Of course Sailors on deck of an arriving ship wore whites, got very greasy so just kept one set just for that. Whites were not that costly. Personally had at least 10 sets. One week for 5, the other 5 were in the Navy Exchange Laundry. TD1, USN retired.
@YamiCS80 Loved my dungarees. Rather than replace them with issue as they wore out, I'd buy Seafarer's that were already belled from the Navy Exchange (also available in straight leg like the issues.
Watched our LT eat a chili cheese hot dog while wearing summer whites on a travelling carrier circa 2012. All of us cadets at the table were watching him closely. One asked how he's eating such a messy thing and he said "Carefully," and got a laugh out of us.
Was asked one time after discharge how I was able to wear white clothing while working and not get them dirty. My answer was special training while in the Navy. Preferred the dungaree working uniform.
@Skip Roche หยก.ยางยนต์ ม่าหนิก I worked for DOD NAVSUP WSS Mechanicsburg, Pa. Untill retirement 2016. I often wondered why the navy went to blue camo uniforms. One thing for sure if one goes overboard for any reason, blue camo is NOT the way to go.
I remember once when I was pretty young it was a slightly warmer day and I asked a service woman who happened to be in the store at the same time as me and my mom if her uniform was really hot to wear. I always saw service members wearing them and was super curious. She was really nice and explained that its not too bad, and even let me try on her jacket. I remember I gave her the biggest, happiest smile ever and thanked her a lot. It looked like i genuinely made her day, and she went above and beyond in terms of answering a curious kids questions. She didn't have to let me try on the jacket, but she did. It stands as one of my favorite memories, and I still look back on it very fondly. It's one of my few memories that will always put a smile on my face. I don't remember her name or rank, but I'll always remember her face and how happy she looked at my pure joy and excitement.
Never understood why men's trousers get four pockets, while women's "pants" get none. When I was in the Army, the "greens" pants option had a tiny waistband pocket not even big enough to hold an ID card. The skirt had nothing. And don't get me started on the "mint greens". We were expected (except in basic and AIT) to carry a purse that could now hold a small laptop.
I was very confused when he said that dress white trousers for men have belt loops and pockets but not the female version as if being female meant your pants stayed up magically and they don’t need to have anything with them. Having a purse is more annoying for no good reason.
This explains so much, my Dad was in the Navy 20 years and was retired by the time I was born and he used to iron my jeans for school and my jeans would be so stiff with ironed in creases that it was hard to walk in them, now I see why he did that. 😊 Continue to rest Dad, miss you! ❤
I'm an Army vet. I appreciate the history behind the navy uniforms and all but damn that's a lot of stuff to keep track of. I remember keeping my class A uniform looking sharp was like a full time job and I only wore it like once a month.
@@tb3687 USAF MX, last time I wore mine was 3 days before christmas in 2018. I do not look forward to having to get it refitted, new rank and whatever the wall of stupid awards I'm not sure how I got put on it.
I have my Dad's Korean War era navy Uniforms. He was discharged as an E-4. He only had three uniforms, the blue, the white and what he called the "every day" uniform which was light blue shirt and a darker blue bell bottom pants and the white cover. He had two white covers, one for daily use and one for dressing up. He told me he only wore the whites in warm weather and called them the summer dress uniform. He also told me that he rarely wore the whites. They would be for shore leave or when the ship came into port or if someone important came aboard. The blues he called winter dress. He actually had three sets of the daily uniform and said he got a new set of those about every 3-6 months as they tended to wear out fairly quickly. He only ever had one set of the whites for his whole service of 4 years and same with the blues. Oh and he had what he called a P-coat to go over all that. As for shoes he had two pairs. One for dress and one for work and they were identical except for condition. He had a belt as well with a brass buckle that is different than standard belt buckles. He showed how you would remove the brass tongue and cut the canvas belt to size then clamping the tongue back on so you get a perfect fit with just the right amount of belt sticking out of the tongue. I don't recall exactly but the tongue couldn't stick out too far from the buckle nor could it be concealed in the buckle. There was a specific measurement for that. Similar requirements set for shoe laces. when you tied the knot what was left over could not be too long nor too short. There was a standard size issued but there was some variation by foot size so sailors would peal off the plastic end of the shoe lace and cut it to size then re apply the plastic end using the flame from a match to melt it back onto the end of the shoe lace. He went on at great length about some details of his uniforms. My favorite thing he had was his silver whistle that he says he had custom made from a silver dollar.
If you think that's a lot of kit try British Army especially the infantry ceremonial Foot Guards ; Scarlets for the summer and winter Grey Coat, Blue Patrols, No. 2 service dress, barrack dress and combats etc
Honestly its not, because some of the uniforms they went over you'll go years without wearing. The dress uniforms are seasonal (blues in winter, whites in summer) only time you ever really wear them is when the ship is pulling into port and they have the crew manning the rails. The NSU (Khaki shirt uniform) you'll only wear that when teaching, or in a student status. E-7 and above tend to wear their's more frequently but I've gone YEARS without even touching that uniform. 99.9% of the time the NWU (Cammies) will be worn, or if you're on a ship/sub Coveralls.
🕊️💪🏽✌🏽🙏🏽🤲🏽.... I'll give you all the real secret... Don't tell nobody else... 😂😂😂....Too the point....Because it's only courteous that male sailors should show their appreciation by always covering a tab or anything that our sister sailors may need... This is honored as respect and appreciation and since women carry life ❤️...Yet not every sailors a gentleman... 🤲🏽😉
Since most Navy men are aboard ship the green camo fatigues make a lot of sense as it provides cover with all the bushes, trees and etc. I was most impressed of their usefulness when I visited a Submarine.
@@chrisparmer4983 Even the blueberry camo is recent. The "utility" uniform, light blue blouse with dark blue slacks, preceded that and was often referred to as "prison blues" as it looked a lot like a prison uniform. Being on a ship at sea is a lot like being in prison, so it fit, but we never wore the utilities at sea, we really wore utility uniforms as seldom as possible as they were not comfortable, not attractive, and not good in either hot or cold weather.
I used to wear coveralls on the aircraft carrier all the time. Very comfortable. On deployment you learn to love it because they're very low maintenance.
same here- too many uniforms, not enough room, either in boot out out in the fleet. Couldn't tell ya how many dungarees or blue chambray shirts I went thru!
I graduated from RTC Orlando in November 1992, and I was the only one in our group who fit all my uniform items into the sea bag. The only thing I didn't put in was the women's combination cover, because it would've crushed the cardboard... but I could've fit it in, if it had been a collapsible item. I accomplished that feat by going old-school Navy: rolling the clothes tightly, and and tying everything with twine. The bag was heavy as hell, but it made going to the airport a lot easier with just the bag and the hat box to check!
It's crazy. In the Army in 2005 I was issued 4 sets of BDUs, 2 summer and 2 winter. I got 2 dress pants, 2 short sleeves, 1 long sleeves, and the coat and the stupid trench coat thing too. And 2 berets, 1 summer BDU patrol cap and 1 winter BDU patrol cap with ear flaps that I was never once able to put down over my ears lol. Then in 2006 when deploying I got 4 sets of ACUs I wore my commies all but 2 days in 8 years.
Judging from his ribbons I suspect he served time with the Fleet Marine Force and was Doc to a Marine platoon. BTW: >the< one guy an outsider doesn't want to f*ck with in a Marine platoon is their Doc lest you bring down the wrath of "his" Marines. Evening shift Nursing supervisor at VA Reno where I worked told of when he was a Corpsman with the Marines. He was at Balboa Naval Hospital (San Diego) ahd some MD was dressing him down for some perceived issue. The Corpsman happened to be in the company of his platoon Sgt who promptly got between the him and the MD. He threatened that if the MD ever bothered "his" Doc again, he'd kill him. I believed he former Corpsman's story as he did NOT precede it with "This ain't no sh*t!"
I can not help but be impressed with how well you have to stow every single uniform, the Class White Dress Uniform is like a full time job just to keep it clean
Navy Vet here...just a note that getting caught in a sudden rain storm wearing dress whites....was almost like a wet tee shirt contest. In my days, bell-bottom dungarees with a chambray shirt and service dress blues were my favorite uniforms with dixie caps.
When I was in service, we had working blues (long sleeve/winter wear) and working whites (short sleeve/spring n summer) blue utility, pt, coveralls, dress blues and whites. A lot of recruits kept mistaking us as officers or chiefs when in working whites
I'm old too (2000-2012). I was issued utilities, "ice creams," "Johnny Cashes", and the other uniforms at the time. I rushed to replace my cotton whites with CNT whites because they obviously look better. I remember actually seeing the last of dungarees on Naval Reservists going through NATTC Pensacola for A-school. Oh and we didn't have an official PT uniform, just those blue shorts and that white tshirt with Navy logo on the front for bootcamp. It was only until the yellow tshirt/blue shorts there became an official PT uniform.
I never wore my working whites. I only wore my working blues for 2 weeks of leadership training for E-5's. I wore my dress whites twice. Once to man the rails, and second time was commissioning of my second ship. The rest of the time it was coveralls, utilities, and dress blues.
I was in the navy when we were reissued the crackerjack uniforms in 1978. We were extremely proud to reconnect to the Old Navy traditions. You learned how to take care of your uniform, just a matter of paying attention to details around you. Keeping a uniform "4.0", squared away, navy fashion, all those terms described a proper sailor, a lot harder to do on a ship. The CPO style uniforms were referred to as "Good Humor Man" uniforms. Not a whole lot of pride in that. Going into Port with the side rails manned by everyone in their best dress blues, marine and navy, is impressive.
What was the dress uniform before 1978? According to the Blue jacket our dress blues have been in continuous service since the Navy's birth. With modifications made over time
@@navyav8r653 The suit coat and white shirt and tie with gaberdine pants, low quarters shue with black sox and black woven belt with silver buckle, topped off with the white covered combination hat. This is the same uniform the chiefs wore.
You can thank Admiral Zumwalt for introducing that strange uniform that borrowed the CPO's visor cap, It caused way too much confusion before being discarded. (EX) IC2 Waldron
I was in 1976 when the Navy was "one uniform". We new squids hated them and were treated like wannabe CPOs Out on medical in spring of '78 so I never got to wear the proper uniform of a seaman.
Was issued the Good Humor uniform in 1975, along with the utility working uniform. Bought dungarees as soon as possible and the utility uniform went over the side. Got my crackerjacks tailored in Hong Kong withe silk lining and dragons under the cuffs. Wore them till I made chief. a sailor belongs on a ship! Those who spend their career on shore duty may be in the Navy but they are sure as hell not a sailor.20 years in the Navy, 18 at sea.
Lol the ankle pocket question at the end amused me. I'm Army and I always find a use for them, either for stuffing tissue from MREs in the field, trash, hand sanitizer, whatever fits. In a day to day environment though they're not used that much and I often forget they're there.
Big difference from when I was joined in 1986 and served up until 1990. We had the dress whites and blues but our daily uniform were dungarees, which were like denim blue jeans and a blue work shirt. We also had working white/blues. Those were the only ones not bell bottomed. But the sea bag itself is the same.
I too was clad in blue during my tour from 80-86. Was a MM so underway only wore my green engineering coveralls and ship's ball cap about 95% of the time. One other thing we had (at least on surface ships) were the foul weather jackets. These were basically handed down so you were pretty salty if you had one.
@@csc115 When we were underway we wore our colored jerseys if you were an Airedale. I was an Aviation Ordinanceman so I wore a red shirt. Out to sea no cover was allowed on the flight deck except the helmet and earmuffs.
@@valuedhumanoid6574 Got chewed out by a ensign for not wearing a hat so I could salute him. We had just pulled out of port and making ready for the Airwing to come on board. I was a 2nd class ABE at the time. Just stared him to silence and explained about covers on the flt dck and he should clear the deck for safety reasons. I believe he understood it was his safety I was concerned about. He didn't run but he expedited in a good navy fashion.
@@JudeMalachi Well, I for one didn't care for the dungarees too much. Once they have been worn in for a while they were comfortable, just didn't like the bell bottoms. I hated the 13 button trousers, glad those are gone.
