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Stare Master
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| Below is a letter I wrote to the Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff regarding the dress uniform changes. I am asking members to write their own letters to them. Letters should remain respectful. The Honorable Pete Geren Secretary of the Army 1000 Army Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20310-1000 General George W. Casey, Jr. Chief of Staff, U.S. Army 200 Army Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20310-0200 Dear Sirs: I am writing on behalf of the veteran members of the 509th Parachute Infantry Association to urge you to reconsider the decisions regarding the Army Service Uniform that would prevent soldiers in Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces units from blousing their pants in their jump boots, from wearing the unit ovals behind their jump wings and preventing NCO’s and officers from wearing berets. This uniform is being introduced in the name of tradition but actually does away with traditions in these units that are important to those soldiers who have gone the extra mile to not only earn the right to wear Airborne wings, Ranger tabs and/or Special Forces tabs, but those who serve in those units. I believe that the decision to change to a blue dress uniform does not evoke the traditions and history it is meant to. In the last one hundred years the Marine Corps has made very few changes to their Class A and dress blue uniform. The Army, on the other hand, has felt the need to change its uniforms on average about every twenty years. How can the Army have a traditional uniform when every generation wears a different uniform? It has been almost one hundred years since the Army wore this uniform and is more likely to leave Soldiers and the public thinking that the Army is attempting to copy the Marine dress blue uniforms. If the Army wishes to change the Class A and B uniforms it should look to the uniforms of World War II for its traditions. Due to the large number of publications and films dealing with the Second World War, this is a uniform style that is much more likely to evoke the traditions the Army is looking for in all Americans. However, our specific objections to the new uniform are in regard to the policy involving the wear of bloused boots, berets and ovals behind the wings. These are traditions that mean something to soldiers serving in Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces units. In the case of Special Forces no one will be allowed to wear green berets in the ASU since all Special Forces qualified soldiers are NCOs and officers. These are traditions that were adopted before these units saw combat but were subsequently earned by their performance on the battlefield. Veterans of the 509th were among the first to blouse their pants in their boots and wear the ovals, and were the first unit in the Army to adopt a beret, even though it was almost forty years before the latter was made official. All of these units have been in the forefront of our Country’s conflicts for sixty five years and continue to fulfill that role. Today the Army has more Airborne, Ranger and Special Forces soldiers than any time since the end of our involvement in Vietnam. As each of you well know, nearly all deployable Airborne units in the Army are currently deployed. And while the Defense Department doesn’t announce how many Ranger and Special Operations Soldiers are deployed, recent casualty announcements show that these units are heavily involved in the Global War on Terror. I do not take a position on whether the Army should introduce a new dress uniform for Soldiers. However, I do not think the Army should abandon the traditions that have meaning to Soldiers. For all Soldiers I believe that patches for their current unit and units they were assigned to while deployed to a combat theater are traditions that matter. For Soldiers in units on jump status the blousing of the pants in jump boots, the ovals behind their wings and berets for all Soldiers regardless of rank are important links between them and Soldiers from previous wars. Esprit de corps is vital to the mission of the military, and unit pride has always been a part of Army history. Each of these uniform accessories are visible displays of the pride Soldiers feel towards their units. To now tell Soldiers they can no longer wear these uniform items is more likely to hurt morale. I urge you to reconsider the regulations regarding the new uniform. Thank you for your service to our Country.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Regular Joe
 
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Well written Bro.
_________________________________________________ "Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and beat
you with experience." ~ Anonymous
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Regular Joe
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Damn Bro, that's a jard one to follow. BUt I agree with you 100%
________________________________________________________________________ "Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there. Eighty are just targets. Nine are the real fighters and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle. Ah, but the one. One is a warrior, and he will bring the others back."
Heraclitus circa 500B.C.
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Hard Charger
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If the Army wishes to change the Class A and B uniforms it should look to the uniforms of World War II for its traditions. Due to the large number of publications and films dealing with the Second World War, this is a uniform style that is much more likely to evoke the traditions the Army is looking for in all Americans. Couldn't agree with you more. The WWII uniforms were the best looking Class-A's the Army ever had. Not sure I like the idea of the officers having a different uniform (the pinks-and-greens) than the enlisted, that's too much like the Navy, though. If they want a new uniform they should put everyone in the WWII enlisted uniform with the dark green long jacket and trousers. Combined with either a beret or the traditional "soft" overseas cap (as opposed to the ridiculous "stiff" garrison cap we all hated) it would be a sharp uniform with a great heritage.
