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I the Air Force Mess Dress is mandatory for Officers and optional for enlisted. For SNCO's it becomes a defacto requirement as any SNCO showing up to an event in semi for formal is given the "crazy eye" by all the Chiefs and their SNCO peers as being "that guy."
Ii have had mine since I was a SrA and take my folk aside around that same rank and ask them if they plan on making the Air Force a career? If they are, I encourage them to invest in a mess dress. Most initially balk at the roughly $500 price tag. I ask they if they have a STAR card, which they always do, and then ask them about if they know about the clothing sales side of the card, which most don't! I then run through some basic math with them. The average Airman makes E7 in 15-18 year. Assuming they go to 4 events a year that would require mess dress (and that is generous) they would wear it only 20 times when they become retirement eligible. Now if they got it when they got a line number for E5 (4-5 years) and only wore it once a year till they became a SNCO they would get an additionally 10 wears out of it at a minimum! Be it an ALS graduation, AF ball, dining in, dining out, or order of the sword induction.
Outside of getting more wear for the buck, seeing a young SrA/SSgt with mess dress does set a positive impression on Sr Leaders. You have set yourself above your peers and visibly stand out IN A GOOD WAY!
Finally, a mess dress doesn't have to be expensive. The airman's attic gets them on a pretty regular basis and dry cleaners sell unclaimed ones for the cost of the tab!
Ii have had mine since I was a SrA and take my folk aside around that same rank and ask them if they plan on making the Air Force a career? If they are, I encourage them to invest in a mess dress. Most initially balk at the roughly $500 price tag. I ask they if they have a STAR card, which they always do, and then ask them about if they know about the clothing sales side of the card, which most don't! I then run through some basic math with them. The average Airman makes E7 in 15-18 year. Assuming they go to 4 events a year that would require mess dress (and that is generous) they would wear it only 20 times when they become retirement eligible. Now if they got it when they got a line number for E5 (4-5 years) and only wore it once a year till they became a SNCO they would get an additionally 10 wears out of it at a minimum! Be it an ALS graduation, AF ball, dining in, dining out, or order of the sword induction.
Outside of getting more wear for the buck, seeing a young SrA/SSgt with mess dress does set a positive impression on Sr Leaders. You have set yourself above your peers and visibly stand out IN A GOOD WAY!
Finally, a mess dress doesn't have to be expensive. The airman's attic gets them on a pretty regular basis and dry cleaners sell unclaimed ones for the cost of the tab!
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Uniforms
Uniforms
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 14
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If I can get back in, I will DEFINITELY purchase a set!!! I currently help out w/ the flag line for our Mid-Missouri Honor Flight & am considering purchasing the elements that I'm missing from my blues to make it an "honor guard"-type uniform (ascot, white gloves, etc).
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Have it (kinda obvious, since it's in my profile pic, lol). I did get some nice comments from senior NCOs and officers about having one and looking sharp at events.
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So I'd like some input; assuming I make SSgt next year, I was thinking about starting to piece together mess dress. Is it "too much" for a SSgt to wear? I'm big on going to formal functions when the opportunity presents itself, and I'm planning for a career. However, I can't exactly say that the female mess dress is really that flattering, and at the last Ball, it was about 70-30 for women wearing semi-formal vs. mess dress.
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
SSgt Amanda Boyd, Absolutely not! Having a mess dress especially before becoming a SNCO truly sets you apart from your peers and leaves a positive impression and a degree of commitment to the Air Force that is readily noticed. I have helped several of my troops over the years get their mess dress at the SrA/SSgt rank and got mine as a SrA.
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SGT James LeFebvre
SSgt Amanda Boyd I agree with TSgt Joshua Copeland, go for it, if you'd like to! If you go to a formal event as a SSgt, and especially now, as a SrA, you will make a very good impression on the senior leaders at the events. I had mine since I was a SPC, and I definitely stood out from my fellows.
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CMSgt (Join to see)
SSgt Amanda Boyd
Absolutely not! I think it shows initiative and dedication. If you buy it incrementally or just dig in and get one altogether, it is worth it. Use your STARCard clothing side.
I HIGHLY recommend finding the straight-cut skirt versus the A-line one. It has a much nicer silhouette to it and looks very sharp. You may have to search online for private company if Langley does not carry it or can't order it. It is 100% worth the effort! Let me know and I can message you where I got mine.
Absolutely not! I think it shows initiative and dedication. If you buy it incrementally or just dig in and get one altogether, it is worth it. Use your STARCard clothing side.
I HIGHLY recommend finding the straight-cut skirt versus the A-line one. It has a much nicer silhouette to it and looks very sharp. You may have to search online for private company if Langley does not carry it or can't order it. It is 100% worth the effort! Let me know and I can message you where I got mine.
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Nope. I'll get one later down the road... I'm too busying purchasing ABU bottoms to replace mine roughly 4 times a year, and I need new boots twice a year, plus replacing any issued gear I lost/someone took because I left it somewhere. I do intend to get it, but not yet.
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SSgt (Join to see)
TSgt Joshua Copeland they consider all staining and tears as "normal" haha. Boots, I generally get a pair a year... but these new ones are horrible for maintainers. Give me black leather boots again!
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TSgt Joshua Copeland
Pull up a copy of TA-16...it shows what the clothing allowance is designed to replace a year based on "normal" wear and tear.
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SGT Jerrold Pesz
When I was in officers (or so I was told) were required to have one but almost no one else did unless their job required it.
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