Army.mil says that Gentleman’s Quarterly is impressed with your sense of style, or rather the sense of style at Natick Labs that outfits you. So, then, why is the Army trying to stealing Marpats?
In an article entitled “Natick, Massachusetts: America’s Fashion Capital,” the venerable men’s fashion and style magazine states its case for the home of everything U.S. service members wear.
“If America has made any lasting contribution to men’s style, its (sic) utility: functional clothing,” GQ wrote in a story posted to its website, Sept. 18. “And no one issues a louder clarion call for ‘function’ than the five-pointed Department of Defense.”
From GQ:
From that brassy, hierarchical order of military men and women, we’ve inherited the combat boot, the fatigue shirt, the camouflage print and the campaign desk–all items worthy of veneration. We also got the T-shirt, popularized after the Spanish American War (1898).
The Army.mil article says;
Annette LaFleur, team leader of the Design, Pattern & Prototype Team at Natick, Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, said that military clothing should be functional first but also have that ‘cool factor.’
Yeah, “cool factor” that’s what keeps us in uniform.
I’ll admit, I wore Multicam shorts everyday this summer, but just because the Army said the rest of y’all couldn’t wear Multicam in CONUS (I have a problem with authority, if you haven’t noticed). I wear some Converse desert combat boots because, for some reason, they’re the only shoes that I can wear without a brace to compensate for my “drop foot” which makes me trip over my toes. I haven’t, however, felt the need to get a Multicam blouse, parka or field jacket. I guess my “cool” threshold is lower than most.
Yeah. We all enlisted because the clothing was so chic and we all secretly hoped to be featured in GQ or Vogue. Or something.
God knows that bellbottom dungarees with “mom jeans” pockets on them are so “fashion forward”…
Thanks Jonn. I have no/zero/nil idea what Multicam is. I’m still struggling with what The Navy is doing.
Aside: My Navy seems to have picked a uniform that vanishes if you go over board?
Still, although I haven’t seen you this year… You in shorts does make my day.
What the hell ever happened to good ol’ sateens? Nothing looked better than starched sateen utilities, starched cover and a pair of spit shined boots. When I went through recruit training I think we were one of the last groups to be issued them. We also didn’t get “trops” the khaki uniform like my brother and older cousins wore. Too bad.
Camo was not standard issue in the ’70s. We had those really cool one color olive drab fatigues that made everyone look like Mike the Mechanic…no cool camo covers, just a sh1tty olive drab baseball cap and big black BCGs as standard issue.
I do still have my last boots from 30 years ago, they are still functional and I wear them occassionally…all nice and black and shiny still…that way the enemy can see your nice shiny feet a mile away…
Cool is not what comes to mind when I look at my military clothing, functional and efficient maybe…but not really “cool”.
“So, then, why is the Army trying to stealing Marpats?”
Natick developed MARPAT..as well as CADPAT. Both were developed by an Army LtCol (also a PhD in Optics)at Natick.
I have been very disappointed that the Navy dropped the light blues (see my photo) for summer wear.
Wait so does that mean that I’m supposed to be wearing my dixie cup around as a fashion statement??
Josh–only if you wear it like Steve McQueen did in The Sand Pebbles. But one actually kinda cool thing that doesn’t seem to be done any more is “liberty piping” or “liberty cuffs” on dress blues.
“So, then, why is the Army trying to stealing Marpats?”
Hell I’d steal your socks if it means I don’t have to wear the 70’s couch pattern otherwise known as ACUs.
Hell it’s why I served. the clothes. the hair.
I wanted sexy and had no idea how to get it….the Army. they taught it to me. Now I can’t keep the chicks off me.
I assume it wasn’t Natick that gave the Army their hideous new class A and B uniforms, though. That was clearly the work of some drunken psychopath who worked night and day to make an ugly uniform (the Army blues) even uglier, and at the same time, eliminate the only unique and distinctive feature of US Army uniforms that the other services envied (I’m talking of course about the SSI or shoulder patch.)
As for camo patterns, I’m a big fan of the 3 color desert pattern we used from the end of Desert Storm until the arrival of the ACU circa 2005. I know all the young kids are into their digital whatevers but that 3 color desert pattern will always be my favorite.
Zero – here ya go.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/MultiCam-trans.jpg
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Jonn, O-4E: the last time I checked, the Federal government owns MARPAT, since it was developed with Federal money. If the SECDEF wants to direct the Navy and USMC to allow DoD-wide use, it’s within his authority to do exactly that. If I wee CSA and/or SECARMY and thought MARPAT was the best choice, I’d be pressing for exactly that. And I’d let the Navy and USMC explain just why the USMC “looking cool and unique” was more important than saving Soldiers’ lives.
I’m not holding my breath, though. The Army seems to love changing uniforms every few years for no clear reason.
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martinjmpr: apparently you’re not alone in your opinion of the ASU. And the Army may already be thinking of dumping it (full details behind a paywall, unfortunately):
http://www.armytimes.com/prime/2012/09/army-prime-plans-uniform-changes-soldier-input-092412w/
I don’t believe the ASU is yet mandatory for all USAR and ARNG. I wonder if the Army has ever shitcanned a uniform before it’s been fully issued before?
Uniform Boards: Proof that some people really shouldn’t be retained in any capacity….
Ahhh. Uniforms. We have a regular museum of Air Force uniforms, from the early 60’s through the mid-2000’s. Including a set of tiger-striped fatigues from back in the day when I was briefly authorized to wear them for training. Thought I would wear out several uniforms taking leather name patches on and off, then on and off the fatigues.
The one thing missing is any of the desert cammies. We never were issued any of those. Of course, our BDU’s were faded to nearly tan by the time we got home from DS/DS/
DS.
The only time uniform standards made any sense to me was some time during the 80’s when the dress or utility or whatever each of the services called it – the shirts were all the same in different colors for the Corps, Army, and USAF – brown, green, and blue respectively. Even fatigue uniforms were the same for a couple of years there – with rank and name/service different among the services.
This particular battle has been raging as long as there have been military services. No reason to think it will abate.