For those who think that is a lot, it used to be worse. There used to be working whites _and_ working blues. The peanut butters got rid of those circa 2010. I retired i 2014, and I never wore the Service Working Uniform after I bought them. At sea I actually _preferred_ to wear coveralls. You can make the belt very lose, and if you get them big enough you can wear civvies underneath. The ones I wore at sea were the type shown; the fire retardent ones came out after I retired. I had to sew on "US Navy," enlisted warefare devices, and my rank tabs on. By green side, HM1 is talking about serving with Marines. Green side corpsmen wear Marine Digital Camouflage as a working uniform. Dress whites are generally a wear them once, dry clean them after type of thing, and you only wear them for special occasions, or for formal functions. Change of command, reporting in to a new command, or brow watches on the ship.
On active duty I wore dungarees most of the time on the ship. I worked on the boats and there no faster way to get dirty then tearing apart a diesel engine. I had my whites and dress blues in my locker, but only wore them for inspection. When I was in the Reserves all of us men and women wore Camo's, carried M-16s and .45s when we went to Desert Storm. EN1
wore civvies under my coveralls back in 00-04. bunch of us would come to work into the hangar and change into our coveralls in our shops, including myself. of course we kept a set of utilities at work for quarters just in case. after that I went reservist for a minute, then came back just in time for the NWU Type I transition. never wore coveralls again.
That pair of dress blues pants are bull shirt! Every sailor should know the fear of pissing all over themselves trying to get enough buttons unbuttoned in time. That peanut butter uniform is krap too, I had summer service white and winter service blue.
When I went thru Recruit Training, all they talked about was how deeply steeped in TRADITION the Navy was. They just brought back the Crackerjacks in time for my graduation, after wearing the business suits. The dress blues were made from wool and itched like a Mutha-Fatha! Beards were allowed while underway as they were a tradition of Sailors. We still wore dungarees (or Seafarers). From what I'm seeing and hearing, tradition has been jettisoned overboard!
I got out of the Navy a little before they went to the business suits like our Chiefs wore and I'm so glad. We all have seen some sailors that look like slobs in their whites, I could just imagine what they would look like in a jacket and tie.
@PS My recruiter told me he had some guy purposely dry shave him to give him razor bumps in order to get a no shave waiver, also, he said he planned on saying he's pagan in the future when his no shave waiver runs out (2 yrs) to not shave based on religious beliefs.
Yea... the Navy i was in was very steeped in something too besides tradition. More like traditional BS. E-3s and below had to wear uniforms off base, not allowed civilian clothes, and working uniform was not allowed off base.
When I joined the Navy, mid-70's, there was a dress uniform, a working uniform, and another I can't recall the name but was basically a relaxed dress uniform ("Working blues", maybe?). The dress uniform was basically a Navy blue suit with a white dress shirt and Navy blue tie. Take off the coat and tie, put on a Navy blue dress shirt, and you had the uniform I wore as an instructor and most wore on shore duty. The working uniform was called utilities and were Navy blue cloth, cotton I believe, shirt and pants. You were issued those in boot. You had the option of replacing the utilities with a chambray shirt and denim jeans, and most did. During the years I was in, they brought back the "Cracker Jack" uniform, now the dress blues and whites. My dress blues still had the thirteen buttons and no zipper. I also seem to recall being told the thirteen was symbolic of the original thirteen colonies. Also, the pants were bell bottomed, with the explanation that it facilitated removing them over your boots in the water, and we were taught in boot that you could take those pants, tie the legs, and capture air in them to use for flotation. Coveralls were an option, mostly only used shipboard and in dirty jobs. I think I may have worn them sometimes when going aloft to change the oil on an antenna pedestal. So, task specific clothing, not a uniform. And, khakis were symbolic of rank, anybody wearing khakis were at least a CPO, if not an officer. In other words, nobody below management level wore them. And they were the working uniform for the CPOs and officers. We also never had camos, nor can I really understand why the Navy would have them. I could see issuing some on an as-needed basis when units are assigned on the ground, as I've heard happened during Iraq, but as a routine uniform? Obviously, things have changed. I think it was simpler in my days.
Most things were cotton in those days (80's) women had a skirt for dress blues, whites were a short sleeve shirt and pants. The rest of the time on the ship it was light blue shirt and Bell Bottoms, comfey. ☁️ I was in the first years of all the women lab rats that were brought in. Assigned to a Sub Tender. It was a good experience.....sure would NEVER join today though.
@@getreal200 At the beginning of my time in, some of the items were actually polyester. Until someone finally recognized how bad polyester is when you're in a fire, when it melts to you. I'm thinking it was end of the 70's or beginning of the 80's they banned polyester wear on shipboard.
@@brolinofvandar yes, our bodies are not made to function with synthetics anyway. Have you noticed that it is almost impossible to find 100% cotton anywhere? For women anyway. But that's another rabbit hole. Where did you do your time at?
@@getreal200 I entered the Navy at the end of 76, going to boot camp in Great Lakes (mostly because I'm originally from southern Illinois). Stayed there and went to ET "A" school in 77. Got selected for the "plowback program" and stayed on, as an instructor, until the end of 80. I also re-enlisted while in Great Lakes, in lieu of the 2 year extension I had obligated (entered under AEF program). Part of re-enlisting got ET "C" school, six months of theory, 8 hours a day, in San Diego, in 81. Because, basically, living in San Diego sucked (too expensive, housing horrible, etc), after school I requested Mayport, FL and ended up on the USS Forrestal. Did the 82 MED/IO cruise, then into the yards in Philly in 83. Split toured from there and ended up on the USS Vreeland (FF-1068), meeting her in Sicily during her 84 Med cruise. Stayed on her until I got out at the end of 86 (terminal leave before Christmas, final date 1/15/87). It was while I was an instructor that they started putting women through ET "A" school.
@@brolinofvandar mid 80's tho I grad high school '76. Didn't go in until 84 to Orlando boot camp. Went in as all of us women were entering. Wish list was Greece but, guess what, I got San Diego. 🤧 Oh well, at least it was warm and sunny. 😊 It was a good four years, good memories.
I don't miss those white uniforms. I used to keep mine folded up and in plastic bags to keep them clean. Glad they got rid of the peacoat. I lost mine right after boot camp and had to get a new one. they were almost $200 and I was making only $750 a month back then. I hated having to undo all 13 buttons just to use the head, so I fixed mine. I sewed the buttons on permanently and used velcro to keep it closed.
In 1969 I was being shipped back from Vietnam to the states. I was in whites and got separated from my sea bag. It was a long journey, maybe 10 days of wearing the same uniform. I was absolutely filthy when I arrived.
Exactly like mine....except that my Seabag never arrived, so I still had to wear the same uniform for almost a week before I was discharged. Three months later, I reenlisted and retired in 82 (HTCS).
sea cadets 1985-1989 we still did the Dungaree uniform with boondocker boots. Never got to enlist because Clinton was doing his Reduction In Forces (RIF) in 1993 and my recruiter was an asshole. I had asthma so he disqualified me from EVER serving.
Bit different since he was an officer but my Brother used to call the Dress Whites Dress Yellows because there was no way you were going to keep those completely white during a 6-month summer deployment in the Persian Gulf.
A little extra detail, the reason for the inverted creases and folding inside out for the service dress uniforms.... When they first emerged in the early 20th century/late 19th century, they were stowed ROLLED inside out (to help keep them clean and presentable on coal fired ships) and held that way by metal tipped cords called clothes stops. The creases resulted from the format of rolling, NOT from an iron or a press. In the modern era, the creases were ironed in or pressed in and the blouse and trousers were most commonly stowed on hangers, not folded or rolled. As for folding them the way that HM1 retrieved from the seabag, I have never seen that.
We were issued 1 dress white 2 standard whites 1 dress blues 2 standard blues. Three sets of dungarees 3 tropical shirts and shorts a watch sweater ,watch cap, raincoat, peacoat I think a pair of dress shoes and 1 pair of brogans several pairs of black socks. During a seabag inspection you had to account for each article so we would just pack it and buy extra uniforms. Oh yeah three hats. Sure have changed. Since 1968.
@@Fear_the_Doughnut It was the same in 64, Basic in San Diego, was told the non piped blues were called undress blues. We also got a pair of black leather dress gloves. Watch sweater was called a jersey . Dress socks and work sox. 3 dungaree pants and 3 long sleeve blue chambrey shirt, blue base ball cap and blue jacket. And a bible called the blue jacket manual.
I joined right when they got rid of them for the new NWUs. People used to give the blueberries crap but now that they're gone we look like Army or Marines we lost our distinguishing feature.
@@bobrusso1814 mostly cuz companies made bank on making new uniforms that and the utility dungarees made us all look like we worked at a state prison. They just dropped a new uniform on us the two piece coveralls the coast guard uses.
You guys need bright colors not any camouflage. If I went over a ship, I'd want to be seen, not blend. But then again, I would never be on a ship. I enjoy being in Aviation.
I’m a Marine so I never really knew what my Sailor Homies officially wear. I rarely see the coveralls until I got to the Fleet and when I was at a Navy Base working I’d see them in Blue Coveralls.
Yea, they have changed some things up since i was enlisted. Its been 23 yrs since i seperated, and i now regret not staying in. My ex wife talked me out, and i wish i would have stayed. I served 4yrs 8 months, from bare bones E1, i was an E5, eligible to test for E6 within a year from then, and i knew i could pick it up. I had all my requirements squared away, i was in good conduct standing with a spotless service record. I completed and filed extra training and education with available literature, and was well ahead of the required curve, with every possible extra training courses that pertained to my rate. I had excellent markmenship awarded by completing and performing arms training courses, and recieved marks for credit to be applied to the selction boards. I know ifi stayed i could have been a chief, or senior. The requirememts arent that diffocult, if a motovated serviceman puts in the time to be a standout. Many just dont take time to be extra, and prep for the positions. I had it down cold, the service fit me lile a glove, i loved it. I really regret not re enlisting now. The best years i had were enlisted, amoung great men from the Navy and the Corp. Best people i ever had known.
1 set of dress blues, 2 dress whites 2 working whites 2 working blues 5 dungaree was the standard seabag load with 5 white hats. Then they came up with blue coveralls to replace the dungs as a utility working uniform with the working blue and whites for office work, the utility uniform looked like the Coast Guard utilities. After I retired, they came out with the blueberries and khaki shirt/black pants and god knows what, hope it all fits in the bag. The uniform allowance never seemed to be enough.
Uniforms aren’t really issued. They come out of your paycheck while in boot camp. I used to use the ankle pocket for my cellphone. Inspectors never checked those at guard mounts.
That's what I liked about being in the Army. It was just PTs, BDUs, Class As, and flight suits, which I wore daily when wrenching and flying. Our life was so simple compared to other branches. 😁
But now soldiers will wear the new AGSU(just short sleeve not with the coat) for everyday use. It'll be mandatory in 2028. OCPs will be just on the field.
When I was onboard ship in the Persian Gulf in 1984 our uniform was dungaree shorts with white tee-shirts because of the heat. Other than that, I liked my white (summer time) cracker jacks and so did the ladies in Seattle lol.
Damn, when I was a sailor from 88-99 we only had the ugly Dungaree uniform with bell bottom pants. Dress Blues with functional buttons and Dress whites with no piping on the collar. We also had the long sleeve Dress Blue working uniform with tie or “Johnny Cashes” as they were referred to. We also had the working dress whites with short sleeves. Blue coveralls were issued when you got to your shipboard command.
Came in 05, still in. All these stupid uniform changes are a pain in the ass. They are in the process of changing the pt uniform again. They took our rank away from the 8 point cover. And we're the only branch to change the rank tab from non camo to a black background rank tab it's atrocious.
As someone who wore the old dungarees and all of these uniforms with the exception of the zipper dress blues, I can say for a comfortable working uniform the old dungarees were still the most comfortable.
