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O.K., I know there's enough folks in here on Active Duty, so now that the article was in the Air Force Times, I figure I can start this thread. It was a quick blurb on the AF webpage last week saying the new uniform was fianlized, but not enough info compared to the paper. This is a picture from the article in the AF Times.

<img src="http://www.geocities.com/crewchiefsmakeithappen/uniform.jpg" border=0>

So what's everyone else's opinion of the new uniform?

I dont like it, not one bit. And I apologize if this sounds more like whining, but I need to vent. "If it 'aint broke, don't fix it", or as the Air Force says, "If it 'aint broke, fix it 'till it is". It really seems like this is a change for the sake of change. When the Army switched from the BDU to the ACU, they actually thought about it. They moved pockets, changed the collar, field tested it, redesigned it after the comments, tested it again, redesigned it again, and continued until they got it as good as they could. The AF did one test, and then bam, here's your new uniform.
My specific gripes (and I want to hear what others think, good or bad about it):
1- The pattern (could be worse, but, it could better too)
2- The colors (This can't be good for the flightline)
3- Bottom pockets on the shirt are removed
4- Top pockets on the shirt not angled (so they remain just as useless as before)
5- Tan undershirt only (goodbye $4 shirts at Wal-Mart, hello expensive clothing sales)
6- More expensive than BDU's (they say you will save money from not dry-cleaning it, but I clean/iron my uniform on my own now already)
7- the belt (I like the regular blue one I got in basic just fine thank you)
8- This will replace the DCU also

Good things:
1- BDU hat. Thank god they didn't steal the Marines hat. That looks good, but it looks good ON MARINES. (so a good thing isnt a change, its just something we have now we aren't losing)
2- Buttons, no zippers. (see above)
3- Low or no-shine boots (more of a neutral for me. I really like DCU boots, but I'm not to sure about them with a green/blue uniform. Although even they are better than another version they are still considering...green suede)

What does the rest of Warthog Forum think?!?! Sound Off!

*EDIT* Oh yeah, one more good thing: It wont be coming out until FY07, and we will have three to five years to make the change. I can almost gaurantee I will be <i>the last</i> person in the Air Force to switch over to this, and by then I'll be at my 13 year mark so I will only have to wear this for 7 years.

"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan

Edited by - jackb on Jun 10 2005 12:07 AM

She's ugly. Coupled with the fact that I to really believe that sensible thought was the last thing that went into that uniform, I come to the same conclusion as Jack.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

_________________
YGBSM !

Did you like the blue tiger stripes they had before? I thought that looked decent. This thing? I don't know if I want to go back.

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

_________________
Evil is evil, no matter how small.

I think the biggest issue I have against all of this is that the Air Dorces job is to put bombs on the targets..............period. That really is the end result. The people that spend the time making that happen get the least practical uniform. If they want a uniform to camo me at work it needs to be grey with a a red line around it so I can hide on the edge of the flightline, or black with a white line down the back to blend in with the runway. I dont like it. Its a lousy attempt to make us feel like marines or Army grunts , but I dont need to feel like them. I am perfectly happy being a Warthog Crew Chief.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

_________________
YGBSM !

The entire notion that the USAF 'needs' a new uniform in a time of such budget constraints is RIDICULOUS.

This uniform is a perfect example of a sheer waste of money.

But then....so were the new army and marine unis too.

And i have to say, the no-polish boots should ONLY be authorized for field duty. In barracks or garrison, ALL troop should wear polished boots , and keep them looking good. One of the easiest ways to tell when you're looking at a conscientious and motivated soldiers is to simply look at his boots.

If they're glistening and spit-shined, it's a sure bet the soldier wearing them is a squared away troop. If they're nasty and dull, odds are, so is the troop.

<b>There are two kinds of soldiers.
Snipers...and targets.</b>
<img src="http://www.creedmoorsports.com/images/SA9121-M21.JPG" border=0>

Couldn't agree more Sniper. The whole thing smacks of the lunacy that 'inspired' the change to the dress blues under McPeak. Geez those were the days! lol. It's amazing some of the things they dream up at a time when you'd think folks would have something else on their minds ... like a war perhaps?

