What to wear?

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  In trying to remember daily tasks and make sure "no balls get dropped," it can be hard to recall what you ate for breakfast, better yet the effective dates of uniform wear changes.

"As leaders we must stay accurately informed on multiple changes and issues in our Air Force," said Master Sgt. Kathleen Parrish, Airman Leadership School commandant. "A supervisor who is not in touch with dress and appearance standards is obviously not fulfilling this requirement. Our Airmen should feel confident in our knowledge and leadership. That is difficult if supervisors are unaware of uniform changes or choose to wear the uniform improperly."

When correcting someone's appearance Sergeant Parrish reminds Airmen to use timing and tact.

"We have had several changes and it is the responsibility of every Airman, regardless of rank, to correct the improper wear of the uniform," she said. "Most people appreciate constructive, honest feedback, especially when it comes to their military appearance."

The intent of correcting an Airman is to educate them, not cause public humiliation.

"I never assume people are purposely wearing the uniform incorrectly," Sergeant Parrish said. "I always correct people in a manner of training and guiding as opposed to making someone feel bad."

A way to ensure Airmen avoid uniform errors is to orientate them on local requirements ranging from the base's proper physical training uniform wear to clothing authorized in the dining facility.

Here are some recent changes that have come into play and some that will impact Airmen in the next few weeks.

Now:
· Name tags are no longer worn on the wool pullover sweater. Airmen who purchased a 50 percent acrylic / 50 percent wool pullover sweater with a name patch can take it to an Army and Air Force Exchange Military Clothing Sales Store to have the name patch removed at no charge.
· The sage green fleece liner is authorized Air Force-wide as an outer-wear garment with the addition of the name, rank and service designator.
   o Black or sage green leather, suede or knit gloves can be worn with the fleece liner.
   o Wear of black earmuffs and scarf is also authorized. The scarf must be tucked into the liner.
· Airman can wear their battle dress uniform cold weather Gore-Tex and field jacket over the airman battle uniform until May 1, 2010.

In November:
· Effective Nov. 2, SJ Airmen will wear their long-sleeved blues shirt with tie or tie tab each Monday through February.

Coming soon:
· Enlisted Airmen must have chevron rank insignias sewn-on their light-weight jacket. Wear of metal rank is prohibited effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Additional information about uniform wear is available though the Air Force Portal by typing "uniform" in the search engine.