Better get used to the BDU - and some thoughts (rant?)

[Eclipse]

"Uniform waiver"?  What does that mean?

A number of activities, including soaring, NESA, and most flight academies, have "special" uniforms approved by NHQ.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

If we axe everything but the polo combination, we may as well get rid of ranks, awards, etc., because we will no longer have anything to wear them on.

While at it, get rid of all customs and courtesies, because they would be goofy in a polo shirt.

CAP will also have at least one less member.

The polo shirts remind me too much of high school in the early '80s, with all the preppies/jocks wearing their Izod alligator shirts with the collars flipped-up (which I was recently reminded of by watching the 1983 film Valley Girl).  I was not one of them.

[Eclipse]

If we axe everything but the polo combination, we may as well get rid of ranks, awards, etc., because we will no longer have anything to wear them on.

I am not advocating getting rid of other combinations.

I am saying that the golf shirt fits the need, everything else is extra.

The golf shirt should be the defacto uniform for all members, including cadets. 
Other uniforms would be added as needed.  Cadets can get their blues after Curry,
or at some point after they have actually shown some commitment and understand the conversation,
until then, the golf shirt would be cheap, simple, and identify them as part of the organization.

Cadets not involved in SAR have no use for BDUs, and they don't even serve the purpose of service affinity anymore.

As it is today, the whites or blues are the required uniforms for all members, yet I'd hazard
25% of the membership doesn't even know that, and it's not enforced at all.  When you
mention it to people who haven't ever read the reg, they get all sad about that.

Organizations with complicated, unenforced regulations and policies are the breeding ground
for GOBN networks, exclusion, and general malaise.  Sound familiar?

Either change what we have, or at least inform and enforce what exists.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

The golf shirt should be the defacto uniform for all members, including cadets. 

As long as it is optional.

[Storm Chaser]

As much as I hate agreeing with Eclipse, I think he made a very valid point (even if the way he said it rubs us the wrong way). He didn't say that we use the Polo combination for 95% of CAP activities, but that we could. As someone who wears BDUs and Blues most of the time (and the Polo occasionally), I have to agree that the CAP Polo combination could fulfill the vast majority of our uniform needs, which is what Eclipse said.

[lordmonar]

Yes that is true.

But the Polo Combo does not fulfill all the roles we want out of our uniforms.

[Storm Chaser]

Yes that is true.

But the Polo Combo does not fulfill all the roles we want out of our uniforms.

That's also true, but none of our individual uniforms do.

[Garibaldi]

Agreeing with Eclipse here. Making a deal with the devil, yada yada....

Flying: 100%. No reason to wear anything else in the plane.

ES:90%, mostly mission base and aircrews. Even with the tactical pants, ground teams may want something sturdier with long sleeves.

Cadet programs: I'm going with 90% here too. Cadets have to wear uniforms, so in my OPINION, their leaders should as well, either BBDU or BDU, or Blues or G/W.

Meetings: SM-90% (see above re cadet programs).

YMMV.

[Eclipse]

The eClipseco Committee on Perpetual Planning accepts your reinforcement of numbers already published.
All documents are to be adjusted to reflect what was always the plan and that margins were exceeded by 200%.

[Garibaldi]

The eClipseco Committee on Perpetual Planning accepts your reinforcement of numbers already published.
All documents are to be adjusted to reflect what was always the plan and that margins were exceeded by 200%.

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

And so the "de-Air Forceisation" of our outward appearance continues, slowly but inexorably...and our "colleagues" on military installations will wonder even more "who the heck are that lot, running around with preppy shirts on?"





Oh, well, at least it will suit (pun intended) the percentage of our membership who don't want to be bothered with C&C's, ranks or any of that "wannabe military" crap, who just want to be "all ES, all the time."

[JoeTomasone]

"Uniform waiver"?  What does that mean?

A number of activities, including soaring, NESA, and most flight academies, have "special" uniforms approved by NHQ.

