Squadron Level Uniform Inspection

[SARMedTech]

Just out of curiosity, how many of your squadrons do regular or semi-regular uniform inspections? As I have said, I am not all that active at the moment due to a personal financial "slow down"  (Thanks for the euphemism, "W"). When I brought it up, I was told "if you want it done, you schedule it and you do it."

[DC]

Officers, never seen it done, but our cadets are inspected every meeting.

[SARMedTech]

Officers, never seen it done, but our cadets are inspected every meeting.

And, ironically, Officers are the ones who frequently need "corrective" inspections the most.

[DC]

Officers, never seen it done, but our cadets are inspected every meeting.

And, ironically, Officers are the ones who frequently need "corrective" inspections the most.

Yeah, I've seen officers do some interesting things because they are too lazy, or just don't care enough to wear their uniform right. Black tennis shoes with blues, a 4 sizes to small flight cap crammed onto the head, no undershirt with blues (blah...), necklaces clearly visible in unform, hair way too long, a huge tear in the leg of BDU pants fixed with WHITE thread (could see it from 100 feet away...). Yeah. Most of the officers in my squadron wear the polo shirt uniform, and do a half decent job with that. Often as not when they attempt blues it just doesn't come out well, and with no one telling them their uniform is screwed up they just keep doing it... Seriously, I know two officers that can wear both blues and BDUs correctly in my squadron, one is a former cadet (and the current DCC) and the other is retired Air Force.

[SARMedTech]

Officers, never seen it done, but our cadets are inspected every meeting.

And, ironically, Officers are the ones who frequently need "corrective" inspections the most.

Yeah, I've seen officers do some interesting things because they are too lazy, or just don't care enough to wear their uniform right. Black tennis shoes with blues, a 4 sizes to small flight cap crammed onto the head, no undershirt with blues (blah...), necklaces clearly visible in unform, hair way too long, a huge tear in the leg of BDU pants fixed with WHITE thread (could see it from 100 feet away...). Yeah. Most of the officers in my squadron wear the polo shirt uniform, and do a half decent job with that. Often as not when they attempt blues it just doesn't come out well, and with no one telling them their uniform is screwed up they just keep doing it... Seriously, I know two officers that can wear both blues and BDUs correctly in my squadron, one is a former cadet (and the current DCC) and the other is retired Air Force.

And there really is no reason that it shouldnt be done properly by all SM's. Fact is, it just ain't that hard. If you can read and have a basic understanding of how to interpret regs, or can ask a question if you don't, it ain't that hard.

As for the white thread, black tennis shoes, etc., that would cause my head to explode. There is no, REPEAT NO, excuse for that kind of thing. Why would it even cross an Officer's mind? And don't even get me started on the polo shirt screw ups...that non-sense just increases the flight club mentality.

[FW]

IMHO, this is one of a squadron member's first responsibilities;  to insure proper uniform wear.  I won't even begin to illustrate the crazy things I've seen officers wear and pass it off as a "uniform".  

I agree this is probably due more to laziness than anything else.  This is no excuse.

If you want to wear a CAP uniform, do it right.  Wear it neat and correct.  Don't be afraid to "inspect".  Just make sure you do it in the right way.  Don't embarrass, don't be rude.  Give instruction and be tactful.  For those who refuse to improve, we have "progressive discipline".  And yes, getting them away from "public and cadet view" is always a good idea.  

[jimmydeanno]

Our cadets get inspected every meeting because in our squadron it is the cadets who need it more than the officers.  Our officers don't have any problem getting dressed.  The new cadets however, that's part of their learning process.

It all begins with a good level 1.

[DC]

Our cadets get inspected every meeting because in our squadron it is the cadets who need it more than the officers.  Our officers don't have any problem getting dressed.  The new cadets however, that's part of their learning process.

It all begins with a good level 1.

That program needs serious revamping. I'm sure a good instructor can convey the necessary information, but by itself it doesn't seem to do much...
Several years ago my CC decided to try an open communication thing with uniforms. He said that if a cadet noticed something wrong with a SM's uniform they could approach them, in private, and politely and with proper military courtesy, tell them what was wrong. It lasted about two weeks, he shut it down because there were a few officers that got all kinds of ticked off at having a CADET (a child! what do they know!) tell them that they did not do something correctly. My CC was very clear about how to broach the subject, and the Cadet Staff at the time reinforced that, but some people just can't take being told they're wrong, no matter how gently it's put. So they do what they think is adequate and forget what everyone else thinks.

Another thing I have seen a few too many times, long sleeved blues with no tie. I really don't get it, it looks stupid...

[LittleIronPilot]

For the life of me I cannot figure out how come Officers cannot even get the gray slacks and polo right!

Sure they get the polo correct, but I have seen so many different variations of the "slacks" to make your head spin...and then toss in the shoes, oh lordy! 

[mikeylikey]

Our officers don't have any problem getting dressed.  The new cadets however, that's part of their learning process.

It all begins with a good level 1.

hahahahha....