Another detail. During my tenure, boot camp clothing was LOANED to the recruit, NOT issued. Every bit of clothing and ancillary items were paid for via payroll deductions. If the young person separated from the Navy prior to repayment, the final payroll amount would be adjusted to cover the unpaid amount. The uniform allowance did not commence until after the loan was paid in full. I don't recall the precise total, but it was a big number, several hundred dollars comes to mind. p.s. I retired several years before todays recruits were born.
I believe it's still kind of the same now. I went to basic in December of 2019 and it's all paid for via payroll deductions. Thank you for your service.
I remember my friends and I doing the math. I forgot what just uniforms was but it was roughly $1100 I think for everything in the sea bag they issued us
Served in the early 1970's and we had both dress, and undress, whites and blues. Work uniform was chambray, short or long sleeved shirt, seafarer "bellbottoms", boondocker boots, ball cap, marshmallow, or watch cap, ( depending upon command preference ) UNLESS you were in the UDT/SEAL, EOD, or Seabees, in which case you wore O.D. utilities, or camouflage utilities in-country Vietnam. Utility cap, or boonie, and even ballcaps could be seen in-country by SPECWAR operators. A light blue jacket, and a woollen peacoat were issued. Airedale enlisted sometimes would wear unauthorized flight jackets, but aircrews wore them as an authorized uniform item. Some squadrons wore ballcaps of a particular color, with squadron insignia to the fore. That was a command authorization. Chiefs, warrants, and Officers, had their dress uniforms, and as everyday wear, wore khaki's, or a winter uniform of green. Yes, green. Mostly recall warrants wearing the greens. About as much as I can remember...
I was in at the same time. I hated having to keep all the uniform versions , especially when moving. Too much crap! Then you had to fit your shower shoes, PT sneakers, Dress shoes, and steel toed boots. Let’s not forget your civilian clothes. Wish I had saved my peacoat after I got out. They sell for big money now on the civilian market.
Lol I was leading seaman with 1st Division VA-75 Sunday punchers. 1981. I got away with wearing a military style flight bomber jacket (but civilian made) while with the squadron, no one ever questioned me, they assumed I was aircrew and besides fleet sailors dont give a sh!t anyway except chicken sh!t officers. I bought the civilian jacket in the navy store so it must have been authorized right? Lol p.s. VA-75 was the best command I was at, it was the top A6 navy squadron in the fleet and there was never chicken sh!t petter officers or chiefs that hassled you about regulations. As long as the job got done, that's all that mattered. I had non regulation hair cut, salty uniform, never stood uniform inspections. That was the attitude of the command...get the job done, fu@k the other BS. And it worked.
I got out of the Navy in 04, and it just doesn't seem like that long ago, yet it seems that there are a LOT of changes since then. When I went home in my Dress Blues, my Dad who had been in the Navy in the 60s told me that those 13 buttons were the thirteen chances to change your mind.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Where does a Sailor store all these uniforms while at sea? When I was in the fleet we had Dress Whites, Dress Blues, and Dungarees-LOTS of them! Underway you never wore a cover. Ashore and in port we wore White Hats and the Command Ballcap. We also had a couple sets of Tropical Whites and a set of Winter Working Blues.
... and, tropical whites (shirt),and undress blues. Served on 2 DEs and a Gearing Class 'can. All three had to wear a cover whenever out on a weather deck.
Most of my uniforms weren't kept on the boat (sub sailor). I had a few poopy suits (coveralls), a single set of dungarees, and either dress whites or blues in case I had duty and pulled topside watch on either day we left or came back. But surface sailors also have tons more room than we had.
The navy’s uniform has changed since I was in. You had your blue dungeries which was like blue jeans and lighter blue shirt, and the Dixie cover cap, dress shoes (this is the uniform you wore all the time to work and exercise), your tropical browns, and dress blues. They reissues what we called Cracker Jack uniform which is what they call now the dress blue uniform.
In from 1981 to 1985. We also had tropical whites ( short-sleeved shirt and straight- legged trousers ), gunfighters ( black top and bottom w/ neck tie ), salt and peppers ( tropical white shirt and black trousers ) and of course, boondockers.
I loved my bell bottom dungarees. And we always called the white cover a "dog bowl" because it looks like a dog bowl. And I liked the working blues, but not the working whites (looked like an ice cream man). Of course, I'm talking 20+ years ago. Working on a flight deck also meant you needed extra camo pants and your jerseys. All that in the coffin locker and stand up locker, plus the handful of civilian clothes for being in port. Some of those ports required trousers and buttoned shirts (like in the Persian Gulf). Some books, writing material, music, movies, etc. You're going to be gone for 6+ months. You had to be creative in packing.
6:14 Fun fact, those type of coveralls are not authorized on ships due to them not having the required fire retardant material. Sailors are supposed to receive FEVs when they get to their first ship but most of the time their department is out of them and when ever new ones are ordered, another department steals them.
I served in the US Army and loved it. I enjoy watching what it’s like for the other branches of service. We may have our rivalries, but when the balloon goes up we are all in this together.
I was in from 07 to 13. We were issued the old dungarees. As a seabee we wore the woodlands. PT was in the brown T shirt and navy PT shorts. Then we went to the current PT gear. Then we ditched the working whites/blues for the service uniform. Then they got rid of the utilities for the blue digital. Then we went to the type 3 digitals.
In the Army we had our basic camo work uniforms which were called BDUs when I was in but are now called ACUs. Other than that it was our dress uniforms. As a tanker we also had 3rd uniform which was our nomex which is the same thing Army helicopter pilots wear. We mainly wear it on the tank in the field but in my last unit we wore it every Thursday as our regular uniform. Obviously we have PT uniforms as the Army & Marines have the strictest compulsory PT. It’s ironic that most of the Navy is deployed on ships with limited personal space & storage but have the most uniforms of any of the services. Nonetheless it looks like some of the Navy’s stuff is worn with function in mind over form which is always a good thing.
Just one correction - the jumpers are not folded inside-out to keep the integrity of the creases. They are folded inside-out to keep the outside of the uniform clean when stowed in your coffin locker. The reverse creases are an artifact of that. I'm glad that he didn't repeat the "thirteen buttons for thirteen colonies" myth.
The dress whites used to be 100% cotton and the dress blues 100% wool. They've both been a polyester blend for way too long and are very uncomfortable in summer and winter temps respectively, compared to the originals. Why the USN changed from the "Johnny Cash" black to the present service uniform is also beyond me, other than to confuse Marines.Replacing the dungaree shirt and jeans with camouflage was also a poor move, as the bell bottoms were easy to remove in water and be used as a flotation device(which was taught in Boot Camp). BTW, if you were ever in Engineering and deployed to a ship , submarine or squadron(which is what the real Navy does), you learn to appreciate the practicality of the coveralls. In both the SSBN and Attack class subs, this is a common working uniform for the entire crew (including sneakers for silent walking). BTW, HM1, the USN borrowed the dress blues and dress whites from the British Navy, amongst many other "traditions". They take up little space when stowed, when space is at a premium on a combat ship or sub. (EX) IC2 Waldron (Desert Storm/Shield)
And of course we as Corpsmen opt for Marine standards add that to your seabags. Once I went FMF I’ve never worn the Navy service uniform while attached to a Marine unit or dungarees. I spent my enlistment FMF and I’ve only kept dress uniforms as we don’t get USMC dress blues because we are not Marines.
@@deiongoldsmith515 I never got to wear em or the digital blueberries. They were being issued at RTC when I got out and thank god. Those looked hideous and from what others tell me they’re not the most breathable. Navy’s changed a ton since I got out
Thanks doc. You do God's work as an angel when the cry is " corpsman! " And O2 hit in the morning helped with the hangover. Well and other things but I'm not going to put you.
I joined the Navy on September 1st of 2000 (one year before the day of infamy) and got out in 2008 and I still can't get over the change in the (E1-E6, at least) working uniform from the blue utilities to the khakis. It made sense that you had to "earn your khakis" and I'll die on that hill.
Wow, Squid uniforms have changed a bit since I was turning 2 in the early 1990's. Dress whites didn't have piping then, only the dress blues. Real buttons, no zipper. The PT gear is completely different, we had blue short shorts and a white t-shirt with Navy written across the chest in blue. No camis. We weren't issued coveralls ever, we had to purchase those and could only wear them at certain prescribed times. Never had any khakis unless you were a chief or officer. No pizza slice hat, only the Snoopy bowl. We had ugly dungaree work unis with a command ball cap.
Yep when I was in the early 90s, the undress blues were sharp. Navy button down shirt and straight leg trousers with a black tie. The undress white was ugly. The 13 button trousers of the dress blues were a nightmare until you "trained" them right. The female sailors were beginning to be authorized the dress blue "Cracker-Jack" uniform.
Bootcamp PT/Swim trunks were a yellow/tan shorts, you wore your white t-shirt. the undress blues were called working blues AKA Johnny Cashs, working whites were called Tropicals, AKA Good Humors. I prefered the dungaree pants and tops, less expensive, easy to wash and or replace. No piping on the dress whites, and real 13 buttons on the Dress Blues. We had coveralls that we picked up from our supply room do to any thing messing, never had them issued back then as part of the seabag. Blue working jackets or a green foul weather/winter jacket. During flight ops we wore our Flight deck Jersey, dungarees or greens(olive drab pants). Command Ball caps at least 2 one for work the other for Quarterdeck watch or for detailes that allowed them, otherwise it was white hats aka Dixie cups.
@@krythyn4588 That's right. "Working" blues and whites. I couldn't remember because we never wore. And we called them Gestapo blacks and Good Humor Man whites. Funny.
The purpose of the cracker jacks in the modern navy is for recruitment of high schoolers. It serves no practical purpose aboard ship. The PT uniform is nice. In the 80s the only PT uniform issued was a very crappy pair of tennis shoes with no arch support. The forest or blue camo is stupid on a ship. A color that is easily spotted in water would be much better. I hope those boots float because those would be very hard to get off if you were in the water. The work shoes from 80s (boon dockers) were easy to remove. I'm surprised that the ship uniforms don't have an airtight inflatable pocket by now. Maybe even with a built in CO2 canister. The best piece issued was the raincoat.
The "working" uniforms are almost never used on ship except by maybe officers. It's almost always the coverall for its practicality. The Navy switched to green because only about 25% of the Navy is offshore duty, practically 15 if you account for rotation. So the greens make sense.
As a sailor myself I’ll say the Blues hands down are the most uncomfortable uniform I’ve ever had to wear. They look clean and I understand and completely respect the history behind the uniform but man they just suck to wear haha. Personally I love the whites, much more breathable and the pants are normal fitting and don’t have to be pulled up to your belly like the blues. Our camis are hands down the most badass looking uniform I think the Navy’s ever had and they’re incredibly comfortable. We rarely wear the NSUs and the yellow on blue PTUs are slowly being phased out by the much cleaner and more breathable all blue dri fit PTUs. Overall I think the Navy does a great job at staying true to its history while still offering a badass look to sailors with its uniforms nowadays. Hooooooooyah
I served seven years in the Navy, never heard the history of the white cover… Interesting. I still have mine and it was always my favorite part of my uniform.
When I went in in '98, I was the last person to be issued dungarees in my size. I had 2 pairs of dungarees, 2 utility uniforms, dress whites/dress blues, working whites/working blues (johnny cash), coveralls, peacoat, working blue coat, raincoat, and god knows what else
Dam I miss the Dungarees. I felt connected to passed sailors of WWII. They were also capable of being a floatation Device. I am happy to say I left during the Turnover.
My grandfather was a USS Arizona survivor. It was a surreal moment for me to be in a dungaree uniform, standing on the O5 deck of the USS Flint, wearing a sound powered telephone headset. We docked fifty yards from the Arizona memorial.
THE BUTTONS, THE DAMN BUTTONS ON THE DRESS BLUES. Newer Sailors will never know the pain.... Anyways, the Navy went through a big change while I was in 2006-10. The "Office" Service Uniform were actually two: A winter blues (really it was just black) and and a summer whites. And the Working Uniform were the light blue top and dark blue pants. By the time I got out in 2010, the Office unis were change to the one in the vid and the working unis went to the blue camo HM1 mentioned.
