Boonie Cover

[MattPHS2002]

I had heard that Mikey and we did wear BDU covers for a while (maybe a year or so) if I have to wear a hat I prefer the baseball hats although orange and woodland camo... it just doesn't look right. However that being said I know for a fact that I would never wear a boonie hat just because I don't care for them.

[sandman]

Here's my pfenning's worth, In the Middle East in some undisclosed location, sunscreen was still important to use even with the boonie hat. What is needed is a wider brimmed hat similar to current MARPAT uniform. Do you think we could wear that one? It does contrast well with BDU

[Al Sayre]

WIWAC, before I knew any better, a bunch of us got hold of Aussie "Digger" hats (the things that look like a Stetson but snap up on the sides).  They work great for sun protection when the brim is down, much wider than the boonie hat and (IMHO) look pretty decent with a uniform, at least better than the floppy boonie.  IIRC the Air Commandos used to wear them also, and that may be where we got the idea from, I just don't remember.

[JohnKachenmeister]

You are right.  The Air Commandos in Vietnam sported them back in the early 1960's.  They were as unauthorized then as they are now, but the Air Force uniform nazis were afraid to confront the Psychotic Killers of the Mekong about their hats.

[lordmonar]

You are right.  The Air Commandos in Vietnam sported them back in the early 1960's.  They were as unauthorized then as they are now, but the Air Force uniform nazis were afraid to confront the Psychotic Killers of the Mekong about their hats.

The funny thing is....there are not uniform nazis in the USAF.  Different units get away with different things and the chain of command polices itself.

Those units that push the envolope usually know how far they can go and no one really cares.

I have been in two units whose "offical" t-shirt was not within AFI directives.  No one cares.  There are also lots of different units that wear special insignia or hats with out authorisation....again no one cares.

Hence...I don't get twisted up about boonie hats.  My feeling is uniformity.  If you go to the field with boonie hats...you had better brought one for everyone on your team you don't get to wear one on my team.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Pat:

You're right about knowing how far to go.

In the Army, we have Cavalry units.  They don't have horses anymore, but the drive tracked vehicles or helicopters.  They are supposed to wear Armor, Infantry, or Aviation branch devices, accordingly.  The Army no longer has a "Cavalry" branch, but...

All of the officers will wear crossed sabres, and Stetson hats.  You could go report them to the colonel in command of the regiment, but he's wearing them, too.

[lordmonar]

When I was with the First Combat Communications Squadron...the instant we hit the field out came the "morale" uniforms.  I got a BDU cap with cat eyes and a combat comm tab on it.  We had these little Harley "1"'s made up and sewed them to our uniforms.  We wore boonie caps (I would always go to supply and grad 6-7 for the guys who forgot or did not have any.
We wore our "rock and roll" t-shirts with lots of lettering on the back!

And like you said...if anyone complained...I just sent them to the chief who was the guy handing them out!

Again that is why if you see some cadet tootling down the road with an orange beret on his head....don't yell at him unless he is in your chain of command.  You got to go find the cadet's boss yell at him and then take it up the chain of command until you can find some one who cares.....and guess what.....no one does or PAWG and CAWG would have been reigned in years ago!

[Hawk200]

The Army no longer has a "Cavalry" branch, but...

There's no Cavalry branch? What does the "1st Cav" do now? 

[RiverAux]

At one time Cavalry was a separate branch in the Army.  It was absorbed into the Armor branch in 1951 according to Wikipedia.  There still is a Cavalry Scout MOS. 

[JohnKachenmeister]

And there are still cavalry units, but there is not supposed to be anybody wearing cavalry brass anymore.  The armor brass is similar, crossed sabres, but with a tank superimposed on the front.  Armor also inherited the branch color of the cavalry, buff yellow.

But cav troopers are die-hards and won't give up their cav brass without a fight.

Garry Owen!

[lordmonar]

The Army no longer has a "Cavalry" branch, but...

There's no Cavalry branch? What does the "1st Cav" do now? 

They are Armor...they just don't want to admit it!

[Chris Jacobs]

We have some armor units here in Oregon that still where their cowboy hats.  My uncle is actually a CAV Scout, but he isn't in one of the units that wears the cowboy hats.  I have heard tankers refer to themselves as armored CAV before too.

[JohnKachenmeister]

There are such things as armored cavalry units.  The Armored Cavalry Regiment serves as the point for the division in the advance, and provides recon.-in-force for the division in defense.  These are different from armor units and mech infantry units, in function if not in equipment.

There are also air cavalry units, whose mission is envelopment in support of the attack, as also recon-in-force for the defense.  Air Cav units are normally a Corps asset, and are kept under the control of the Corps commander, unless detailed forward to division for a specific operation.

There is one cavalry division, the 1st Cavalry, which is an air cav division.

How's THAT for remembering the stuff from Officer Advanced School?!

The armored cav differs from traditional armor units by the mix of forces, as well as the mission.  About 1/3 of the regiment's combat power is in tanks, about 1/3 mounted infantry, and another third made up of 4.2" mortar crews to provide indirect fire support as far forward as platoon.

[Hotel 179]

All of the officers will wear crossed sabres, and Stetson hats. 

Hello All,

I was at Maxwell a couple of months ago....the Stetson Hats with US Air Force on the front were prominantly displayed in the uniform store....started to get me one, but with the beard and long hair it just didn't look right.

Semper vi,

[JohnKachenmeister]

All of the officers will wear crossed sabres, and Stetson hats. 

Hello All,

I was at Maxwell a couple of months ago....the Stetson Hats with US Air Force on the front were prominantly displayed in the uniform store....started to get me one, but with the beard and long hair it just didn't look right.

Semper vi,

Uh... Steve...

You weren't gonna wear that with the CAP uniform, were you?

[bosshawk]

Why not, Kach?  Would fit right in with the boonie covers, the orange ball caps and the berets.

[Chris Jacobs]

Why not, Kach?  Would fit right in with the boonie covers, the orange ball caps and the berets.

Not to mention those old pilots that wear cowboy boots.

[A.Member]

Again that is why if you see some cadet tootling down the road with an orange beret on his head....don't yell at him unless he is in your chain of command.  You got to go find the cadet's boss yell at him and then take it up the chain of command until you can find some one who cares.....and guess what.....no one does or PAWG and CAWG would have been reigned in years ago!

And that's why making fun of them is a better option.  Simply pointing and laughing at them can be effective. 



(Note/Disclaimer:  While it's true that I don't care for the silly blaze orange trucker hats at all, this post was made in jest...don't get too worked up over it.)

[Psicorp]

Again that is why if you see some cadet tootling down the road with an orange beret on his head....don't yell at him unless he is in your chain of command.  You got to go find the cadet's boss yell at him and then take it up the chain of command until you can find some one who cares.....and guess what.....no one does or PAWG and CAWG would have been reigned in years ago!

And that's why making fun of them is a better option.  Simply pointing and laughing at them can be effective. 

Ya know there are safety supply companies who make hard hats shaped like stetsons...I'm sure we could get some of those in orange.   

[Hawk200]

Ya know there are safety supply companies who make hard hats shaped like stetsons...I'm sure we could get some of those in orange.   

Ewwww.....