As somebody who's received two sets of stripes (one from M&H and one from my company), I've never seen instructions on which direction they should face. Sounds like the CKA had a bug up his you-know-where.
I seem to be one of the few pilots who wears the full uniform, and even I don't wear the full uniform. The hat comes with me on all trips, and I actually wear it. However, I do not put my brass on my shirt while wearing the summer uniform. The brass that CHQ wants on our shirts is the same brass that they want on our jackets, and I'm not putting holes that big in my shirt.
Show me five pilots, and I'll show you five different ways to wear the same uniform.