A lot of it comes from the height of GWOT, when OIF was spiraling out of control, and Mullen wanted to send the message that Navy is military too. This was around the same time that the Army started wearing cammies practically everywhere- on travel through airports, in D.C.
Granted, it's easy to take pot shots at flags and generals in hindsight almost fifteen years later, but this era was also when "America's military went to war; America went to the mall," so I have mixed feelings about the wearing cammies everywhere you go thing. There's something to be said about putting it out there in people's faces. I appreciate the sincerity of TYFYS from a stranger, but if you want to really show appreciation for my "service" then either sign up for it yourself, sign your kids up, or better yet educate yourself as much as possible and vote, tell your politicians what you think, do something, do anything that means getting some skin in the game. Seeing some schlep wearing cammies at the gas station just might keep that pilot light lit at the back in some random stranger's mind.
Killing off dungarees/utilities for good also seemed like easy fodder back then, lots of people had groused about those uniforms for a long time.