I joined the air force way back in 1976. The uniforms that was issued to me that I really loved till this day was the Khaki uniforms (1505's) and the OD (non camo) utility uniform with the short sleeves, 100% cotton that were very comfortable in hot and cold weather. We had the blue & white chevrons, name tags and colored MAJCOMS & squadron patches on them that made them stick out. I wouldn't even want to wear the new uniforms they have today in the air force. The navy just has too many uniform styles to maintain.
Enlisted in 1962. Second that on the 1505s. We called them "silver tans" back in the Neolithic. The blue covers, ties and collar piping, etc really made the uni pop. As you say, they also were as comfortable as mother's arms. As soon I could I borrowed some money from the folks and got a set (paycheck was o/a $100 a month). Didn't have to wear that horror the cotton cords anymore. Over the years uniform issue in all branches is an epic saga. By the way, Navy why no pockets in the women's uni? We have stuff, too.
It has changed so much. This HM1 said he never cleaned his whites. When I was in, I received what was called a ditty bag. In that bag, I received a scrub brush and soap. Those items were our tools to keep our clothes clean during recruit training. I started in Camp Moffit, where we had old barracks, and inside we had what we called our laundry room. We also had strings called clothes stops, and all our laundry was hung outside on lines with those clothes stops. It was a chore, but as time went by, we had 12 weeks to learn it the right way, then never seen another clothes stop. We had no hot water to wash our clothes, and the trick was, getting all the soap rinsed out of our white clothes.
Pops was a big fan of the ditty bag! (USMC '51-'64) growing up going to summer camp I'd have my toiletries in one. I was surprised to find that no one knew what a ditty bag was. Lol. Being a kid of a Marine is ... Different lol
In the Portuguese Navy we have a couple more uniforms we do have a working uniform but its not a cammi and the one we use the most in land is a blue pants and blue shirt (with or without sleeves depending if its summer or winter) we also have a jacket for that same uniform. And when we are on a ship we use a uniform kinda like a jumpsuit wich also needs to be carefull as it must be clean.
i freaking HATED trying to keep my Husband's dress whites clean....he always found ways to get them dirty almost immediately after putting on. Also I miss the blue camo....somehow it made them sexier....the camo now is personally not flattering to me.
Strange how quickly uniforms can change. I served in the early 90's with the USN and the only thing that's stayed the same are the dress whites and dress blues. The PT uniform colors were white and blue. The working uniform was soft blue cotton short/long sleeve shirts and chemically treated denim dungarees. Coveralls weren't an issued item, but if you bribed an SK they might order you some. The service uniform didn't exist. The garrison cover didn't exist. Digital blue camo didn't exist. We got along quite well with just working cotton blues and ship logo ball caps. Granted you were always having to re-stencil your name on uniforms as nothing was embroidered. As I recall, the cotton working uniform was very comfortable and I'm not sure why Defense decided to split it into a service uniform and green camo. Seems like a waste of time, effort and maintenance. Lets be honest, when you're out to sea there's no need for tropical camo or service uniforms. All one really needs is a comfortable set of coveralls and a ball cap.
I was in the Navy starting in February 1990. I could not imagine wearing fire resistant coveralls in the engine room of steam driven ships. Our coveralls were thin and light weight. Dungarees were 100% cotton making them lighter and more breathable than polyester. Polyester wasn’t allowed for firefighting. Glad to see the piping on the dress whites. Jealous of today’s dress blue trousers. We had the 13 buttons to undo to go to the bathroom. Some guys would find a tailor who would sew Velcro in the flap and then sew the 13 buttons so they looked they were properly buttoned. Why camouflage pattern for on a Navy ship? Why not just a shade of solid blue for ship board uniform?
The NWU type 3s are only worn when a ship is in port ; the second that ship starts sailing out to sea, it’s straight into coveralls. The type 3s are also worn as the primary working uniform (except in special situations) at shore commands and all Seabee commands (side note: for those that don’t know, Seabees are a naval construction force. The idea behind all military construction forces is that they can design and build pretty much anything that you’d see in everyday society, but then also be able to legally defend their construction sites from enemy attacks with the same weapons you’d usually find in the hands of infantrymen without fear of the legal fallout if they were civilians)
Very different than when I served in the 1980s. Women did not wear the crackerjacks - summer or winter. The working boot was the “Boondocker” - a half boot made of leather with steel toes. Service dress had both winter and summer versions, with the winter being black long sleeve shirt, black trousers, black tie, and white hat known as the Johnny Cash, and the summer being short sleeve white collar shirt, white cotton pants, and the white hat known as tropical whites. Lastly, we all wore the dungaree working uniform from basic. Chambray blue shirts - long sleeves only in boot but either long or short after. Blue dungaree bell-bottom jeans with boondockers . The pockets on the jeans were worthless as they were located on the front of the Jean, not on the sides. They were comfortable and when deployed you’d lose the chambray shirt due to the heat. I still never understood the blue camis the Navy had ten years ago. The last thing you would want if you ever went over the side is to blend in.
When I joined in the early 1960's, the uniforms were: dress blues, neckerchief, white hat, cambray shirt and dungree trousers (work), short sleeved white shirt and white trousers, work boots, dress black shoes, swim trunks (wool), ball cap, peacoat, raincoat, white tee shirts, boxers or briefs, handful of clothes stops, black socks, black belt and buckle and the flat hat (which was never worn) all neatly packed into the olive green seabag. I still have my peacoat, raincoat and swim trunks (hated those things).
YOU WORK FOR 40YRS TO HAVE $1M IN YOUR RETIREMENT, MEANWHILE SOME PEOPLE ARE PUTTING JUST $10K IN A MEME COIN FOR JUST FEW MONTHS AND NOW THEY ARE MULTIMILLIONAIRES.......
Talking about keeping the whites clean. The original purpose for folding the uniform inside out was to help keep the outside a clean white. On the old coal fired steam ships soot went everywhere.
@@seadog686 I never spent much time on ship, only LHAs LSTs and LPHs. At that time the Navy had done away with the Crackerjack and was pretty much stuck with wearing that morticians uniform.
navy vet here . 1972-1976 how sad the bell bottoms are gone and the work uniform looks like the army /marines . We looked like sailors back then . our uniforms except the wool dress / undress blues all could be used as flotation devices . the bell bottoms let us get our pants off to make floatation devices too .
Wow. When I was in we had our dress whites and dress blues, our dungarees and our johnny cashes (black pants and shirt). No khaki unless you were a chief and above. We also only had the dixie cover, a baseball cap, and watch cap. 2 shoes: work shoes/boots, dress shoes. If I saw an enlisted with the new navy khaki shirt and blue pants I would've said he was a marine. But they have green pants I think.
We must have been same era (94-98). I was surface fleet and we had to beg and steel to get coveralls. When he said his least fav was coveralls I knew he never had working whites or blues. Uggg and having to take a dump with 13 buttons to undo......
I'm just an Army guy here to "Ooo and Awe" what our cousins in the other services got. I was in during the '' 'foliage green' Universal camouflage pattern"... it just looked like a computer threw up on us.
I HATED the UCP color...Had to deploy to Iraq in the UCP's. When I was crewing the Blackhawk in the desert, you could see all the little gray dots on the horizon from the grunts out there in UCP's...Thank God for the multicam!
I was in the Navy during the first Gulf War in 91 and instead of the Camos I had the Dungarees (chambray shirts and blue jeans bell bottom pants. It made it so much easier to get dressed in a hurry than what you have now with blousesing the camo pants before putting on your boots.
We didn't blouse our BDU's., they have tap in the cuff. After we put our pants and then boots, we tied the cuffs so it looked and acted as if we'd bloused the pants.
As a 6 year veteran of the USN I must say that the person responsible for inflicting a white uniform on sailors hated sailors.
Well he said it was for being in the tropics, what would you rather wear a white cotton uniform or dark blue wool?
@@blakedavis2447 id deal with the heat, I swear the whites get dirty magically
Of course Sailors on deck of an arriving ship wore whites, got very greasy so just kept one set just for that. Whites were not that costly. Personally had at least 10 sets. One week for 5, the other 5 were in the Navy Exchange Laundry. TD1, USN retired.
@YamiCS80 Loved my dungarees. Rather than replace them with issue as they wore out, I'd buy Seafarer's that were already belled from the Navy Exchange (also available in straight leg like the issues.
@@blakedavis2447 how about neither
Watched our LT eat a chili cheese hot dog while wearing summer whites on a travelling carrier circa 2012. All of us cadets at the table were watching him closely. One asked how he's eating such a messy thing and he said "Carefully," and got a laugh out of us.
I've never been more focused than when I tried eating a bag of Doritos in dress whites.
Was asked one time after discharge how I was able to wear white clothing while working and not get them dirty.
My answer was special training while in the Navy.
Preferred the dungaree working uniform.
I always eat in my PTs, so that I can have a nap after
High stakes chow
@Skip Roche หยก.ยางยนต์ ม่าหนิก
I worked for DOD NAVSUP WSS Mechanicsburg, Pa. Untill retirement 2016. I often wondered why the navy went to blue camo uniforms.
One thing for sure if one goes overboard for any reason, blue camo is NOT the way to go.
I remember once when I was pretty young it was a slightly warmer day and I asked a service woman who happened to be in the store at the same time as me and my mom if her uniform was really hot to wear. I always saw service members wearing them and was super curious. She was really nice and explained that its not too bad, and even let me try on her jacket. I remember I gave her the biggest, happiest smile ever and thanked her a lot. It looked like i genuinely made her day, and she went above and beyond in terms of answering a curious kids questions. She didn't have to let me try on the jacket, but she did. It stands as one of my favorite memories, and I still look back on it very fondly. It's one of my few memories that will always put a smile on my face. I don't remember her name or rank, but I'll always remember her face and how happy she looked at my pure joy and excitement.
That's a wonderful memory 😊
Never understood why men's trousers get four pockets, while women's "pants" get none. When I was in the Army, the "greens" pants option had a tiny waistband pocket not even big enough to hold an ID card. The skirt had nothing. And don't get me started on the "mint greens". We were expected (except in basic and AIT) to carry a purse that could now hold a small laptop.
Definitely gonna be adding discreet pockets to mine. It makes no sense that women should be hindered in a way men are not.
It's so men can "adjust themselves", discreetly... lol
@@mobulusmoby3864 not that women also need to do this sometimes 😀
Do sum about it then
I was very confused when he said that dress white trousers for men have belt loops and pockets but not the female version as if being female meant your pants stayed up magically and they don’t need to have anything with them. Having a purse is more annoying for no good reason.
This explains so much, my Dad was in the Navy 20 years and was retired by the time I was born and he used to iron my jeans for school and my jeans would be so stiff with ironed in creases that it was hard to walk in them, now I see why he did that. 😊 Continue to rest Dad, miss you! ❤
Your dad was spraying starch on your jeans. Standard practice in the Navy.
🫡🇨🇱👍🙋♂️
I'm an Army vet. I appreciate the history behind the navy uniforms and all but damn that's a lot of stuff to keep track of. I remember keeping my class A uniform looking sharp was like a full time job and I only wore it like once a month.
I wore mine 3 times in 4 years.
@@tb3687 USAF MX, last time I wore mine was 3 days before christmas in 2018.
I do not look forward to having to get it refitted, new rank and whatever the wall of stupid awards I'm not sure how I got put on it.
