Whatever Happened to the Plain Blue Suit? by Bruce D
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Early Air Force leaders wanted an unadorned dress uniform, but things turned out a bit differently. Whatever Happened to the Plain Blue Suit? By Bruce D. Callander USAF photo TSgt.by Scott AshM. hen the Air Force opened sonnel, formally proposed a distinctive the ornaments that Army Air Forces W shop as a service separate Air Force uniform and recommended members had become used to while from the Army in 1947, USAF leaders that its ornamentation be “limited to an they were part of the Army. wanted the airmen to wear a “plain absolute minimum.” Unfortunately for those who sup- blue suit,” unadorned except for rank From the beginning, there was little ported the unadorned business suit, insignia, award ribbons, and aviation doubt that, whatever else it was, the Air World War II had been a period of re- badges. Things haven’t exactly worked Force outfit would be blue. That was laxed dress and appearance standards, out that way. the color worn by Britain’s Royal Air particularly in flying units. Airmen Planning for the plain but distinc- Force and most of the world’s other air crammed their earphones over their tive dress uniform began as early as forces. Beyond that agreement, however, service caps to give them a “50-mis- the fall of 1945, two years before the there was considerable debate among air sion crush” and wore cowboy boots, separate Air Force became a reality. leaders over the style of the uniform and scarves, and items borrowed from The Personal Equipment Laboratory at which adornments—and how many—it the British and other air forces. Their Wright Field, Ohio, developed what it should have. flight jackets sometimes sported garish said could be the basis of an Air Force Some wanted the uniform to be as artwork, and their uniform combina- uniform if the air arm separated from close as possible to a civilian business tions were more mix-and-match than the Army. suit. Others favored a more typically regulation. A few months later, in January 1946, military design but with a minimum Service leaders lamented the lax at- Brig. Gen. William E. Hall, deputy of decoration. Still others supported titudes in place during World War II, assistant chief of staff in charge of per- a distinctively military style and all but feared that cracking down would 84 AIR FORCE Magazine / July 2006 Whatever Happened to the Plain Blue Suit? damage morale. The assumption was distinguish officers from enlisted. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine once the war was over, discipline would The idea went down hard with some Corps seemed real. return. traditionalists. The Army had kept its This proposal may actually have Even when the force shrank to peace- enlisted troops in government-issue accelerated the Air Force decision on time strength, however, there still was uniforms while officers sported olive a uniform design. By the fall of 1948, strong sentiment in favor of a well-deco- drab jackets and khaki pants (“pinks and all of the new USAF accessories were rated uniform. Apart from the liberties greens”). The Navy dressed its sailors approved and ordered, and the Air Force members had taken on their own, the in bell-bottom pants and cupcake hats issued directives regarding proper wear Army itself had favored adornments while its officers wore suits. Letting of the interim olive drab uniforms. such as shoulder patches, marksman- enlisted airmen wear the same outfits as Then, in January 1949, Gen. Hoyt S. ship badges, specialist insignia, and unit officers, some thought, would threaten Vandenberg, Chief of Staff, officially emblems. Even some of the air leaders good order and discipline. authorized the new blue uniform. He said were reluctant to give those up. Despite the controversy, the Army that the blues would not be available for Another factor in the controversy Quartermaster continued to develop distribution until September 1950, but was that the proposals being considered prototype blue uniforms. In late 1946, members could buy their own as soon called for all airmen, officer and enlisted, it displayed them at a number of AAF as specifications were released. to wear the same basic uniform. Only bases and ran a survey of troop reactions. the rank insignia and hat emblems would A year later, the proposed uniforms were How Plain Is Plain? shown to top officials. At that point, the The blue suit finally had arrived. It exact color was undecided and there was beltless and fairly plain, but had was no funding for the conversion. In patch pockets, shoulder loops, and large the end, the early AAF leaders settled lapels. It definitely looked more like a on an “interim” uniform of olive drab uniform than a business suit—but