Uniform tear and wear: what's your worst story?

2014-09-11T09:50:02-04:00

Camp Delta detainee enemy combat holding center, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, fall, 2005. Place was semi-poorly built on the run, low quality welding, sharp edges everywhere!

One day I check-in at the guard shack, make my way down to the blocks, and wham, a sharp edge/hook grabs my right cargo pocket, yanks it right off, puts a huge tear to the inside layer exposing the side of my knee. I looked like an idiot for the next 12 hours. Wish I had pictures of it, but no cameras were authorized obviously, so I had to upload one from the web (not me, I promise ;-).

Got a story? Pics?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2014 10:24 AM

2014-09-11T10:24:47-04:00

I know of a Soldier who had a tear in the back of his pants exposing his underwear. It wasn't huge by any means but definitely noticeable. He had gone around the whole day without ANYONE saying anything to him until another SSG and I said something. He was embarrassed. LOL.

Response by SFC Mark Merino made Sep 21 at 2014 3:07 PM

2014-09-21T15:07:23-04:00

PO1 Private RallyPoint Member Duing OPFOR training with one of the local Brigades at Fort Drum, NY......
I had my "bad guys" hit the 3/5 PLT (ammo and gas) and the water purification section over and over and over. Finally, they started shoring up their defenses and a few of us got caught up in some new concertina wire and tore our uniforms up. I had a separate challenge with the 1SG's and went after their guidon. Long story short, I had very little left of my uniform in my attempt to steal the coveted HHT guidon. I was shredded, bloodied, torn up....but I got it! After a great final "battle" we had Endex and right there in the field they called us in and gave the "best performers" an impact award. I was ordered to the front of the formation and it looked like I had stepped on a "nude bomb".

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 21 at 2014 3:22 PM

2014-09-21T15:22:59-04:00

When ACU's first came out they were cheaply stitched. Single stitching on the inner legs, c'mon who thought that was a good idea for a combat uniform??

On average, they lasted me about a month before falling apart. The idea that ACU's would save soldiers money goes out the window if the quality is so poor we must replace them constantly.

They are made much better now. Currently I purchase one new set of ACU's every 3 months just to keep up.

Velcro degradation is still an issue. Those little pads burn out quickly, even when washed delicately. Also the button holes for the sleeves are annoying to get on since they button inward. Every top I get has the button holes at different positions. One top has a nice snug cuff, the next is either too lose or too tight.

Bottom line.....quality control has been poor. The last set I bought, the belt loops tore off the first day!

Response by SSG(P) Matthew Bisbee made Jan 11 at 2015 5:15 PM

2015-01-11T17:15:21-05:00

My last parachute jump with the 82nd Airborne saw me jumping out of the door on one side of the C-141 at almost the same moment that a fellow trooper jumped out on the other side. We met under the plane with my boot heel scraping the top of his helmet (tearing his kevlar's camo cover and breaking my boot heel loose). His chute deployed around me and when my chute opened, I was pulled through his shroud lines breaking two of them. He was required to buy a new helmet cover because supply said that it was damaged due to negligence. Luckily I was ETS'ing so my serviceable book was not an issue.

Response by SSG(P) Matthew Bisbee made Jan 11 at 2015 5:18 PM

2015-01-11T17:18:56-05:00

When the "new" internal frame mountain rucks first came out, guys were loosing gear when the side pockets would fall off due to poor construction. One of my buddies had a shoulder strap rip on the first day of a two week field exercise (not fun).

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jan 11 at 2015 5:25 PM

2015-01-11T17:25:16-05:00

You should have found some tape and taped from the inside and later taken it to a tailor to get fixed. I hate looking jacked up too.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 3 at 2015 9:31 PM

2015-04-03T21:31:28-04:00

A couple years ago our unit was out at the range. After a firing iteration, we got up to walk down and check targets. I accidentally tore my trousers at the seam between my legs when getting out of the prone. Luckily it was the end of the range and I did not have to deal with being embarrassed too long.

Response by SFC Michael Palmer made Jul 3 at 2021 4:56 PM

2021-07-03T16:56:08-04:00

Well, it thankfully wasn't me this happened to, but my infantry company in the old 7th Infantry Division (Light) out of Fort Ord, CA went thru the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama in January, 1989. After a couple days of training in the jungle, I realized that the old rip-stop light-weight woodland camo BDUs didn't stand up well to the saw-grass, etc.. I went with the heavier-weight ones after that and never had rips or tears. One guy, on a 4 day FTX, had the rip-stops on and saw-grass tore the front of the crotch wide open. He had to walk around in the jungle for two days with his genitals hanging out. Guess what else saw-grass will tear into? Oh, and he caught hell for removing his extra uniform from his ruck just before we left the barracks. Guess the extra weight would've been worth it, huh?