October 13, 201312 yr But we have to have a DISTINCTIVE UNIFORM! Because we're AIRMEN! Bleh. Things I have learned in the military: generals act like 7 year olds in a sandbox, or 15 year old girls at the prom, depending on the occasion. "But MOOOOOOOM!! The Marines are wearing the same dress! I HAVE to have something special!" I called this in Afghanistan in 2010. Just like everyone wearing the BDU pattern, everyone wearing Multicam (screw you, silly acronyms) makes sense tactically and strategically (in this sense, facing budget realities.) Funny, we can't be distinctive in taking care of each other, or the mission, or not being as stupid/ate-up as the other services. Nope. We're distinctive because of the uniform. Seems to me once we switched to the POS ABU things started going down hill fast, and the AF tried to play the catch-up game with the other services over "we contribute/HUA/HOO-RAH". Perhaps if we pull our heads out of our camo asses we can figure out why we're better again. God I hate the ABU. Only good thing is the boots and those still fail at everything but being no shine.
October 13, 201312 yr Seems to me once we switched to the POS ABU things started going down hill fast, and the AF tried to play the catch-up game with the other services over "we contribute/HUA/HOO-RAH". . I'm sure the view that airpower is a support function maybe also contributed just a little. Seriously, some of the crap I've heard from Army dudes about airpower sounds like its straight from 1939.
October 13, 201312 yr I'm sure the price will drop some if we did, but aren't they pretty expensive compared to ABUs? They are expensive, but that's more due to the fact that the Army does not have any proprietary control over the pattern and it must be manufacturered by a commercial vendor. This new action allows the Army a license to the pattern so they can bid out to multiple vendors for a much lower price. My bets is the new OCPs will likely get vastly cheaper, but then again even a set of BDUs set you back $75...I'd imagine a mass-produced OCP will cost around $100 or so. I really hope the USAF follows suit and ditches the ABU. It looks horrible, and blends in with nothing. The tiger stripes serve no useful purpose, and the uniform's functionality is questionable at best...after all we still need a "combat-approved uniform" to replace the Airman Battle Uniform when actually going to battle...that in itself should say enough...
October 13, 201312 yr If we do adopt it, will flyers get to wear the 2-piece multicam? Those things were awesome! Too bad the pointy nose guys will never agree... Was the ABU-pattern two-piece ever implemented outside of AFSOC? I imagine the OCP-pattern will be greeted with the same resistance. Not a point nose type, but I would never want to go to a 2-piece. They are great for pre-flights, but uncomfortable for long sorties. Non-concur.
October 13, 201312 yr Was the ABU-pattern two-piece ever implemented outside of AFSOC? Edit: disregard. Edited October 13, 201312 yr by Homestar
October 13, 201312 yr Was the ABU-pattern two-piece ever implemented outside of AFSOC? I imagine the OCP-pattern will be greeted with the same resistance. I imagine most of the resistance is due to the ABU pattern that it was festooned with, not the two-piece concept.
October 13, 201312 yr I imagine most of the resistance is due to the ABU pattern that it was festooned with, not the two-piece concept. I'm deployed with a bunch of guys who have the two piece flightsuit. It's definitely favored over the tan pajamas by the guys who can choose between the two.
October 13, 201312 yr I would imagine most ejection-seat aircraft would want to stick with the one-piece pajamas for egress reasons...with that said, I'd support them having their traditional flight suits for practicality, and us using the two piece, along with the shoes wearing the multicam non-flyers outfit. The Navy and Marines should do the same with the MARPAT (but take the globe and anchor out for the squids). Navy/Marines and Army/Air Force...that's about as "distinct" as you need to get.
October 13, 201312 yr I don't think that the Marines will give up their distinctive uniform without serious arm-twisting from the DoD. They wouldn't let the non-SOF Navy use the desert AOR-1 pattern because it was too close to MARPAT. Inter-service dick measuring is what caused this problem in the first place and it will continue until the all of the services stop caring about being different on the battlefield, that's what dress uniforms are for.