[SARMedTech]

It just seems like someone in charge of protocol could/should be doing a uniform inspection for seniors at the beginning of each meeting which would include making sure blingage is properly worn, something approximating a gig line is in place, ties with long sleeves, etc.

We often talk about proper uniform wear and the need to be more military, so why dont we inspect and "note" those seniors who are "out of uniform" whether its blings, uniform condition, ties, shoes, etc. And why exactly is it that there is so much confusion with the grey pants? I personally would like to see grey Tru-spec or Propper BDU/cargo pant style but I know there are a lot of objections to that. But why should it be so hard to get everyone in the same grey pants? And the sad thing is, that with all uniform variations, some of the seniors with the most..well...seniority...are the worst in terms of uniform wear.  My father (a retired LEO) stood uniform inspection at the beginning of each tour for 15 years until he became a detective and worked in plain clothes.

[notaNCO forever]

 My squadron tries to do monthly uniform inspections for cadets and are senior members do pretty decent on there uniforms so they don't get inspected. As far as officers go with having bad uniforms if they don't want to were them write it's hard to get them to because they'll just leave C.A.P. or go to another squadron.

[arajca]

The problem with trying to get everyone in the same grey pants is the lack of a well defined standard. "Medium grey slacks" leave a whole lot room for interpretation. You can go to a clothing store and easily find five or six different shades of grey that are all listed as "medium grey". If you look at the history behind the grey slacks, they were (and still are) worn with the blazer uniform, which didn't require as close comformity as the grey aviator shirt uniform does.

Compare that to the corporate blue uniform which specifies AF trousers. Much easier to say if someone isn't in the proper uniform.

[SARMedTech]

My squadron tries to do monthly uniform inspections for cadets and are senior members do pretty decent on there uniforms so they don't get inspected. As far as officers go with having bad uniforms if they don't want to were them write it's hard to get them to because they'll just leave C.A.P. or go to another squadron.

And maybe CAP isnt the proper venue for their volunteer efforts if they cannot follow the simplest regulations...like proper uniform wear. What's going to happen when they are hit with the bigger things. In my experience, someone who can't follow a set of uniform regs has trouble following regs when the rubber meets the road because they either can't interpret things correctly or they simply dont think those regs apply to them since this is a volunteer org.

As for the grey pants, why hasnt someone come up with a standard in all this time. That's why I say I am for cargo type pants made by the same company so you have a better chance of getting the same "medium grey" color uniformly.

[DC]

My squadron tries to do monthly uniform inspections for cadets...

You try to do monthly inspections? I have to ask what is so difficult about it. In my squadron we manage to do an inspection every meeting. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes, and really keeps your cadets on their toes. We even grade our cadets using the Uniform Inspection logs that NHQ cooked up with the Great Start program, and those are considered when we do our selection for our Cadet of the Quarter and Squadron Cadet of the Year.

I don't even know who would inspect our seniors, our CC is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the uniform...

[notaNCO forever]

My squadron tries to do monthly uniform inspections for cadets...

You try to do monthly inspections? I have to ask what is so difficult about it. In my squadron we manage to do an inspection every meeting. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes, and really keeps your cadets on their toes. We even grade our cadets using the Uniform Inspection logs that NHQ cooked up with the Great Start program, and those are considered when we do our selection for our Cadet of the Quarter and Squadron Cadet of the Year.

I don't even know who would inspect our seniors, our CC is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the uniform...

Most of the time we get a monthly uniform inspection done but sometimes a last minute thing comes up and we can't thats Wye I said we try.

Tags - MIKE

[DC]

My squadron tries to do monthly uniform inspections for cadets...

You try to do monthly inspections? I have to ask what is so difficult about it. In my squadron we manage to do an inspection every meeting. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes, and really keeps your cadets on their toes. We even grade our cadets using the Uniform Inspection logs that NHQ cooked up with the Great Start program, and those are considered when we do our selection for our Cadet of the Quarter and Squadron Cadet of the Year.

I don't even know who would inspect our seniors, our CC is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the uniform...

Most of the time we get a monthly uniform inspection done but sometimes a last minute thing comes up and we can't thats Wye I said we try.

We do ours as part of our opening formation every week. If you make it a routine thing, and don't make it a big deal, then you might find it easier to accomplish. Just a suggestion.

Fixed quote - MIKE

[jb512]

Our cadet officers inspect cadets at every meeting.  They are required to fix anything that can be fixed at that point.

I do spot inspections of officers whenever I see something that needs to be addressed.  I don't let anything slip by, so that creates an atmosphere where they show up dressed right.

[Short Field]

[It only takes 10 to 15 minutes

Gosh, that is about 20 - 25% of our formal meeting time!!!   

[DC]

[It only takes 10 to 15 minutes

Gosh, that is about 20 - 25% of our formal meeting time!!!   

Wow... with my squadron the cadets meet for three hours. The seniors that do not associate directly with the cadet program are usually there for an hour to two hours...