Posted on Dec 14, 2013
As enlisted, how do you go about correcting officers and those more senior about uniform appearance?
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As a NCO, I found myself correcting officers, young soldiers and peers on basic uniform wear and appearance. While the younger troops where more willing to fix themselves, those that outranked me, mostly officers, had an issue with it. I am tactful, for the most part. So, my questions are: 1. If you are an officer, do you know what the regulations are for wear and appearance of the uniform you and your Soldiers wear? If so, have you ever corrected your peers? And for my enlisted folks, do you correct other Soldiers, regardless of their rank, tactfully? Why or why not?
Officers
Enlisted
Uniforms
DA Pam 670-1
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 71
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I am usually living out of a suitcase so I appreciate someone pointing out that my collar is acting up or I have a shoulder patch gone rogue. It really doesn't matter who points it out - but the HOW totally matters. <div><br></div><div>Comments that rub me the wrong way are anything along the lines of asking if I am aware of the regs (your question: "<span style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px;"> If you are an officer, do you know what the regulations are for wear and appearance of the uniform?"). You may think you are being tactful, but there is no possible way to "tactfully" imply that a) I don't know the regs and b) I am intentionally trailing a boot lace as some form of fashion statement. <br></span></div><div><span style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 12px;"><br></span></div><div><font color="#4d4d4d"><span style="font-size: 12px;">If you approach people (rank immaterial) with the idea that whatever is wrong is an honest mistake, and that your assistance in correcting the issue will be welcome, you will probably get a better reaction.</span></font></div>
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MAJ (Join to see)
Totally agree with you it is about how you are approached. If I am out and a patch has come off my uniform or the infamous bootlace I would want someone to point it out. Something like "Hey Sir your bootlace has slipped out" is not only appropriate but appreciated.
On the other hand if you come up to me and I don't know you and starts to question if I understand the regs I will probably stomp a mud hole in them.
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MAJ (Join to see)
Every time an NCO corrects me, which isn't often, they are very respectful, and they approach it from a position of honest correction. The only time someone didn't do this, it was a SGM. He came up to me, and he said, "You know your glasses are out of regulation, right Sir?" I said, "Well, obviously I don't. How so?" His response: "They sides are blue and faddish." So, I looked up the regulation, and while his knowledge of the regulation is correct, his application was wrong. So I went back to him, and we had a nice discussion (not being sarcastic) about how to approach someone because every once in a while, you may be wrong.
That was my only negative experience.
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Lt Col (Join to see)
So, are you following all the customs and courtesies when you correct an officer? Coming to attention, standing at parade rest, requesting to be dismissed?
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SSG Bradley Clark
Made a quiet subdued correction on a O4 during in processing one time. Noticed his rank was on both collars. Thought maybe sewing shop messed up. Didn’t want to embarrass him so I caught him outside and told him. He got a great big smile on his face and so as not to embarrass me he quietly said “then I guess they really screwed up when they sewed US AIR FORCE on my shirt”. Yes I was embarrassed but he was ok and took it with good humor. The. moral is make sure you are right and don’t do it for the sake of embarrassment
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Officers who have an issue with fixing themselves with regard to the wear and appearance of their uniform probably need an attituted adjustment. I know the regs and have corrected my peers, individuals who outrank me (once a TAC Officer when I was in OCS and I'll admit that was a little terrifying, but he took it well) and my Soldiers. If approached tactfully, usually everyone appreciate the correction. I know a lot of LTs, however, who wouldn't take it well if an NCO tried to correct them... that's the wrong answer. If I accidentally have something wonky going on with my unifrom and a PV2 points it out, I'm happy to fix it and respect their willingness to correct me.
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SFC (Join to see)
The biggest offenders of this reg that I have witnessed is Special Forces. I constantly see them out in public with sunglasses on top of their head, hands in pockets, and berets hanging out of their cargo pockets. It's unprofessional and wrong when it can be observed by younger enlisted especially with a huge military community.
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LTC (Join to see)
SFC Ressler has it correct. There are people who want to do there own thing but its counter intuitive to a Uniform Policy. Generally anything that you and your team or squad do that makes you look different (Stand Out) should be avoided in the Army.
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SGT (Join to see)
SFC R,
If I remember there's a whole thread on RP on the topic of SF and their policy exemptions when it comes to uniform. One individual posted something (I wish I didn't have the memory of a gold fish and could remember this better) along the lines that SF exemptions are not as much about trying to look "cool" as they are used for survival.
Soldiers have distinct mannerisms. The way they walk, talk, carry themselves, the whole military bearing aspect of being a soldier. From what this individual was saying SF intentionally and deliberately tries to break their operators of this, as it can be detrimental when they are deployed. Their goal is to blend into their environment and local population as best as possible, and I can see that being unnecessarily complicated if they still have the muscle memory and "instincts" a regular army soldier has like snapping to parade rest.
But then again I'm just a guy who has absolutely zero experience in the spec ops side of the house, and I'm just parroting what I've heard another guy say that made sense to me.
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So this morning while waiting for a weigh in and PT I had my hands in the pockets of my PT pants. 1SG came up and said, "Are your hands cold sir?" <div><br></div><div>"Negative 1SG" was all I could say as I took my hands out of my pockets. I was wrong, nothing more to say about that.</div><div><br></div><div>I've heard others use the term "victim-less crime" when it comes to enforcing standards they don't like (a big one is use of tobacco in buildings which is covered in AR 600-63), but if you're sending the wrong message, it's not a victim-less crime.</div>
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SSgt (Join to see)
Amen to that and I am thankful you were not above being corrected and when subordinates see that, they remember it and peers and supervisors will take heed.
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SPC David Willis
Regs stipulate you can have your hands in your pockets if you're retrieving something from them. If that something is warmth, well...
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