Recently received in the ongoing saga of what all of us should be wearing in our current environment:
Effective today: The STRATEFFS uniform policy has gone into effect. The upgrades from the previous policy are simple. You are not authorized to wear any civilian clothes period! If you are going to the pool, you may wear only your civilian swim trunks to the pool. You must still wear your army pt shirt or Air force equivalent. You may only wear your swim trunks to the pool and back to your hootch. You are not authorized to enter into the DFAC for water or anything else. If you in the Navy and do not have a PT uniform, you may wear appropriate civilian clothing to the gym and back to your hootch. Navy personnel are not authorized to enter the DFAC in civilian clothes period. If any soldier is caught wearing civilian clothes that are not specifically authorized, you will be in violation of MG Caldwell’s policy. If you are caught by someone outside the CPIC, You are your own. We are all adults and I am sure we can manage to follow this simply policy. Police yourselves and your buddy.
This statement has me putting out a call for barracks lawyers:
If you are going to the pool, you may wear only your civilian swim trunks to the pool. You must still wear your army pt shirt or Air force equivalent.
Other than the improper capitalization, I have an issue with being told I have to wear civilian wear mixed with uniform items. In the Marine Corps, that would have been sacrilege. I realize the Army isn’t the Marine Corps and the National Guard has to try harder to be the Army than the Army does, or something.
I refuse to wear uniform items with civilian gear. The whole uniform policy is silly. I should be able to wear whatever I want when I’m off duty. And that is part of the problem – I’m never off duty, according to my command. That’s simply unhealthy. It’s taken a toll on me over the last nine months, and I know it has taken a toll on fellow members of my unit.
If a mortar lands on me one day while I’m in the pool, you can rest assured that I will not be wearing an Army PT shirt at the time. Actually, it’s hard to go to the pool when you work as much as I do. I guess this “new and improved” uniform policy won’t be much of a problem for me.