Question on Uniforms

Szpieg

5-Year Member
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Apr 5, 2010
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I have a question about when you leave off base to go home on Christmas or any other holidays. Do you wear your uniform when you go home?
 
I have a question about when you leave off base to go home on Christmas or any other holidays. Do you wear your uniform when you go home?

You'll probably have to wait for America's Finest or Beat Navy to answer this one. When I was a cadet, we were not allowed to do so after 9/11 for a period of time. They may have reinstated the rule that plebes leave in uniform. AR 670-1 does allow for servicemembers to travel in uniform (ACU) which I personally think is a travesty because the ACU is a garbage uniform and presents nothing remotely close to a professional appearance.

Dress uniforms are allowed for travel, with CoC approval (all uniform travel technically requires CoC approval, I believe, because it countermand AT/FP policy).

As for whether you MUST wear it as a cadet, they'll have to tell you.
 
When I went for my overnight stay at West Point, my cadet escort told me that cadets are allowed to wear civilian clothing when taking a leave.
 
I have a question about when you leave off base to go home on Christmas or any other holidays. Do you wear your uniform when you go home?

As of this year, all cadets are authorized civilian clothes when departing on and arriving from leave. These civilian clothes must be in accordance with SOP (collared shirt, professional appearance, etc).

You are also allowed to depart and return in your dress uniform. Sometimes this is more convenient (for example, your bus to the airport may leave 15 minutes after your last class), and sometimes a cadet does it to "make mom proud" etc.

Last year, cadets had to leave in whatever uniform they were allowed to wear while here (dress uniform for Plebes, cadet casual for yearlings and first semester cows, civilian clothes for second semester cows and firsties).
 
Traveling in uniform may have advantages. You may be able to go to the head of the line at security if in uniform. If in Cadet casual you cannot. You also may be recognized and be able to deplane first if the aircrew acknowledges military personnel traveling. It may also help your parents get gate passes to accompany you when you leave if you are in uniform. It may not be comfortable to travel in cadet uniforms but it may have advantages.
 
Traveling in uniform may have advantages. You may be able to go to the head of the line at security if in uniform. If in Cadet casual you cannot. You also may be recognized and be able to deplane first if the aircrew acknowledges military personnel traveling. It may also help your parents get gate passes to accompany you when you leave if you are in uniform. It may not be comfortable to travel in cadet uniforms but it may have advantages.

As an officer, personally, I would hope that a good cadet would have the personal honor to eschew those perks, as they were put in place for servicemembers flying in uniform due to departure/return flights for overseas combat deployments, not for people heading home from college.

Discretion is the better part of valor.
 
A very few of these may be "policies" for combat deployments, like going to the head of a security line; many more, we have been told on the parents' forum, are informal professional courtesies extended by airline personnel who are frequently former military, and who certainly would be aware that a USMA cadet uniform is not worn by someone travelling on combat deployment.

There were a number of stories of cadets stuck in holiday traffic and late for flights-- in one case, the jetway had been pulled away from the gate, and was brought back for a cadet in uniform because the flight crew had a USAFA grad and the ground crew knew it.

There is certainly something wrong with taking perks not meant for you, and pretending to be what you're not. There's also something wrong with requesting perks because you're "special." The uniform, however, generates some respect, even if only the thought that the wearer might be a bit more responsible, mature, and pressed for time than the average 19 or 20 year old. Nothing wrong with that, with someone offering assistance based on it,or with accepting such help when offered.
 
A very few of these may be "policies" for combat deployments, like going to the head of a security line; many more, we have been told on the parents' forum, are informal professional courtesies extended by airline personnel who are frequently former military, and who certainly would be aware that a USMA cadet uniform is not worn by someone travelling on combat deployment.

There were a number of stories of cadets stuck in holiday traffic and late for flights-- in one case, the jetway had been pulled away from the gate, and was brought back for a cadet in uniform because the flight crew had a USAFA grad and the ground crew knew it.

There is certainly something wrong with taking perks not meant for you, and pretending to be what you're not. There's also something wrong with requesting perks because you're "special." The uniform, however, generates some respect, even if only the thought that the wearer might be a bit more responsible, mature, and pressed for time than the average 19 or 20 year old. Nothing wrong with that, with someone offering assistance based on it,or with accepting such help when offered.

We will probably have to agree to disagree. Personally, when traveling in uniform for a CONUS function, I do not partake. I wouldn't feel like much of an officer or man if I took the chance to de-plane first or move to the head of the security line, and in so doing walked past elderly travelers and mothers traveling with young children and (no doubt) the accompanying 85 pounds of diaper bags and stroller. I would feel doubly crummy if I was a cadet and knew that the average person can't tell who's wearing what or why. I can't tell you how many times, even in Class A's, I get asked if I'm headed "over there."

The uniform is about service, and the only perks to which we are truly entitled are a paycheck and the GI Bill.

Again, I think discretion is the better part of valor. Everything you do in uniform reflects directly on your academy and the military service. Personally, I'd rather people think "wow, that Army guy is very unselfish" than "wow, he got to go first."
 
And I thought my DD just hated wearing the uniform day after day
Here she was just trying not to attract attention and unwarranted perks.:shake:
 
Many Plebes don't have much in the civilian clothing area; other than what they wore on "R" Day. Just a point for travel home on Thanksgiving.
 
Speaking of going home, when does everybody get to go on leave overnight, other than a club event? Just Christmas? How does all that work?
 
My plebe used a pass and came home over Columbus Day. It was the first time he had been home since June 26th.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are leave.
 
Speaking of going home, when does everybody get to go on leave overnight, other than a club event? Just Christmas? How does all that work?

You get Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, or any pass that you take. If you take pass, then you get to leave. Many cadets use their pass(es) on three-day weekends.

Plebes only get one per semester. But we can also take spirit passes, receive performance passes, and take emergency leave if necessary.

Another common way of getting out of here is clubs. For instance, with Spirit Band I've been to every away game so far. In fact, with the exception of home games and Rutgers (which was a boomerang trip), I've been gone every weekend since August 28th.

It really helps to join clubs. You get to relax, do something you enjoy, and leave occasionally.

As far as the whole uniform thing, I couldn't imagine it being too much more beneficial. Every time Spirit Band has traveled we weren't even recognized (we travel in uniform). We've been asked if we're pilots, if we're bus drivers, if we're mailmen, and if we're from "that one Naval academy in Maryland".

The only time we were moved through security faster was when the airline messed up our flight information (which delayed us considerably) and if we hadn't been moved up we wouldn't have made the flight. I'd like to think they'd do that for everyone.
 
As far as the whole uniform thing, I couldn't imagine it being too much more beneficial. Every time Spirit Band has traveled we weren't even recognized (we travel in uniform). We've been asked if we're pilots, if we're bus drivers, if we're mailmen, and if we're from "that one Naval academy in Maryland".

My son was in Manhattan in dress gray and was mistaken for the doorman! :yllol:
 
My son was in Manhattan in dress gray and was mistaken for the doorman! :yllol:

Yep. And then when you explain "Actually, we're from the US Military Academy at West Point" you get responses like:

"So you guys are in the Navy?"

"Oh? Is that in Ohio?"

"Military academy? So is that like for the military?"

"America has a military academy?"

"Why do your uniforms look Russian?"

"Are you sure it's not in Ohio? Because I know Ohio has a military base."

"Which military?"
 
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