October 13, 201312 yr Yes as in your desert name patch on your sleeve (with your name and US Air Force redundantly on your chest also)?
October 13, 201312 yr That's the only way I had seen it, too. Is it still too new a uniform for the shoes to give "help" on standardizing?
October 13, 201312 yr I have seen both desert cloth name patch on the shoulder/arm as well as actual multicam pattern wings placed above the name tape.
October 13, 201312 yr We do optional multicam pattern wings above the name tape like on ABUs back home. Some tops came with the velcro section there, others didn't so (gasp!) we weren't standardized.
October 13, 201312 yr I opted to wear the standard wings on the chest. Most of the time the collar covered them whatever. Biggest complaint for the two piece is a lack of pencil pocket that is functional like the standard one piece. Some people have had them manufactured to place on the uniform but since it is not part of the manufactured uniform I could see the shoes having a field day with it.
October 14, 201312 yr I opted to wear the standard wings on the chest. Most of the time the collar covered them whatever. Biggest complaint for the two piece is a lack of pencil pocket that is functional like the standard one piece. Some people have had them manufactured to place on the uniform but since it is not part of the manufactured uniform I could see the shoes having a field day with it. This. I think it would take me a while to cut the muscle memory of reaching above my left elbow when trying to get a pen/pencil.
October 14, 201312 yr Nsplayer and any Herbie guys for that - still can't figure out what the purpose of wearing a rating badge on a combat uniform is...specifically having to go get a piece of velcro added after the fact seems stupid. I don't need anyone around knowing what I do, I get that satisfaction by walking to the flight line, not by wearing a badge. I get it if you're in the infantry and have an airborne patch or ranger tab et al... Because they already have unit patches and what not. Just doesn't seem to make sense to me, but then again what do I know I'm just a snap.
October 14, 201312 yr You wear wings on a desert bag though, right? My fleeting knowledge of the reg was that any uniform worn by someone who is rated is supposed to have wings on it. Then again the 2-piece I was issued did not have extra velcro and I didn't exactly go out of my way to have it added. And moral of the story was that we weren't 100% standardized, no one cared, and the mission got hacked. Call it a victory for common sense.
October 14, 201312 yr Nsplayer and any Herbie guys for that - still can't figure out what the purpose of wearing a rating badge on a combat uniform is...specifically having to go get a piece of velcro added after the fact seems stupid. I don't need anyone around knowing what I do, I get that satisfaction by walking to the flight line, not by wearing a badge. I get it if you're in the infantry and have an airborne patch or ranger tab et al... Because they already have unit patches and what not. Just doesn't seem to make sense to me, but then again what do I know I'm just a snap. Okay, so explain what meets your criteria for wearing a badge on your uniform. Some people deserve to get attention for what they do and others not? After 9+ years of wearing some sort of aeronautical badge on my uniform, I decided to continue that, so yes I had an extra piece of Velcro sewn on my uniform. Felt wrong without it, kind of like flying without a coin. Call me superstitious.
October 14, 201312 yr Nsplayer and any Herbie guys for that - still can't figure out what the purpose of wearing a rating badge on a combat uniform is...specifically having to go get a piece of velcro added after the fact seems stupid. I don't need anyone around knowing what I do, I get that satisfaction by walking to the flight line, not by wearing a badge. I get it if you're in the infantry and have an airborne patch or ranger tab et al... Because they already have unit patches and what not. Just doesn't seem to make sense to me, but then again what do I know I'm just a snap. You know airborne "patches" (as in the parachutist wings) go on the chest, right? Unless you are talking about the airborne tab above some unit patches, indicating that it is an airborne unit and not that the individual wearing it is a paratrooper. After 9+ years of wearing some sort of aeronautical badge on my uniform, I decided to continue that, so yes I had an extra piece of Velcro sewn on my uniform. I can just hear the nonner shoe clerks now: "but, but, we are all Airmen, why do THEY get to wear wings? What makes them so special?" Edited October 14, 201312 yr by Champ Kind
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