up, and for all you non-Navy types no more saluting Petty Officers and Chiefs.

Navy uniforms: For the service uniform either return to seasonal blues and whites, or if a single year-round uniform is that big of a deal modify the current uniform to a white shirt for E-1 to E-6. Wearing khaki used to be prestigious and something to aspire to, I see no good reason why we moved away from that.

Something needs to be done with the dress whites as well. The current polyester material does not hold form very well and easily wrinkles. Even the sharpest sailor can look like a fat, sloppy bag of ass in them.

The neckerchief for dress uniforms also need to be made available in multiple sizes. Regulations call for a 36" neckerchief which is fine for shorter Sailors, but for tall guys like me it ends up being way to short and does not hang properly. I got hit on my neckerchief at every dress uniform inspection, but by the regs there was nothing I could do about it.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2014 2:09 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 14:09:22 -0400

SrA Hudson:

Bring back the BDUs, but with a wash-and-wear style like the ACUs. Include tourniquets in the stitching around major arteries in the arms and legs (just strong fabric knit ones). Maybe go to rank pins on the collars instead of patches on the sleeves. Angle the top pockets for easy access when you’re lying prone.

Response by COL Jean (John) F. B. made Sep 10 at 2014 4:25 PM

COL Jean (John) F. B. — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 16:25:03 -0400

Although I am no longer on active duty, I will, nonetheless, offer my opinion about this question.

I think the biggest mistakes made by the Army concerning uniforms are as follow:

1) Taking the stripes off the sleeves of fatigues (and carrying that forward to BDUs/ACUs). Let the enlisted soldiers and NCOs wear their stripes with pride on the sleeves of their uniforms.

2) Making the standard headgear the beret. I did not like the beret when I was assigned to the Ranger Training Brigade at Fort Benning, or when I was on Airborne status at Fort Bragg (OK ... maybe I liked it a little, as it signified the "elite" status of the units I was assigned to.) Go back to patrol caps, service caps, etc. and ditch the beret.

3) Doing away with branch insignia on the ACU. The Army has multiple branches; is there a problem with signifying that on the ACU? Put the rank on the sleeve or collar and display the branch insignia (enlisted and NCO as well). Instills pride in your branch/MOS and telegraphs your specialty to those who see you.

Response by CW5 Sam R. Baker made Sep 10 at 2014 5:23 PM

CW5 Sam R. Baker — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 17:23:15 -0400

I would just like to see everyone wear it properly at all times regardless of type and occasion. Let's just get everyone to wear it with respect and professionally, regardless of the powers at be and their choice of what we wear.

Response by CPT Jacob Swartout made Sep 10 at 2014 8:35 PM

CPT Jacob Swartout — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 20:35:59 -0400

Simply just don't put on velcro on our next uniform. I would rather have my name tapes and unit patch sewn on.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2014 9:42 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 21:42:34 -0400

Two things:

1. change to have pleats for dress pants

2. stop changing our uniforms just to change them!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 10 at 2014 10:03 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 22:03:05 -0400

1. Drop the Velcro
2. Loose the pen holders 3. Change the color, what was wrong with the Woodland and DCUs that I came into the army? 4. Have the ability to roll sleeves, like we did prior to 2005 5. Bring back Black Jungle Boots. Polish boots
6. Loose the beret
7. Rank off chest and place back on collor with branch insignia

Response by MSG Gerry Poe made Sep 10 at 2014 11:46 PM

MSG Gerry Poe — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 23:46:36 -0400

1SG to CSM!!

Response by Cpl Matthew Wall made Sep 12 at 2014 9:40 AM

Cpl Matthew Wall — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 09:40:46 -0400

Not surprised that I don't see a post about the Marines changing their uniforms. It seems though that the other branches would like to have their uniforms like the Marines (no velcro, sewn on name tapes, etc.). I never understood the velcro anyways. I will say that your new cammies (what you call multi cam) are a hell of a lot better than those awful ACUs.

However, I will have to ask you not to change your uniforms anymore. I believe that enough money has been wasted by changing uniforms every 2-3 yrs.

