fontman
06-15-06, 06:44 PM
U.S. Army to Drop Green Uniform, Return to Traditional Blue
upi via email no link
June 15, 2006
The U.S. Army plans to eliminate the green uniform worn by its soldiers for more than 100 years and switch back to traditional blue worn by those fighting the Revolutionary War.
Everyday-wear uniforms will include a dark blue jacket, light blue trousers and grey shirt, the Army said. Soldiers' dress uniforms are already blue. Soldiers will begin wearing the new garb by the middle of next and all soldiers must have them by the end of 2011, the Army said. A date for eliminating the green uniform hasn't been set.
The change will simplify the uniform, Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker said when announcing the decision earlier this month. The blue was ordered for the Continental Army by General George Washington to contrast with the red of the British and help distinguish friend from foe on battlefields obscured by smoke.
``We have all these variations of uniforms -- green, blue and white,'' Schoomaker said in a statement. The new uniform ``reflects simplicity, quality, utility and tradition,'' he said.
Some soldiers already have these uniforms, though the fabric and fit will be improved to give them a more tailored look, the Army said. The Army doesn't plan to change the recently adopted combat uniform, which has a camouflage pattern in grey, green and tan hues. The all-white uniform rarely used by soldiers also will be eliminated, the Army said.
Union soldiers wore blue uniforms during the Civil War and the Indian Wars. When the cavalry arrived at the last minute in movies about the old west, they rode up in blue.
The development of smokeless powder and changes in weapons and battle tactics made bright uniforms a liability, so armies switched to green and khaki, making soldiers less visible to the enemy.
Since 1902, the U.S. Army has worn a standard uniform that was khaki or some version of green. In World War II and Korea, soldiers wore olive drab uniforms or ``pinks and greens,'' a uniform of pinkish gray trousers and a dark olive-drab jacket or blouse. The army switched to the current green uniforms in 1954.
Kenneth Preston, sergeant major of the army, said he had talked with soldiers about their preferences for a uniform.
``It was always about 85-90 percent of hands that showed support for the Army blue uniform,'' he said in a statement.
http://fontman.smugmug.com/photos/75690545-M.jpg
upi via email no link
June 15, 2006
The U.S. Army plans to eliminate the green uniform worn by its soldiers for more than 100 years and switch back to traditional blue worn by those fighting the Revolutionary War.
Everyday-wear uniforms will include a dark blue jacket, light blue trousers and grey shirt, the Army said. Soldiers' dress uniforms are already blue. Soldiers will begin wearing the new garb by the middle of next and all soldiers must have them by the end of 2011, the Army said. A date for eliminating the green uniform hasn't been set.
The change will simplify the uniform, Army Chief of Staff General Peter Schoomaker said when announcing the decision earlier this month. The blue was ordered for the Continental Army by General George Washington to contrast with the red of the British and help distinguish friend from foe on battlefields obscured by smoke.
``We have all these variations of uniforms -- green, blue and white,'' Schoomaker said in a statement. The new uniform ``reflects simplicity, quality, utility and tradition,'' he said.
Some soldiers already have these uniforms, though the fabric and fit will be improved to give them a more tailored look, the Army said. The Army doesn't plan to change the recently adopted combat uniform, which has a camouflage pattern in grey, green and tan hues. The all-white uniform rarely used by soldiers also will be eliminated, the Army said.
Union soldiers wore blue uniforms during the Civil War and the Indian Wars. When the cavalry arrived at the last minute in movies about the old west, they rode up in blue.
The development of smokeless powder and changes in weapons and battle tactics made bright uniforms a liability, so armies switched to green and khaki, making soldiers less visible to the enemy.
Since 1902, the U.S. Army has worn a standard uniform that was khaki or some version of green. In World War II and Korea, soldiers wore olive drab uniforms or ``pinks and greens,'' a uniform of pinkish gray trousers and a dark olive-drab jacket or blouse. The army switched to the current green uniforms in 1954.
Kenneth Preston, sergeant major of the army, said he had talked with soldiers about their preferences for a uniform.
``It was always about 85-90 percent of hands that showed support for the Army blue uniform,'' he said in a statement.
http://fontman.smugmug.com/photos/75690545-M.jpg