Miloch
May 7th 19, 11:49 PM
more at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/05/us/new-army-greens-uniform.html
By Dave Philipps
May 5, 2019
The United States Army wanted a spiffy new service uniform, one that would stand
out in a tough recruiting environment and polish the Army’s image after a
generation of grinding and divisive wars.
So it turned the clock back. Way back.
It chose a new uniform that looks almost exactly like the old green gabardine
wool field coat and khaki trousers that officers wore in World War II. Probably
not by coincidence, that’s what the Army was wearing the last time the nation
celebrated total victory in a major war.
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conflict and consequence.]
“We went back and asked, when is the most prominent time when the Army’s service
to our nation was universally recognized, and the answer came very quickly,”
said Daniel A. Dailey, the sergeant major of the Army, the highest-ranking
enlisted soldier in the service. “That victory, that impact on the nation, is
still felt today by the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of
the ‘Greatest Generation.’”
The troops who beat the Axis powers in the 1940s gave the service uniform, with
its slightly rose-hued trousers or skirt and distinctive belted olive coat, an
affectionate nickname: “pinks and greens.” This time around, the Army has
decided to just call them Army Greens.
At a White House event for veterans in April, President Trump praised the style.
“Those beautiful new uniforms with the belt — it was a big deal, the belt,” he
said. “And if you think those uniforms were inexpensive, they were very
expensive. They were very. But they wanted it, and we got it.”
Army Greens will be the military equivalent of a business suit, which the Army
largely stopped using during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just as civilians
have been dressing more casually in professional and social settings, troops
have been wearing camouflage fatigues in situations that used to call for a
jacket and tie, like office work or travel between bases. Even in the Pentagon,
officers spend a good deal of their time in combat boots.
With far fewer troops deployed in combat operations now, though, the Army has
signaled that it wants to get back to the old spit and polish. It is hoping that
reintroducing an iconic service uniform from the days of the Band of Brothers
and Rosie the Riveter will help reframe its public image.
The new service uniform is currently in field tests with a few military bands,
recruiting battalions and other highly visible troops. With Sergeant Major
Dailey overseeing the process, the Army plans to roll out the new uniforms to
all soldiers starting in 2020. Soldiers will even be given the option to buy a
retro-styled leather bomber jacket to go with the uniform.
The Army says that while the new service uniform will cost more than past models
to make, it will also last longer, making it cost-neutral overall.
In recent years, when the Army has wanted to look sharp, troops have been
wearing blue. The current dress uniform (which will be retained for ceremonial
use) includes a dark blue coat with light blue trousers or a skirt — colors
chosen to evoke the Continentals who fought under George Washington and the
Union Army of the Civil War.
If that uniform has not caught your eye, it may be because Army Blues can be
hard to distinguish, not just from similar Navy and Air Force uniforms, but also
from a sea of blue-clad civilians: police officers, firefighters, commercial
pilots, even doormen, said Kenneth O. Preston, who served as sergeant major of
the Army from 2004 to 2011.
“People think you’re a cop,” Mr. Preston said. “They are always stopping you and
asking you for directions.”
more at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/05/us/new-army-greens-uniform.html
*
By Dave Philipps
May 5, 2019
The United States Army wanted a spiffy new service uniform, one that would stand
out in a tough recruiting environment and polish the Army’s image after a
generation of grinding and divisive wars.
So it turned the clock back. Way back.
It chose a new uniform that looks almost exactly like the old green gabardine
wool field coat and khaki trousers that officers wore in World War II. Probably
not by coincidence, that’s what the Army was wearing the last time the nation
celebrated total victory in a major war.
[Sign up for the weekly At War newsletter to receive articles about duty,
conflict and consequence.]
“We went back and asked, when is the most prominent time when the Army’s service
to our nation was universally recognized, and the answer came very quickly,”
said Daniel A. Dailey, the sergeant major of the Army, the highest-ranking
enlisted soldier in the service. “That victory, that impact on the nation, is
still felt today by the sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters of
the ‘Greatest Generation.’”
The troops who beat the Axis powers in the 1940s gave the service uniform, with
its slightly rose-hued trousers or skirt and distinctive belted olive coat, an
affectionate nickname: “pinks and greens.” This time around, the Army has
decided to just call them Army Greens.
At a White House event for veterans in April, President Trump praised the style.
“Those beautiful new uniforms with the belt — it was a big deal, the belt,” he
said. “And if you think those uniforms were inexpensive, they were very
expensive. They were very. But they wanted it, and we got it.”
Army Greens will be the military equivalent of a business suit, which the Army
largely stopped using during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just as civilians
have been dressing more casually in professional and social settings, troops
have been wearing camouflage fatigues in situations that used to call for a
jacket and tie, like office work or travel between bases. Even in the Pentagon,
officers spend a good deal of their time in combat boots.
With far fewer troops deployed in combat operations now, though, the Army has
signaled that it wants to get back to the old spit and polish. It is hoping that
reintroducing an iconic service uniform from the days of the Band of Brothers
and Rosie the Riveter will help reframe its public image.
The new service uniform is currently in field tests with a few military bands,
recruiting battalions and other highly visible troops. With Sergeant Major
Dailey overseeing the process, the Army plans to roll out the new uniforms to
all soldiers starting in 2020. Soldiers will even be given the option to buy a
retro-styled leather bomber jacket to go with the uniform.
The Army says that while the new service uniform will cost more than past models
to make, it will also last longer, making it cost-neutral overall.
In recent years, when the Army has wanted to look sharp, troops have been
wearing blue. The current dress uniform (which will be retained for ceremonial
use) includes a dark blue coat with light blue trousers or a skirt — colors
chosen to evoke the Continentals who fought under George Washington and the
Union Army of the Civil War.
If that uniform has not caught your eye, it may be because Army Blues can be
hard to distinguish, not just from similar Navy and Air Force uniforms, but also
from a sea of blue-clad civilians: police officers, firefighters, commercial
pilots, even doormen, said Kenneth O. Preston, who served as sergeant major of
the Army from 2004 to 2011.
“People think you’re a cop,” Mr. Preston said. “They are always stopping you and
asking you for directions.”
more at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/05/us/new-army-greens-uniform.html
*