3 Votes
Uniform Sanity ... No More Beret and Less Velcro
|
||
It only took a decade … but the Army has finally taken a common sense approach to some of it’s soldier’s loudest uniform grievances. With Army directive 2011-11, the regulation on uniform appearance has been modified such that the contested black berets are no longer part of the ACU (the camouflage uniform). Soldiers have been annoyed by the ridiculous tan-line across the forehead, the idiocy of carrying multiple pieces of headgear for dirty functions (motorpool, work details, etc) and its lack of utility use in rain, sunshine or heat. Furthermore, most of the annoying velcro patches and pin on badges from the ACU may be now replaced with sew on patches.
Similarly tagged OmniNerd content:
- Army Reserves Not Honoring Officer Contracts, by VnutZ almost 3 years ago
- Six Years Later, The Army Almost Wakes Up, by VnutZ almost 3 years ago
- UAVs as a Milestone In Military History, by VnutZ over 3 years ago
- Military Report: Secretly 'Recruit or Hire Bloggers', by tomtolman about 5 years ago
Print Friendly
Write an Article
Gen. Dempsey by mikeforbes
Gen. Dempsey will only have been CSA for, what, 3 months by the time he gets kicked upstairs to CJCS? And with one simple decision made one of the most low-cost, high-impact, common-sense changes of any CSA in the last 10 years. I hope Sgt. Maj. Chandler stays on after Gen. Odierno takes over.
Yeah, it’s a little thing. But I firmly believe that the “little” things add up, and organizations that expend the (usually minimal) effort to get those little things right usually get the big things right also. And it’s a good sign when leaders can recognize what the low-hanging fruit is, and actually take decisive action to get it out of the way.
And packaged in the same decision, and arguably just as important: ending the facepalmingly hollow platitude of wearing the camouflage field uniforms to work in the Pentagon, to “show solidarity” with the deployed troops and remind everyone that there’s a war on. OK, in 2002, I can see that. In 2011: put your damn suit back on and dress like a professional, lazy asses.
RE: Gen. Dempsey by Occams
Isn’t the idea of velcro patches that they can be pulled off for combat to deny the enemy intelligence about who they are fighting?
Personally I dislike the boy scout look of US soldiers: it looks like they are collecting badges for every achievement and everywhere they gave been.
I agree about the beret. That is not a US tradition as in other countries. It makes the French, British and Germans look tough, but somehow does not work as well with Americans.
Don’t you just love the way those Arab bad guys in cheap recent war films wear the beret straight up like a cooks cap with no slope down to one eye.
RE: Gen. Dempsey by VnutZ
Isn’t the idea of velcro patches that they can be pulled off for combat to deny the enemy intelligence about who they are fighting?
Maybe the über troops but they would do it anyway if they were supposed to … none of the regular schmoes go incognito so the option to do so is just asinine.
RE: Gen. Dempsey by wyldeling
I agree about the beret. That is not a US tradition as in other countries.
Actually, the black beret was a tradition among the Army Rangers, and having the whole army wear them was viewed as an insult to the Rangers by many.