Woodland BDU's reclassified as "CAP-distinctive?"

[flyguy06]

Weearing BDU's has nothing to do withthe ES mission of CAP. Again, peole want to tie everything we do back to ES. We wear the BDU's because it used to be the USAF utility uniform. And we are an aux of the USAF. It has nothing to do with going to the woods on a SAR mission.

[cap235629]

The BDU uniform is a utility/field uniform. It should serve NO OTHER purpose. When was the last time you saw someone wearing service dress on a SAR mission?  BDU's are not even ISSUED to cadets by national, they are either locally procured through DRMO or purchased locally.  Everyone getting together in their "cool" looking BDU's for a weekly squadron meeting is silly. What purpose does it serve? Why is an indoor environment with climate controls an area that precludes wearing service dress? Get serious, the BDU's serve a purpose, but they do not have to be worn at a squadron meeting.

[davidsinn]

Everyone getting together in their "cool" looking BDU's for a weekly squadron meeting is silly. What purpose does it serve?

Excuse me but it gets my cadets into a uniform in their first three weeks and allows them to start promoting vs having to wait God alone knows how long to get their free blues. They are also cheaper to kit out.

I come from an area that is one of the hardest hit by the recession that's not in the state of Michigan and most of my cadets can't afford all of the stuff that goes on a blues uniform. Heck the shoes alone cost more than the insignia and boots for BDUs.

[cap235629]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

[davidsinn]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

So we match the cadets?

[cap235629]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

So we match the cadets?

Why is this important when half of your seniors cannot? Here we go again, some pigs are more equal than others

[RiverAux]

The BDU uniform is a utility/field uniform. It should serve NO OTHER purpose. When was the last time you saw someone wearing service dress on a SAR mission?  BDU's are not even ISSUED to cadets by national, they are either locally procured through DRMO or purchased locally.  Everyone getting together in their "cool" looking BDU's for a weekly squadron meeting is silly. What purpose does it serve? Why is an indoor environment with climate controls an area that precludes wearing service dress? Get serious, the BDU's serve a purpose, but they do not have to be worn at a squadron meeting.

Hmm, your cadets are out drilling in blues at every meeting?  Pretty hard in winter....

[davidsinn]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

So we match the cadets?

Why is this important when half of your seniors cannot? Here we go again, some pigs are more equal than others

Invalid argument with me. I wear BBDUs for facial hair and because I flirt with the weight line. We wear utilies because it's the most practical uniform for most of the time. That said we are starting blues on testing night because we have better than 75% equipped with them now.

[SarDragon]

The BDU uniform is a utility/field uniform. It should serve NO OTHER purpose. When was the last time you saw someone wearing service dress on a SAR mission?  BDU's are not even ISSUED to cadets by national, they are either locally procured through DRMO or purchased locally.  Everyone getting together in their "cool" looking BDU's for a weekly squadron meeting is silly. What purpose does it serve? Why is an indoor environment with climate controls an area that precludes wearing service dress? Get serious, the BDU's serve a purpose, but they do not have to be worn at a squadron meeting.

Ease of care comes immediately to mind.

IIRC, the trousers are DCO, and the shirt needs a quick hit with an iron when it comes out of the dryer. I can do straight wash and wear with my BDUs (either flavor).

Another consideration is that we have active teens involved here, and the BDUs provide greater freedom of activity during weekly meetings.

YMMV.

[lordmonar]

The BDU uniform is a utility/field uniform. It should serve NO OTHER purpose. When was the last time you saw someone wearing service dress on a SAR mission?  BDU's are not even ISSUED to cadets by national, they are either locally procured through DRMO or purchased locally.  Everyone getting together in their "cool" looking BDU's for a weekly squadron meeting is silly. What purpose does it serve? Why is an indoor environment with climate controls an area that precludes wearing service dress? Get serious, the BDU's serve a purpose, but they do not have to be worn at a squadron meeting.

At my squadron...we wear blues on the first week, BDUs on the ES week, gym cloths on PT night, and blues on the 4th week.  On months with 5 weeks....we wear what is appropriate for the night...blues, bdus or civies.

There is no excuse for not having all of your cadets in blues....they are free....but likewise....if all of your cadets have BDUs I see no problem with that being the normal UOD.

[cap235629]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

Apparently everyone keeps missing this part of the conversation!!!!

[davidsinn]

^^^ I was referring to senior members^^^

Apparently everyone keeps missing this part of the conversation!!!!

No I didn't. We wear BDUs to match the cadets. End of story.

[RiverAux]

No, we wear BDUs because we have always worn the AF/Army fatigue uniform since before we had a cadet program. 

[davidsinn]

No, we wear BDUs because we have always worn the AF/Army fatigue uniform since before we had a cadet program.

That's true too. He was wondering why our officer's wear utilities right now when most of our work is office where blues should be sufficient.

[RogueLeader]

<snip>
There is no excuse for not having all of your cadets in blues....they are free....<snip>

They are only free when USAF has the money available to provide them to cadets, and I've had some wait for several montha before they arrived.  Our unit can easily outfit most new cadets with bdus when they show up on the roster.  If they plan ahead, cadets can be in a proper CAP uniform within 2 weeks of being a member.  good luck with blues doing that.

[jimmydeanno]

They are only free when USAF has the money available to provide them to cadets, and I've had some wait for several montha before they arrived. 

The program isn't funded by the USAF.  The FCUP is an approved use of our appropriated funds.  So CAP allocates the amount to use for the program each year and the money comes out of the appropriated fund checkbook rather than the corporate fund checkbook.

[RogueLeader]

They are only free when USAF has the money available to provide them to cadets, and I've had some wait for several montha before they arrived. 

The program isn't funded by the USAF.  The FCUP is an approved use of our appropriated funds.  So CAP allocates the amount to use for the program each year and the money comes out of the appropriated fund checkbook rather than the corporate fund checkbook.

OK. I was wrong, but it still comes down to funding, and how long it takes to get uniforms to the cadets.

[jimmydeanno]

...it still comes down to funding, and how long it takes to get uniforms to the cadets.

My understanding is that we don't use nearly all the funds allocated for the program that we designate.  Also, IIRC, each year we "give back" about 1 million in appropriated funds that went unused.  So, I suppose technically it could be designated to increase the funding for 0-flights, FCUP, etc - but we realize that we have the extra too close to the end of the FY to make use of it...

I think the delays are actually a result of processing priorities/communication methods. 

There was some talk about NHQ keeping a small supply (about 50K) worth of uniforms on hand so they could send the cadet a "new cadet kit" that included books, nameplate, cutouts, flight cap insignia, and uniform...but then you have to either hire someone to handle the logistical realities of it or make it an "additional duty" which still costs money...

[sparks]

Great idea if true, NHQ keeping a reserve of uniforms to send to cadets as they sign up. Oops, maybe that's what the abolished bookstore had been doing.

It will be tough to stock all those sizes cadets come in but I would support and applaud the effort. It would be a good solution to turning back uniform money if the accounts can flow that way. Different account categories could have limits preventing something like that.

Some squadrons I have been in have funded uniforms for cadet hardship cases. I suspect there are many more of those in todays economy.

[Angus]

It's going to be a long time till we ever see the ABU.  I was at my Wing Staff Meeting earlier this month and our Wing Commander said that from the NEC meeting we know that there are enough BDU's to go around and MA Blue won't even think of us in ABU's for awhile.  It should also be noted that other Miltiaries around the world do use the Basic Woodland Cammo that we are currently using.  So the only thing that could change in the near future is that the quality we've been able to get before may go down.