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Army to Revisit "Pinks and Greens?"


tredhed2
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And the Chevrons are a Tan on Brown-ish OD it seems, Brown-ish OD web belt and tie too! though I'd like to see the tie tucked into the front like it was in the old days in WWII-50s.

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BTW my biggest gripe with the ASU was the idea of getting rid of the SSI and replacing it with that silly CSIB (Combat Service Identification Badge) in place of the FWTS-SSI AKA "Combat patch."

 

SSI's are a great Army tradition that goes back to WW1 and most soldiers like having a patch that shows what unit they are in currently (left sleeve) as well as the right sleeve "combat patch" that shows who is a combat veteran.

 

The Army could easily have simply allowed the SSI to be sewn onto the ASU but for some reason they didn't. Some might argue that the reason they didn't allow patches on the ASU was that they would have to order up a new set of patches with blue merrowed edges instead of green but while SOME SSI's had green merrowed edges that matched the AG uniform, not all of them did - in fact I'd argue most of them did not, they had a merrowed edge that matched whatever the outside color of the patch was, for example the SF patch with the teal arrowhead had a teal merrowed edge. The 82nd Airborne patch has a red merrowed edge that matches the red on the AA patch. The 101st has a black merrowed edge.

 

Honestly, as much as I dislike the ASU IMO if they simply changed the reg to allow both current unit (left sleeve) and FWTS (right sleeve) patches, I'd be OK with the ASU.

 

To be fair, I've never liked Army Blues. Yeah, tradition, yada yada yada - don't care. I don't like the way they look plus every other service has blues.

 

In the modern era, 20th Century forward, the US Army never had a better looking uniform than the WWII officer's Pinks and Greens. It is hands down the best looking US Army uniform of all time. I never cared for the "Ike" jacket, which only looks good on soldiers who are skinny, the long jacket of the P&G uniform presents a sharp military appearance for almost anyone.

 

Still I also have to agree with those that say the Army needs to stop screwing around with service uniforms. Take a page from the Marines, whose uniform hasn't changed significantly in over 50 years, once you've got a good thing, don't screw with it!

 

Speaking of Marine uniforms, I know everybody loves their blues but IMO the best looking uniform the Marines have is their green Alphas.

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post-32676-0-45746300-1507856636.jpg

And the Chevrons are a Tan on Brown-ish OD it seems, Brown-ish OD web belt and tie too! though I'd like to see the tie tucked into the front like it was in the old days in WWII-50s.

 

Patches: I agree on all counts. Also the shirt needs to have shoulder straps for the DUI and for officer's rank.

 

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Final note: As a paratrooper I would gladly give up my maroon beret in favor of a WWII style "soft" overseas cap with a glider patch. The stiff "cone head" garrison cap of the AG uniform was ridiculous, but the soft overseas caps of previous uniforms looked sharp. Also it was inexpensive, and easy to carry around when indoors, much more so than the "bus driver" service hat.

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Patches: I agree on all counts. Also the shirt needs to have shoulder straps for the DUI and for officer's rank.

 

 

I wonder if the idea is to have 2 versions of the shirt as in WW2, EM without shoulder straps and officer's shirt with straps? Officers could even have the "US" and BOS insignia on their collar again.

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Also is it just me or does that guy look way too young to be an E-7? Maybe it's just my age showing, I didn't make E-7 until I was 42. ;)

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You never know, he could be a model. The idea of officers and enlisted wearing different uniforms was looked over by the Doolittle commission after WW2. Most men felt officers looked at them as their personal servants, valets, etc. The E.M. with their scratchy o.d. wool blouses/Ike jackets, and the officers with the nice gabardine ones. One of the things that was concluded was the phasing out of the pinks and greens not long after WW2, and everyone now wears the Ike jacket. As usual there was a wear out phase, and with the Air Force not ready for the blue suit, many still kept them until the early fifties. Also, overseas in Japan, Germany etc. you still see many officers with the pinks and greens at ceremonies, etc. It seems by the time it was totally phased out of the active duty the Army Greens uniform was on the way in. If you actually try and make them like they did in the old days, these uniforms are going to be very expensive. The blouse alone in the early forties cost nearly 50.00. and most soldiers hate having to keep on buying new uniforms.

