Posted on Apr 6, 2014
SGM Matthew Quick
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Aside from line units or motor pools (or any other physical-type duty), should the Army move to a more professional uniform for daily duties?

If we're truly trying to more to a more professional looking group, (hairstyles, tattoos, etc.) why not go to the Class B/Tropical uniform on a daily basis?
Posted in these groups: 4276e14c Uniforms
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SSG Instructor
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I say yes because its good to wear and a good way to learn to be professional. However, I think it should be for Corps & Division units. At the BDE level it should be for staff elements and the S shops. For the infantry battalions along with the support battalions, it should be approached the same way payday activities are performed, once a month.
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SSG Genaro Negrete
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After reading through most of these comments, it seems to boil down to two things, cost and funcitonality. I like the look but have always considered the uniform to be something that was designed for a soldier to look good in ONLY while standing at attention. This won't be too much of an issue with jobs that merely require manning a desk or attending meetings. So to have the Class B uniform for these soldiers is a great idea. It falls in line with the corporate structre some parts of the military are trying to cheange into in an effort to stream line operations.


 


The fact is there will always be units that need to be in ACU's to do daily tasks. At some units, payday activites often involve wearing the full class A uniform. Maybe include NCOPD sessions into the Class B uniform wear policy. Just a thought.


 


I hate to say this, because it'll only segue into another argument, but maybe a change in materials used for the uniform is in order. Something a little more sturdy. As for the shoes, a good pair of insoles usually take the edge off for me.


 


Clinical settings could benefit from this as well. Most providers are involved in conversational/instructional care for their patients. A lab coat over the Class B uniform would suffice. Other providers that have more involved proceedures are already working in scrubs.


 


This seems as close as we'll get to the professional look of a cleanly pressed set of BDU's and a high glossy shine on leather boots.

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CSM Spp Ncoic
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I think it is a point of pride in your service.  As stated in other threads it would help with the "overall look  of professionalism" with in the community.  While I was working in DC it was B's Monday thru Thursday and ACU's on Friday.  If you are working in a Headquarters unit take the pride.
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CSM Aircraft Maintenance Senior Sergeant
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At the minimum do Formal Fridays where all non line working troopers wear ASUs / Class-Bs.
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SSG Program Control Manager
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Same here, I wear slacks and a button down collared shirt unless I'm going to be meeting with senior management (then I add at least a tie). We don't wear jeans at work, however polo's every now and then are acceptable.
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LCpl Senior Staff Writer
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Last international firm I worked for, wearing a collar shirt would make the rest of the staff including the global GM look at you funny and ask if you were interviewing for another job with another company after work. Corporate culture's weird.
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1LT William Clardy
1LT William Clardy
>1 y
SP5 David Cox, IT is an area heavily dominated by folks with a reputation for being notoriously devoid of people skills. Outside of that realm, folks tend to dress neater. Even engineers, who don't invest heavily in the "Dress for Success" school of thought, will tend to dress much more neatly than some of the software developers I've worked with.
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SrA David Steyer
SrA David Steyer
10 y
Formal Fridays is a silly idea, unless you make the civilians in the work center dress up too. It always looked odd wearing Class B on Friday because the service members have to dress up while the civilians are wearing jeans or other casual clothing.
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Sgt Tee Organ
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Never dress in your field jammies out in town, yall need to knock that off.
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Sgt Tee Organ
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Office Joes certainly, when you go to an office to get stuff done there you wanna see professional looking people working there, not people who look like they just got in from digging holes or working on cars. unless they are in the field though of course.
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Ian Crawford
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From what I have heard most of the troops don't like the "Mall Cop" Class B but the Army doesn't want to spend money on a different Class A, so why don't they just have a different Class B top to go with the current bottoms? I am only a civilian and this could be a lot more complicated than it is on paper.
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SGT David Commini
SGT David Commini
9 y
Originally the shirt, which would be the top in Class B's was supposed to be a greyish color. I think they thought it looked too much like the Air Force.

Personally, I think that they should have kept the Blues for the dress version and gone back to the older khaki uniforms. They should also drop the beret and go back to the garrison cap.
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SPC(P) Infantryman
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Even as an Infantryman, I vote yes to the idea of wearing it once or twice a month. I take great pride in wearing the dress uniform and would like to sport it more then once or twice a year. Even though the B's do look kinda crappy, if you take pride in the uniform and have it all nice and setup, it can still look professional. When I was in ROTC I was always a little jealous of the Marine/Navy and Air Force cadets because they worse their khaki service uniforms on their class days, while we always wore our horrid ACU's. Yeah they had to wake up early and iron and polish them, but they were proud of that fact. I see a lot of people here talk about how hard it would be on the soldier financially and would not be worth it. Wearing them once or twice a month will not break the bank for soldiers. We are slowly returning to a garrison Army and the standards are rising, and I believe pride in appearance should go up as well. Hell I make sure to have a garrison set of ACU's always ready that are crisp and clean.

I'm in the National Guard and I think we should even wear the B's like 1 day every 3 months or so when we know we have nothing but classes and paperwork all day.
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SFC First Sergeant
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Absolutely!!! Let's be a true profession and be proud of our uniform!!!!!
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SGT David Commini
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I think for those in an admin position where they won't be doing much heavy lifting or crawling underneath desks then yes.

Take for instance the National Guard AGR people who really only sit behind a desk all day (keeping the unit operational through the month), Class-B's present a much more professional look, and require constant care which helps to promote more discipline. Of course come drill time, AT, or other things they should default to ACU'S.

I don't buy the whole extra cost nonsense. I was on Military Funeral Duty for the better part of 5 years, my daily uniform was Class-B/A and then dress blues. At first I was only making $50 a day but i could still afford to maintain my uniform. It takes proper discipline and care. My uniforms still look outstanding, despite high amounts of wear.
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