I have my Dad's Korean War era navy Uniforms. He was discharged as an E-4. He only had three uniforms, the blue, the white and what he called the "every day" uniform which was light blue shirt and a darker blue bell bottom pants and the white cover. He had two white covers, one for daily use and one for dressing up. He told me he only wore the whites in warm weather and called them the summer dress uniform. He also told me that he rarely wore the whites. They would be for shore leave or when the ship came into port or if someone important came aboard. The blues he called winter dress. He actually had three sets of the daily uniform and said he got a new set of those about every 3-6 months as they tended to wear out fairly quickly. He only ever had one set of the whites for his whole service of 4 years and same with the blues. Oh and he had what he called a P-coat to go over all that. As for shoes he had two pairs. One for dress and one for work and they were identical except for condition. He had a belt as well with a brass buckle that is different than standard belt buckles. He showed how you would remove the brass tongue and cut the canvas belt to size then clamping the tongue back on so you get a perfect fit with just the right amount of belt sticking out of the tongue. I don't recall exactly but the tongue couldn't stick out too far from the buckle nor could it be concealed in the buckle. There was a specific measurement for that. Similar requirements set for shoe laces. when you tied the knot what was left over could not be too long nor too short. There was a standard size issued but there was some variation by foot size so sailors would peal off the plastic end of the shoe lace and cut it to size then re apply the plastic end using the flame from a match to melt it back onto the end of the shoe lace. He went on at great length about some details of his uniforms. My favorite thing he had was his silver whistle that he says he had custom made from a silver dollar.
If you think that's a lot of kit try British Army especially the infantry ceremonial Foot Guards ; Scarlets for the summer and winter Grey Coat, Blue Patrols, No. 2 service dress, barrack dress and combats etc
Honestly its not, because some of the uniforms they went over you'll go years without wearing. The dress uniforms are seasonal (blues in winter, whites in summer) only time you ever really wear them is when the ship is pulling into port and they have the crew manning the rails. The NSU (Khaki shirt uniform) you'll only wear that when teaching, or in a student status. E-7 and above tend to wear their's more frequently but I've gone YEARS without even touching that uniform. 99.9% of the time the NWU (Cammies) will be worn, or if you're on a ship/sub Coveralls.
Even in the armed forces women have to just live without pockets for no apparent reason other than "because that's just how it is"
What did we do to them?? Give them life?! And this is the respect we get.
🕊️💪🏽✌🏽🙏🏽🤲🏽.... I'll give you all the real secret... Don't tell nobody else... 😂😂😂....Too the point....Because it's only courteous that male sailors should show their appreciation by always covering a tab or anything that our sister sailors may need... This is honored as respect and appreciation and since women carry life ❤️...Yet not every sailors a gentleman... 🤲🏽😉
Right?! Why no pockets for the ladies? We need them even more.
Do women carry a Navy purse?
@@Wxman9123 Because they're American and have the right to defend their country
Just graduated from HM1’s division with him as my 2nd RDC. Was a blast and I can’t thank him enough for the training given to me. Hooyah.
Wasn’t he in ship 06?
What’s your name?! We had chief guatiarazlara, hm1 andren, os1 Reese, and ym 2 Gonzales’s
@@milky2infinityboi979 ya ship 6 div 925
I ship out in almost a week
I remember when we all got the shit beat out of us when we got to ship 06
Since most Navy men are aboard ship the green camo fatigues make a lot of sense as it provides cover with all the bushes, trees and etc. I was most impressed of their usefulness when I visited a Submarine.
Nice for concealing barf stains from sea sickness!
You only wear those in port, out at sea it's coveralls. The only thing they're blending in with is the rest of the branches
That’s hilarious. Before they only had the blueberry camo uniform that was sure to conceal you if you fell overboard …😊
@@chrisparmer4983 Even the blueberry camo is recent. The "utility" uniform, light blue blouse with dark blue slacks, preceded that and was often referred to as "prison blues" as it looked a lot like a prison uniform. Being on a ship at sea is a lot like being in prison, so it fit, but we never wore the utilities at sea, we really wore utility uniforms as seldom as possible as they were not comfortable, not attractive, and not good in either hot or cold weather.
I used to wear coveralls on the aircraft carrier all the time. Very comfortable. On deployment you learn to love it because they're very low maintenance.
One thing I won’t miss about the Navy is how many uniforms we had.
same here- too many uniforms, not enough room, either in boot out out in the fleet. Couldn't tell ya how many dungarees or blue chambray shirts I went thru!
I graduated from RTC Orlando in November 1992, and I was the only one in our group who fit all my uniform items into the sea bag. The only thing I didn't put in was the women's combination cover, because it would've crushed the cardboard... but I could've fit it in, if it had been a collapsible item. I accomplished that feat by going old-school Navy: rolling the clothes tightly, and and tying everything with twine. The bag was heavy as hell, but it made going to the airport a lot easier with just the bag and the hat box to check!
It's crazy. In the Army in 2005 I was issued 4 sets of BDUs, 2 summer and 2 winter. I got 2 dress pants, 2 short sleeves, 1 long sleeves, and the coat and the stupid trench coat thing too. And 2 berets, 1 summer BDU patrol cap and 1 winter BDU patrol cap with ear flaps that I was never once able to put down over my ears lol. Then in 2006 when deploying I got 4 sets of ACUs
I wore my commies all but 2 days in 8 years.
I had HM1 as my RDC in bootcamp. I was part of his first “push”, one hell of an RDC and sailor kudos to him!! Nothing but respect!
Judging from his ribbons I suspect he served time with the Fleet Marine Force and was Doc to a Marine platoon. BTW: >the< one guy an outsider doesn't want to f*ck with in a Marine platoon is their Doc lest you bring down the wrath of "his" Marines.
Evening shift Nursing supervisor at VA Reno where I worked told of when he was a Corpsman with the Marines. He was at Balboa Naval Hospital (San Diego) ahd some MD was dressing him down for some perceived issue. The Corpsman happened to be in the company of his platoon Sgt who promptly got between the him and the MD. He threatened that if the MD ever bothered "his" Doc again, he'd kill him. I believed he former Corpsman's story as he did NOT precede it with "This ain't no sh*t!"
Back in my day (94-99), they didn't allow HMs to be RDCs.
@@jimpiper5297 The FMF warfare device above his ribbons tells you he's from the green side.
Just had HM1 as my RDC, graduated last week, was a blast
HMs are always the best but most ruthless RDCs
I can not help but be impressed with how well you have to stow every single uniform, the Class White Dress Uniform is like a full time job just to keep it clean
Navy Vet here...just a note that getting caught in a sudden rain storm wearing dress whites....was almost like a wet tee shirt contest. In my days, bell-bottom dungarees with a chambray shirt
and service dress blues were my favorite uniforms with dixie caps.
When I was in service, we had working blues (long sleeve/winter wear) and working whites (short sleeve/spring n summer) blue utility, pt, coveralls, dress blues and whites. A lot of recruits kept mistaking us as officers or chiefs when in working whites
I'm old too (2000-2012). I was issued utilities, "ice creams," "Johnny Cashes", and the other uniforms at the time. I rushed to replace my cotton whites with CNT whites because they obviously look better. I remember actually seeing the last of dungarees on Naval Reservists going through NATTC Pensacola for A-school. Oh and we didn't have an official PT uniform, just those blue shorts and that white tshirt with Navy logo on the front for bootcamp. It was only until the yellow tshirt/blue shorts there became an official PT uniform.
I never wore my working whites. I only wore my working blues for 2 weeks of leadership training for E-5's. I wore my dress whites twice. Once to man the rails, and second time was commissioning of my second ship. The rest of the time it was coveralls, utilities, and dress blues.
I was in the navy when we were reissued the crackerjack uniforms in 1978. We were extremely proud to reconnect to the Old Navy traditions. You learned how to take care of your uniform, just a matter of paying attention to details around you. Keeping a uniform "4.0", squared away, navy fashion, all those terms described a proper sailor, a lot harder to do on a ship. The CPO style uniforms were referred to as "Good Humor Man" uniforms. Not a whole lot of pride in that. Going into Port with the side rails manned by everyone in their best dress blues, marine and navy, is impressive.
What was the dress uniform before 1978? According to the Blue jacket our dress blues have been in continuous service since the Navy's birth. With modifications made over time
@@navyav8r653 The suit coat and white shirt and tie with gaberdine pants, low quarters shue with black sox and black woven belt with silver buckle, topped off with the white covered combination hat. This is the same uniform the chiefs wore.
You can thank Admiral Zumwalt for introducing that strange uniform that borrowed the CPO's visor cap, It caused way too much confusion before being discarded. (EX) IC2 Waldron
I was in 1976 when the Navy was "one uniform".
We new squids hated them and were treated like wannabe CPOs
Out on medical in spring of '78 so I never got to wear the proper uniform of a seaman.
Was issued the Good Humor uniform in 1975, along with the utility working uniform. Bought dungarees as soon as possible and the utility uniform went over the side. Got my crackerjacks tailored in Hong Kong withe silk lining and dragons under the cuffs. Wore them till I made chief. a sailor belongs on a ship! Those who spend their career on shore duty may be in the Navy but they are sure as hell not a sailor.20 years in the Navy, 18 at sea.
Lol the ankle pocket question at the end amused me. I'm Army and I always find a use for them, either for stuffing tissue from MREs in the field, trash, hand sanitizer, whatever fits. In a day to day environment though they're not used that much and I often forget they're there.
Pens….best thing I’ve found to keep in there
In boot camp we used to stuff cough drops in there and we used it as currency
@@4.6luke20 cough drops as currency? Lol I can definitely see that happening, lot of sore throats that’s for sure
@@melvinelder3587 A lot of smokers used the menthol ones to help ease the nic fits.
@@theindooroutdoorsman smart….. kinda lol
Big difference from when I was joined in 1986 and served up until 1990. We had the dress whites and blues but our daily uniform were dungarees, which were like denim blue jeans and a blue work shirt. We also had working white/blues. Those were the only ones not bell bottomed. But the sea bag itself is the same.
I too was clad in blue during my tour from 80-86. Was a MM so underway only wore my green engineering coveralls and ship's ball cap about 95% of the time.
One other thing we had (at least on surface ships) were the foul weather jackets.
These were basically handed down so you were pretty salty if you had one.
@@csc115 When we were underway we wore our colored jerseys if you were an Airedale. I was an Aviation Ordinanceman so I wore a red shirt. Out to sea no cover was allowed on the flight deck except the helmet and earmuffs.
@@valuedhumanoid6574 Got chewed out by a ensign for not wearing a hat so I could salute him. We had just pulled out of port and making ready for the Airwing to come on board. I was a 2nd class ABE at the time. Just stared him to silence and explained about covers on the flt dck and he should clear the deck for safety reasons. I believe he understood it was his safety I was concerned about. He didn't run but he expedited in a good navy fashion.
@@JudeMalachi Well, I for one didn't care for the dungarees too much. Once they have been worn in for a while they were comfortable, just didn't like the bell bottoms. I hated the 13 button trousers, glad those are gone.
What is the difference or purpose of the
White uniform and the " blue " uniform ?
For those who think that is a lot, it used to be worse. There used to be working whites _and_ working blues. The peanut butters got rid of those circa 2010. I retired i 2014, and I never wore the Service Working Uniform after I bought them. At sea I actually _preferred_ to wear coveralls. You can make the belt very lose, and if you get them big enough you can wear civvies underneath. The ones I wore at sea were the type shown; the fire retardent ones came out after I retired. I had to sew on "US Navy," enlisted warefare devices, and my rank tabs on.
By green side, HM1 is talking about serving with Marines. Green side corpsmen wear Marine Digital Camouflage as a working uniform.
Dress whites are generally a wear them once, dry clean them after type of thing, and you only wear them for special occasions, or for formal functions. Change of command, reporting in to a new command, or brow watches on the ship.
On active duty I wore dungarees most of the time on the ship. I worked on the boats and there no faster way to get dirty then tearing apart a diesel engine. I had my whites and dress blues in my locker, but only wore them for inspection. When I was in the Reserves all of us men and women wore Camo's, carried M-16s and .45s when we went to Desert Storm. EN1
wore civvies under my coveralls back in 00-04. bunch of us would come to work into the hangar and change into our coveralls in our shops, including myself. of course we kept a set of utilities at work for quarters just in case. after that I went reservist for a minute, then came back just in time for the NWU Type I transition. never wore coveralls again.
That pair of dress blues pants are bull shirt! Every sailor should know the fear of pissing all over themselves trying to get enough buttons unbuttoned in time. That peanut butter uniform is krap too, I had summer service white and winter service blue.
