More Than a Uniform

The standards of the military are high and, sometimes, mysterious. If you’re not within a certain weight, you can’t join. If you don’t score high enough on the ASVAB, you have limited jobs to choose from. The military ultimately tells you where to go. Both leaders and faceless entities decide if you’re promotion eligible even though you checked all the boxes. Without much explanation, things can seem unfair. You don’t always know “the why” as it pertains to your career, and it can be frustrating. I have tried to think long and hard in deciding if there is anything we truly have control over. I used to believe that military members had full control over their fitness, but even one’s ability to run two miles can be unexpectedly inhibited due to medical conditions. I have only come up with one answer – the uniform.

Controlling your uniform is power. You are continuously judged on your appearance whether you know or like it. As you stand for attention for a superior leader or check-out groceries in the community, your uniform speaks to your heritage, professionalism, and character. Caring about the fit, cleanliness, and accuracy speaks to your individual discipline and attention to detail. 

Ensuring one has a properly fitting uniform might seem obvious, but it is remarkable how many members choose to try and make do with a uniform they received at basic training five years ago. Active duty enlisted members receive an annual clothing allowance and it should be used for such. No one wants to see an ill-fitting uniform on anyone. It demonstrates a couple negative things. Firstly, it can show that your body composition has changed, probably in the wrong direction. I have only seen an individual wear a uniform that was larger than their body type on a handful of occasions. Nine out of ten times, an ill-fitting uniform is tight around the arms and comes up around the belt. The uniform is meant to be comfortable, not eye-catching. This isn’t the club.

There are many jobs in the military that are “dirty” jobs. Soldiers march for days and their uniforms start to take on the soiled smells. Aircraft mechanics work with a variety of oils while fixing jets. And some folks are just being lazy, walking around without a care in the world with rips and stains. Besides displaying disrespect for the uniform, not maintaining one’s attire will eventually compromise the material making it unwearable. There is no need to see how long one of two things will happen. One: See how long until someone talks to you about it. And two: see how long the material will last until a gauging hole appears near the armpit due to constant rubbing.

Lastly, the accuracy of one’s dress uniform is important. A military dress uniform isn’t just a fancy costume that draws the eye of folks passing by. It is a consummate reminder of those who died for it. A reminder of the standards and order our military demands of us while civilians exercise freedoms to dress however they like.

One of my first ever supervisors was obsessed about the dress uniforms. She taught me to really care about. “Good enough” was not in her vocabulary when it came to lining up the ribbons, so they ran parallel to the bottom of the nameplate. It was either correct or not. It was that simple.

Taking the time to dress within a military branch’s dress regulations is more than a requirement. It is an honor and a privilege. Conforming to the prescribed dress and appearance standards is a measuring stick of who you are. And unlike so many other factors in the military, controlling your uniform is something you truly have power over. Don’t waste the opportunity to do so.