Quote:
Originally Posted by Stealhead
He is the one that came up with those silly name patches the uniform stuff right?I came in on the tail end of that nonsense lucky for me my job did not require me to wear blues very often.
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Given your second sentence, you probably don't have a very good idea of what was since, you did not wear blues very often, this would impact you the hardest. Pull up a chair fellow airmen, let me tell you a tale of stupidty that can only be hatched by our nations glorious aeronautic service. You honestly, could not make this stuff up.
In the beginning was the plan... err i mean, your standard BDU's, with rank on the sleeves, name tape, usaf tape, wing patch, command patch, etc etc. For some people the number of patch's sewn onto their uniform rivaled even a boy scouts. This, i shall name, Uniform number 1.
Then came General McPeak, and he went unto the AF and said, we're going for simplicity! So off came ALL the patchs. Yup, all of em. No more rank, no more wing or command patch's, not even a United States Air Force. In their place, was a crew patch, that had your name, your rank, USAF. It was affixed onto your BDU's directly above your left breast pocket via velcro. (great fun for practical jokes) The idea, as i recall was to save on uniform costs. (keep this in the back of your mind) This ensemble I shall name Uniform Number 2.
Then the pencil pushers at CBPO's everywhere went unto McPeak and said, this sucks, we can't use the pen holders in our pockets because the crew patch gets in the way! The officers too were all unhappy. For nobody could tell their rank! Officers weren't getting saluted! This simply will not do! Then, the almighty powers that be, said, unto us poor plebians tending the fields, thou shalt now wear your rank upon they sleeve again, thine crew patch shall now be 1/2 inch above your left breast pocket. Thou of the guilded cast, shall now affix thine shiny adornments upon thy hats. The officers were again being saluted, Senior NCO's again had difficulty rolling up their sleeves, and nearly all of us were mocking the "save uniform costs" rational for the change that started it all. This I shall name Uniform number 3.
So to recap, during this time period, we, as field sloggers who wore BDU's every day, had no uniformity at all, and hence, no real uniform. We had in any open ranks inspection anywhere:
- Old style bdu's
- singe crew patch directly above left breast pocket
- crew patch 1/2 " above pocket, and rank on sleeves.
In the end, guess what happened? If you guessed that the next cheif of staff came in and said, "this is a pile of excrement and it stinks, everyone back to the old uniforms!" then you are correct.
Ahh yes, I remember when I enlisted. I was the VERY LAST flight in the 3201st BMTS. While I was in basic, it was renamed to the 321st BMTS. Infact, everywhere i went, 4 digit squadron numbers were becoming 3 digit squadron numbers, buck sargeants still existed but wereso rare, so to be an oddity, I saw dudes with ICBM badges still, but they too were an oddity, AFSC's were being combined and renamed, and EVERYWHERE i went, i heard, "beware the new air force".