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New Working Uniforms

Griz882

Frightening children with the Griz-O-Copter!
pilot
Contributor
Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure about that. Especially since the wearing of flags on shoulders is a pretty recent thing versus a cockade on a hat, giant banners, painted shields, facings or just different colored uniforms being among the many distinctive markers of a soldier on a battlefield before the 20th century. Plus, if is was such a big tradition the majority of countries don't follow it to include our very tradition-minded Commonwealth colleagues who wear the flag on their left shoulder along with most other countries that wear flags on their uniforms, with a few having them on both shoulders and but even fewer doing the right sleeve thing like the US Army.




The 'shoulder sleeve insignia' is official term for the distinctive unit patches in the Army, all soldiers they wear their current unit/formation on the left sleeve but those who were in 'combat' with a unit can also wear their SSI on the right sleeve. Several Army types I've worked with use the term 'slick sleeve' when talking about those without a 'combat patch' on their right sleeve, usually derisively if they are mid-to-senior ranked folks. 'Combat patch' can be a bit of a loose term, I've known folks who have deployed to Kuwait and Qatar and have gotten 'combat patches'.

Since a lot fewer folks prior to 2001 had 'combat patches' it made some sense to put the flag on the opposite sleeve from your SSI to give the uniform the appearance of balance, particularly greens, but it is a lot less so now with so many soldiers with 'combat patches'.
I'm just telling you the tradition. With the invention of velcro all that is old is out the window. Stick it where you want it.
 

RobLyman

- hawk Pilot
pilot
None
To be honest, a really badged out soldier starts to look a bit comical at some point.
I laugh every time I see my DA photo. To be honest, the badges and stuff are only part of the reason.
 

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Flash

SEVAL/ECMO
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Seriously, move the rank to the collars. We don't have to copy the Army in every (stupid) respect.

I don't disagree, but where the RN folks' rank is blatantly obvious from 50 feet away I have to stare down every sailor in greens to see what rank they are. I still think the stupidest thing we've copied is the backwards American flag, because...Army. :rolleyes:
 
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