Best Uniform "Fail" you have had?

Not sure if this really counts, but in Infantry OSUT we were getting in formation at a shower point in just our towels and some people were moving to slowly.

There is our unit...minus stragglers...doing Mountain Climbers in towels and flip flops. Lets just say that probably would not go over every well in today's Army.

I talked my way out of class one day while attending AIT at Ft. Huachuca back in 1990. Me and a few of my classmates wandered over to the "permanent party" side of post and I found myself in the clothing sales store. I saw a rack of brimmed felt caps (bus driver caps) and decided to try one on because I had always wanted one for my class A uniform. As I was admiring myself in the mirror, a LTC walked up to me, looked at me, shook his head and said "someday private, someday..." I was a little confused until I looked at the cap a little more closely. I had been standing in the MCSS, happily wearing a brimmed felt cap with "scrambled eggs" on the brim. These hats are generally reserved for the use of field grade officers, and had I known that at the time, I would have thought twice about trying it on. Postscript: the LTC called the schoolhouse and told on me, so I got in trouble later that day.

There's a few that were EPIC. We had a dress white inspection at Port Hueneme. One officer forgot his gloves. So we had him take his socks off and put them on his hands. He escaped that one.

The best one was we had a blues inspection out on Treasure Island on a Sunday. The Regimental Commander forgot his tie and there were none to be had. Well, the Skipper came out wearing a tie. However the Ensign at the end of the line had a black sock stapled to his shirt. The Skipper complemented him on his outstanding uniform.

Another blues inspection at the hospital at Camp Pendleton always has a mash up of doctors who just never really got into the uniform thing. We had a senior shrink who came out in blues with a bow tie and wearing a women's beret because it looked European. Takes all types I guess.

I re-enlisted in 2010. When I left we were wearing BDU's Black boots and everything was sew on. Upon my return I have these crappy ACU's with Velcro everything. So Needless to say i had everything on wrong. Had my name tapes swapped and my patches swapped. Walked around Half a day like that before I had a Private in my unit finally point it out.I had the uniform facing me instead of me looking over the shoulders.

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I have seen more than one soldier show up to a formation in the rain wearing the blue boots that were indicative of Future floor polish to "improve the shine". A few nights of remedial training on the wear and care of military issue clothing usually straightened them out.

I had a pair of black jungle boots that were shined to perfection. I could read my name tapes when looking down. I thought it would be a good idea to wear these boots to do a lube order on my truck. I dropped a big handful of grease on the right toe. Ended up throwing those boots away that night.

I don't have a fail to contribute, but I just wanted to comment on the picture. When I was a cadet at New Mexico Military Institute in 2001, I got pranked by having my BDU boots (which had just been cleaned as we had just returned from field exercises) stolen by others in my troop. A week later, I got them back (the evening before we were to be in BDUs again), thoroughly coated with white polish. They were impossible to recover. I couldn't help but think of that when I saw the photo.

One time as a young and upcoming E2, I was volunteered for a mandatory wing fun run at 0600 sharp. It didn't seem to bother them that I was currently on Swing shift, and got home from work around midnight most nights. 0500 rolls around, 5 hours after I get home, and I'm searching for my AFPT shorts and shirt, bleary eyed and still mostly asleep, I walk to formation looking for my squadron, probably walk past 150, 200 people, before a nice lady pulls me aside and tells me to fix my shirt. I look down, and see the giant reflective AF wings pointing straight out from my chest, not my back like they're supposed to. Woops.

Another time, in NCO PME, we had Blues inspection. I'm quite meticulous about my blues, since I have an Akita-inu that sheds hair like none other. I quadruple check myself, avoid touching anything, and make it out of the house spotless, and make it to formation. The instructor inspects from the front, and everything is dress-right pristine. As they're making their way behind me to the next row of students, I hear "What the Hell happened to your ass? Were you attacked by a cat?"
Guess who forgot to lint roll the truck seat before sitting down in his blues?

I spent 6 years active duty Navy. I got out and transferred over to the Air National Guard. Well, the color of the PT shorts are exactly the same. I thought I had stored all my Navy uniform items before leaving for Tech school. I had an Early morning PT session and I was leading it that day. Needless to say I was getting chuckles and laughs while I was doing the stretches and warm-up. It was not until after we were done when one of my fellow Staff Sergeant's came up to and asked why I was sporting Navy shorts.....

When I was in the Marine Corps, circa 1990-91 or so, our unit spent a few days at Camp Smith, NY for a ceremony there. When we traveled, sometimes we wore cammies. I was a "spit-shine virtuoso" back in those days, maybe we all were. Well, my company First Sergeant had his boots brush-shined and they looked pretty decent. I decided to pull a prank on him. I snuck into the Staff NCO bay, stole ONE of his boots, spit shined that baby until it glowed like the sun, and put it back where I found it, next to the brush-shined boot. The next day, somehow, he knew exactly who had performed this act. I still feel the burn from the ass chewing I got 25 years ago. His other boot looked just as good as the first one before we left that base, I guarantee you. I never tried that trick again. But in hind sight,,,,, it was worth it.