Previous Post About USAF Uniforms

[xyzzy]

Eliminate USAF uniform for seniors and you eliminate the problem.

I think it is useful for the utility uniform to be the same for cadets and seniors. For example, I attended a crowded air show, and my assignment was to be in the rear as the group moved through the crowd, to make sure no cadets got separated. That was a challenge, because people walked through our line, and we had to maneuver to get reconnected. I noticed some people saw, because I was wearing an ABU uniform, that I belonged to the same group as the cadets, and didn't get in front of me. This made passage a bit easier.

I believe there are many other situations where it is useful for the public to instantly perceive that an adult belongs to the same group as cadets.

[Spam]

Some people here have proposed a baseball hat for the Aviator shirt.

Baseball hat? ? ? ? ! ! ! !     

A baseball hat is a play hat, a non-professional design! And it looks atrocious with a coat. 

On the other hand, I would not be opposed to a kepi for the Aviator shirt. A kepi is military looking. It is used by French soldiers with their service coats.

On the other hand, the French Legionnaire equivalent to the AF Blues is: Khaki pants, White shirt, green tie, and White kepi. Don't know if they have a grey coat. Ours could still be black...

But doubt the kepi will be accepted. Too foreign to be accepted by many here...

I doubt that the Tier I operators out there would be impressed by your argument, Luis. One such guy I worked with recently jokingly told me that he had a diverse collection of nine ball caps, all near identical shades of gray/tan, all impregnated with dust from craphole countries. Certainly he impressed me as a professional military man.




"In time of war it suits the enemy to aim his guns at adorned shields, ornaments, silver and gold cloaks, silk shirts and all similar things. Whether one possesses a jacket or not, it is best to wear a narrow-sleeved shirt with faded colours".
— Haile Selassie, former Emperor of Ethiopia

"In a conflict between two armies with uniforms, all other things being equal, the guys with the more elaborate uniforms will lose."
Sukhomlinov Effect

Kepis, forsooth... next you'll be wanting us to all wear East German Feldgrau (oh, wait a minute, he's not on Captalk any more, is he)?


Cheers
Spam

[Luis R. Ramos]

I doubt that the Tier I operators out there would be impressed by your argument, Luis. One such guy I worked with recently jokingly told me that he had a diverse collection of nine ball caps, all near identical shades of gray/tan, all impregnated with dust from craphole countries. Certainly he impressed me as a professional military man.

This is just my point. Baseball hats are not equivalent to a Blues or corporate uniform. It is a headgear for play, such as baseball players. It is headgear for the field, for duty when you do not want to wear a steel helmet. It is worn not as a Blues, Dress, or Mess uniform. Professional it is, just not for when the corporates Aviator is worn!

The kepi... When have you seen a kepi tarnished? It always look distinguished. It would look great with an Aviator. That is why the Legionnaires wear it when we wear our Blues and equivalent.

The only problem I see with wearing a Kepi is that. Someone may say we look like French soldiers.

Thanks for helping me demonstrate my point, Spam. Which is that ball caps do not go with the Aviator shirt.

[Luis R. Ramos]

"In time of war it suits the enemy to aim his guns at adorned shields, ornaments, silver and gold cloaks, silk shirts and all similar things. Whether one possesses a jacket or not, it is best to wear a narrow-sleeved shirt with faded colours".
— Haile Selassie, former Emperor of Ethiopia

"In a conflict between two armies with uniforms, all other things being equal, the guys with the more elaborate uniforms will lose."
Sukhomlinov Effect

Spam, why are you turning this thread that started with uniforms worn when the Aviator shirt is worn-reread the OP mentions the Blues-and others mention the blazer. When do you wear a blazer to a situation where "someone is going to shoot guns at you."

Try wearing a ball cap to a national convention, a national conference.

Has your friend stated those ball caps were worn as part of a Presidential Guard Detail when their Presidents were receiving heads of state? Or impressing their subjects?

[Spam]

The kepi... When have you seen a kepi tarnished? It always look distinguished.

I have indeed seen ball caps worn with corporates at conferences. By members who need a hat, some of them for medical reasons (melanomas/sun exposure risk). They look fine, except to folks who persist in this uniform fetish.


Kepis were a field cap. Just like the ball cap. I think they look stupid, but hey, wear one if you wish. The US hasn't worn a kepi since the turn of the 20th century, fighting the Indians. Even then, the kepi was a FIELD CAP, meant to be a shorter version of a big ol' Shako. So, if you're proposing that we mandate an outmoded field hat, but not allow a reasonably priced available and current field hat, like, a baseball hat logically this doesn't make sense to me, other than you like the look for some reason.

Wearing odd ball, rare (expensive to procure) hats would make us look like some sort of insane reenactor group.
Yeah, you might as well wear a Fez, or the old Knights of Columbus peaked hat.


At least the KofC are updating their uniform, but they've chosen a beret, which if still useless as sun cover is at least cheap and available:
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/05/29/knights-columbus-are-getting-new-uniform-after-79-years



V/r
Spam the bulbous, and the barbate

[PHall]

Try wearing a ball cap to a national convention, a national conference.

Saw it last year in Anaheim. Seems to have caused zero problems or issues.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Kepis were a field cap. Just like the ball cap. I think they look stupid, but hey, wear one if you wish. The US hasn't worn a kepi since the turn of the 20th century, fighting the Indians. Even then, the kepi was a FIELD CAP, meant to be a shorter version of a big ol' Shako.

Yes, they were. Worn in the Civil War by many units. Worn by the French soldier in the desert. And in World War I. The French even made covers so they looked subdued in war. The key here is "were." It has grown.

You think they look stupid, and I think that wearing baseball caps with Aviator shirts look stupid. So I guess in this we agree to disagree. I think that Kepis look smarter with the Aviator shirts and the blazer than the ball caps.

As to the Kepi being "an outmoded field hat" vs the current field hat, the British used a version of what we call "a service cap" and "wheel cover" as a field hat during World War I. In our organization there are some that still swear by that hat. So why those members want to wear an outmoded field hat? Why does the military hangs on to an "outmoded field hat?"

[NIN]

OK, guys, that will about do it.

You can keep the kepi blanc, et al.