Into the blue - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Into the blue

Note: This story was originally published February 20, 2006

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The Army’s top enlisted solider is overseeing an effort that could change the Class A uniform from Army green to a color reminiscent of an era when commanders on horseback led troops into battle.

At the midsummer request of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston began working on a plan that could replace the standard dress green uniform with a version of the service’s dress blue uniform.

Preston mentioned the plan to soldiers in October at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting. Beyond that, the sergeant major has had little to say about the effort. He turned down several Army Times interview requests but offered a written statement.

“Just as it was with the Army Combat Uniform, there is some early speculation as to what our plans are for our dress uniforms,” he said in the statement. “Currently the Army has not decided to change any of the dress uniforms, but as always is experimenting with ideas to ensure each uniform is relevant.”

Uniform officials at Program Executive Office Soldier are also tight-lipped about the effort. But interviews with individuals familiar with the project revealed the Army is working on several prototypes of a blue Class A uniform, with separate versions for junior enlisted, senior enlisted and commissioned officers.

The prototypes borrow the dark blue color and some other features of the current dress blue uniform — which is now considered optional military dress for formal and ceremonial occasions.

But other characteristics of the preliminary designs include elements of the dress green uniform, such as unit shoulder patches and skill tabs.

New styles for a new era

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the Army has made some bold changes to the appearance of soldiers: first the decision to adopt the black beret in 2000, then the move in 2004 to replace the battle dress and desert camouflage uniforms with the digitized Army Combat Uniform.

At the AUSA meeting, Preston shared hints of a possible Class A makeover with enlisted soldiers and junior noncommissioned officers. “I’m looking at the dress uniform as the next thing to change — to make it better,” he said.

He then asked the soldiers if they were familiar with the Army dress blue uniform. He followed that with the question: “If you had a choice between the blues or the greens, which one would you choose?”

A handful of soldiers spoke up and said they preferred the blues.

Then one soldier bellowed out this light-hearted response: “Green, sergeant major! Blue is for the Air Force!”

Acknowledging the comments, Preston responded, “I’m not saying it’s going to change, but we are going to look at some options.”

The next day, Preston and a group of senior sergeants major did just that. In a closed-door session, soldiers modeled some early concepts for a blue Class A. An Army source familiar with what is being considered said design options included a dark navy blue jacket with gold buttons and dark navy blue trousers.

The dark blue trousers would be made of a more durable fabric than the traditional tropical wool blend used in the current dress blue uniform’s light blue trousers.

The dark blue trousers would be intended for soldiers who wear their Class A on a regular basis, the Army source said. Soldiers might have the choice of wearing the current dress blue trousers that sport a gold stripe, depending on the occasion, the source said.

The new dark blue trousers could have a colored stripe running down the outer seam of the leg. Shades for that stripe being considered are light blue, gold and black, the source said.

Other possibilities under consideration:

• The current white shirt on the dress blues could be changed to a light gray.

• Skill tabs, such as the Ranger tab, could be sewn on the shoulder, as they are with the dress greens, instead of the pin-on style worn on the current dress blues.

• The uniform jacket could feature a tailored or more athletic cut than the current Class A jacket.

Sgt. Maj. Raymond Arnold, who has not seen the prototypes, said he favors a more athletic cut to the dress uniform.

Encouraging physical fitness?

“I hate to admit it, but the Marine Corps dress uniforms look good,” said the 25th Infantry Division sergeant major. “Look at the Marines’ [uniform]; look how good it fits them. That’s going to push a lot of individuals to work on their midsection.”

Sgt. Maj. Bardrick McGuire isn’t so sure, saying he doesn’t think dark blue makes people think of soldiers.

“I’d keep the Army greens, because green is more associated with the Army,” said McGuire, a sergeant major in the XVIII Corps at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Other senior soldiers said they liked the dress blues concept, since the Army wore versions of it dating back to the earliest days of the republic.

Today, the polished appearance of the dress blue uniform is mostly associated with soldiers in the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, the Old Guard — the unit responsible for performing memorial services at Arlington Cemetery and maintaining a 24-hour guard post at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

If adopted, the new Class A uniform could feature separate versions for junior enlisted, senior enlisted and commissioned officers, including warrant officers. The idea would be that once soldiers make the rank of sergeant first class, they would wear the senior enlisted version. That version would likely include features such as gold piping at the end of each sleeve and as a border on the epaulettes, an Army source said.

Staff sergeants and below would not be required to spend the extra money having these items sewn on their uniform.

Other details that remain unclear are what the new uniforms would cost, if approved, and when soldiers would be required to begin wearing them.

New recruits are issued Class A uniforms upon entering service. Enlisted soldiers and sergeants receive an annual clothing allowance to buy uniforms; officers receive a one-time clothing allowance when commissioned.

It’s also unclear whether soldiers would continue to wear the black beret with the new uniform or be required to wear the traditional male and female service caps currently worn with the dress blue uniform.

When the effort began over the summer, uniform officials looked at several different colors and styles of dress uniforms. In addition to the blues, they looked at World War II-style “pinks and greens” and a version with the “Ike” jacket, an Army source said. Belted and nonbelted versions were also considered.

In the end, the Army’s senior leadership decided the best option would be to consider blending the green Class A’s and the dress blues into one uniform, an Army source said.

The current green Class A uniform, with its distinctive “Army Green shade 44” color, was adopted in 1954. The matching green jacket and trousers on the enlisted and officer versions have long been criticized for looking more like a business suit than a military uniform.

In 2001, Army Times polled its readers and found that a surprising number of soldiers strongly criticized the uniform for not looking military enough, for its polyester fabric — and for its distinctive green color.

Back to the future

Army Times commissioned New York fashion designer Stan Herman, well known for his work on uniforms, to take a crack at the Class A’s.

Herman delivered 12 designs that were featured in the July 30, 2001, issue. Most had a World War II flair, and Army Times readers reacted favorably.

An online poll conducted after the story to which 1,400 readers responded showed that an overwhelming majority wanted a new Class A.

Twenty-seven percent said they favored a blue uniform. Thirty-five percent preferred a neutral-colored, two-toned uniform reminiscent of the World War II “pinks and greens.” Even more — 38 percent — said they wanted to keep the current Class A.

On Nov. 18, 2001, then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki directed the Army Uniform Board to look at a totally new design and new color for the Class A. But in March 2003, he rejected several proposals, including one that featured a blue design that would have combined the Class A and the dress blues into a single uniform.

As for this latest effort, there is no guarantee that anything about the Class A will change, according to Sgt. Maj. Katrina Easley, the Army’s uniform policy sergeant major.

Reiterating Preston’s point, Easley said, “This is just a concept. The Army hasn’t made a decision on whether or not it is going to change the uniform,” she said.

Army Times showed Army Secretary Francis Harvey an artist’s rendering of the proposed changes at a Feb. 7 interview and asked the secretary how he liked it.

“How do soldiers like it?” he asked. “In all seriousness, the soldiers have got to like it,” Harvey said. “This will be vetted; this will be worked out just like, I think, the ACUs were worked out and, you know, it was worked out through the sergeant majors.”

And in fact, Preston wrote, “If a decision is made to move forward with changes, soldiers and leaders will be asked to provide input. Much like the Army Combat Uniform, which was designed by soldiers, for soldiers, any changes to our dress uniforms will be made by the soldiers who will stand proudly in them.”