The Air Force has toyed a couple of times in the recent past with going back to the future with its service dress. But now that the Army has settled on a modernized version of the World War Two-era optional “Pinks and Greens” Officer’s uniform, perhaps it’s time for the Air Force to take another look.
Interestingly, the Army has adopted two distinctly Air Force affectations with this latest uniform reset.
First, is the service cap complete with crush, an unintentional feature created when Air Corps rated officers wore headphones over their caps while in flight.
Second, is a proposed optional wear leather flight jacket that is laughable referred to by the Army as a “bomber jacket.”
The Air Force has come up with a few throwback ideas of their own which borrow from its Army origins. Anyone remember the Billy Mitchell Heritage Coat trotted out awhile back? It harkens back to the early days of the Army Air Corps, and by early, I mean World War One and the inter-war years.
You may recognize a similar uniform being worn by the Air Force Band.
Another variant on this theme lives on as a rarely seen special ceremonial uniform reserved solely for the Air Force Chief of Staff and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
Then, came the Hap Arnold, with its more World War Two feel, but still quite Army in style.
Here’s a montage of the USAF dress uniform going back to its first days as a stand alone service. Initially, the Air Force wore the same green Army Air Forces uniform it shared with its ground counterparts. Actual Air Force Blues weren’t a thing until 1949 and even then, weren’t initially seen in great numbers.
The current Service Dress has long been the target of ire amongst Airmen with it initially being referred to as an airline uniform, complete with sleeve braid for the Officer ranks. Former CSAF Gen Merrill “Tony” McPeak designed it himself.
Eventually, the service dropped the sleeve rank, reinstated name tags as well as US insignia, and started wearing ribbons again, but the stigma lives on, almost 30 years later.
This is Gen Charles Q Brown Jr, the current CSAF wearing the latest version of Blues.
So, if you could adopt a “new,” retro-style service dress for the United States Air Force, which one would you pick?