V neck T-shirts

[Rob Sherlin]

 Does anyone know why CAP chose to go with the "V-neck" T-shirt when wearing the short sleeve blues shirt with no tie. In AFROTC, we always wore the regular "crew neck" T's when wearing the short sleeves/no tie. It seems like all other uniforms I see (both military and civillian) don't use the "V-neck" either. It just looks very odd to me (especially if a person has a lot of chest hair), and I think the "crew neck" would look better.

[Eclipse]

Does anyone know why CAP chose to go with the "V-neck" T-shirt when wearing the short sleeve blues shirt with no tie. In AFROTC, we always wore the regular "crew neck" T's when wearing the short sleeves/no tie. It seems like all other uniforms I see (both military and civillian) don't use the "V-neck" either. It just looks very odd to me (especially if a person has a lot of chest hair), and I think the "crew neck" would look better.

The Air Force has worn the V-Neck with short sleeve service dress since the McPeak era, and still do - we just aligned with them.

The urban legend is that General McPeak's wife did not think it was "manly to cover up your chest hair", though if you Google "mcpeak and chest hair", you'll see disagreement as to whether it was really his wife or just downstream airmen having a poke at him.

In October 1990, Gen. Merrill McPeak took over as chief of staff. A hard-charging fighter pilot, McPeak wanted the Air Force to become the dominant military service branch.

In pursuit of that vision, McPeak wanted the Air Force organized around, and run by, fighter pilots like him. For those who flew bombers and cargo aircraft, this was a bitter pill to swallow.

McPeak thought changes in appearance were needed, so he ordered a redesign of the blue dress uniform. Among the most significant changes, epaulets were removed and rank insignia was put on the sleeve.

If McPeak's goal was to be distinctive, he scored. The result was a cross between what a bus driver and an airline pilot would wear. One officer privately complained he looked like Ralph Kramden.

Perhaps McPeak's most controversial move, however, was to ban the wearing of crew neck T-shirts under the open-necked, light-blue uniform blouse. McPeak thought the combination was unkempt. V- neck tees were acceptable.

For rank-and-file airmen, however, this was more of McPeak's machismo run amok.

A series of underground "brown papers" began circulating inside the Pentagon poking fun at the general. In them, his reforms were mocked as "The Emergence of the Manly Man."

"What this type of undershirt hides is the amount of chest hair of the USAF member," one paper says of the crew-neck decision. "The implication, of course, is that the more chest hair, the better."

McPeak retired in November 1994. His replacement, Gen. Ronald Fogleman, wasted little time in reversing many fashion decisions.

[Airrace]

I think it's just a myth!

[MSgt Van]

Perhaps something to do with mandating that white tshirts couldn't be visible when worn with the various subdued fatigues/bdus of the time. There for awhile we wore green fatigues with subdued tapes, no white of the t-shirt could be visible. Ain't saying it's a good reason, but who knows...

[Hawk200]

Perhaps something to do with mandating that white tshirts couldn't be visible when worn with the various subdued fatigues/bdus of the time. There for awhile we wore green fatigues with subdued tapes, no white of the t-shirt could be visible. Ain't saying it's a good reason, but who knows...

I doubt that would be it. At the time McPeak made his changes, the only authorized undershirt for BDU's was the brown one.

There have been different myths on the V-neck. The one I'd heard most often was that a high ranking general's wife (which could have been McPeak's for all I know) ran into an airman wearing a crew neck undershirt with his blues that was all stretched out. She then complained to her husband, and shortly thereafter V-necks became mandatory.

[Strick]

This one is better>>>>> An AF Genral had a uncle who owned a V neck tee shirt factory So the Genral instructed all to wear the V neck and the General got a little kick back money from the increased sales of the v neck.

[Hawk200]

This one is better>>>>> An AF Genral had a uncle who owned a V neck tee shirt factory So the Genral instructed all to wear the V neck and the General got a little kick back money from the increased sales of the v neck.

I wouldn't buy that for any price. How many factories do you think would produce only a V-neck T-shirt? Doesn't even sound remotely plausible, and I would imagine that it was made up by someone not even military, and trying to a push a conspiracy type theory. The website didn't have the initials "N O T F" on it, did it?

[Flying Pig]

They just suck and look sloppy.  The dept I work for REQUIRED V-necks for years.  Our new Sheriff just changed it and made them optional or the crew neck. We are much happier.  Its the little things.

[SilverEagle2]

I wore crew necks as a cadet and would like to see them return. Just a cleaner look IMHO.

[majdomke]

Back in the mid-late 80's, the USAF wore OD green crew neck t-shirts under our fatigues and later BDU's. Also, as a suggestion... buy your v-neck t-shirts one size smaller than normal. This helps keep them from puckering up in the front and looking bad.

[Eclipse]

I wore crew necks as a cadet and would like to see them return. Just a cleaner look IMHO.

I personally like the look of a crew neck, but sadly the term "white" tends to be somewhat subjective
in CAP.

[majdomke]

I'm with either side, v-neck or crew neck. To me the real challenge is which to wear with the polo shirts. Wearing a v-neck looks better because a crew neck white shirt under the navy blue sticks out like a sore thumb. A black crew neck however does look pretty good so you can use you bdu undershirt...

[Eclipse]

To me the real challenge is which to wear with the polo shirts.

I wear gray pants. Why would you wear something under a golf shirt?

[Gunner C]

Some do for religious reasons, some for comfort, some do just because it's the way they wear all shirts.  YYMV.

[majdomke]

To me the real challenge is which to wear with the polo shirts.

I wear gray pants. Why would you wear something under a golf shirt?

I guess to keep from ruining the shirt with deoderant/perspiration stains?

[Rob Sherlin]

The post was meant for wear of the short sleeve Blues or White Aviator shirt uniforms without a tie. It doesn't apply to the other uniforms (well, somewhat with BDU). I just think the crew necks look a lot better with the uniforms as long as the collar isn't stretched out. I can buy the idea of that looking sloppy when it's stretched out. But, to me, chest hair sticking out of the top where it's unbuttoned also looks sloppy. I usually buy "crew necks" in bulk at a good price. Now I have to buy "V-necks" just so I can be comfortable without the "blue noose" in hotter weather when I have to wear blues.

[Spike]

In AFROTC, we always wore the regular "crew neck" T's when wearing the short sleeves/no tie. It seems like all other uniforms I see (both military and civillian) don't use the "V-neck" either.

Strange, at my local university, the AFROTC Cadets wear v-neck.  I think all AF wears v-neck??

[Hawk200]

In AFROTC, we always wore the regular "crew neck" T's when wearing the short sleeves/no tie. It seems like all other uniforms I see (both military and civillian) don't use the "V-neck" either.

Strange, at my local university, the AFROTC Cadets wear v-neck.  I think all AF wears v-neck??

They do at present. Rob's post was a "back when" type of post.

[Spike]

^ ah.....I will read more closely next time.

I like crew neck t's better.  But will wear what the "parents" want me to wear. 

[citizensoldier]

^ ah.....I will read more closely next time.

I like crew neck t's better.  But will wear what the "parents" want me to wear.

I hear ya.  Coming from the Army, I prefer crew neck just cause it looks more professional and now I have to spend money.