wingnutC-17

Schwartz orders airmen in blue on Mondays

By Erik Holmes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Sep 5, 2008 12:50:23 EDT

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz is requiring most airmen to wear their service dress uniforms every Monday beginning Sept. 8, according to a Sept. 4 memo he sent to all service members.

Airmen had been allowed — and later required — to wear their airman battle uniforms, battle dress uniforms or flight suits to the office.

The policy change came out of an Aug. 27 leadership summit convened by Schwartz and acting Secretary Michael Donley at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

“Post-9/11, we’ve moved away from our blue uniforms almost altogether and have transformed into an Air Force that wears our utility uniform on a daily basis,” Schwartz said in the memo. “During our recent 4-star summit, we had several discussions concerning our uniforms ... [and] we all agreed that part of our image, culture and professionalism is instilled in our blues.”

The policy will not apply to all airmen. For some career fields — presumably in messy jobs such as maintenance and for personnel who often work outdoors, such as security forces — wearing blues won’t make sense. Pilots will wear dress blues on Mondays when they are not flying.
The decisions on who will continue to wear ABUs and BDUs on Mondays will be left up to base commanders.

The current practice of airmen wearing ABUs and BDUs almost all the time originated under Gen. John Jumper, the chief of staff at the time of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Then, in summer 2003, Jumper directed that airmen begin to return to service dress as the uniform of the day. But Gen. T. Michael Moseley reversed that decision when he became chief of staff in late 2005, arguing that the nation was still at war and that airmen should dress like it.

He said at the time that his decision was closely related to his effort to instill a “war-fighting ethos” in Air Force culture, one of his main priorities as chief.


To read more about the reasons behind the policy change, pick up a copy of Air Force Times’ Sept, 15 issue, on newsstands beginning Monday.


Yes!!!!!

c17heavy

No flippin way. This HAS to be a hoax.

c17heavy

Nevermind, I spoke way too soon. Just got the email...

"OG


Per Col XXX, if you are not a player supporting the MOBEX or have another flying or utility responsibility this Monday you are required to be in Blues.

More guidance to come later on future Mondays."


****

USMCFLYR

The Marines have gone through this a few times in the past. Must be in cammies or Charlies if not flying, no flight suits through the gates, etc....
It usually passes over but with this level of backing you guys will have to see.
I like the thought process that said "we are a country at war and should dress like it..." and now a change while we are still at war. Is this just further proof that we have forgotten that there is still a war to be waged or have we grown tired of this conflict as a public and now a military?

USMCFLYR

dannolars

Classic, the uniform supplier must be low on cash. Anyone know if this applies to the Reserves? I assume not, but I am not going to hold my breath.

On the flip side, I bet the Monday locals fill up faster...

Slice

Simply amazing. This is what happens when the combat side of wartime air ops is slow...I guess the crap in Balad was only the beginning.

Clue32

I've been commissioned in the Army for seven years. In that time I've worn my Green Service uniform... lets see... seven times. Zero times in at least the last two years. I've got to wonder why we even have it sometimes. Now that we are getting a new Blue service uniform I can imagine our leadership will pull some sort of stunt to get us to wear it more often. I'm hoping that I'll never have to wear it before I'm out in April '10.

dannolars

What crap in Balad? I thought places down range would be immune to this sort of garbage. ***?

Slice

PT gear Nazi's for starters. God forbid you didn't have your t-shirt tucked into your shorts... Then there was the in-brief given weekly that I couldn't attend since I had been flying every time it was given. A few of us were threatened about not being sent home on time without it. So, yes, I got my in-brief the day before I left the base for good. Un-****ing real.

dannolars

That sucks. The PT Nazi's hit us up at the Died as well. Make sure your socks are white ankle socks or watch out. People take this stuff way too seriously, and the stuff that matters most, not serious enough.