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I freaking LOVE it. Who cares enlisted never wore pinks in WW2? The look is so classic and to me better screams "Army" than the current blues do. I understand that soldiers in blues are often mistaken for Navy personnel in public.

the WW2-style look, to me, is great. It's not supposed to be a 100% copy of the WW2 uniform. But it does a great job of honoring a classic Army look!

I guess the Army is discovering what most people predicted; the dress blue adaptation doesn't work.

Agreed. I'm glad I got out when the greens were still worn, but really I only wore the thing at promotions, for my O3 board photo, and for death notifications. Every other time, I either wore BDU (later SCUs) or my dress blues before it became the uniform. I spent so much money on greens and bought my blues used, and the blues was the uniform I almost always wore other than a combat uniform.
I never understood that.

I think all of the services need to keep their senior folks from tinkering around with uniforms during their relatively short tenures. The whole thing has become a mess...

I agree totally. Just like a civilian company, someone at the top wants to leave their mark, so they have to make a big change (that usually gets changed to something else soon afterward, for the same reason for the next person in that role).

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Pinks and Greens is classic, more professional, and respects a significant time in our history as a service. The greens were a terrible look ad idea. I went from pickle suits to BDUs and left the service before the newest change. Leaving OD fatigues was inspirational because they looked good and were bada$$ at the time. Uniforms are a visual stimulator. They evoke visceral reactions that mean something to people.

With no money for college and my parents unable to help, I wanted to join the Marine Corps. Why, you ask??? Because they were the best of the best...just watch the commercials. The other reason....the blues. That uniform and the design colors and overall look evoked emotion in me that COMPELLED me to lean in that direction.

My point is that the past the greens and current mash up the Army uses is laughable and clownlike. IMO they evoke no emotion other than frustration that my service is The one that never seems to get it. So I say bring in the punks and greens and get back to the traditional blues and mess dress.

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CNY Militaria

Also is it just me or does that guy look way too young to be an E-7? Maybe it's just my age showing, I didn't make E-7 until I was 42. ;)

 

From my service 2009-13, I knew of several E-7's that made it in 7 years, having enlisted at 18. My Platoon Sergeant was a "7 in 7."

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From my service 2009-13, I knew of several E-7's that made it in 7 years, having enlisted at 18. My Platoon Sergeant was a "7 in 7."

 

It is very possible but it depends on your MOS too. At grad school in San Diego I ran into an E-9 nuclear navy guy that pinned that rank on at 14-15 years. He will ride the rest of his 30 year career out in the same rank.

 

At least in the Army if you are an 88M truck driver you can be in for 15 years just to pin E-7.

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Yep, the age of that E-7 is no shock. I had a few in my company that looked like they weren't old enough to drink legally yet.

And some people just don't age badly. I had an E-7 on cadre in my ROTC unit at Florida State. I thought he was about my age from the look of him (I was 28 when I pinned on O-1) but he had a decade on me, as I asked on the last day I ever saw him, right before I pinned the butter bars on. he was in his mid-30s. When I told the other guys in my year group the last day I saw them, hardly anyone would believe me.

I also had a SPC who was pulled over by security at the gate several times a week for impersonating a solider. He looked like he wasn't even old enough to drive yet and he was constantly asked for his ID by almost anyone above the rank of E-4.

had a female in the company like that, too. Smallest feet I ever saw on a soldier, she had to have custom-made boots and usually bought the kid boots at the PX for daily duty wear. Looked like she was a kid in a set of BDUs, too.

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With no money for college and my parents unable to help, I wanted to join the Marine Corps. Why, you ask??? Because they were the best of the best...just watch the commercials. The other reason....the blues. That uniform and the design colors and overall look evoked emotion in me that COMPELLED me to lean in that direction.