was and khaki—not exactly today’s dress undoubtedly less garish than the old blues. pinks and greens. An Air Force History Support Office The question of which adornments research paper summed up the two main should be worn on the USAF uniform USAF photo TSgt.by Scott AshM. schools of thought on the subject. In it, remains a debate to this day. As the Brig. Gen. Lyman P. Whitten said, “One interim uniform had been made up [version] is to get as near to a civilian type largely of Army items, airmen contin- outfit as you can—no shoulder loops, no ued to wear most of the adornments patch pockets, no belt on it, or anything, they had worn during their “brown and just a straight civilian-looking suit shoe air force” days. As the distinctive with merely rank on it.” The alternative Air Force garments phased in, USAF “has the shoulder loops, patch pockets, leaders had to decide which embellish- and is a military outfit.” ments should stay and which should The Air Force became a separate ser- be dropped. vice in September 1947, but the uniform There was no question about allow- question dragged on for another year ing aeronautical badges and the ribbons until lawmakers raised a question that representing medals and service awards. seemed to endanger the whole idea of a The Air Force adopted new stripes for distinctive uniform for the air arm. its enlisted members and, for a time, On the opposite page, Lt. Gen. Roger Since the same law that created the considered identifying officer ranks Brady, Air Force personnel chief, pre- Air Force also unified all the services with sleeve insignia similar to those pares to present the new Headquarters Air Force badge to Capt. Brian Hum- under the Department of Defense, some used by the Navy. In the end, however, phrey and SSgt. Chris Kennerly. The argued, all service members should wear USAF stuck with Army-style shoulder badge is the latest addition to USAF’s the same uniform. This “purple suit” idea insignia. dress uniform. Above, 1st Lt. Leo Batch didn’t sit well with any of the services, The most difficult decisions were in his World War II Army Air Forces but Congress had the power to with- those involving such items as shoul- dress uniform. hold funds for uniform development. der patches, longevity devices (“hash The danger of a single uniform for the marks” on the lower sleeve), marksman- AIR FORCE Magazine / July 2006 85 ship badges, and some of the occupa- tional emblems that had proliferated during the war. With these ornaments USAF photo removed, some airmen complained that they looked more like mail carriers or bus drivers than service members. In the fall of 1949, the newly formed Air Force Uniform Board looked at the patches, insignia, and other accessories and the overall appearance of the uni- form. The board recommended remov- ing all shoulder patches except those of the major commands and removing the metal “headquarters” insignia from the shoulder loops. The stripping process had begun. That winter, the board recommended eliminating more of the accessories, and Vandenberg agreed to drop current assignment shoulder patches but to allow those from World War II on an Antecedents to today’s bomber jackets, service caps, and pilot’s wings can be seen here on (l-r) Brig. Gen. Benjamin Foulois, Maj. Gen. James Fechet, and Brig. optional basis. Gen. H.C. Pratt. The jodhpurs did not stand the test of time. The uncluttered suit was gaining favor among air leaders, but those who wanted more ornamentation noted that The counter argument not only was shoulder patches, various badges, and those top officials already had ample that a plain suit was neater, but that re- the metal frame on unit citations. Of- adornments on their own uniforms. moving the “Christmas tree ornaments” ficials approved elimination of shoulder Critics pointed out, for example, that inherited from the Army helped to signal patches, but urged the voluntary removal Vandenberg himself wore eight rows of the Air Force’s independence. of badges and other adornments. ribbons and his command pilot wings The clean-up process continued for By 1959, the Air Force had set up a above them. There was scarcely any years but, periodically, a new effort permanent uniform board. The board space left between the wings and the was mounted to speed up the de-orna- underscored its commitment to the plain row of stars on his shoulders. mentation. uniform by rejecting bids for additional On the other hand, young airmen who In 1956, Maj. Gen. Raymond J. skill and unit badges. Although the Army had yet to earn any stripes or ribbons Reeves, director of military personnel, approved corps insignia and the Navy had nothing but the blue suit to show made a detailed study of uniform ac- favored specialty badges, USAF stressed for their service.