Military uniforms have come a long way over the course of history. From the first attempts at standardization by the French in the seventeenth century to the infamous red coats of the British infantry to the digital camouflage of today’s military, uniforms have been a symbol of the changing purposes and duties of the armed forces. Here is a breakdown of some of the different types of uniforms used by today’s US military.
Camouflage utilities are worn by most servicemen for all but formal occasions. The ACU or Army Combat Uniform is the current uniform worn by Army servicemen. It replaced the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) and Desert Camouflage Uniform (DCU) worn in the 1990s. In 2003 and 2004, the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) was developed to be effectively worn in desert, woodland, and urban environments.
I believe in women; and in their right to their own best possibilities in every department of life. I believe that the methods of dress practiced among women are a marked hindrance to the realization of these possibilities, and should be scorned or persuaded out of society.
—Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (1844–1911)
In 2007, the Navy announced the production of a year-round service uniform to withstand the environments naval servicemen often perform in. The new uniform NWUs (Navy Working Uniform) will be a digital camouflage made predominantly out of blues and grays. By 2011, the Air Force will also have new uniforms, called the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU). "The ABU does not have features of the U. S. Army ACU, such as tilted/slanted pockets, sleeve pockets, velcro attachment points and closures, gusseted back, mandarin collar, etc. However, the ABU does have essential NIR (near-infrared) qualities. Unlike the ACU, the sleeves are authorized to be rolled up." Haircuts for all military soldiers are traditionally the "high and tight" cut. This cut prevents lice, allows a better seal for a gas mask, and is easier for better hygiene.
Each branch has their own specific dress uniforms for formal occasions. The Navy has three different categories of dress uniforms. Service Dress Uniforms are like a business suit and are worn when traveling or reporting to command. Full Dress Uniforms are the ones you would be likely to see at weddings, funerals, retirements, and changes of command or other similar occasions. Dinner dress is the last and most formal of the three categories. The Mess Dress Uniform is the Air Force’s equivalent of a tuxedo. The Army has their own Blue Mess Dress Uniform as well. "The Marine Corps dress uniform is the most elaborate of the United States armed forces, worn for formal or ceremonial occasions. Its basic form of a blue jacket with red trim dates back to the 19th century. It is the only U. Military uniform that incorporates all three colors of the U. Flag. There are three different forms of the Dress uniform: Evening Dress, Blue Dress, and Blue-White Dress."
[My father] was a lazy man. It was the days of independent incomes, and if you had an independent income you didn’t work. You weren’t expected to. I strongly suspect that my father would not have been particularly good at working anyway. He left our house in Torquay every morning and went to his club. He returned, in a cab, for lunch, and in the afternoon went back to the club, played whist all afternoon, and returned to the house in time to dress for dinner.
—Agatha Christie (1891–1976)
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