 

Sal,

 

The good news is that the Marine Corps had such high standards that they would never take you! :lol: Besides, if you had been a jarhead, we would have never gotten to hang out in cool places like APG, or the Kuwaiti border. The Marine Corps loss was my gain brother!

 

Allan

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It looks like a good uniform. It has been said that when the Navy ditched it's traditional enlisted jumper uniforms in 1973, that the enlistments actually went down; but that when they returned to it in 1978, the enlistment rate went back up.

 

So prospective enlistees do consider what they will be wearing for 4+ years I think,

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It looks like a good uniform. It has been said that when the Navy ditched it's traditional enlisted jumper uniforms in 1973, that the enlistments actually went down; but that when they returned to it in 1978, the enlistment rate went back up.

 

So prospective enlistees do consider what they will be wearing for 4+ years I think,

You mean the Good Humor Uniform? :lol:

 

post-34986-0-59797300-1508595549.jpg

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  • 3 weeks later...

Holy.... it may actually happen!

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/11/03/army-close-finalizing-pinks-greens-uniform-all-soldiers.html?ESRC=army_171107.nl

 

"In addition, there is also talk of an optional brown leather bomber jacket from WWII," which soldiers love," he said."

Sweet mother of pearl!!!

The story at the link fails to mention that it was always an officers only uniform and gives the impression that all soldiers in WW2 were wearing "Pinks and Greens."

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The story at the link fails to mention that it was always an officers only uniform and gives the impression that all soldiers in WW2 were wearing "Pinks and Greens."

 

Yes, that has been mentioned on this thread numerous times. It appears the Army is also aware of that given the statement, ""As I travel around, I get a whole bunch of emails and letters from retirees that still have their grandfather's uniform from WWII," he said. "The one thing they criticize me on, because they saw the prototypes, is the historical correctness, which we are going to fix.

"The biggest feedback that we got was it's got to be right," he added."

 

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Yes, that has been mentioned on this thread numerous times. It appears the Army is also aware of that given the statement, ""As I travel around, I get a whole bunch of emails and letters from retirees that still have their grandfather's uniform from WWII," he said. "The one thing they criticize me on, because they saw the prototypes, is the historical correctness, which we are going to fix.

"The biggest feedback that we got was it's got to be right," he added."

But the article makes that questionable when it says "It was a very symbolic statement in America when you saw these young men and women coming back to and from war ... wearing that very distinctive olive drab jacket with pinkish hue pants uniform." Which was true... but only for about one in ten men.

 

Also:

"We got rid of the dress greens, and we went to the dress blues or Army Service Uniform," Dailey said. "It was a great decision by the leadership at that time; I fully supported it."

 

If it was such a great decision, why add a new uniform that fills the same function as the one they got rid of? If that was a mistake, just admit it.

 

Edit to add: It also says the coat will have a belt. If they go with an authentic belt and waist seam, the per unit cost will go up quite a bit. I won't be surprised if that doesn't happen.

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The wear of pinks and greens by enlisted personnel might seem absurd at first, but IMO there might be more historical basis in that than it seems.

 

I remember reading in a book concerning the adoption of dress greens in the 1950's, that there was an interim plan for enlisted personnel to be issued officer's pinks and greens (or at the very least the jacket) until supplies ran out. Needless to say, it didn't happen. But at a vintage store, I also found a late 1940's comic book on military rules/etiquette/insignia, and within, enlisted soldiers were often illustrated wearing officer-style jackets with the small 1948 chevrons. I've seen the same thing on one or two recruiting posters from the era as well.

 

So, in a way, I guess you could view the planned adoption of pinks and greens by enlisted personnel as a continuation of what was supposed to happen during the 1950's. But that's just my two cents.

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Makes me wonder about WW2 re-enactors wearing the 1940s pinks and greens if this comes to pass. Will they be accused of 'stolen valor'?
I wonder if the new uniforms will be good enough to be used as WW2 ones?
Time will tell.
This almost makes me wish I was still in the Army...
Almost.

:D

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