Army Commander requires troops to wear ACUs with no badges/combat patches?

I agree....BAD IDEA. Maybe because I have cool guy badges but still I think bad Idea.
As a private, I was inspired to attend schools and Looked up to my leaders BECAUSE of them. This guy is AIRBORNE, that guy has a CIB, WOW that guy has an EIB....That Medic knows his stuff...Look a CMB or a EFMB...

It is a good thing for young troops to aspire to the EIB or the Jump Wings or the Oft Coveted Bullwinkle Badge. It has worked since before World War Two...don't fix what ain't broken

If you really want to put everyone on an equal footing have them remove their rank.

The fact of the matter is that while were all one team, we are not all on equal footing. Soldiers earned those combat patches and they should be encouraged to wear them. Acknowledging someones accomplishments doesn't lessen my own. I don't think this is a good idea.

He won't be a commander for long.. Soldiers have earned those, who do he think he is to change the Reg.??

This commander should be happy that he is in the Army and not the Air Force... His order would be illegal in the AF (to a certain degree anyway). By Air Force Regulations, Chaplain, and all flight wings WILL BE WORN. All others are optional. I miss my combat patch from my old Army days....and I was pretty sore about having to take it off (and still am to a certain degree) when I joined the AF. I found a loophole when I deployed to Afghanistan....I wore ACU/FRACU.... it is an ARMY uniform that I had to apply an AF Tape to.... but because it was an Army Uniform, I was able to wear my Combat Patch again from Desert Storm!

I think that if a soldier has combat unit insignia That I think that z

That's fantastic! I respect the idea behind it and I find this funny because I posted a similar topic not long ago. I personally don't think we should wear it in our combat uniform. Only in our dress blues. If someone needs to know your accomplishments they could, oh I don't know, maybe talk to you?!

There have been several responses stating that this was a "PC" move on his part. I disagree somewhat; I believe that it's less about sparing feelings of new soldiers and more about reminding those with tabs/badges/patches that they can't just rest on their laurels. You might be an Airborne Ranger Sniper Expert Infantryman... that's awesome, but what are you doing TODAY to earn the respect of your subordinates and peers?

Also, from my understanding, this is only for wear in the field.

i got messed up in basic, but honestly, i have to say this, this guy has a great idea, they are letting the enemy into our military, the less you show where you have been, the less of a target you will be, and honestly, the more valued troops know each other, and thats what counts. showing all that on your sleeves, yes, it's a badge of honor, but it can also be a target painted on you, and i see where this man is coming from. just putting on the uniform is really a target, but even more so with the more medals you have, as they think some really weird stuff, along with the fact that hey, if you were a sniper, and you took out the enemy colonel, what kind of congratulations would you receive from your peers? think about it.

I've missed whatever point he was trying to make. So do I wear all my gear in my DA photo? What about promotion boards? I can see him making this a personal choice, but I disagree with the unilateral decisions. It's within his rights, of course, but this choice seems arbitrary and personal.

I did always think that a Soldier's uniform looked a bit like that of a North Korean General's! :)

I think it's a great idea. Ditch the badges and tabs except on dress uniform. Your ERB/ORB has all that stuff on it. Too many tab chasers and arrogant idiots out there that think that is all that is important. Marine corps have the right idea, except for the wings and bubble (however most don't even wear them.) lay low and be professional, let their work show who they really are, no a bunch of "I completed an army school" flash

So...if you had all those badges sewn onto all your uniforms, is the Colonel paying to have the stuff put back on if you have to take it off with a seam ripper or is he going to go with the usual "clothing allowance" justification? Not to mention you are going to see where the badges used to be at on the uniform due to fading and where the stitches were (Remember BDU's when you changed unit patches?) I don't have any special skill badges, but this idea seems ridiculous. Just because someone is a commander, they don't have to "create a legacy."

Everywhere I have been, the field/training was just like a deployment, only the cadre wore their love me badges. Everyone else was basically sterile

Commanders can do whatever they want. I don't mean that in a derogatory manner, it's just true. I've never been under two different commands where things have ever been the same. It's how they distinguish themselves form others.

I see pro and con to both sides of this.

I can see where the new troops would look to the experienced members for guidance. I can also see where the CO wants to emphasize character as much as "back in the day" stuff.

I've seen more seasoned troops get complacent using their past achievements to carry them through. I've also seen untested troops straight from training units run circles around the "old guys" when it comes to newer technology and/or tactics.

Training this month, means that the less experience soldiers learn from the more experience soldiers, so now no one can tell who has the experience. Looks like the CO lacks experience too.

I have mixed feelings about this issue . . . .

In my previous unit (an infantry company), I didn't wear any of my badges on my uniform because I thought it was a hassle to put them on and because I didn't like the attitude certain badge hunters had. I put them on only once -- at a family function when we were getting ready to deploy, because I wanted to reassure the soldiers' loved ones that the soldiers were in experienced and capable hands.

However, when I did an interstate transfer to another unit (a military police company), I decided to go ahead and put them on. And, I found that I didn't have to prove myself all over again. People saw that I'd served overseas and that I'd seen combat. And, they knew where I stood in terms of tactical and technical expertise. Sometimes, I'd get deferred to. Sometimes, I'd get assigned additional training tasks. But, they had a better idea of what they had (me and others) as resources amongst the NCO Corps.

I can understand why a commander might want to limit the wearing of badges if we're talking about the former issue -- the attitude that certain badge hunters have. And, he probably can't put it quite like that. However, the rationale that he used to explain his decision is a bit weak.

At this point, we've been deployed overseas quite a bit and everyone has had the chance to go on a deployment. And, if you haven't gone on one, I think that says something. So, I don't think the opinion of someone who has stayed home every time the unit was deployed should be given the same weight as the opinion of someone who has been overseas several time. And, the sanitized uniform does that -- putting everyone into a level of equal obscurity.

I don't ever wear badges or anything in the field, but for something that I earned, if in Garrison, I want to wear it. But it is ultimately the CDR's call. The whole welcoming new blood thing is bit stupid to me, I remember coming in and seeing the badges and tabs my NCOs wore. I was thinking, "One day, I'll earn that."

A bit more like the USMC approach to uniforms. All for the team, less about "me."

It probably also makes starting conversations just a bit more difficult....

BS, you earn those patches you wear them. Regardless of what some crazed CDR says, it’s a shame the CDR tries to take away the the honors and privileges a Soldier has earned.