When I went thru Recruit Training, all they talked about was how deeply steeped in TRADITION the Navy was. They just brought back the Crackerjacks in time for my graduation, after wearing the business suits. The dress blues were made from wool and itched like a Mutha-Fatha! Beards were allowed while underway as they were a tradition of Sailors. We still wore dungarees (or Seafarers). From what I'm seeing and hearing, tradition has been jettisoned overboard!
I got out of the Navy a little before they went to the business suits like our Chiefs wore and I'm so glad. We all have seen some sailors that look like slobs in their whites, I could just imagine what they would look like in a jacket and tie.
@PS My recruiter told me he had some guy purposely dry shave him to give him razor bumps in order to get a no shave waiver, also, he said he planned on saying he's pagan in the future when his no shave waiver runs out (2 yrs) to not shave based on religious beliefs.
Yea... the Navy i was in was very steeped in something too besides tradition. More like traditional BS. E-3s and below had to wear uniforms off base, not allowed civilian clothes, and working uniform was not allowed off base.
Finally someone showing us even with the models wearing them thankyou
Y’all should know this man is actually crazy
Wdym?
When I joined the Navy, mid-70's, there was a dress uniform, a working uniform, and another I can't recall the name but was basically a relaxed dress uniform ("Working blues", maybe?). The dress uniform was basically a Navy blue suit with a white dress shirt and Navy blue tie. Take off the coat and tie, put on a Navy blue dress shirt, and you had the uniform I wore as an instructor and most wore on shore duty. The working uniform was called utilities and were Navy blue cloth, cotton I believe, shirt and pants. You were issued those in boot.
You had the option of replacing the utilities with a chambray shirt and denim jeans, and most did. During the years I was in, they brought back the "Cracker Jack" uniform, now the dress blues and whites. My dress blues still had the thirteen buttons and no zipper. I also seem to recall being told the thirteen was symbolic of the original thirteen colonies. Also, the pants were bell bottomed, with the explanation that it facilitated removing them over your boots in the water, and we were taught in boot that you could take those pants, tie the legs, and capture air in them to use for flotation.
Coveralls were an option, mostly only used shipboard and in dirty jobs. I think I may have worn them sometimes when going aloft to change the oil on an antenna pedestal. So, task specific clothing, not a uniform. And, khakis were symbolic of rank, anybody wearing khakis were at least a CPO, if not an officer. In other words, nobody below management level wore them. And they were the working uniform for the CPOs and officers. We also never had camos, nor can I really understand why the Navy would have them. I could see issuing some on an as-needed basis when units are assigned on the ground, as I've heard happened during Iraq, but as a routine uniform?
Obviously, things have changed. I think it was simpler in my days.
Most things were cotton in those days (80's) women had a skirt for dress blues, whites were a short sleeve shirt and pants. The rest of the time on the ship it was light blue shirt and Bell Bottoms, comfey. ☁️
I was in the first years of all the women lab rats that were brought in. Assigned to a Sub Tender. It was a good experience.....sure would NEVER join today though.
@@getreal200 At the beginning of my time in, some of the items were actually polyester. Until someone finally recognized how bad polyester is when you're in a fire, when it melts to you. I'm thinking it was end of the 70's or beginning of the 80's they banned polyester wear on shipboard.
@@brolinofvandar yes, our bodies are not made to function with synthetics anyway. Have you noticed that it is almost impossible to find 100% cotton anywhere? For women anyway. But that's another rabbit hole. Where did you do your time at?
@@getreal200 I entered the Navy at the end of 76, going to boot camp in Great Lakes (mostly because I'm originally from southern Illinois). Stayed there and went to ET "A" school in 77. Got selected for the "plowback program" and stayed on, as an instructor, until the end of 80. I also re-enlisted while in Great Lakes, in lieu of the 2 year extension I had obligated (entered under AEF program). Part of re-enlisting got ET "C" school, six months of theory, 8 hours a day, in San Diego, in 81.
Because, basically, living in San Diego sucked (too expensive, housing horrible, etc), after school I requested Mayport, FL and ended up on the USS Forrestal. Did the 82 MED/IO cruise, then into the yards in Philly in 83.
Split toured from there and ended up on the USS Vreeland (FF-1068), meeting her in Sicily during her 84 Med cruise. Stayed on her until I got out at the end of 86 (terminal leave before Christmas, final date 1/15/87).
It was while I was an instructor that they started putting women through ET "A" school.
@@brolinofvandar mid 80's tho I grad high school '76. Didn't go in until 84 to Orlando boot camp. Went in as all of us women were entering. Wish list was Greece but, guess what,
I got San Diego. 🤧 Oh well, at least it was warm and sunny. 😊 It was a good four years, good memories.
I don't miss those white uniforms. I used to keep mine folded up and in plastic bags to keep them clean. Glad they got rid of the peacoat. I lost mine right after boot camp and had to get a new one. they were almost $200 and I was making only $750 a month back then. I hated having to undo all 13 buttons just to use the head, so I fixed mine. I sewed the buttons on permanently and used velcro to keep it closed.
hm1 was a blue rope in my division when i went through and it super cool to see him as a red rope now
He was my second RDC when I went through. I was in his division when they filmed this.
I had AM2 Reyes cool dude.
I was in his First division 073
@@parkernorris3397 925?
In 1969 I was being shipped back from Vietnam to the states. I was in whites and got separated from my sea bag. It was a long journey, maybe 10 days of wearing the same uniform. I was absolutely filthy when I arrived.
Exactly like mine....except that my Seabag never arrived, so I still had to wear the same uniform for almost a week before I was discharged. Three months later, I reenlisted and retired in 82 (HTCS).
I got out but went back in. I put 20 more years in but in the Air Force to make 24 total.
I enlisted in 08'. We still had the Johnny Cashes and Summer Whites. Way cooler than the new issues.
sea cadets 1985-1989 we still did the Dungaree uniform with boondocker boots. Never got to enlist because Clinton was doing his Reduction In Forces (RIF) in 1993 and my recruiter was an asshole. I had asthma so he disqualified me from EVER serving.
Hopefully they bring those back
I would rate the coveralls as the best uniform. There's nothing easier than rolling out of your rack, slipping into that, and getting about your day.
Bit different since he was an officer but my Brother used to call the Dress Whites Dress Yellows because there was no way you were going to keep those completely white during a 6-month summer deployment in the Persian Gulf.
Loved listening to this guy! Could hear him talk all day!
Until he starts yelling at you to get on your six pack 👀
@@OrbInDaFrame hahaha even then, I'd do anything he told me to.
@@ReneeVaughter kinda forced to at that point😅
A little extra detail, the reason for the inverted creases and folding inside out for the service dress uniforms.... When they first emerged in the early 20th century/late 19th century, they were stowed ROLLED inside out (to help keep them clean and presentable on coal fired ships) and held that way by metal tipped cords called clothes stops. The creases resulted from the format of rolling, NOT from an iron or a press. In the modern era, the creases were ironed in or pressed in and the blouse and trousers were most commonly stowed on hangers, not folded or rolled. As for folding them the way that HM1 retrieved from the seabag, I have never seen that.
Amen! Could not believe that crap about folding and ironing. And a zipper and fake buttons on the crackerjack pants.
We were issued 1 dress white 2 standard whites 1 dress blues 2 standard blues. Three sets of dungarees 3 tropical shirts and shorts a watch sweater ,watch cap, raincoat, peacoat I think a pair of dress shoes and 1 pair of brogans several pairs of black socks. During a seabag inspection you had to account for each article so we would just pack it and buy extra uniforms. Oh yeah three hats. Sure have changed. Since 1968.
it was the same in 84.
@@Fear_the_Doughnut It was the same in 64, Basic in San Diego, was told the non piped blues were called undress blues. We also got a pair of black leather dress gloves. Watch sweater was called a jersey . Dress socks and work sox. 3 dungaree pants and 3 long sleeve blue chambrey shirt, blue base ball cap and blue jacket. And a bible called the blue jacket manual.
I really hate how that Navy replaced the digital blue working uniform with the current one. The blues looked so nice
There uniforms should be Neon Green and Yellow cammo
I joined right when they got rid of them for the new NWUs. People used to give the blueberries crap but now that they're gone we look like Army or Marines we lost our distinguishing feature.
Why does the Navy deed digital camo at all ?
@@bobrusso1814 mostly cuz companies made bank on making new uniforms that and the utility dungarees made us all look like we worked at a state prison. They just dropped a new uniform on us the two piece coveralls the coast guard uses.
You guys need bright colors not any camouflage. If I went over a ship, I'd want to be seen, not blend.
But then again, I would never be on a ship. I enjoy being in Aviation.
I’m a Marine so I never really knew what my Sailor Homies officially wear. I rarely see the coveralls until I got to the Fleet and when I was at a Navy Base working I’d see them in Blue Coveralls.
Yea, they have changed some things up since i was enlisted. Its been 23 yrs since i seperated, and i now regret not staying in. My ex wife talked me out, and i wish i would have stayed. I served 4yrs 8 months, from bare bones E1, i was an E5, eligible to test for E6 within a year from then, and i knew i could pick it up. I had all my requirements squared away, i was in good conduct standing with a spotless service record. I completed and filed extra training and education with available literature, and was well ahead of the required curve, with every possible extra training courses that pertained to my rate. I had excellent markmenship awarded by completing and performing arms training courses, and recieved marks for credit to be applied to the selction boards. I know ifi stayed i could have been a chief, or senior. The requirememts arent that diffocult, if a motovated serviceman puts in the time to be a standout. Many just dont take time to be extra, and prep for the positions. I had it down cold, the service fit me lile a glove, i loved it. I really regret not re enlisting now. The best years i had were enlisted, amoung great men from the Navy and the Corp. Best people i ever had known.
1 set of dress blues, 2 dress whites 2 working whites 2 working blues 5 dungaree was the standard seabag load with 5 white hats. Then they came up with blue coveralls to replace the dungs as a utility working uniform with the working blue and whites for office work, the utility uniform looked like the Coast Guard utilities. After I retired, they came out with the blueberries and khaki shirt/black pants and god knows what, hope it all fits in the bag. The uniform allowance never seemed to be enough.
Uniforms aren’t really issued. They come out of your paycheck while in boot camp. I used to use the ankle pocket for my cellphone. Inspectors never checked those at guard mounts.
You are not allowed to have a cellphone in bootcamp.
@@lawrenceandrews4367 You think these uniforms are only worn in bootcamp?
@@lawrenceandrews4367 you obviously cannot read
@@badgirls1954 i read too fast.
@@TheStabbyCyclist are you slow?
That's what I liked about being in the Army. It was just PTs, BDUs, Class As, and flight suits, which I wore daily when wrenching and flying. Our life was so simple compared to other branches. 😁
Same brother! Seeing your name made me happy too haha. God bless you! In Jesus' Name!
Our uniforms USED to be pretty simple in the 90s. They should have stuck with the blueberry cammies.
Except we sleep outside
Even easier in USAF. Blues for Promotions and Graduations. OCP's all day everyday. PTs for PT test. That's it.
But now soldiers will wear the new AGSU(just short sleeve not with the coat) for everyday use. It'll be mandatory in 2028. OCPs will be just on the field.
When I was onboard ship in the Persian Gulf in 1984 our uniform was dungaree shorts with white tee-shirts because of the heat. Other than that, I liked my white (summer time) cracker jacks and so did the ladies in Seattle lol.
I was over in the North Arabian sea in 1984 on board USS Preble DDG-46. Same here on uniforms.
A few days late but Happy Veterans Day and thank you for your service.
Damn, when I was a sailor from 88-99 we only had the ugly Dungaree uniform with bell bottom pants. Dress Blues with functional buttons and Dress whites with no piping on the collar. We also had the long sleeve Dress Blue working uniform with tie or “Johnny Cashes” as they were referred to. We also had the working dress whites with short sleeves. Blue coveralls were issued when you got to your shipboard command.
Came in 05, still in. All these stupid uniform changes are a pain in the ass. They are in the process of changing the pt uniform again. They took our rank away from the 8 point cover. And we're the only branch to change the rank tab from non camo to a black background rank tab it's atrocious.