Ah, National violating their own regs again.   Gotcha.

[NIN]

The golf shirt should be the defacto uniform for all members, including cadets. 

Did you bump your head? Seriously?

[Eclipse]

The golf shirt should be the defacto uniform for all members, including cadets. 

Did you bump your head? Seriously?

It is warm here.

We're talking about "need", not "nice".

[THRAWN]

I've always been partial to the guayabera. I recall being a brand new SM and seeing a 5 foot tall and 4 foot wide lieutenant colonel showing off his awesomeness in it and thinking "I can't wait until I can wear that smock looking doodad!"

CAP and its multiforms....the topic will never cease being...interesting....

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

CAP and its multiforms....the topic will never cease being...interesting....

Interesting in the way many cannot ignore going by a car wreck.

[umpirecali]

Yes that is true.

But the Polo Combo does not fulfill all the roles we want out of our uniforms.

That's also true, but none of our individual uniforms do.

I don't think tac pants and our polo is the way to go.  I was advocating tac pants and something useful for our missions such as this:

http://www.511tactical.com/hi-vis-performance-shirt.html

Add some orange on black name tapes, a patch or two and you are good to go.  Metal rank on the collar would an option for those who think this detrimental to PD.

[lifegoeson]

This may have been covered already, but being that we kind of get our funding through the Air Force (chartered by congress), it is important that we remain a part of it. If we were to separate from the Air Force, we would have two options. Beg and plea to allow congress to let us join a department of the government (transportation, like the Coast Guard, or homeland security like TSA) or we could become a completely separate entity and cut all ties from the government, similar to the Sea Cadets (not sure exactly how their system works, but I'm fairly certain they do not receive government funding of any kind).

Both situations are less than ideal and the latter would likely result in a severe loss of membership due to the amount of financial burden that would be put upon all members. The first situation, joining a government agency as an independent organization is a case of wishful thinking. Although it'd be great to be independent and receive our own funding, Congress would never allow it. Money's tight as it is and the last thing congress wants to deal with is another organization asking for funding.

The second situation would be more likely to occur, but would probably cause a huge hit in CAP membership. I know in my Wing, most cadets have their uniforms provided and have five powered and non-powered o-flights. Along with uniforms and flying, cadets and seniors are reimbursed for travel for CAP purposes. If we went fully corporate, all that would go away. Overall, though, I think it would be... interesting if we did separate from the Air Force. Results would be somewhat unpredictable for the first few years, but I think in the end CAP would be more like it once at its inception.

[Alaric]

This may have been covered already, but being that we kind of get our funding through the Air Force (chartered by congress), it is important that we remain a part of it. If we were to separate from the Air Force, we would have two options. Beg and plea to allow congress to let us join a department of the government (transportation, like the Coast Guard, or homeland security like TSA) or we could become a completely separate entity and cut all ties from the government, similar to the Sea Cadets (not sure exactly how their system works, but I'm fairly certain they do not receive government funding of any kind).

Both situations are less than ideal and the latter would likely result in a severe loss of membership due to the amount of financial burden that would be put upon all members. The first situation, joining a government agency as an independent organization is a case of wishful thinking. Although it'd be great to be independent and receive our own funding, Congress would never allow it. Money's tight as it is and the last thing congress wants to deal with is another organization asking for funding.

The second situation would be more likely to occur, but would probably cause a huge hit in CAP membership. I know in my Wing, most cadets have their uniforms provided and have five powered and non-powered o-flights. Along with uniforms and flying, cadets and seniors are reimbursed for travel for CAP purposes. If we went fully corporate, all that would go away. Overall, though, I think it would be... interesting if we did separate from the Air Force. Results would be somewhat unpredictable for the first few years, but I think in the end CAP would be more like it once at its inception.

Just an FYI the US Coast Guard moved from Department of Transportation to Homeland Security in 2003

[lifegoeson]

I was unaware of that. Thank you.