Martin  "When I'm in command, every mission is a suicide mission" - Zapp Branigan, Futurama
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Stare Master
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| Martin, I agree that it should be one uniform design for officers and enlisted. And I really have no problem with the green jacket and pants. My idea would be that the jacket would have a belt, gusseted shoulders and the lapels would look like a military uniform and not a business suit. The shirts would be a khaki in both long sleeve and short sleeve. Enlisted rank would be sewn on the sleeves, it would have epaulets and it could be worn without the jacket with or without a tie. I'll be sitting at home until the brass calls me for my ideas.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Stare Master
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Below are my letters to Senator Reed and Congressman Hunter:Senator Jack Reed 728 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Reed, I am the President of the 509th Parachute Infantry Association. I know that you are a Paratrooper and a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division. I am writing to you to enlist your help in overturning an Army plan that could very well damage the morale of our Paratroopers currently fighting the terrorists who attacked our Country. At the end of the year the Army plans to replace the green Class A uniform with the Army Service Uniform, based on the current Army Dress Blue uniform. In doing so the Army is doing away with the wear of the uniform associated with Airborne and Special Operations units. Specifically, no ovals will be allowed to be worn behind Troopers jump wings, jump boots with bloused trousers will not be allowed and officers and NCOs will not be allowed to wear berets in the ASU. Additionally, Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear unit patches on the uniform, either their current unit of assignment or the unit they were assigned to in a combat theater. As a Paratrooper I know that you understand the importance of these items to Paratroopers. You and I have seen this type of decision to do away with Airborne traditions before when a former Chief of Staff banned the maroon berets for Airborne units, you in the 82nd at Ft. Bragg and me in Vicenza with the 1-509th ABCT. I am enclosing a letter I sent to Secretary of the Army Peter Geren and Chief of Staff General George Casey, Jr. I hope you will help us in reversing this proposed change and maintain these important traditions for this generation and future generations of Paratroopers. Thank you for your service to our Country. The Honorable Duncan Hunter 2265 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515 Dear Congressman Hunter, I am the President of the 509th Parachute Infantry Association. I know that you are a Paratrooper and Ranger combat veteran and I am writing to you to enlist your help in overturning an Army plan that could very well damage the morale of our Paratroopers currently fighting the terrorists who attacked our Country. At the end of the year the Army plans to replace the green Class A uniform with the Army Service Uniform, based on the current Army Dress Blue uniform. In doing so the Army is doing away with the wear of the uniform associated with Airborne and Special Operations units. Specifically, no ovals will be allowed to be worn behind Troopers jump wings, jump boots with bloused trousers will not be allowed and officers and NCOs will not be allowed to wear berets in the ASU. Additionally, Soldiers will no longer be allowed to wear unit patches on the uniform, either their current unit of assignment or the unit they were assigned to in a combat theater. As a combat veteran I know that you understand intangibles such as unit pride and esprit de corps that have a bearing on how well Soldiers perform their mission. Given that almost all of our Airborne and Special Operations forces are currently deployed to combat. The proposed changes have the potential to damage the morale of those Paratroopers at the very time when we are relying on their Airborne pride and spirit. I am enclosing a letter I sent to Secretary of the Army Peter Geren and Chief of Staff General George Casey, Jr. I hope you will help us in reversing this proposed change and maintain these important traditions for this generation and future generations of Paratroopers. Thank you for your service to our Country. Since I included a copy of my letter to Secretary Geren and General Casey with my letters to Senator Reed and Congressman Hunter I kept my letters to them brief.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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Stare Master
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My letter to the editor on the subject in this week's Army Times:Uniform traditionThe Army is missing an essential point in regard to the new Army Service Uniform regulations. Since our Army was founded, we have found the need to change the dress uniform about every 20 to 25 years. How can the Army have a traditional uniform when every generation of soldier wears a new uniform? However, over the last 90 years, uniform traditions have developed. Unit patches for the current unit of assignment and the overseas wartime unit have become an important tradition for soldiers. For airborne soldiers, regardless of rank, the wear of berets, the ovals behind wings, and pants bloused in jump boots are important traditions. If the Army wants a traditional Class A uniform, it should pick a uniform that looks like a uniform and not a business suit. That doesn’t mean that minor changes can’t be made over time, but the Army needs to end the habit of throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
"History teaches that when you become indifferent and lose the will to fight someone who has the will to fight will take over." COLONEL BULL SIMONS
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