Anyone know if the unit patches for the maintainers went away again? For the longest time it's been an on again off again thing. Personally even if they're subdued they oughta stay. Folks working on the line and in the squadron deserve at least that much.

Organizational patches will be gone with this uniform. The only patches worn by anyone will be name/USAF, the rank on each sleeve, and the career field badge above USAF.
As for the first version of the uniform, good god, that is about the only thing that looks worse than this one.

"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan

Snipe you are 100% correct on all counts. We didnt need the new uniform and shined boots say a lot about the troop.

JackB there are those of us here that went through the transistion from Fatigues to the BDU's. We survived it and so we will do the same here. The worst uniform change is still the service dress we currently wear thanks to General McPeak. It sucked when it first came out and it still sucks now.

Fender
"A woman drove me to drink
and I hadn't even the courtesy to thank her".
W.C. Fields

I have to agree fender. As someone that went from the cotton fatigues to the permament press to the BDU's its just another change.

<img src="http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/457/bgnrjsiiw81q1gc.jpg" border=0>

BDUs actually gave a tangible combat survival improvement.

BDUs contain a thermal suppressant that makes you significantly harder to see on FLIR.

I know that's not something you Air Force guys think about...but Snipers do.

The thermal suppressant was the reason you weren't allowed to starch BDUs...starch ruins the chemical composition of the suppressant.

<b>There are two kinds of soldiers.
Snipers...and targets.</b>
<img src="http://www.creedmoorsports.com/images/SA9121-M21.JPG" border=0>

I guess someone forgot to mention that to the guys that wrote the AFIs. Or perhaps not. I've always been told that creases and starch aren't actually in the AFI. What are we going to do, get brand spanking new ones when we deploy?

"Some pup"
Nickname by Fenderstrat72

_________________
Evil is evil, no matter how small.

I always thought for the folks on the ramp, something highly ergonomic for how people work on the job, straight olive green for temperate deployments and straight desert tan for arid. Gives some sense of cammo in case for whatever reason you might need it, but plain and simple enough to keep it cheap, easy to maintain or replace, and you can see the grease and oil stains to let you know if you've rubbed up against something leaking that shouldn't. lol

In a lot of ways, it's mismanagement like this that makes me respect dedicated and responsible service personnel the most, those who continue to sign-up while fully comprehending the stupidity they're daring to contract themselves to. There's no way I could put up with incompetent management like this, I'd be a psych-discharge in less than a week. <img src=newicons/anim_shock.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/tard.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_bannana.gif border=0 align=middle>

There is always hope-- only because it's the one thing no one has figured out how to kill... yet.

Straight olive green fatigues would be ideal as far as I am concerned for flightline work. I miss my green fatigue pants and brown flight deck jersey from the navy days.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

_________________
YGBSM !

The Army mechanics all wear OD green coveralls that match Horridos description closely.

It just amazes me that in a time of war all our branches are dropping 10s of millions on fancy new duds that quite frankly, the troops would just as soon not have to be bothered transitioning to, and that offer no tangible improvement over existing uniforms(and for the USAF uni, offers less utility because it's losing very useful BDU blouse pockets).

And besides, ALL the new digital camo unis are hideously ugly.



<b>There are two kinds of soldiers.
Snipers...and targets.</b>
<img src="http://www.creedmoorsports.com/images/SA9121-M21.JPG" border=0>

According to 30Mm Jr, the current BDU's hide grease, POL and hydraulic fluids very well, thank you very much. If the new ones aren't going to be greys and blacks so he can hide in the shade of a wing, better, then don't bother!<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>

"Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together...." - Carl Zwanzig

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

Now I haven't worn BDU's in about 5 years but from the look...they're not too bad. They look a lot better for hunting if you're using them for double duty... a bit more like realtree than anything.

