The curious USAF pattern is sort of a throwback to Vietnam-era 'Tiger Stripe' that MACV-SOG troops and some USAF officers had custom tailored for themselves while on on R&R in Thailand, then they actually used it in combat and found out that it didn't blend into any environment at all. The USAF ought to go back to wearing flat olive drab with shiny white laced boots and baseball caps like God wanted them to have back in the 60s through the 80s.
The new USN 'blue wave' camo is just idiotic. I bet it would be perfect camouflage for a doomed sailor who falls overboard into the sea at night. What were they thinking?
USMC's MARPAT is the only one that works as intended. The pixelation tricks the brain no matter what size object you put it on. Only downside is that the USMC pretty much looks from a distance like a dead ringer for the Waffen SS when fully geared up in it. That's not cool. Even if there are those who think it's cool, it's still not cool.
I thought their BDUs were black w/ silver piping & black 'dice box' boots. At least tank crews were so attired.
Regards,
GtG
They were thinking "CONTRACTS" for friends most likely. Lot's of money for friends to make in a complete service uniform change over. You're right the change to Blue Camo's for a working uniform it was just plain dumb and completely dysfunctional for locating a man overboard in the water.
It equals or exceeds the Naval uniform change of the Dress Blues to a the dysfunctional Chief's style suit worn by junior enlisted in the mid to late 70's. I do know for a fact the Navy finally saw the mistake & went back to the traditional Cracker Jacks in about late 1979. I had to buy them before I could get out in late 1980.
A functional working uniform change could have simply been a pair of light weight solid Navy Blue {dark} Coveralls that both Dickies and Walls makes. A lot of guys on ship wore coveralls when working anyway. But then again the traditional Dungarees also were a part of water survival in the event of man overboard.
USMC’s MARPAT is the only one that works as intended.
Duh. Jarheads know what works in the bush. My first set of Camo Utilities in the Corps was the original Vietnam pattern 5 color when they brought them back in ‘77. Worked better than anything except Tiger Stripes, were very comfortable and would dry out faster than anything else. I could go from soaking wet to done dry in about half a hour of humpin’. Downside was they wore out very quickly, ripstop or not.
The pixelation tricks the brain no matter what size object you put it on. Only downside is that the USMC pretty much looks from a distance like a dead ringer for the Waffen SS when fully geared up in it. That’s not cool. Even if there are those who think it’s cool, it’s still not cool.
Who cares about cool? What keeps you’re a$$ subdued in combat is cool. If it resembles old Waffen SS patterns, So f*kin’ what. MarPatt works.
Perhaps all that means, is that the German camouflage experts really knew what they were doing, and gravitated toward patterns that worked for them for the same reasons MARPAT works for the USMC.
Couldn’t agree more...
We are retired and I saw the Navy for the first time way after it was adopted.
I thought they were Belgian Navy personnel...sheesh.
Another bone-headed decision by the “new” leadership...up there with repealing DADT.
You comments made me laugh my a$$ off.
The only place you can hide in an ACU is against a backdrop of ACU material....
RLTW.
When the Marine Corps decided it needed updated utilities, none of the other services wanted to bear the R&D costs, but of course wanted to use the developed pattern. Bear in mind that most things the Marine Corps gets is second hand. So the Marine Corps developed MARPAT utilities.....the other services are welcome to use them; it ll just say USMC all over it.
But, if the Army ever decides to invade a gravel parking lot, their ACUs will blend right in.
When the Navy started the wear testing of their new blue trouser and khaki a elderly lady was attending a ceremony at Pearl Harbor. Some of the people in attendance wore period uniforms and color guard was Navy. She wanted to know why the Sailors were dressed in SA uniforms, she thought it was disgraceful. The Navy “blueberries” are just plan stupid some Navy Master Chief had to have the cool digs just like the ground war fighters. Now the Navy blue digs are the butt of jokes and are certainly not cool.