Another Drill
Well, I demonstrated the demonstration that I'm going to demonstrate next month at Ft. Lewis Washington. It's no big deal(they make it one though) just a choreographed demonstration. I'm going there to work a range for Reserve Officer Training Corps(ROTC) Advanced Camp. I realy don't like working around ROTC Cadets, but, I look forward to Ft. Lewis, I have never been there. It's the home of my Alma Motto's sister Battalion, the 2nd Ranger Bn. Upon that, there are alot of folks from these hills out there(I have people out there that I have never met) it's said that it will remind you of here(West NC).
Uniforms
I saw the blouse(shirt) for the Army's replacmnet to BDU's this weekend at US Patriot. I don't mind the Camoflouge, I figure once you get it dirty it would blend alright. Not that it realy matters with a non subdued American Flag on your shoulder. I like the slanted pockets. It's like the old Jungle Fatigues in a way. Wich, in my opinion, were the best uniform the Army ever had. I had 9 pair once upon a time.
One thing that I don't like about the new ones is all of the velcro. That has been the #1 complaint. You have two pockets on both sleeves that are nothing but velcro on the outside. What's supposed to go there is a stick on unit patch. Also the name tags are supposed to be velcroed on as well as the rank going in the center of the chest. (Boy, that's great. Are you staring at her rank or her breast?) That means they can get ripped off easy. We're suppsed to pin on any skill identification badges, I.E Jump Wings or Air Assult wings ETC. Wich, leads me to the question...will that mean pin on Drill Sgt Badges? That would be rather bulky. Lint sticks to velcro like a hound sticks on a trail. Now, that's something to gig some poor Private over.
Buttons are out. It uses an inner zipper and several velcro patches. My thinking is in hot weather you want to breath, so you will leave the zipper open, wich will rub the chest making sores that can get infected in certain situations and you get the picture.
I don't mind the new collars so much. It is better than getting hot brass down your shirt. But, people will tend to leave it open to breathe.
The Georgia National Guard has been issued the new uniform. I wonder what their feed back is? That reminds me I need to check on American Soldier who was issued the new ones I know. Hmm. Looks like the boy has gotten hurt and will have surgerory.(Spelling?)
The first time I did see one of these uniforms was last year when I had just come home from a two week Annual Training(I pulled two back to back, one week apart). A boy from the 2nd Infantry Division deployed to Iraq had just gotten in for his R&R. He was a Stryker Driver, so I thought it was some uniform for Stryker Drivers. I didn't ask about it. I asked about the Stryker, wich he gave favorable comments. Besides, he had just gotten in and had a family(cute kids), I wasn't going to talk his ears off. His was the Desert Camoflouge, not the "Didgy".
I mentioned American Flags on our shoulder. I heard it was for patriotism, but, I think it's to prepare us to be a Sitskreig Army(That's what the Late Col Hackworth called the 2nd half of the Korean War), peace keeping missions and static situations. Why? look, it's not subdued. What does that tell you?
Are you Big Brass? Are you reading this? What do we have to do to get a decent uniform? Join the Marine Corps?
Critic
I know that I sound awfully negative. I become agrivated with the Army's Addiction to Beurocracy. When I was on Active Duty there was a flyer passed around titeled "Do You Know Me?". It basicaly said that he was the guy that waited patiently to talk to a leader while they chatted and finished their coffee, worked hard, did his job and never seen any recognition. It finished with a statement of how they spent a fortune of money with posters and such to keep him in the Army when all they had to do was take care of him and he thought it was funny. What I see hurting the Army Resrves now is all of the senseless Beurocracy. I realy don't think it's the Deployments as much as it is all of the getting jerked around that goes with it.
Qoutes
I have some qoutes from Drill that I will finish off with.
"The whole thing is a mess", A deep voice with a SC Low Country Drawl.
"If I go overseas to fight I'll be that much better to come back with the extra trainging I will get", a young Private in AIT on the phone. I suspect from the minute I stood next to him that he was telling his mother he was volunteering for the Ranger Regiment.
"You can alway's tell a Marine...that doesn't mean that they will listen", an Ex Marine(Vietnam Vet)
"I beleive in the NAVY Principle, Never Again Volunteer Yourself", Another Senior NCO.
I've had to write this in three parts through out the day. If I knew the words I would finish with a chorus of ZZ Tops "Velcro Fly".
Appalachian Intellectual
Uniforms
I saw the blouse(shirt) for the Army's replacmnet to BDU's this weekend at US Patriot. I don't mind the Camoflouge, I figure once you get it dirty it would blend alright. Not that it realy matters with a non subdued American Flag on your shoulder. I like the slanted pockets. It's like the old Jungle Fatigues in a way. Wich, in my opinion, were the best uniform the Army ever had. I had 9 pair once upon a time.
One thing that I don't like about the new ones is all of the velcro. That has been the #1 complaint. You have two pockets on both sleeves that are nothing but velcro on the outside. What's supposed to go there is a stick on unit patch. Also the name tags are supposed to be velcroed on as well as the rank going in the center of the chest. (Boy, that's great. Are you staring at her rank or her breast?) That means they can get ripped off easy. We're suppsed to pin on any skill identification badges, I.E Jump Wings or Air Assult wings ETC. Wich, leads me to the question...will that mean pin on Drill Sgt Badges? That would be rather bulky. Lint sticks to velcro like a hound sticks on a trail. Now, that's something to gig some poor Private over.