ATTACK!!!!!!!

at least everything isn't velcroed... on that abortion the Army came out with everything is velcro... name tapes, unit patches, ranks... while on the one hand I like the idea of no shine boots (mainly cause I'm one of those people that shines the hell out of my boots and I'd appreciate the break <img src=icon_smile.gif border=0 align=middle> ) Snipe is correct in that its a very good indicator of whether or not a troop gives a s***.

either way its really not a concern for me... the Texas State Guard will be staying with Woodland BDU's for quite a while

" At least God has a sense of humor about the end of the world. Dr. Atkins died. Slipped, hit his head, got brain damage, died on life support. The man that invented the all meat diet...died a vegetable."
Titus

_________________
\"One of you is gonna fall and die, and I'm not cleaning it up\"

Looks like one of them doomsday conspiracy theory nuts B movies. The ones that Have Snake plisken, Black military hardware, and has been actors like Stacy Keech.


Personally I thought the OD's were the Shit on the flightline, and BDU woodlands wernt all that bad either.

Tigerstripes are straight up riduculous.

Polish boots? Hah to hell with that! Patent leather baby, they get scuffed tossem! Did enough polishing of Cochroaches in the Eighties!

Sometimes technology and common sense is good, allowing troops to spend time doing other things than Buffing leather at 3am when they can bee tossing Broads and Suds. <img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see their near and dear bathed in tears, to ride their horses and sleep on the white bellies of their wives and daughters."
-Genghis Khan

Edited by - thebigthug on Jun 13 2005 12:40 PM

_________________
\"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. \"

George S. Patton

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>has been actors like Stacy Keech. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

Isn't it a requirement that you once were to now be has been? My dog can act better than Stacy.

Fender
"A woman drove me to drink
and I hadn't even the courtesy to thank her".
W.C. Fields

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>has been actors like Stacy Keech. <hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote><img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

Isn't it a requirement that you once were to now be has been? My dog can act better than Stacy.

Fender
"A woman drove me to drink
and I hadn't even the courtesy to thank her".
W.C. Fields
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>Hey Stacey Keech kicked a** as the drunk dad in "Titus"

" At least God has a sense of humor about the end of the world. Dr. Atkins died. Slipped, hit his head, got brain damage, died on life support. The man that invented the all meat diet...died a vegetable."
Titus

_________________
\"One of you is gonna fall and die, and I'm not cleaning it up\"

You all are missing one glaring point.
Good Bye unit patches!!!
db

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret

We didn't miss it. That was asked/answered in the 5th and sixth posts in this thread. If you mean there's noone complaining about it, well then I'll add that to my extremely long list of dislikes, because I like unit pathes.

"The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other." - Ronald Reagan

Dittos, just as much as I like unit hats also.

By this time tomorrow I shall have gained either a pearage or Westminster Abbey........Nelson

_________________
YGBSM !

And Marines will always hate Nametapes.... Should of seen those battles that took place in the early 90's....when they had to be known by something other than "Marine" or "Rank" . (clintonism in 92)

Had a Young LCPL visit my house the other day during a family BBQ. He was Hit by a Mortar or Rocket on the Flightline while Wrenching on Sea Magnets. hooked me up with a set of the new Desert and Jungle Digital Marpat BDU's. Pretty damn Slick. Hell of allot better looking than the satines I had in 83 and the 3 Tone Deserts I had in GW1.

Pretty soon you wont need have to give a service date, when running into another Vet on the street..you can size a dude up by the generation he served.."What Bdu's were you issued" <img src=newicons/anim_lol.gif border=0 align=middle>

"The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see their near and dear bathed in tears, to ride their horses and sleep on the white bellies of their wives and daughters."
-Genghis Khan

Edited by - thebigthug on Jun 16 2005 6:26 PM

_________________
\"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week. \"

George S. Patton

Got it on the patches. Sorry I overlooked it.
db

Being responsible means sometimes pissing people off.
Gen Colin Powell ret