Man, we had way to many uniforms. Fire retardant dungarees sucked balls!
As someone who wore the old dungarees and all of these uniforms with the exception of the zipper dress blues, I can say for a comfortable working uniform the old dungarees were still the most comfortable.
@@nannuartworks5812 With or without the skoal can outline on the back pocket?
@@mwillblade lol I never dipped so I did not have that.
Another detail. During my tenure, boot camp clothing was LOANED to the recruit, NOT issued. Every bit of clothing and ancillary items were paid for via payroll deductions. If the young person separated from the Navy prior to repayment, the final payroll amount would be adjusted to cover the unpaid amount. The uniform allowance did not commence until after the loan was paid in full. I don't recall the precise total, but it was a big number, several hundred dollars comes to mind. p.s. I retired several years before todays recruits were born.
I believe it's still kind of the same now. I went to basic in December of 2019 and it's all paid for via payroll deductions. Thank you for your service.
I went to boot camp in 1975 and it was 300.00 dollars for your uniform. Much more than your first months' pay.
I remember my friends and I doing the math. I forgot what just uniforms was but it was roughly $1100 I think for everything in the sea bag they issued us
Still that way today when I went in 2021.
It hasn’t changed. Initial uniforms issued are deducted from the paychecks.
Served in the early 1970's and we had both dress, and undress, whites and blues. Work uniform was chambray, short or long sleeved shirt, seafarer "bellbottoms", boondocker boots, ball cap, marshmallow, or watch cap, ( depending upon command preference ) UNLESS you were in the UDT/SEAL, EOD, or Seabees, in which case you wore O.D. utilities, or camouflage utilities in-country Vietnam. Utility cap, or boonie, and even ballcaps could be seen in-country by SPECWAR operators.
A light blue jacket, and a woollen peacoat were issued. Airedale enlisted sometimes would wear unauthorized flight jackets, but aircrews wore them as an authorized uniform item. Some squadrons wore ballcaps of a particular color, with squadron insignia to the fore. That was a command authorization.
Chiefs, warrants, and Officers, had their dress uniforms, and as everyday wear, wore khaki's, or a winter uniform of green. Yes, green. Mostly recall warrants wearing the greens.
About as much as I can remember...
I was in at the same time. I hated having to keep all the uniform versions , especially when moving. Too much crap! Then you had to fit your shower shoes, PT sneakers, Dress shoes, and steel toed boots. Let’s not forget your civilian clothes.
Wish I had saved my peacoat after I got out. They sell for big money now on the civilian market.
Lol I was leading seaman with 1st Division VA-75 Sunday punchers. 1981. I got away with wearing a military style flight bomber jacket (but civilian made) while with the squadron, no one ever questioned me, they assumed I was aircrew and besides fleet sailors dont give a sh!t anyway except chicken sh!t officers. I bought the civilian jacket in the navy store so it must have been authorized right? Lol p.s. VA-75 was the best command I was at, it was the top A6 navy squadron in the fleet and there was never chicken sh!t petter officers or chiefs that hassled you about regulations. As long as the job got done, that's all that mattered. I had non regulation hair cut, salty uniform, never stood uniform inspections. That was the attitude of the command...get the job done, fu@k the other BS. And it worked.
Thanks for making this my I get a better idea of what my daughter has to wear in the Navy.
My daughter looks darling in every one! Thank you for your service. ❤
I got out of the Navy in 04, and it just doesn't seem like that long ago, yet it seems that there are a LOT of changes since then. When I went home in my Dress Blues, my Dad who had been in the Navy in the 60s told me that those 13 buttons were the thirteen chances to change your mind.
Subic Bay, Philippines, 1985. "'Long time' ten dolla!"
My 24 year Navy Service started in 1960. I think we had it far better without all these changes to tradition.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Where does a Sailor store all these uniforms while at sea? When I was in the fleet we had Dress Whites, Dress Blues, and Dungarees-LOTS of them! Underway you never wore a cover. Ashore and in port we wore White Hats and the Command Ballcap. We also had a couple sets of Tropical Whites and a set of Winter Working Blues.
... and, tropical whites (shirt),and undress blues. Served on 2 DEs and a Gearing Class 'can. All three had to wear a cover whenever out on a weather deck.
Most of my uniforms weren't kept on the boat (sub sailor). I had a few poopy suits (coveralls), a single set of dungarees, and either dress whites or blues in case I had duty and pulled topside watch on either day we left or came back. But surface sailors also have tons more room than we had.
One cramped stand up locker. Coveralls folded under bunk storage on destroyer
The navy’s uniform has changed since I was in. You had your blue dungeries which was like blue jeans and lighter blue shirt, and the Dixie cover cap, dress shoes (this is the uniform you wore all the time to work and exercise), your tropical browns, and dress blues. They reissues what we called Cracker Jack uniform which is what they call now the dress blue uniform.
In from 1981 to 1985. We also had tropical whites ( short-sleeved shirt and straight- legged trousers ), gunfighters ( black top and bottom w/ neck tie ), salt and peppers ( tropical white shirt and black trousers ) and of course, boondockers.
Producer: “How do you keep that uniform so white?”
Navy instructor: Yes
I loved my bell bottom dungarees. And we always called the white cover a "dog bowl" because it looks like a dog bowl. And I liked the working blues, but not the working whites (looked like an ice cream man). Of course, I'm talking 20+ years ago.
Working on a flight deck also meant you needed extra camo pants and your jerseys. All that in the coffin locker and stand up locker, plus the handful of civilian clothes for being in port. Some of those ports required trousers and buttoned shirts (like in the Persian Gulf). Some books, writing material, music, movies, etc. You're going to be gone for 6+ months. You had to be creative in packing.
Never seen a dog bowl before, do they carry a good average?
Yep, them Johnny Cashes were slick.
dungarees YES
6:14 Fun fact, those type of coveralls are not authorized on ships due to them not having the required fire retardant material. Sailors are supposed to receive FEVs when they get to their first ship but most of the time their department is out of them and when ever new ones are ordered, another department steals them.
Had the same problem with flight deck boots "steel toes" and winter "Refer Coats". both command issue clothing.
I served in the US Army and loved it. I enjoy watching what it’s like for the other branches of service. We may have our rivalries, but when the balloon goes up we are all in this together.
U are all brainwashed
A camouflage uniform is great for when you do fall overboard so that you cannot be seen when people are searching for you.
I’m glad I got out before the camo. I narrowly avoided the blue camo. Camouflage isn’t a Navy uniform.
I was in from 07 to 13. We were issued the old dungarees. As a seabee we wore the woodlands. PT was in the brown T shirt and navy PT shorts. Then we went to the current PT gear. Then we ditched the working whites/blues for the service uniform. Then they got rid of the utilities for the blue digital. Then we went to the type 3 digitals.
In the Army we had our basic camo work uniforms which were called BDUs when I was in but are now called ACUs. Other than that it was our dress uniforms. As a tanker we also had 3rd uniform which was our nomex which is the same thing Army helicopter pilots wear. We mainly wear it on the tank in the field but in my last unit we wore it every Thursday as our regular uniform. Obviously we have PT uniforms as the Army & Marines have the strictest compulsory PT.
It’s ironic that most of the Navy is deployed on ships with limited personal space & storage but have the most uniforms of any of the services. Nonetheless it looks like some of the Navy’s stuff is worn with function in mind over form which is always a good thing.
Just one correction - the jumpers are not folded inside-out to keep the integrity of the creases. They are folded inside-out to keep the outside of the uniform clean when stowed in your coffin locker. The reverse creases are an artifact of that.
I'm glad that he didn't repeat the "thirteen buttons for thirteen colonies" myth.
This man was my first rdc! Was great to be in my division
This man was hilarious he got mad at someone for smiling at 6 in the morning once
The dress whites used to be 100% cotton and the dress blues 100% wool. They've both been a polyester blend for way too long and are very uncomfortable in summer and winter temps respectively, compared to the originals. Why the USN changed from the "Johnny Cash" black to the present service uniform is also beyond me, other than to confuse Marines.Replacing the dungaree shirt and jeans with camouflage was also a poor move, as the bell bottoms were easy to remove in water and be used as a flotation device(which was taught in Boot Camp). BTW, if you were ever in Engineering and deployed to a ship , submarine or squadron(which is what the real Navy does), you learn to appreciate the practicality of the coveralls. In both the SSBN and Attack class subs, this is a common working uniform for the entire crew (including sneakers for silent walking). BTW, HM1, the USN borrowed the dress blues and dress whites from the British Navy, amongst many other "traditions". They take up little space when stowed, when space is at a premium on a combat ship or sub. (EX) IC2 Waldron (Desert Storm/Shield)
To be clear PT doesn’t stand for physical fitness. It stands for Physical Training.
And of course we as Corpsmen opt for Marine standards add that to your seabags. Once I went FMF I’ve never worn the Navy service uniform while attached to a Marine unit or dungarees. I spent my enlistment FMF and I’ve only kept dress uniforms as we don’t get USMC dress blues because we are not Marines.
Marpats are so much more comfortable than type 3s
@@deiongoldsmith515 I never got to wear em or the digital blueberries. They were being issued at RTC when I got out and thank god. Those looked hideous and from what others tell me they’re not the most breathable. Navy’s changed a ton since I got out
Thanks doc.
You do God's work as an angel when the cry is " corpsman! "
And O2 hit in the morning helped with the hangover. Well and other things but I'm not going to put you.
Yut!
Love you doc ❤️❤️
Seafarer dungarees were the best. Once they got worn in a bit, they fit better than any jean I'd ever had.
I joined the Navy on September 1st of 2000 (one year before the day of infamy) and got out in 2008 and I still can't get over the change in the (E1-E6, at least) working uniform from the blue utilities to the khakis. It made sense that you had to "earn your khakis" and I'll die on that hill.
Wow, Squid uniforms have changed a bit since I was turning 2 in the early 1990's. Dress whites didn't have piping then, only the dress blues. Real buttons, no zipper. The PT gear is completely different, we had blue short shorts and a white t-shirt with Navy written across the chest in blue. No camis. We weren't issued coveralls ever, we had to purchase those and could only wear them at certain prescribed times. Never had any khakis unless you were a chief or officer. No pizza slice hat, only the Snoopy bowl. We had ugly dungaree work unis with a command ball cap.
Yep when I was in the early 90s, the undress blues were sharp. Navy button down shirt and straight leg trousers with a black tie. The undress white was ugly. The 13 button trousers of the dress blues were a nightmare until you "trained" them right. The female sailors were beginning to be authorized the dress blue "Cracker-Jack" uniform.
In the 80s, we had "gestapo" blacks and "good humor" whites. I think they were called undress officially. Nobody ever wore them.
Bootcamp PT/Swim trunks were a yellow/tan shorts, you wore your white t-shirt. the undress blues were called working blues AKA Johnny Cashs, working whites were called Tropicals, AKA Good Humors. I prefered the dungaree pants and tops, less expensive, easy to wash and or replace. No piping on the dress whites, and real 13 buttons on the Dress Blues. We had coveralls that we picked up from our supply room do to any thing messing, never had them issued back then as part of the seabag. Blue working jackets or a green foul weather/winter jacket.
During flight ops we wore our Flight deck Jersey, dungarees or greens(olive drab pants). Command Ball caps at least 2 one for work the other for Quarterdeck watch or for detailes that allowed them, otherwise it was white hats aka Dixie cups.
@@krythyn4588
That's right. "Working" blues and whites. I couldn't remember because we never wore. And we called them Gestapo blacks and Good Humor Man whites. Funny.
@@JudeMalachi nope
The purpose of the cracker jacks in the modern navy is for recruitment of high schoolers. It serves no practical purpose aboard ship. The PT uniform is nice. In the 80s the only PT uniform issued was a very crappy pair of tennis shoes with no arch support. The forest or blue camo is stupid on a ship. A color that is easily spotted in water would be much better. I hope those boots float because those would be very hard to get off if you were in the water. The work shoes from 80s (boon dockers) were easy to remove. I'm surprised that the ship uniforms don't have an airtight inflatable pocket by now. Maybe even with a built in CO2 canister. The best piece issued was the raincoat.
