Sunglasses???

[ElectricPenguin]

I was at Wings Over Houston, and I was wearing my sunglasses because the sun just came out. I was asked by a senior member to take them off because they had the Oakley brand 'O' on the sides... These are prescription, so basically i need them for medical reasons... What do I do??? I see many others wear sunglasses and I wasn't even in formation. I have worn them at many other CAP events and this was the only time i was asked about them. My glasses that I wear to meetings also have a Oakley 'O' on them. (The 'O' isn't very big at all)

[vento]

That's a first...
Usually Oakley is not the issue, mirrored sunglasses are a big no no.

[ElectricPenguin]

They weren't. She said it was the 'O'.

[ElectricPenguin]

Not that my glasses where even mirrored.

[Spaceman3750]

a. Appearance of Men in Uniform. Articles such as wallets, pencils, pens, watch chains, fobs,
pins, jewelry, handkerchiefs, combs, cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and sunglass cases will not be exposed on the
uniform. The wear of wristwatches and rings is permitted. The wear of identification bracelets is likewise
permitted provided they present a neat and conservative appearance. Conservative sunglasses may be worn,
except in military formation. Ribbons, when worn, will be clean and not frayed. Wear of earrings,
ornamentation on eyeglass lenses, or visible ornaments around the neck are prohibited while in uniform.

Emphasis mine.

I do not see a prohibition of logos there, but if you disputed it he could say that she doesn't consider the Oakley O to be conservative. I have regular Oakley glasses which used to have the O until both fell off (they're around 6 years old now) and I do not consider the O's to be non-conservative or in violation of this reg.

[ElectricPenguin]

Thanks, i will need to talk to her about this.

[tsrup]

well it depends?

Was the "O" logo subdued, or was it bright pink?

just the fact that the "O" was there is silly.  Oakley has been the brand of choice for the Military for quite some time now and they seem to be getting on just fine.

[Major Lord]

Electric penguin,

Challenging Senior Members on their view of the regulations is often a non-productive exercise.( Hey, just read some of the posts on this board and you will see what I mean) Especially if you are a Cadet. I strongly suggest you do not do it directly, but go through either your normal chain of (Senior) command, or through a Chaplain ( We don't have many cadets with drugs, pregnancy, or dropping school issues, so Chaplains get lonely with no drama....) Deal with Senior Members who are not in your direct chain of command like strange dogs and you won't get bit! If the SM claims god-like knowledge of the 39-1 and all of its visible and invisible aspects, your commander can ask them to share their valuable experience and knowledge when it comes time to teach a uniform class!

If your sun glasses look too Liberace-like ( Google it if you are not old enough to know who Liberace was) Don't wear them with your uniform.

Major Lord

[Persona non grata]

sounds like a safety issue.........I can read it now, CADET WAS TOLD BY SENIOR MEMBER TO REMOVE GLASSES. CADET WAS THEN WAS VISUALY IMPAIRED AND WALKED INTO AIRPLANE.  

[♠SARKID♠]

He's probably running off of the military's practice.  I don't know the specifics, but basically prominent commercial logos are prohibited.  The Oakley "O"s aren't prominent enough for the military to care and many servicemen wear them freely.

That said, just because the military does it one way doesn't mean we do.  There is no CAP regulation barring us from having commercial logos on authorized accouterments.  Your senior member has his regs mixed up and is in the wrong.  Bring it up gently in your chain of command, request a quotation of regulation.  Its a lot easier for a person to look up a reg realize that it doesn't exist than for you to tell them they're wrong.

[Eclipse]

Show us what you were wearing.

"medical reasons" is generally what cadets use when they want to try and break a reg they knew about before leaving the house in the morning.

There are Oakleys...





and there are Oakleys...




As mentioned, there is no specific prohibition regarding commercial logos on the glasses, but the definition of what is allowed is pretty
subjective, and as was also mentioned, mirrored lenses are generally frowned upon if not outright prohibited, especially for aircrew.

My suggestion to everyone would be to pickup the standard-issue AO's that every pilot in the USAF wears.

[ElectricPenguin]

Electric penguin,

Challenging Senior Members on their view of the regulations is often a non-productive exercise.( Hey, just read some of the posts on this board and you will see what I mean) Especially if you are a Cadet. I strongly suggest you do not do it directly, but go through either your normal chain of (Senior) command, or through a Chaplain ( We don't have many cadets with drugs, pregnancy, or dropping school issues, so Chaplains get lonely with no drama....) Deal with Senior Members who are not in your direct chain of command like strange dogs and you won't get bit! If the SM claims god-like knowledge of the 39-1 and all of its visible and invisible aspects, your commander can ask them to share their valuable experience and knowledge when it comes time to teach a uniform class!

If your sun glasses look too Liberace-like ( Google it if you are not old enough to know who Liberace was) Don't wear them with your uniform.

Major Lord

I wasn't going to 'challenge' her...

[ElectricPenguin]

Show us what you were wearing.

"medical reasons" is generally what cadets use when they want to try and break a reg they knew about before leaving the house in the morning.

There are Oakleys...





and there are Oakleys...




As mentioned, there is no specific prohibition regarding commercial logos on the glasses, but the definition of what is allowed is pretty
subjective, and as was also mentioned, mirrored lenses are generally frowned upon if not outright prohibited, especially for aircrew.

My suggestion to everyone would be to pickup the standard-issue AO's that every pilot in the USAF wears.

Mine look like this:

http://www.oakley.com/products/4667/18099

Exept mine are all black other then the silver O.

[HGjunkie]

I have the exact same pair, but with different style lenses. I wore them on a bivouac and no one cared.
Really, the SM in question has no idea what they're talking about. Those glasses are plenty conservative.

Also, are the glasses themselves prescription or the lenses?

[tsrup]

Anyone else looking for sunglasses options go here:
https://secure.usstandardissue.com/

The models found there are generally more conservative than their commercial stuff (the "O" is also subdued) and are found a LOT cheaper then at a commercial vendor.

No need for thread derailment as it's been discussed here before, but I just thought I'd throw it out there.

[Eclipse]

I would not call those "conservative", but would not require you to remove them in BDU's - I would not allow those to be worn with
blues, though.



If her sole issue was the logo, that is silly.  Professional low-key challenge is fine, knowing full well you will lose the "because I said so part"
if you can't make a good regulatory argument.

[tsrup]

I would not call those "conservative", but would not require you to remove them in BDU's - I would not allow those to be worn with
blues, though.

This is a valid point, while some things are appropriate for BDU's,
Others just look silly with blues.

Use your best judgement.

[Senior]

I would have never known that was an "O" on the side until you pointed it out.
I think the Senior was lame, absurd really.
I wouldn't care if the cadet wore them in blues as long as they weren't
red or neon green, etc.

[EMT-83]

Also, are the glasses themselves prescription or the lenses?

Have you ever seen prescription frames?

[DakRadz]

Also, are the glasses themselves prescription or the lenses?

Have you ever seen prescription frames?

Well, there is a difference between having a doctor say "this is an option for your glasses" and "Hey, let's see if I can get my prescription lenses put in these hard-kewl frames!"

My frames are "prescription"- came with the lenses, specifically measured for my head, and I would never wear them as sunglasses- also are the basic type that come free with government insurance. Of course, they aren't at ALL hard-kewl. More like BCGs.

EDIT: putting the parentheses on prescription; seemed a little to literal before.