ABU = Equine Corpse

[Eclipse]

The concept of eveyone changing to the blue BDU leaves out one thing. Cadets can get the regular BDU from surplus sources and free or very low price. The BBDU is fine for Seniors, but often is priced out of range f cadts. (who have to have 2 sets for encampments and other activities)

The idea that cadets get their uniforms "free" or "cheap" is another urban legend that comes up in these conversations. 
Do some?  Yes.  All, or even most?  Not by a long shot.  And now that DRMO is no longer a free-flowing source, the days of getting them
through "a guy I know" are numbered, if not already passed. 

I've had situations where someone stopped a massive pile from hitting the shredder, which resulted in a glut of trashbags and nowhere to store them,
and the counter to it where the unit has never received a single free field uniform, ever.  Further to that, by far the majority of the DRMO / surplus
stuff is from NCOs, and more times then not they can't be used because they have ripped sleeves from removing the stripes.  That or they are so
worn out as to be useless for much beyond space bivouac pants.  I suppose if you have no pants, a pair that is so faded they look gray are better
then nothing, but that's not helping our image, either.

The last time I did that dance, we had probably 15 or 10 trash bags of uniforms, with maybe a 20% usable rate and the rest went to the rag bags.
(Though as I recall USAFAUX2004 and a few other members did get some cool patches).

Most cadets never get near a military base, have no idea what DRMO is, and order their uniform from either VG or some other retail source, just
like every other member.

Depending on the source, the only difference in price between the Blue Field Uniform and the Camo BDU is the color of the material.

Bottom line, our uniform should not be dictated by whether or not a small percentage of members might be able to get them for free.

[NIN]

That speaks to the concept that our parent service, especially at the Air Staff/DAF level, needs to be able to champion our logistics needs WRT uniforms for our cadets/members to the point where our priority level within the DRMO/DLA system is increased to the point where we easily get the same crack at this stuff as JROTC and don't have to rely on the occasional sympathetic supply NCO/DAF Civilian at the local ANGB who "loses" a couple tri-walls of ABUs enroute to the shredder.

(Edit: Apologies for the run-on sentence)

[bflynn]

5 pages for a dead horse...and counting...

Apparently it's not dead yet.

[NIN]

5 pages for a dead horse...and counting...

Apparently it's not dead yet.

The horse is far less dead than you'd think.

[etc]

I don't care what we wear as long as any all all glow belts stay far far away...

[bflynn]

5 pages for a dead horse...and counting...

Apparently it's not dead yet.

The horse is far less dead than you'd think.

After five pages of serious discussion, I don't think it's dead at all.

[Private Investigator]

Dead, not at all.

Passive aggressives, will continue bringing up a subject, in a childish way, until they get their way.   

[Luis R. Ramos]

This thread is like battle horses.

Whenever you read about cavalry charges, you always read about horses where their soldiers were killed. So the horses without riders, some with their entrails hanging out, legs torn, and other hideous injuries continue charging on.

So no, no matter how much you will beat it, how dead it looks, this thread will continue charging on.

Until a moderator kills it with a pistol shot... 

Flyer

[Phillip]

While I'm pro-ABU for CAP (at some point in the future), I really don't worry about what the final result will be.  Stick with the status quo?  I'm OK with that.  Ditch the Woodlands for all Blue BDUs?  Fine, I can live with that too.

I will, however, get seriously upset if Ultramarine Blue stays.  Seriously.  That needs to go.  Navy Blue is so much better, no matter if we go to ABUs, switch to BBDUs, or stick with Woodland.

[Luis R. Ramos]

Seriously, what have you got against Ultramarine Blue? It is much prettier than Navy Blue.

Flyer

[a2capt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU2Jkc1cHrE&feature=player_detailpage#t=7s

[That Anonymous Guy]

Seriously, what have you got against Ultramarine Blue? It is much prettier than Navy Blue.

Flyer

IMHO we shouldnt be designing our uniforms with pretty in mind.

[NIN]

IMHO we shouldnt be designing our uniforms with pretty in mind.

I thought that was the beef with BDUs?

[a2capt]

Many of these photos with this uniform are attributed to "Bangladeshi firefighters", and if that's so, that uniform that looks like it's on fire .. would certainly hide them in a fire

[That Anonymous Guy]

Knda like the NWUs, hides you when you don't want to be hid. It would certainly please the "BDUs aren't good for SAR" group.

[SJFedor]

Except someone in the safety world would be like "But, if cadet joe schmo catches on fire, we won't be able to see it!!!"

[NIN]

Knda like the NWUs, hides you when you don't want to be hid. It would certainly please the "BDUs aren't good for SAR" group.

I know some folks in one of the wings in NER who would *love* that uniform 

[ol'fido]

Let's just go with this kind of stuff for ES work for everybody:

http://www.hazersflightline.com/sartechs.jpg

Except for the berets of course.

I think on the ABUs we should just wait a year or so until the Afghanistan "drawdown" and see what the AF does. If they stick with ABU's, then go to ABU's. Hopefully by that time, someone will have come up with a cheap knockoff (Tru-spec?) that the cadets can afford.

[abdsp51]

The ABU is not going anywhere any time soon, especially with the cost involved.  With the USAF doing furloughs for the civilian force, force management, and cutting flying hours across the board, uniform development and phasing it in are at the bottom of the pile. 

[Eclipse]

The ABU is not going anywhere any time soon, especially with the cost involved.  With the USAF doing furloughs for the civilian force, force management, and cutting flying hours across the board, uniform development and phasing it in are at the bottom of the pile.

Unless the initiative is DOD or GSA-driven.