New (?) Uniform Items

[JohnKachenmeister]

A friend of mine just came back from National HQ CAP, and in chatting it up with some HQ people, he got a look at some proposed uniform changes going to the NB.

WARNING:  Some of you may not like them.

Change 1:  The "White and Grays" and "White and Blues" will BOTH go away within 24 months after the new regulation takes effect.

Change 1a:  The ONLY corporate uniforms will be the Blazer Combo and a revitalized Guyaberra Shirt (The uniform formerly known by the perjorative "Mexican Wedding Shirt.")  A white shirt worn outside the gray pants with a blazer-type nametag.  The new Guyaberra shirt will be worn with gray epaulet slides.

Change 2:  The BDU and the Blue BDU will go away, but we will have 30 months wear-out time for these.

Change 2a:  The old light-blue "Smurf Suit" coverall will be the only field uniform for all CAP personnel

[DKruse]

I'm sure there could be a 2b joke inserted here somewhere...

[Eclipse]

Nice try.

[wuzafuzz]

Looks like a 2012 doomsday prophecy!   

[BradM]

Doesnt make any sense to me.

[FW]

Hey, the winter board meeting is NOT held on April 1....

Ahhh, I love CapTalk!

[SABRE17]

if they get rid of BDU's what will cadets wear, blues all the time? how will cadets participate in SAR?

if this goes through ill gladly let my membership go the way of the bdu's

[BradM]

if they get rid of BDU's what will cadets wear, blues all the time? how will cadets participate in SAR?

if this goes through ill gladly let my membership go the way of the bdu's

I suspect its a joke. But if not, they are all unwise decisions!

[manfredvonrichthofen]

This is a load, everyone knows Kach has a bad sense of humor  .

Well if this happens then NHQ will see numbers drop like a hippo carrying a boulder trying to fly. Then everything will go back to the way it was.

If the BDU is going away it is because the ABU is coming in and either no one told Kach or he is just omitting that part to rile people up. We have all seen NHQ make bad decisions before, but nothing this bad, and when they do they usually correct them rather quickly.

[PhoenixRisen]

if they get rid of BDU's what will cadets wear, blues all the time? how will cadets participate in SAR?

Whether it's a joke or not, try reading the next line down from where you stopped:

Change 2:  The BDU and the Blue BDU will go away, but we will have 30 months wear-out time for these.

Change 2a:  The old light-blue "Smurf Suit" coverall will be the only field uniform for all CAP personnel

Emphasis mine.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

Ned where are you?

I know this really isn't your field, but your higher up and know better.

Ned where are you?

[SABRE17]

Whether it's a joke or not, try reading the next line down from where you stopped:

Quote

    Change 2:  The BDU and the Blue BDU will go away, but we will have 30 months wear-out time for these.

    Change 2a:  The old light-blue "Smurf Suit" coverall will be the only field uniform for all CAP personnel



Emphasis mine.

so every cadet will need to go to their parents and say "mom/dad etc, i have to buy a flight suit if i want to do SAR in cap".

The costs would be astronomic. our membership numbers would plunge and CAP would sink into oblivion.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

A friend of mine just came back from National HQ CAP, and in chatting it up with some HQ people, he got a look at some proposed uniform changes going to the NB.

Emphasis mine.

The key word there is proposed anyways. Do you really think enough NB members would be ok with all of this? So, think about it for a second.

[SABRE17]

I honestly wouldn't put it past them. I didn't think they would ever kill the hock shop either.

[SarDragon]

Slow down there, hoss.

The "smurf suit" is NOT a flight suit, with its attendant costs. The current blue utility uniform only costs $44, which is cheaper than a set of BDUs.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I honestly wouldn't put it past them. I didn't think they would ever kill the hock shop either.

I could almost agree with the whole hock shop ordeal. I can understand a cost issue and having CAP uniforms going through one company. What I don't understand is why they went with a 90th rate company like VG. VG is lucky at best when they get orders right. Heck they are under a contract to carry EVERYTHING CAP has, and they can't even do that. They say they can't find anyone to make a certain something and I find it within twenty minutes of searching on Google.

But I don't think anyone would really go for this. Besides, it says that everything is changing except for the USAF style service dress, why would that be the only one we keep when SUPPOSEDLY (I put strong emphasis on that) that is the uniform that is causing issues with USAF and civilians? I don't believe any of this other than BDU going away. The only reason I believe BDU going away is because of ABU coming in.

[BradM]

Slow down there, hoss.

The "smurf suit" is NOT a flight suit, with its attendant costs. The current blue utility uniform only costs $44, which is cheaper than a set of BDUs.

If I was a cadet. There would be no pride in wearing the utility coveralls compared to the BDUs or ABUs with rank insignia and patches on them. Especially if you are hoping that some of the cadets will join the active duty military when they are 18.

[SarDragon]

You know what? You wear what you have to wear.

WIWAC, we were involved in a major uniform change or two, which seemed expensive at the time, and took away a couple of uniforms that we thought were kool. But we did the "salute and execute" trick, and moved on. It didn't make us any less able to be members or be proud of our participation.

WIWOAD in the Navy, we were involved in uniform changes, into what became very unpopular uniforms, and it didn't make us any less as sailors. I could still do my job.

If this actually happens, which I seriously doubt, suck it up, and get on with business.

[BradM]

Change 1:  The "White and Grays" and "White and Blues" will BOTH go away within 24 months after the new regulation takes effect.

Change 1a:  The ONLY corporate uniforms will be the Blazer Combo and a revitalized Guyaberra Shirt (The uniform formerly known by the perjorative "Mexican Wedding Shirt.")  A white shirt worn outside the gray pants with a blazer-type nametag.  The new Guyaberra shirt will be worn with gray epaulet slides.

So if the white aviator shirt/gray slacks combo disappears, all thats left for fuzzie faces (beards and goatees) is the polo shirt and gray slacks combo. Correct? Then no uniform for us to wear our ribbons on. 

The white aviator shirt/AF blues pants combo has already been decided to phase out. Correct?

Guyaberra Shirt combo is lame.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

You know what? You wear what you have to wear.

WIWAC, we were involved in a major uniform change or two, which seemed expensive at the time, and took away a couple of uniforms that we thought were kool. But we did the "salute and execute" trick, and moved on. It didn't make us any less able to be members or be proud of our participation.

WIWOAD in the Navy, we were involved in uniform changes, into what became very unpopular uniforms, and it didn't make us any less as sailors. I could still do my job.

If this actually happens, which I seriously doubt, suck it up, and get on with business.

Here is the thing that, surprisingly, many don't understand. If this were to happen there would be no getting on with business. Civil Air Patrol as it is will be gone, no more, dead, deceased, gone to meet it's maker and join the choir invisible. There would be no association with USAF as we have now. SAR callups will slow way down.

Then there is the issue  that I have with it. I will leave CAP if this happens, not because I want to wear the uniform, I could wear Army Dress Blues with full swinging medals every day if I want to, the problem is that there is history and heritage between CAP/USAF. Any grip that we have to that history and tradition would leave along with the association with USAF that everyone sees while we are in the uniform. I believe the BOG will see this too and decide against these changes.