Comments
The real joke was forcing the Ranger Regt to abandon its black beret. Or, maybe that should be labeled as a tragedy.
Will be interesting to see if attaching all the badges and tabs is optional, mandatory, or what. The ACU is going to look goofy with half sewn, half velcro.
Maybe the brass needs to figure out that the ACU just was an awful idea. Bring in Multicam without the velcro and no requirement to wear anything but the bare essentials and you have a winner. Or, as mentioned above, go to the old olive drab and be done with it. Once that's done, maybe we can tackle the new bus driver outfit known as the Army Service Uniform.
I'd like to see everything on the front go away except for name, rank, service. Keep it simple. Move the sleeves to sew on - patch, flag, tabs. Keep it simple.
If you need to add "flair" to your uniform, go work at TGI Fridays. If you evaluate your Soldiers based on their flair, go be a manager at TGI Fridays.
Ok...what is the logic in this: "...the Army announced that soldiers assigned to the Pentagon, who currently wear ACUs to work, will switch to the Army service uniform in October." What in the world are they thinking? More reason to never, ever, ever be in TRADOC.
Oh...but the beret thing, awesome. It's about time and way, way, way overdue.
Now, how about tackling the PT issue:
PRT prescribed for the entire Army - not even remotely feasible. With our "rotational" Army, how can a unit be in a certain phase when Soldiers come and go constantly, missions change, OEs change, etc? Also, we already have commanders at TRADOC installations that drink the APRT koolaid (when their bosses are around or when LTG Hertling shows up) and they 1) Don't do APRT 2) Only show up for a unit run 3) Only train for that unit run.
While the rest of the BN/BDE is doing the bend & reach, those commanders are out running and getting ready for their formation runs.
PRT mandatory for daily PT but the APFT is what Soldiers are tested on. I can't imagine going into a classroom and saying, "Read FM 3-21.8 and know it, by the way, your test comes straight out of FM 7-8". But that's what we have for PT now.
The APRT manual is too large and too prescriptive. It's very simple: enforce (at some locations bring back) combat-focused PT, in real combat gear, not just a rucksack; get rid of the runs; let Soldiers get creative with functional training and actually do training for their mission-sets - and yes Army, that means cough up the cash to make the gyms better, buy the kettlebells and similar equipment needed. Any run over 1 mile is just a show to see who's prettiest and fastest.
The PRT and CRT should be the same. Too much required for facilities, too much equipment, too much space needed?...tough. The CSMs will just have to find something else to occupy their discussion time at the academy (perhaps they can argue MARPAT). Any test where we don't wear kit is not a test, it's a show. You want a combat mindset and Warrior Ethos, then back it up and test for it.
Finally, raise the screening weights by 10lbs - if the combat load is going to nearly double, then some allowance has to be made for Soldiers getting bigger in order to carry. It's absurd to see Soldiers routinely taped and they're 10% under allowable percentages, simply because they have gotten bigger from hauling around all the gear. It's a waste of time and the idiots at the hospital turn around and tell them their BMI is too high etc. It's idiocy.
Sorry....I hear about Army policy changes and I go into rant mode.
It's a good day. I was going to drink water and get ready for a long run in full kit tomorrow, but I'm going to drink a ton of beer and ceremoniously burn one of my berets. Then suffer on the run tomorrow, oh well, still a good day.