Marshal Konev
Posted on 06/02/2006 1:51:10 PM PDT by Paladin2b
Based on feedback received during visits with Airmen across the Air Force, the Air Force Uniform Board is reviewing several concepts that Airmen have suggested regarding the appearance of the service dress uniform.
Some of the informal feedback about the current service dress includes Airmen wanting to revamp the service dress to look more military, like the other services. One senior airman said, “the current uniform resembles a cheesy business suit.” A staff sergeant said, “think world’s most dominating air power, not CEO,” and another described it as a “cheap leisure suit.”
Other comments have suggested that the uniform needs to reflect the Air Force’s history more. On an Internet message board an Airman recently wrote, “I want to look good and be proud of my AF heritage.” Another Airman wrote that the dress uniform pales in comparison to any of the other services. "We need something that distinguishes us as proud members of the U.S. military.”
The Air Force began exploring these ideas by producing several prototypes that reflect a combination of ideas that have been gleaned from comments, suggestions and informal surveys conducted over the past several years.
A more formal survey soon will provide additional opportunities for Airmen to provide feedback and comments.
"We’ve been getting informal feedback on our current service dress uniform for several years, and what we consistently have heard from many Airmen is a desire for a more 'military,' and less 'corporate' look and feel, something more reflective of the Air Force’s heritage, and its role as a professional military organization,” said Brig. Gen. Robert Allardice, director of Airman development and sustainment, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel.
“The Uniform Board has come up with some options to explore these concepts and the initial prototypes are direct descendants of our heritage, rooted in Hap Arnold and Billy Mitchell’s Air Force,” General Allardice said.
The survey will provide a more formal opportunity to collect feedback on whether or not Airmen want a new service dress, and if so, what changes, likes, or dislikes they have about the prototypes.
“We believe we need to respond to the force and the constant flow of feedback we receive on the service dress is driving this initiative. We see this as an opportunity to do so, along with a chance to reflect on our rich history, as well as the image we wish to portray in uniform,” said General Allardice. “We want to make sure our uniforms, all combinations, meet our current and future needs.”
This process will use the standard Air Force Uniform Board process and as with the Airman’s Battle Uniform, Airmen are encouraged to take the opportunity to directly contribute to how their new service uniform might look.
The Air Force will present options based on feedback received on possible service dress designs through the uniform board process.
I've always liked the British dress uniform.
Makes me think "Luftwaffe".
Thank you. I was hoping someone would post photos of the uni's.
I see the point.
You're thinking of choker whites. I can say it's a pretty sharp uniform because I never had to wear one. :)
Thought you might enjoy a gander at the newest AF ribbons. ;-)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1642495/posts?page=6#6
Just before I got out, in the summer of 1963, six of us were going on duty at a small air station in southern Italy. There were six different "uniforms." It was in the summer/fall transition period. One guy in 505s, one guy in 1505s, one guy in the blue shirt/trousers,one guy in the summer blues, one guy in standard Air Force issue fatigues and me in alternative Army fatigues with Air Force chevrons. I liked those blue wool shirts/blue trousers the best.
He's always ribbing me about being AF and I always ask him how much time he spent out of country (None, in fact vs. 7+/8 years for me).
My favorite question for him is, "Don't they call you Marines pinheads?"
He says, "You mean JARHEADS don't you?"
I say, "Nope, you see, you can put something in a JAR!"
Thank you for the info.
Yeh I got mistaken for a postman once when I was an ROTC cadet in the '71 - '73 time frame. We wore the standard uniform but with unique metal (cadet officers) or cloth (cadet enlisted) rank insignia, as well as cap device. On a base, you'd get saluted because the cap device made it look like you were an officer, even though we wore the enlisted cap without the silver edging. (Today AFROTC cadets wear the officer style cap, or did the last time I saw one anyway.
We even wore the old 1505 khaki uniforms. The metal rank insignia did not work well with those, since there was no small collar version, and they were rather large and heavy devices. (Now they wear epaulet covers on their shirts, just officers, and have gone to a stripes scheme, similar to the ones of Navy officers).
Still, I don't think I'd like that Billy Mitchel collar much. Although the uniform looks better to my eye than the Hap Arnold "zoot suit" style. (the wide lapels interfere with display of the ribbons for example)
That was my first thought.
A Nazi uniform!
You judge.
General Billy Mitchell
Billy Mitchell style AF uniform prototype.
From a letter at the AF site:
The proposed Air Force Billy Mitchell uniform is actually a very near copy of the U.S. Army M1910 uniform worn at the very birth of military aviation. Not as you sir suppose, the U.S. Marine Corps P1914 uniform was copied from the Army M1910, and this is where your current dress blues are derived from. Sir, please note that the chest pockets are plain, not pleated, and there are no pointed cuffs. Towards the end of the 19th century, there was a strong European influence in military uniform design. The standing collar, red piping, and button cuffs on enlisted Marine uniforms today are in fact left over from this period of European Influence -- themselves copied from the armies of Europe. Although Marine legend holds that the quatrefoil was placed on the hat so officers could be recognized by sailors high in the rigging, scholarly research has shown the quatrefoil is actually only an embellishment added around the latter half of the 19th century -- cap piping of this sort was originally copied from the French. Marine tradition also holds that the standing collar on their dress uniform echoes the leather neck stocks worn by 18th century Marines, this however is also just a legend as standing collars of varying heights and widths on military dress uniforms were in vogue the greater parts of the 18th, 19th, and early part of the 20th centuries -- only having fallen out of general use by the U.S. military in 1926. Finally, the eight-point hat was being considered by the Air Force primarily because it was currently in production, could be easily and cheaply procured, and had a larger bill than the Army patrol cap. The Air Force wanted to test the sun-shielding properties of the bill. Incidentally, the eight-point hat also originally stemmed from European influence. This hat mimics the Polish tshapka -- a traditional military hat of the 18th and 19th centuries.
no thanks,That uniform looks like something from der Fatherland circa 1940!
Did you ever notice that Six-of-Nine's Borg implants seemed to interfere with the ship's artificial gravity?
It was to appease the Navy battleship admirals, and to some extent similar hidebound Army brass, that Mitchell was court martialed. (Kind of, it would be more proper to say that Mitchell's a bit overzealous actions in trying to convince them of the error of their ways led to the court martial) He's an iconic hero in the USAF. Remember they named a bomber after him even before WW-II. The B-25, used by Jimmy Doolittle's Tokyo raiders, who ironically took off from a Navy ship, the Hornet, but escorted by Lexington, which had been originally laid down as a battlecruiser.
Like this?
The Hap Arnold prototype AF uniform.
Figured we need your two cents on this...
Still smoke free!
But starting to count flowers on wall again...
Arn't they pretty?
No actually they didn't. That's not a Sam Browne Belt in the first place, and secondly the Marine uniform shown in your photo is derived from an old Army uniform, from which "Mitchel" prototype is also derived. The "Arnold" prototype actually is cut more like your alpha, but is derived from a WW-II era Army Air Forces uniform. (Air Corps was the term used for the branch, like today's Army Aviation Branch, Infantry or Engineers. It had earlier also been used for the forces, but just before WW-II the HQ Army Air Forces was stood up, led of course by General Hap Arnold. Thus the Arnold uniform prototype.
BTW, this is a Sam Brown Belt
In this instance, worn by General Black Jack Pershing.
You'll also note that the uniform he's wearing is very similar to the AF "Mitchell" prototype shown.
It's supposed to. Since that was the same style of uniform worn by General Billy Mitchell.
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