Why is the boonie cap so demonized in the army?

SSG Thompson, the Boonie hat may have prevented the Skin Cancer on my neck and ears. I fought with every CSM and Battalion/Brigade Commander I served with in Iraq over this subject. A big difference from Rangers. Numerous deployments to the desert with over 63 months from Libya to Turkmenistan and had to give up the Boonie for 16 months in Iraq.

Don't know, but I still have my old boonie hat fron 'Nam (believe it or not) and it's one of my most prized pieces of headgear!

I'd be curious how often it is actually an issue. DA Pam 670-1 states, among other things, that it is authorized "in field environments when the advanced combat helmet is not worn" It is true that I have been retired for a good stretch now, but almost always "in field environments" I recall the helmet as the only headgear.

My Cav Troop referred to the Boonie as the Field Stetson.

I saw nothing wrong with wearing the boonies, but did have a problem with Soldiers shaping it to make a fashion statement (using a glue/water mixture to iron and completely stiffen the whole brim).

It's interesting there's an issue. As a kid I remember seeing recruiter posters for the Army and Navy showing Rangers and SEALS in boonies!

Maybe if those naysayers could be teleported to the future and find themselves sitting in the office of a dermatologist, they might change their minds.

Its too easy to blow away and lose!

i was ARMY NATIONAL GUARD 1981 to 1987 never had one issued we had the patrol cap or steal pot helmet in the field when not in the field it was the patrol cap with ear flaps and the uniform was the BDU uniform never had a boonie issued during my active dates of service but on my own time i bought some and wore them out if we got issued them i would have loved to ware it over the heavy ass steal pot i was in the infantry 11-B M-60 team most of my enlistment until i made SPC E-4 for less than 5 min. my LT pinned me with CPL hard stripes made me A JR NCO

I retired as a Senior SFC, with the 11B mos, I to thought out of the box and would choose comfortable and functional over , in the rear with the gear, uniform policy. Most of the time the one yelling about the uniform was the one that never slept in the field. I applaud NCOs that think of their Soldiers over a good NCOER. Hooah!