I think the Army’s decision to make the every day dress uniform for the Army the Dress Blues which would replace the green dress uniform most people are familiar with is a bad decision:
The good old days of the green Class A’s and B’s are over. The Army’s plan to make dress blues the only Army Service Uniform is approved, and soldiers who own the uniform are encouraged to begin wearing it now.
The move to eliminate the green service uniform and the more rarely seen white service uniform is aimed at streamlining soldiers’ clothing bags while modernizing the way the traditional blue uniform is worn.
The new wear policy was announced in an All Army Activity message Aug. 20 from Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston, who is president of the uniform board that meets once a year. [Army Times]
I really like the Army’s Dress Blue uniform that for those that don’t know is only worn for special military functions like a ball, but by making it the every day dress uniform it will make Army personnel less distinguishable from the Air Force and Navy who also wear blue dress uniforms. I understand why the Army wants to change the green dress uniform but why not bring back the old Army khakis?
Heck it was good enough for John Wayne so it is good enough for me! 
Popularity: 3%
9:13 am on September 6th, 2008 1
“why not bring back the old Army khakis?’
Because if I remember correctly from my father’s time in the Army, the shirts were military pressed. So in other words they were a huge pain in the rear.
Of course, nobody says that bringing khakis back means that there can’t be alterations to way they were designed and worn. And any color is better than that god awful green that’s been used for decades.
10:24 am on September 6th, 2008 2
We had khakis until the early 1980’s. Until the mid-70’s, enlisted were issued a cotton khaki that did need a lot of ironing, then we got sets that were pretty much wash & wear. They were okay, but you still had to keep all of your brass & bright work polished.
The women’s class B’s came in a bewildering variety, blue cotton cords, polyester mint greens….the one difference was that they were cut so that a fat chick had trouble hiding it, kind of like Marine women’s uniforms.
In the early 1980’s, Shy Meyer introduced the new bus driver class B’s, which nobody has ever really liked. The thing I remember is that the black wool commando sweater was introduced, which would have been a great piece of gear…for the field. But unlike the Marines, we weren’t allowed to wear it with fatigues, only with class B’s, and we had to pay for it out-of-pocket.
I never had a set of dress blues; never was in units that did much to warrant the purchase. But the tailors in Yongsan/Cp Casey made a mint turning them out for officers.
I did, however, want to own a set of dress whites; seems they were dreamed up by MacArthur, when he was Generalissimo of the Phillipine Constabulary between the wars.
I had always been jealous of the Marine’s uniforms. They changed very very over a century or so. If somebody wants to play uniform games, why not go back to something classic, like uniforms of the 1940’s-50’s….except for the Ike jacket.
1:58 pm on September 6th, 2008 3
Trying to be like the USMC, are we?
This reeks of the “Black Beret” decision, when they robbed the Rangers of their distinctive headwear in order to make everyone feel special.
Now they want to put everyone in the Army in “Dress Blues???”
Agree with Cienfuegos…The Army looked good in Khakis.
“…I wanna be like you…” wasn’t that a rap song?
5:25 pm on September 6th, 2008 4
I’ve been advocating for this change for decades. The blues are more traditional (all the way back to the Revolution) and they just look better and fit better than the greens. It’s a better idea than the black beret was.
6:36 pm on September 6th, 2008 5
The Navy *is* bringing back the khaki dress uniform! (for officers and senior enlisted) The main differences between the Army version is a black rather than khaki tie, and shoulder boards for rank.
http://www.swankyconservative.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/service-whites-khakis.jpg
I wear khakis (this weekend, in fact), and can tell you that the military creases are now fixed in so they aren’t a pain to iron. Navy khakis (not the type worn at sea, which are going away) are ‘poly-wool’ (a 75/25 percent mix) that are easy to take care of and wear well.
8:14 pm on September 6th, 2008 6
Personally, I like the pink and greens from WWII (and no, they weren’t really pink, closer to khaki). The all-khaki uniform is a good choice, too. Otherwise, I agree with GI, making the dress blues the service uniform is a bad idea. The Army should maintain a dress uniform that is more practical and less butlerish than the mess dress uniform but more dressy than your day-to-day uniform (for those who aren’t wearing class Cs all the time).
6:17 am on September 7th, 2008 7
I got out before they changed the Air Force mess dress into airline pilot uniforms. That said…just be glad the Army didn’t change your dress uniform into ones resembling bus drivers.
9:53 am on September 7th, 2008 8
We already had class-B bus driver uniforms. Agree with the pink & greens, except that I think those were strictly for officers.
One thing I note from looking at WWII officers pix is that they seem to have had great leeway to indulge in sartorial splendor, -but they had to pay for it out-of-pocket, I think. Patton was easily the best example of a dandy, but then he was independently wealthy.
Patton wanted a separate uniform just for the Tank Corps….one that featured among other things, a gold motorcycle helmet…
8:38 pm on September 27th, 2008 9
[...] Look at this way, at least you won’t have to wear a uniform that looks like you work for mall security. [...]
5:44 am on October 29th, 2008 10
7:28 pm on November 2nd, 2008 11
As a newly commissioned officer, I realize that I don’t have as much time or experience as most of you. However, I still feel as though this new uniform is an embarassment to our great Army. I never wore a khaki uniform, but I do have a set of the green class A’s. I would be honored and proud to wear the khaki uniform from WWII. I spent a year at a military school as well as spent two years in the Navy prior to contracting in Army ROTC. I seriously do not understand some of the comments and complaints about uniform upkeep. Try keeping an entirely white uniform (when I was enlisted Navy) clean, pressed, and sharp, along with POLISHING the shoes you wear with it. IS the Army seriously that lazy that we cannot iron our uniforms, or shine our shoes? Again I’m young and haven’t seen as much as most of you, but I have worn plenty of uniforms. (With the Navy I had over six uniform variations to keep track of throughout the year) The uniform we wear is a representation of who we are and the organization in which we serve. Khakis would bring pride and honor back to every soldier in all ranks.
As an officer, I have been taught that I am not supposed to simply identify problems, but to solve problems. I have spoken to many people both enlisted and commissioned, and read of many more, who are enraged about this uniform and who would love, as I would, a return to the khaki uniform. I am not sure what to do from here but I know that we need to keep up the noise and dislike for this uniform and a support for the khaki uniform if we are to ever be heard. So keep fighting, keep talking, keep complaining, and hopefully one day we will be heard.
- 2LT G
KEEP UP THE FIRE!