The cap fan poll

[stonemint]

A jest on my part; this information most helpful. Even today this is true; my son, an Army 1LT and Company XO, had the option of a private-purchase visor for his dress uniform, as I understand it. Forgive the sentimentality, but here we are at his wedding two years ago:

'frog, tell your son we thank him for his service to our country.
BTW, do they still offer direct-embroidered bullion insignia for visors? And who tailored his hat?

[Frog]

Stone - Will ask the next time we visit, thanks;

History Buff - forgive the interruption;

If the moderators will permit, I would like to post a final picture here - not fully relevant, to be sure, but offered without political agenda as an example of what our troops on the line face every day.

The wandering cow (common in Iraq) in this photo, taken by my son in his MRAP vehicle in Mosul last fall, has an IED implanted inside. This was set off moments later by the boy on the bike.

No casualties.

The boy was released to his parents under the terms of our agreement with the Iraqui government.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Officers of mine with service in Korea are able to secure all kinds of remarkable embroidery. The US Army is phasing out the peaked cap, I think, altogether in favor of the beret amid the end of the 1950s atomic green uniform. The modern state of uniforms is a pretty sad one, really, if one thinks of the US forces. The combat dress is surely practical, but it does not allow for a smart, garrison appearance in a society that has abandoned civilized standards of dress altogether in favor of eternal teeny booper hood or sartorial standards of science fiction films or comic books.

Do not get me started on said topic.

In former times, in polite settings, people derived status from their well dressed appearance and sought to demonstrate their status through their proper dress for their social station. Today same is corrupted by the internet as well as consumer electronics as status item....

Hereabout one is a freak if one is well dressed by the standards of the 1930s, of that you can be certain.

Most US uniforms are also made of synthetics which also do not allow for a smart appearance, either.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

As regards the awful picture of the poor animal and child, such is also a good reminder of the reality of war and its toll of human kind versus much of what one sees in the internet as concerns organized violence. The image makes us doubly grateful to Bruce's son and his hard work and the sacrifice of his troops in such circumstances.

The reality of the second world war was similarly awful, in reality, and should give us all pause at least a bit in our interests.

Once more, thanks to Bruce Antiquefrog and his son....and thanks to all the others at arms in like situations today in Iraq and Afghanistan and may they come home in safety and good health to their loved ones.

[Frog]

Thanks to F-B and others.

My son is just 24; none of his platoon officers is older than 26, and none of his sergeants is older than 29.

Think of it.

[Friedrich-Berthold]

Thanks to F-B and others.

My son is just 24; none of his platoon officers is older than 26, and none of his sergeants is older than 29.

Think of it.

Such was the case in the second world war on most sides, in fact.

Were I king, I would re impose the draft in our country and then the burdens would be spread more equitably.

But we are not supposed to discuss politics, and that is the correct thing here.

But we remain grateful to you, your son, his comrades, and my comrades in their number for all they have done.

[stonemint]

Officers of mine with service in Korea are able to secure all kinds of remarkable embroidery. The US Army is phasing out the peaked cap, I think, altogether in favor of the beret amid the end of the 1950s atomic green uniform. The modern state of uniforms is a pretty sad one, really, if one thinks of the US forces. The combat dress is surely practical, but it does not allow for a smart, garrison appearance in a society that has abandoned civilized standards of dress altogether in favor of eternal teeny booper hood or sartorial standards of science fiction films or comic books.

Do not get me started on said topic.

In former times, in polite settings, people derived status from their well dressed appearance and sought to demonstrate their status through their proper dress for their social station. Today same is corrupted by the internet as well as consumer electronics as status item....

Hereabout one is a freak if one is well dressed by the standards of the 1930s, of that you can be certain.

Most US uniforms are also made of synthetics which also do not allow for a smart appearance, either.

F-B, I echo your thoughts. I never could stand polyester puke-green shirts, sta-brite insignia, or those ridiculous berets they all wear now. The days of the pinks and greens are surely dead and buried.

[stonemint]

Such was the case in the second world war on most sides, in fact.

Were I king, I would re impose the draft in our country and then the burdens would be spread more equitably.

But we are not supposed to discuss politics, and that is the correct thing here.

But we remain grateful to you, your son, his comrades, and my comrades in their number for all they have done.

As usual, all I can say to this is "ditto."

[Friedrich-Berthold]

F-B, I echo your thoughts. I never could stand polyester puke-green shirts, sta-brite insignia, or those ridiculous berets they all wear now. The days of the pinks and greens are surely dead and buried.

My colleagues who went to USMA had proper uniforms, which they had tailored at military tailors famous for the trade. My students are impressive physical and mental specimens, who would look even more pleasing in a proper uniform. But the combat gear of today is suited for the demands of these battle fields. I just see no excuse for the wear of thew field uniform in rear area headquarters, or in the Pentagon where a smart appearance is proper. The beret is shrunk so it does not fit on the head to mock the appearance of a veteran, a Zwoelfender, which I understand, but it looks silly on certain kinds of heads and faces. The Deutsches Heer gave up the peaked cap in favor of the beret, which was foolish when it happened quite a while ago and we have followed suit, which is regrettable. The US Army wanted to junk the atomic green uniform for a long time, but the present change is not for the best. The USAF has gone through some very odd permutations of uniform recently, even with the Prussian collar to imitate the USMC. But unless the thing is tailored properly, it looks absurd.

Pinks and green were a nice uniform, but such was from an era with good tailoring and people did not weigh as much, either without corn syrup and a sedentary life. Only Ernest Borgine was overweight, slightly, in [U]From Here to Eternity [U]and the rest were trim and fit. A long time ago.

I also think that sports cars have died out as a sign of status because certain personages are simply too fat and ungainly to fit in them.

[stonemint]

A pic of one of my childhood idols, Don Blakeslee, shortly after having received the DFC from Ike (Don Gentile is to his right).
Almost as impressive as a W-SS uniform, and light-years beyond what passes for a uniform today: