He was known for his attention to detail, and the uniform reflected that.Ī fitness enthusiast who mixed his own muesli-based breakfast each morning, McPeak made every effort to stay in shape and said that he expected everyone else who wore a blue uniform to do the same. Lapels were cut lower to provide what its designer described as a “more elegant fit.” The fabric was a polyester-natural fiber blend, as opposed to the former polyester double-knit.Īs Chief, McPeak wanted to shake up the Air Force’s traditional way of doing things. The coat was three-button, instead of the old four. It eliminated epaulets, emblems, name tags, and as many pin-on items as possible.
#Air force blues Patch
Curtis LeMay) bore a close resemblance to today’s uniform.ĭesigned by Red the Uniform Tailor, of Toms River, N.J.-and at a cost of $1.5 million-McPeak’s uniform did away with outer patch pockets and a number of decorative buttons. The result was stripped-down, radical, and unloved-to put it mildly.ĭuring the early 1960s, the dress blues (shown here on Gen. When he became Chief in 1990, he was determined to give the Air Force a more distinctive look. He also regarded it as being, at heart, a blue version of the Army’s uniform. McPeak considered the service dress to be too cluttered. But the question of how elaborate service uniforms should be has remained open to debate, with opinions veering back and forth over the decades. Since World War II, Navy uniform changes have primarily involved materials, as opposed to basic patterns.įor the Air Force, the color blue has been a constant, of course. The Navy, for its part, has had more than 200 years to figure out its uniform requirements. Given the Air Force’s relatively short history as a separate service, it should perhaps come as no surprise that it is still searching about for uniform elements to combine into a distinct look. Schwartz, he added, “wants to fix the uniforms we currently have before we add new uniforms to the inventory.” “The Chief of Staff said he’ll take until summer and then decide whether to proceed,” said an Air Force spokesman. Instead, Schwartz wants the service to focus on rolling out the new airman battle uniform and improved physical training gear. Schwartz, the current Chief of Staff, decided in August to defer a decision on whether to proceed with the heritage coat effort begun by his predecessor, Gen. “Hap” Arnold, the airpower pioneer and World War II leader of the Army Air Forces. Its design borrowed heavily from the belted, high-button jackets of the era of Gen. The heritage coat was designed to partake of the service’s history. The latest effort-the “heritage coat”-is currently on hold. Since then, the Air Force has continued its search for a dress uniform that expresses the service’s distinct identity. Fogleman, ditched it within a week of his taking office. “Instead of looking like soldiers in blue uniforms, we will all look like stewards from the Love Boat,” wrote one critic in a 1991 letter to the Air Force Times. It looked like a Navy uniform, said others. It looked like an airline uniform, grumbled many in the service. Nor did they approve of the silver piping on the lower sleeves worn by officers to display rank. Many in the Air Force disliked the new coat, which to critics offered not a more military look but a stripped-down, corporate appearance. What he got was a firestorm of controversy. McPeak had ordered up the new uniform to give Air Force personnel a more military appearance. George Kenney) was considered, but ultimately rejected. Going back to the uniform known as “pinks and greens” (shown here on Gen. “It’s much more comfortable,” McPeak said. He raised his arms high in the air to show the garment’s flexibility and ease of wear. He pointed out his new sleeve rank insignia, a two-inch silver braid embroidered with clouds and thunderbolts topped by three additional narrow braids. The lanky ex-fighter pilot moved somewhat stiffly, and admitted he was no one’s idea of a catwalk star, but he gamely tugged at the front of the three-button coat to show off its slim cut. McPeak, then Air Force Chief of Staff, unveiled a new service uniform to assembled photographers and reporters in the Pentagon’s press briefing room.