Buttons are out. It uses an inner zipper and several velcro patches. My thinking is in hot weather you want to breath, so you will leave the zipper open, wich will rub the chest making sores that can get infected in certain situations and you get the picture.
I don't mind the new collars so much. It is better than getting hot brass down your shirt. But, people will tend to leave it open to breathe.
The Georgia National Guard has been issued the new uniform. I wonder what their feed back is? That reminds me I need to check on American Soldier who was issued the new ones I know. Hmm. Looks like the boy has gotten hurt and will have surgerory.(Spelling?)
The first time I did see one of these uniforms was last year when I had just come home from a two week Annual Training(I pulled two back to back, one week apart). A boy from the 2nd Infantry Division deployed to Iraq had just gotten in for his R&R. He was a Stryker Driver, so I thought it was some uniform for Stryker Drivers. I didn't ask about it. I asked about the Stryker, wich he gave favorable comments. Besides, he had just gotten in and had a family(cute kids), I wasn't going to talk his ears off. His was the Desert Camoflouge, not the "Didgy".
I mentioned American Flags on our shoulder. I heard it was for patriotism, but, I think it's to prepare us to be a Sitskreig Army(That's what the Late Col Hackworth called the 2nd half of the Korean War), peace keeping missions and static situations. Why? look, it's not subdued. What does that tell you?
Are you Big Brass? Are you reading this? What do we have to do to get a decent uniform? Join the Marine Corps?
Critic
I know that I sound awfully negative. I become agrivated with the Army's Addiction to Beurocracy. When I was on Active Duty there was a flyer passed around titeled "Do You Know Me?". It basicaly said that he was the guy that waited patiently to talk to a leader while they chatted and finished their coffee, worked hard, did his job and never seen any recognition. It finished with a statement of how they spent a fortune of money with posters and such to keep him in the Army when all they had to do was take care of him and he thought it was funny. What I see hurting the Army Resrves now is all of the senseless Beurocracy. I realy don't think it's the Deployments as much as it is all of the getting jerked around that goes with it.
Qoutes
I have some qoutes from Drill that I will finish off with.
"The whole thing is a mess", A deep voice with a SC Low Country Drawl.
"If I go overseas to fight I'll be that much better to come back with the extra trainging I will get", a young Private in AIT on the phone. I suspect from the minute I stood next to him that he was telling his mother he was volunteering for the Ranger Regiment.
"You can alway's tell a Marine...that doesn't mean that they will listen", an Ex Marine(Vietnam Vet)
"I beleive in the NAVY Principle, Never Again Volunteer Yourself", Another Senior NCO.
I've had to write this in three parts through out the day. If I knew the words I would finish with a chorus of ZZ Tops "Velcro Fly".
Appalachian Intellectual
posted by Hill Billy Rave | Monday, May 23, 2005
7 Comments:
Stopping in to say Hey from the Pacific Northwest. I want to tell you I have enjoyed reading your posts. You definitely have a certain style and voice. (or maybe it's that I'm not used to the accent!)
My thoughts on those velcro tabs were also that they were going to get grungy with lint.
Enjoy your time in the Seattle/Tacoma area next month. It's a beautiful time of the year.
Thank you for your service.
Well, Thank You Janie. I will do what I can to enjoy my stay there. That's very kind of you.
Non-subdued flag. That brought up a memory.
The Air Force was slow going to the BDUs. They finally did so in mid to late-80s. But, if you worked on the flightline, you still had to sew that honking, big reflective strip on the back of your field jacket!
Go figure that one.
I know Gun Trash...sometimes it doesn't make sense. It's like Camoflouge is for apearances only. Why wouldn't they just give people on the Flight Line a pair of coveralls?
Well, let me weigh in, fly weight as it's gonna be.
We in the navy are going thru a new uniform idea per quarter it seems. We have 3 or 4 different vairations running around on base as part of "Task Force Excel", which is a mighty fancy name for wear testing new clothes. Anyway, to this old goat they all look stupid.
A lot of people want to go to cammies. If the idea is to have all of the US armed forces able to look identical, then OK. Otherwise, what's the point? Cammies at sea? While there's very little chance of blending in to the background in them, perhaps we could fool our foes into thinking we're tiny, unhabited islands. Maybe?
As for the rest of it, I'm a member of MADAMS (Mothers And Dudes Against Velcro and Stuff). MADAVS would have been more correct, but it's not a word.
And one last thought. I found it interesting about joining the Marines to get a decent uniform. The USMC is the gold standard for sharp uniforms. We say the exact same thing in the navy.
And a last, last thought. One of the first things I learned in my technical school when I was a sage old salt of 3 1/2 months time in, was NAVY=Never Again Volunter Yourself. Well... that and FTN, which I think has something to do with something else.
Keep posting. It helps me remember I'm not the only one putting up with simpletons and stupid crap.
Travelin' Ed
Yes, Ed, it's comforting to know we're not alone in our uncomfortableness, but, that doesn't make us any more comfortable. The other day I was joking with the Engineer at work. We came up with the Society for Creative Acronym Use, AKA THe U.S Military. It's so good we can poke fun with it.
HEY! Mothers and Dudes Against Mine Sweeping!
Post a Comment
<< Home