The "working" uniforms are almost never used on ship except by maybe officers. It's almost always the coverall for its practicality. The Navy switched to green because only about 25% of the Navy is offshore duty, practically 15 if you account for rotation. So the greens make sense.
The intent of the blue pattern as hideous and uncomfortable as they were, was to hide oil, grease, paint, etc. For that they were extremely practical
As a sailor myself I’ll say the Blues hands down are the most uncomfortable uniform I’ve ever had to wear. They look clean and I understand and completely respect the history behind the uniform but man they just suck to wear haha. Personally I love the whites, much more breathable and the pants are normal fitting and don’t have to be pulled up to your belly like the blues. Our camis are hands down the most badass looking uniform I think the Navy’s ever had and they’re incredibly comfortable. We rarely wear the NSUs and the yellow on blue PTUs are slowly being phased out by the much cleaner and more breathable all blue dri fit PTUs. Overall I think the Navy does a great job at staying true to its history while still offering a badass look to sailors with its uniforms nowadays. Hooooooooyah
The blues are so itchy lol
I served seven years in the Navy, never heard the history of the white cover…
Interesting.
I still have mine and it was always my favorite part of my uniform.
When I went in in '98, I was the last person to be issued dungarees in my size. I had 2 pairs of dungarees, 2 utility uniforms, dress whites/dress blues, working whites/working blues (johnny cash), coveralls, peacoat, working blue coat, raincoat, and god knows what else
i always thought the blue camo was good looking but i understood a salor falling overboard was invisible in water
4:40 I literally laughed out loud when she did her 'About-Face'
It's her 'profile' about face. Don't worry, she has a chit.
Yeah, I was wondering about a couple of the about-faces in this video.
@@984GR That about face would have got me 100 push ups instantly. Do recruits even do push ups anymore???
@@drgaryvideo idk, I did 9 years ago. I was Army though.
This video brings back good and bad memories. 😂
Dam I miss the Dungarees. I felt connected to passed sailors of WWII. They were also capable of being a floatation Device. I am happy to say I left during the Turnover.
My grandfather was a USS Arizona survivor. It was a surreal moment for me to be in a dungaree uniform, standing on the O5 deck of the USS Flint, wearing a sound powered telephone headset. We docked fifty yards from the Arizona memorial.
THE BUTTONS, THE DAMN BUTTONS ON THE DRESS BLUES. Newer Sailors will never know the pain....
Anyways, the Navy went through a big change while I was in 2006-10. The "Office" Service Uniform were actually two: A winter blues (really it was just black) and and a summer whites. And the Working Uniform were the light blue top and dark blue pants. By the time I got out in 2010, the Office unis were change to the one in the vid and the working unis went to the blue camo HM1 mentioned.
I joined the air force way back in 1976. The uniforms that was issued to me that I really loved till this day was the Khaki uniforms (1505's) and the OD (non camo) utility uniform with the short sleeves, 100% cotton that were very comfortable in hot and cold weather. We had the blue & white chevrons, name tags and colored MAJCOMS & squadron patches on them that made them stick out. I wouldn't even want to wear the new uniforms they have today in the air force. The navy just has too many uniform styles to maintain.
Enlisted in 1962. Second that on the 1505s. We called them "silver tans" back in the Neolithic. The blue covers, ties and collar piping, etc really made the uni pop.
As you say, they also were as comfortable as mother's arms.
As soon I could I borrowed some money from the folks and got a set (paycheck was o/a $100 a month). Didn't have to wear that horror the cotton cords anymore. Over the years uniform issue in all branches is an epic saga.
By the way, Navy why no pockets in the women's uni? We have stuff, too.
1505s. That brought back memories
For all the old sailors do you guys recall the "Janitor" uniforms. Remember we had to do the creases on the left and right 🤣
Stay-Flo spray starch FTW!
It has changed so much. This HM1 said he never cleaned his whites. When I was in, I received what was called a ditty bag. In that bag, I received a scrub brush and soap. Those items were our tools to keep our clothes clean during recruit training. I started in Camp Moffit, where we had old barracks, and inside we had what we called our laundry room. We also had strings called clothes stops, and all our laundry was hung outside on lines with those clothes stops. It was a chore, but as time went by, we had 12 weeks to learn it the right way, then never seen another clothes stop. We had no hot water to wash our clothes, and the trick was, getting all the soap rinsed out of our white clothes.
Pops was a big fan of the ditty bag! (USMC '51-'64) growing up going to summer camp I'd have my toiletries in one. I was surprised to find that no one knew what a ditty bag was. Lol. Being a kid of a Marine is ... Different lol
In the Portuguese Navy we have a couple more uniforms we do have a working uniform but its not a cammi and the one we use the most in land is a blue pants and blue shirt (with or without sleeves depending if its summer or winter) we also have a jacket for that same uniform. And when we are on a ship we use a uniform kinda like a jumpsuit wich also needs to be carefull as it must be clean.
This was very well explained and articulated.
i freaking HATED trying to keep my Husband's dress whites clean....he always found ways to get them dirty almost immediately after putting on.
Also I miss the blue camo....somehow it made them sexier....the camo now is personally not flattering to me.
You should’ve made him keep it clean 🤨
I just sent them to the cleaners most the time
Strange how quickly uniforms can change. I served in the early 90's with the USN and the only thing that's stayed the same are the dress whites and dress blues. The PT uniform colors were white and blue. The working uniform was soft blue cotton short/long sleeve shirts and chemically treated denim dungarees. Coveralls weren't an issued item, but if you bribed an SK they might order you some. The service uniform didn't exist. The garrison cover didn't exist. Digital blue camo didn't exist. We got along quite well with just working cotton blues and ship logo ball caps. Granted you were always having to re-stencil your name on uniforms as nothing was embroidered. As I recall, the cotton working uniform was very comfortable and I'm not sure why Defense decided to split it into a service uniform and green camo. Seems like a waste of time, effort and maintenance. Lets be honest, when you're out to sea there's no need for tropical camo or service uniforms. All one really needs is a comfortable set of coveralls and a ball cap.
SIMPLIFY THE SEABAG!!!! There's at least one of those uniforms that could go.
They definitely simplified them now since my dad was in it back in the 80s and 90s
@@kolboy757 Not really, same number of issued uniforms. 6 uniforms types. Dress Blues/Whites, Working Blues/Whites, Dungarees, and PT.
I like how at 4:52 they show a coastie instead of a navy dude lol
HM1 Andren was my RDC. He was a storm. Great RDC.
Back in the 80s, we called the “pizza slice”, 8:06 a “c**t cap”🤙🏽🌵 Go Navy!
Came here to say the same thing. Pizza slice is what you tell the media, everyone else calls them a C cap.
@@egonmilanowski 🤣🤣🤣🤙🏽
@@egonmilanowski 😂🤣😂🤣 so true lol hahahah im dying laughing .....ayyyyy. lol.....
I was in the Navy starting in February 1990. I could not imagine wearing fire resistant coveralls in the engine room of steam driven ships. Our coveralls were thin and light weight. Dungarees were 100% cotton making them lighter and more breathable than polyester. Polyester wasn’t allowed for firefighting. Glad to see the piping on the dress whites. Jealous of today’s dress blue trousers. We had the 13 buttons to undo to go to the bathroom. Some guys would find a tailor who would sew Velcro in the flap and then sew the 13 buttons so they looked they were properly buttoned. Why camouflage pattern for on a Navy ship? Why not just a shade of solid blue for ship board uniform?
The NWU type 3s are only worn when a ship is in port ; the second that ship starts sailing out to sea, it’s straight into coveralls. The type 3s are also worn as the primary working uniform (except in special situations) at shore commands and all Seabee commands (side note: for those that don’t know, Seabees are a naval construction force. The idea behind all military construction forces is that they can design and build pretty much anything that you’d see in everyday society, but then also be able to legally defend their construction sites from enemy attacks with the same weapons you’d usually find in the hands of infantrymen without fear of the legal fallout if they were civilians)
Very different than when I served in the 1980s. Women did not wear the crackerjacks - summer or winter. The working boot was the “Boondocker” - a half boot made of leather with steel toes. Service dress had both winter and summer versions, with the winter being black long sleeve shirt, black trousers, black tie, and white hat known as the Johnny Cash, and the summer being short sleeve white collar shirt, white cotton pants, and the white hat known as tropical whites.
Lastly, we all wore the dungaree working uniform from basic. Chambray blue shirts - long sleeves only in boot but either long or short after. Blue dungaree bell-bottom jeans with boondockers . The pockets on the jeans were worthless as they were located on the front of the Jean, not on the sides. They were comfortable and when deployed you’d lose the chambray shirt due to the heat.
I still never understood the blue camis the Navy had ten years ago. The last thing you would want if you ever went over the side is to blend in.
For the USMC we call our Garrison cover, “Piss Cover” 7:59
When I joined in the early 1960's, the uniforms were: dress blues, neckerchief, white hat, cambray shirt and dungree trousers (work), short sleeved white shirt and white trousers, work boots, dress black shoes, swim trunks (wool), ball cap, peacoat, raincoat, white tee shirts, boxers or briefs, handful of clothes stops, black socks, black belt and buckle and the flat hat (which was never worn) all neatly packed into the olive green seabag.
I still have my peacoat, raincoat and swim trunks (hated those things).
I forgot to mention the undress blues.
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The cigarette blooper-
Sexy uniforms 😜
Talking about keeping the whites clean.
The original purpose for folding the uniform inside out was to help keep the outside a clean white.
On the old coal fired steam ships soot went everywhere.
Soot was also everywhere on the oil fueled steam powered ships too, especially when the "snipes" "blew tubes"!
@@seadog686 I never spent much time on ship, only LHAs LSTs and LPHs. At that time the Navy had done away with the Crackerjack and was pretty much stuck with wearing that morticians uniform.
Very good. Everything you talked about is completely new to me. It will take several rewatches to remember the information. Thanks.
In 1977 we were issued the white shirt and black pants. Work clothes were dungarees,boondockers and a blue shirt with a ball cap
navy vet here . 1972-1976 how sad the bell bottoms are gone and the work uniform looks like the army /marines . We looked like sailors back then . our uniforms except the wool dress / undress blues all could be used as flotation devices . the bell bottoms let us get our pants off to make floatation devices too .
@@JudeMalachi how sad
Wow. When I was in we had our dress whites and dress blues, our dungarees and our johnny cashes (black pants and shirt). No khaki unless you were a chief and above. We also only had the dixie cover, a baseball cap, and watch cap. 2 shoes: work shoes/boots, dress shoes.
If I saw an enlisted with the new navy khaki shirt and blue pants I would've said he was a marine. But they have green pants I think.
Definitely similar to the Marines, I can't believe how much it's changed since I got out 14 years ago
@@corpsman827 lots of ex-marines in the navy that want the navy to follow marine corp. tradition.......
We must have been same era (94-98). I was surface fleet and we had to beg and steel to get coveralls. When he said his least fav was coveralls I knew he never had working whites or blues. Uggg and having to take a dump with 13 buttons to undo......
I'm just an Army guy here to "Ooo and Awe" what our cousins in the other services got.
I was in during the '' 'foliage green' Universal camouflage pattern"... it just looked like a computer threw up on us.
I HATED the UCP color...Had to deploy to Iraq in the UCP's. When I was crewing the Blackhawk in the desert, you could see all the little gray dots on the horizon from the grunts out there in UCP's...Thank God for the multicam!
1990's uniform VS. 2000's
Bell-bottoms vs. Camos
You guys are so lucky now. I hated wearing the bell bottom jeans
I was in the Navy during the first Gulf War in 91 and instead of the Camos I had the Dungarees (chambray shirts and blue jeans bell bottom pants. It made it so much easier to get dressed in a hurry than what you have now with blousesing the camo pants before putting on your boots.
Getting rid of the Dungarees was a mistake
We didn't blouse our BDU's., they have tap in the cuff. After we put our pants and then boots, we tied the cuffs so it looked and acted as if we'd bloused the pants.