Posted on 08/24/2008 4:26:16 PM PDT by Dawnsblood
After a century of green uniforms, the last one is being retired from the U.S. Army. The new "Class A" uniform, as of August 21st, 2008, will be the current blue "Dress Uniform.". By 2010, troops graduating from basic training will be issued the "dress blues" as their "Class A" uniform. The "Class B" uniform will be the dress blue trousers and a white shirt with decorations (ribbons, combat badge and so on). For both enlisted and officers, rank will be worn on epaulets. The new uniform "system" is similar to the one the U.S. Marine Corps has been wearing for decades, and that's no accident.
All this in response to decades old efforts by the troops, to drop the green "Class A" uniform (green jacket and pants, with light brown shirt and tie) and go to something, anything, more impressive.. The new Class A uniform is simply the existing dress uniform. This uniform, unlike the green Class A's, that were introduced in 1954, is based on the 19th century dress uniform. Most enlisted troops do not have the dress blue uniform, because they have to buy it themselves, and that is optional for most troops. But over the next six years, the old Class A will be phased out completely.
All this is the result of longstanding "uniform envy" soldiers have had for marines. The USMC has always sported the most impressive dress uniform, and young enlisted marines were glad to spend at least $300 to buy themselves one. The marine "Class A" uniform is also green, but a darker green, and the jacket is worn with a belt. This looks much snappier, and many soldiers have suggested something like this for a new army Class A uniform. But many career army types have been campaigning for a spiffier Class A uniform, and something in blue, preferably with a belted jacket. But instead of a new uniform design, the army simply made the current dress blues the new Class As. The dress blues have been around for a long time, and have a good reputation. That doesn't mean that a belt cannot be added down the road. The important thing right now is to dump those hideous green Class As, which have embarrassed several generations of soldiers.
The Class A uniform is not actually worn that much, with most troops wearing BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform, with the camouflage pattern) or the Class A uniform without the jacket, when at work. The BDUs come in several different shades, none of them featuring much green. So after a century, the green is gone. The army is also eliminating the all white tropical dress uniform, which was rarely used.
This despite when the Troops were surveyed, they wanted to return to the 1938 - 1944 WWII styles.
My son (a newly minted JAG lawyer) has this uniform. It looks great. At his graduation ceremony from the Army’s law school (they don’t teach military law in civilian law schools, so the Army augments their education) the school commandant (a Col.) and the JAG were notably different in dress greens.
LOL...that’s right you did. It was a very special occasion. You might remember that we participated in the March for Life that very same weekend.
If they were going to keep a green uniform they needed to go back to the old OD green and away from the pea soup polyester one that we had while I was in service, not to mention that sick looking light green shirt.
Oh well, I like the blues. Very comfortable.
Don’t they wear Grey at West Point? I have always liked Grey uniforms.
As you know my family is a group of Proud Bluecoats. Though we do have the occasional jarhead mixed in at family outings. :-}
If I’m not mistaken, BDUs have been phased out in favor of ACUs.
True. I just was making fun of the “conspiracy under every rock” crowd.
The pic does not rep all.
Researching some of my 5th great grandfathers who were in the Rev War, their coats were Blue & Buff
My sympathies to the Army on this. Yet no doubt, the respective eggheads in their infinite wisdom will find a reason to screw the their own services over again in short order.
Leave the damn uniforms alone! They're fine. Stop wasting money and time forcing these stupid changes on the Soldiers Sailors Airmen and Marines!
/rant
Lurk I am your Father
I think that the author of this article has a Marine Corps chip on his shoulder, but that’s his problem, not mine. The Marine Corps has the best uniforms of any of the services because they have changed them the least - there is a lesson here.
As for the Army decision, its been in the works for some time, but has been delayed for various reasons that have not, to the best of my knowledge, been resolved.
In the 21st Century, it does not make much sense to have several versions of a dress uniform. Soldiers wear the Army Combat Uniform day to day, even in the Pentagon, so why have both greens and blues for those rare occasions when you have to wear a dress uniform. The Army has worn the blue uniform since before the Revolution, and the Green uniform since 1955, so Blues seems a logical choice for a single dress uniform.
They Army will “dress down” this uniform for informal use with a grey shirt and some other minor changes. The gold stripe on the trousers is a bit of overkill in today’s world and I predict that this will go away at some point, but most soldiers will be proud to wear their Army Blues and won’t much care what Marines or anyone else has to say about it.
Au contraire — it was all about landing a BIG conrtact fro berets with his “partners” in Red China.
http://townhall.com/columnists/OliverNorth/2001/04/06/chinese_checkmate
AND pork for an Arkansas company...
I had forgotten that. My family has all the services covered. My dad was a Marine. My brother an Air Force officer, Uncle was a Navy officer and my brother-in-law was a squid also.
New Jersey State Trropers?
Take a chill, it’s a song (made famous by the movie “To Hell and Back” (Bio-pic about Audie Murphy)).
WASHINGTON (Army News Service) -- Army service uniforms will be streamlined to one blue Army Service Uniform, the Army announced today.
“World-class Soldiers deserve a simplified, quality uniform. The blue Army Service Uniform is a traditional uniform that isconsistent with the Army’s most honored traditions,” said Sgt. Maj. Of the Army Kenneth O. Preston.
“We have all of these variations of uniforms – green, blue and white,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker. “It makes sense for us to go to one traditional uniform that is really sharp and high quality and which Soldiers will be very proud to wear. And that’s what we’ve done by adopting this blue Army Service Uniform that reflects simplicity, quality, utility and tradition.”
Many Soldiers already own an Army blue uniform (now to be called the Army Service Uniform) and may continue to wear it. Improvements will be made to the fabric and fit. Reduction of the number of uniforms will reduce the burden on Soldiers for purchases and alteration cost.
Introduction in the Army Military Clothing Sales Stores should begin in fourth quarter of fiscal year 2007. Introduction in the Clothing Bag should begin first quarter 2009. The Mandatory Possession Date is expected to be fourth quarter fiscal year 2011. A wear-out date for the Army Green Class A and White dress uniforms will be determined at a later date.
The consolidation of Army service uniforms is part of a streamlining process. In 2004, the Army reduced the number of battle dress uniforms from three to one when it adopted the Army Combat Uniform in place of the Woodland Green Battle Dress Uniform (winter and summer versions) and the Desert Combat Uniform. That uniform consolidation has been a resounding success in terms of Soldier acceptance and reducing the variety of combat uniforms with which they must deal.
Army Blue as a uniform color traces its origins back to the National Blue and was first worn by Soldiers in the Continental Army of 1779.
As it stands, I still have to get new pants for the “new” uniform for day to day wear. They finally ditched the “high-rise” pants.
I disagree about the gold stripe going away. That is too traditional to remove. The uniform memorializes the uniform worn by soldiers during the Civil War. It is more likely they would go back to having a different color strip for each branch in the Army (Red=artillery..that is where redleg comes from; light blue=infantry etc.)
Right you are . I was married in my dress blues in 1968 and been with me every since . The uniform not the wife .
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