Blues on Monday

[Bender]

Why not do away with blues until we have a vast majority of our forces out of Afghanistan? That way people do not forget a lot of folks are still hacking the mission abroad. I think this was done during the SECDEF Rumsfeld era.

So you think someone that forgets such a thing would be persuaded by such a tactic? I think something much grander may be required.

I'm actually with Beckley on this one. Although, if you're on standby to fly, or even have crew rest to fly...you're in your flight suit. Although, this "policy" sounds like a pain in my ass and I change my mind. If it's a uniform, you wear it when it's appropriate and you wear what you want when the choice is up to you. Sounds good.

Bendy

Edited August 13, 2014 by Bender

[disgruntledemployee]

Or how about this radical idea. If you like blues, then wear them without being told, directed, or ordered by some random day of the week, month, or period.

Oh wait, that's what Bendy kinda said.

Me, if its an office day, I wear the flight suit as I like feeling fire resistant...never know when one may need to egress the building because its on fire. There, I'm more safe in the flight suit than the polyester types.

Out

[Guest ThatGuy]

All the services will be sporting tiger striped ABU's and blues by 2018. Learn to embrace the uniform mandate for all branches of the military by way of our political leaders. I'm kidding but that would be wrong on so many levels.

[HU&W]

So this is probably going to get me flamed but here it goes:

I never understand the animosity towards wearing blues if you're in an office environment. IMO if you work in shops like Wg/Staff, finance, MPF, and other back offices that never require and manual labor or getting dirty then there's no reason to wear a utility uniform. If you get the uniform fit correctly and tailored, it's not uncomfortable. I know a lot of the civilian business landscape has changed WRT to wearing a suit and tie to work (ie Mad Men) but that doesn't mean that the military needs to have everybody wear a utility uniform to make them feel like a warrior. If you're job is a support organization that is in an office environment, you should look like it.

Granted supervisors that require blind adherence to the "blues on a day" policy take it way too far when they require personnel like CE, cops, MX etc to change when they post or perform duties that actually require a utility uniform. Policies like that are retarded. Wearing an office uniform if your job is in the office seems like common sense.

Flame away.

Sorry, I won't flame since I agree. This is how it was when I came in (enlisted comm at the time). I wore blues unless I was doing work that required getting dirty, which was about half the time. Everyone in the legal office, the MPF, finance, and the med group (except nurses and IDT's who seemed to only wear BDU pants and a black shirt for some reason) wore blues all the time. MX, except senior enlisted leadership and officers, got dirty so they wore BDU's. Then we started having BDU Fridays. Then we all started wearing BDU's all the time when Gen Jumper wanted us all to have combat awareness since we were all warriors. It was around that time that creases and polish started being emphasized on BDU's even when you had just been performing hard manual labor. In fact, there seemed to be a little bit of a shift from mission focus to uniform appearance focus around that time.

Like I said, I agree. Wear what makes sense for the job that you're doing when homestation. Have your uniform right, whatever uniform that is, and focus on the mission.

Edited August 13, 2014 by HU&W

[Vito]

For some historical perspective concerning the wearing of blues. I'm an old guy who just retired in April after 28 years. When I went to UPT the standard wash-out rate was 50%. When a student washed-out He was told to "show up tomorrow in your blues" We would see students around the flight rooms walking around in their blues doing all kinds of jobs like snacko-re-stocking, etc etc. Therefore, from my perspective, the wearing of blues was a mark of shame that was used at UPT like a "scarlet letter". I'm sure most pilots from my era think the same way too. In 28 years as a pilot I Never wore my blues, ever...My Reserve squadron never enforced the blues monday policy, although the SQ/CC, DO always abided by the Blues Monday rule.

Just my two cents.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Vito

[BitteEinBit]

Amazing! Just 5 short years ago these threads go from "I'm going to quit because of Blues Monday" to today when blues Monday virtually doesn't exist anymore and now it is "I think its ok to wear blues every once in a while" (ie one day a week). We must have had some recent promotions, new school graduates among our posters :) (I keed I keed)

The blues today compared to when I initially joined the service several years ago are much more comfortable. I don't mind wearing the blues...and honestly didn't mind it when blues Monday was in effect. I just chose to fly on those days. As stated above, have your uniform right whatever that uniform is for the day. If we keep bitching about blues, they'll keep using blues as a punishment. Lets just hope next year's uniform change won't go back to those uncomfortable wool blues pants that smell ass when it rained. ...or maybe I just smelled like ass.

[Champ Kind]

Incredible.

[gucci]

So this is probably going to get me flamed but here it goes:

I never understand the animosity towards wearing blues if you're in an office environment. IMO if you work in shops like Wg/Staff, finance, MPF, and other back offices that never require and manual labor or getting dirty then there's no reason to wear a utility uniform. If you get the uniform fit correctly and tailored, it's not uncomfortable. I know a lot of the civilian business landscape has changed WRT to wearing a suit and tie to work (ie Mad Men) but that doesn't mean that the military needs to have everybody wear a utility uniform to make them feel like a warrior. If you're job is a support organization that is in an office environment, you should look like it.

Granted supervisors that require blind adherence to the "blues on a day" policy take it way too far when they require personnel like CE, cops, MX etc to change when they post or perform duties that actually require a utility uniform. Policies like that are retarded. Wearing an office uniform if your job is in the office seems like common sense.

Flame away.

Funny thing is, it is only the 305th wing at WRI doing it. So finance, MPF, and other back offices that require manual labor are exempt.

[FUEL]

It's a leadership problem now with the complete aversion to them. First because of the "mandatory" factor. Second because they are polyester. I'm never going to feel like Don Draper in that shit blue thing in my closet. You can't make blues cool right now. If you redesign them (again), you have lost mission focus, especially in the current budget environment. The one thing good about that redesign was there was going to be a Brooks Brothers wool option. And I guess the Hap Arnhold version would make us not look like bus drivers, but burn that star trek version. As of now, let it be... we've got bigger shit to deal with and we can't afford any more morale hits.

[Guest]

When the Commander's Review is initiated at UPT (or in my experience, URT), ARMS immediately yanks the student's flight orders. Not on flying status=no flight duty uniform. The washout wears what the other casual Lts wear, which may be ABUs or Blues.

[17D_guy]

...but burn that star trek version...

Sigh.. it was the "Billy Mitchell" version.