Now that the Air Force is switching over to the OCP/Multicam, why don’t they adopt more of the standards from AR670-1?

2018-01-05T02:02:11-05:00

At this point why not use what another service has already established. I know there are differences between branches however in terms of uniforms, once the Air Force fully phases ABUs a soldier and an airman will look almost identical. One major thing I don’t understand is why the Air Force doesn’t put rank on headgear.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 5 at 2018 2:07 AM

2018-01-05T02:07:57-05:00

The Air Force is the youngest branch, I figure they're just trying to keep things unique to themselves. Then again the Army changes its uniforms all the damn time so... Who's to say? Your officers put their rank on their headgear right?

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 29 at 2018 1:41 PM

2018-01-29T13:41:25-05:00

Honestly, the whole discussion around AF adopting OCP/Multicam has transformed over the years. I once heard that we would be using Army ACUs in the future. Basically what I'm saying is that I won't believe anything until they're issued to me. When I was deployed in AFCENT, we had pretty clear instructions on how to wear OCPs. I didn't like that we were not authorized to wear the newer tees /socks but instead were forced to use the older sand tees and green socks. It's definitely a superior uniform. The ABU has been a major failure and honestly I can't get them to fit right!

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Mar 2 at 2018 1:00 PM

2018-03-02T13:00:11-05:00

Maybe because headgear isn't authorized on the flight line?

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Mar 24 at 2018 11:38 PM

2018-03-24T23:38:37-04:00

;0)

Response by TSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 31 at 2018 2:34 PM

2018-03-31T14:34:23-04:00

It's a tradition that began with the introduction of the overseas cap in WW1. Officers wore rank insignias and enlisted didn't. Prior to that in the Spanish America war period, officer's usually wore the US Seal on their hats, and enlisted wore regimental and branch markings.

In general, the Air Force maintained the traditional display of rank when we separated from the Army, and the Army radically altered it in the late 50s.

Now that we seem to be adopting the Army's stupid chest rank, I guess it doesn't make much sense to stand on tradition, but I still think chevrons look dumb when they're not on sleeves.

Response by Sgt Jimmy Taylor made Jan 30 at 2019 6:54 PM

2019-01-30T18:54:44-05:00

We wore the exact same uniform for decades, the BDU.