Response by Cpl Peter Martuneac made Sep 12 at 2014 12:26 PM

Cpl Peter Martuneac — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 12:26:35 -0400

Absolutely nothing. Marine uniforms are pretty outstanding in every way.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 13 at 2014 12:01 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 12:01:09 -0400

Get rid of the ABU's. They were terrible from day one. Lets go back to the way things used to be. One uniform, for all branches, just like BDU's. In addition to all branches wearing the same uniform, lets use one uniform for both deployments, and home station operations.

For the USAF service dress, scrap it and start from scratch. Every time I put my service dress on (which is very rare since I'm a mechanic) I feel like my dad going to work in a suit only with a bunch of goofy shit on it. Heres a few ideas:

1. Ease up on the blue. I understand that blue is our color, and so does everyone else. Not every piece of clothing needs to be blue.
2. Try to make the uniform look like a military uniform. Like I said before, our blues look like a business suit with a lot of goofy shit on it.
3. Ditch the flight cap. It doesn't look good and it never did.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 13 at 2014 1:51 PM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Sep 2014 13:51:21 -0400

We need to transition to OCP's like the Army. I also like the old school look of the blues with the belt across the stomach, not the business suit style that we have now.

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 14 at 2014 11:58 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 11:58:46 -0400

Even though I feel that a lot of the uniform changes are unnecessary, I think that we should revert back to the way the service coat used to be, with four pockets and a belt. That, in my opinion, looked a lot sharper than than the current service coat.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Sep 16 at 2014 2:16 PM

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 14:16:26 -0400

Make it Magical and not recognize that I've put on 30 lbs since I last wore it.

Response by Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 17 at 2014 2:33 PM

Lt Col Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 14:33:24 -0400

I suppose I would like the Air Force to stop changing it every minute. If I were to prefer changes. I would ditch the ABU's and the PT gear. I would like it if we went back to a more practical utility uniform for day to day tasks. I always thought that the wash kakis of the 60's and 70's would be ideal in office environments. Go back to the OD green fatigues for career fields like MX or CE that get a little dirty.

As for the service jacket. I might be one of the few that does not mind it. Albeit I have not worn a service dress coat since graduating flight school. In fact I still had 2Lt rank on it until 7 years in my career when I was possibly being tapped for Court Martial Duty and then finally had Capt Bars put on it and updated my ribbons etc i do have oak leaves on it now. I have it up to date in case I need it for a reserve or guard unit interview for a different position in the future.

Thankfully the current iteration no longer has sleeve stripes. For a very brief time in the 90's the Air Force had sleeve rank on the service coat similar to the Navy and Coast Guard except it was silver.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 1 at 2015 5:29 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:29:25 -0400

I just want an American Flag patch sewn on my ABUs.

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 5:47 AM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 05:47:23 -0400

I'd like to be able a squadron patch on my abu's similar to how you could on bdu's

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 15 at 2015 6:27 AM

TSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 06:27:14 -0400

No comment on the Blues, I rarely get/have to wear them so I don't have any real opinion beyond, "The bus driver cap looks better than the flight cap with the coat on."

As for the Airman Battle Uniform: I think it's good. The uniform is comfortable, functional, has enough pockets, no velcro, is wash and wear, and we still wear our stripes on our sleeves! The only real complaint is with the hat but even that I find managable. The only thing I would want changed would be to have the hat bils pre-molded so that Airmen aren't doing it themselves and ending up with asymetrical curvature or uniquely personalized angles.

But it probably isn't worth the money to bother with something that minor.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 12:43 AM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 06 May 2015 00:43:05 -0400

get rid of the ABU's for the AF. As a maintainer its a pain to have clean uniforms while working. They are uncomfortable and they dont do well in any weather.

Response by SSG Max Goodman made Sep 19 at 2017 12:55 PM

SSG Max Goodman — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 12:55:52 -0400

I know when I was in I was tired of changing uniforms all the time and having to pay for thhe changes is expensive.