Father upset that Army son must buy own uniform

[kpete]

Father upset that Army son must buy own uniform

Bob Simmons wears a shirt that proudly shows his son defends freedom.

Jebadiah, 19, serves in the army and will soon be headed to Bosnia, minus a little extra of his spending money.

"About a week and a half two weeks ago he found out the army’s changing over to the new uniforms and they're going to make them buy them themselves and I was astounded," said Simmons.

The Army changed to new, lighter uniforms in April.

The cost for the uniforms is about $200.

more at:
http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov_localnews_060529_uniforms.357773f0.html

[TexasProgresive]

1. The way things were 33 years ago

We were intitial issued uniforms and then began receiving a clothing allowance to use for replacements. Mostly this allowance was spent and when the time came for buying new uniforms left us scrambling to come up with the money. I don't think it has changed much since.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Yeah. By the time I got out my fatigues were held together with staples.

You could always tell the guys about to get out by the staples that replaced buttons and seams. The "Clothing Allowance" was a joke.

Damn! I just realized that it's been 41 years since I finally blew the fucking MP's a kiss when I walked through the main gate for the last time. Happiest day of my life.

[Cha]

5. I bet it was!

"Staples" that's a good idea!

[Stinky The Clown]

7. Hahahaha

That brought back a flash of memory. I recall my final drive off the Navy Base at Charleston in tattered dugarees, my car loaded to the brim with my gear. The Marine waved at the base sticker on my bumper, identifying me as an enlisted Navy person. It was not a salute, but the arm wave to the chest accorded all enlisted personnel.

I had my window down and just said, 'fuck you, Jarhead.'

I didn't hate the Marines, It was just my final parting shot to the active duty military.

By the way, I don't recall a uniform allowance, although maybe it was there. I got almost all of my uniforms from guys who were getting out. It was 'saltier'.

And it was free.

What few items I bought were purchased off base, cuz it fit better.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

8. I did hate the marines. I wuz one.

Daren't say "Fuck you" to the knuckle-dragger MP's. They could still arrest you for 24 hours after discharge. One poor sod made a show of burning his uniforms just outside the gate after his discharge. They arrested him for destruction of government property.

[nealmhughes]

3. Nothing new there:

When the USN changed from the dress "tie and jacket" for E1-5 to the "crackerjack" after the Reaganzeit started, everyone had to scramble to buy those things...

[NNN0LHI]

4. But he is not upset about the kid going off to kill Iraqi people ...

...who didn't do anything to us?

Strange priorities.

Don

[Orsino]

6. That's the way it works...

...but it's thoughtless to inflict more economic hardship on military families already stressed to teh breaking point by this fake war.

Change uniforms during peacetime. Buy body armor in wartime.

[boobooday]

9. Yeah, this isn't new

I remember it from my days as an Air Force wife in the 80's.

It seemed that only the basic training gear was "complimentary."

They have more important things to spend those Pentagon billions on than actual soldiers or airmen or Marines, apparently.