FORT SILL, Okla. –A basic combat training battery at Fort Sill is the first in the Army to get the new Army Service Green Service Uniform, a retro-style dress uniform modeled after the one worn by Gen. Dwight E. Eisenhower and other notables during World War II.
“Matter of fact, we’re the first Army training base to get the Army Green Service Uniform, which is pretty neat for obviously these Soldiers in training and obviously for the leadership,” 434th Field Artillery Command Sgt. Maj. Donald Harding said as nearly 200 trainees in A Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery waited outside the Vessey Hall Clothing Initial Issue Point (CIIP) Oct. 14 to receive the various components of their new uniforms.
Drill sergeants with 434th FA Brigade were issued their Army Green Service Uniforms the first week of September, during a three-night event at Military Clothing and Sales inside the PXtra.
Harding said he had nothing to do with the decision for Fort Sill to be the first to get new uniforms, as it came down from higher headquarters. He’s definitely proud that trainees here are first in line “because it brings back the tradition and the histories of the U.S. Army.”
The decision as to which battery here would get the uniforms was based on timing and the phase of training, Harding said. The brigade was given a date for the issue to take place, and it so happened that this battery was in week five of the second phase of their “2+8” training cycle.
“A basic combat training battery at Fort Sill is the first in the Army to get the new Army Green Service Uniform, a retro-style dress uniform modeled after the one worn by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and other notables during World War II.
So they’ll come through, they’ll get the sizing, and then they get the alterations done here at CIIP, and then they’ll come back here in about three weeks or so to receive the tailored uniform and turn it in to dry cleaning for the graduation week,” he said.
The senior enlisted man for 434th FA Brigade does not yet own a set himself, but expects to get one as battalion and brigade command teams are getting over to the store to buy the issue.
Luis Navas, chief of supply services for Fort Sill, said the uniform is a big deal in the Army right now – “they’ve been working toward this day for a long, long time. We have a lot of people from outside, in the Army, just looking at what we do, how we do it, the quality of the product, so we can improve from this point on.”
Each trainee is issued one free uniform. They get the jacket, pants, dress shirt, brown oxfords, matching socks, their rank, two T-shirts (one long-sleeve, the other short), ties, gloves, and the garrison cap. Female trainees were segregated from the males and taken to changing rooms upstairs to be fitted for their version of the Army Green Service Uniform.
Since the trainees get only one suit of dress clothes, everyone gets instructions on how to take care of their uniform and make it last for a long time.
Navas said basic training units run around 240 trainees, and he was told that 150-200 would be going through the CIIP for the Oct. 14 uniform issue.
By Mitch Meador, Fort Sill Tribune
“because it brings back the tradition and the histories of the U.S. Army.”
Because there was no history or tradition with the green uniform worn by Soldiers who served in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Oh well, wear it with pride, Privates.
Truth ^^
The green Army Class A Uniform was created to provide a more corporate appearance for the Army. Loads of veterans were wearing their old uniforms to work, that along with war surplus, meant there were military uniforms everywhere you’d look.
The Army wanted to stand out and turned to something that looked more like a modern business suit.
Not to mention that at the time the original pinks and Greens was being phased out the Army and USAF were both wearing it. Also the old army wanted a Single service winter uniform for both Commissioned and Noncommissioned.
So? When the Army wears something for 60 years, it becomes tradition.
This whole debacle just shows the Army doesn’t care anything for tradition. It had no problem taking the Warrant Officer’s branch insignia and color in 2004 after it had been part of the uniform for 83 years.
The First olive drab uniform was adopted in 1888 and phased out in field wear in 1981. The pinks and greens spun off of those by 1924 as service wear. So 60 vs 60 really
The Greens you are talking about were usurping the place that was held by the greens you are protesting against.
Farther the Greens adopted in 1954 changed multiple times over the decades once every 20 years. By 64 it was a different color and material for year round the shirt went from khaki to green, The version post 1994 was basically a whole new set vs the set previously used. On top of that if you want to use that as tradition then where are the Army Dress whites and Khaki summer?
The tradition is to have a green uniform. Not the particular colors.
In 2008 the army dropped the greens for blues. Which is like showing up at your office in a wedding suit. It took them from official phase out 2015 to Pinks and greens 4 years to realize their mistake. Any residual stocks having been sold off or scrapped they would have been starting from scratch. So clean slate do they go 54 greens? Troops never liked the fabrics or colors, additionally many other armies including the Chinese PLA type 07 had knocked it off.
The US DOD always liked the WW2 look. It’s patriotic it was the US at its best the Army at its best. So the Pinks and greens option. Ascetics come in.
General Miley made the call. Let’s face it Pinks and greens looks awesome. Greens not so much.
Hopefully this new uniform will stay around for awhile.