Basic Things You Should Know About the Military Uniform

When you see the military uniform of the US Army, you cannot help but be in awe. The more medals that you can see, the more that you can feel the honor, pride, and dignity that one person can provide to the country. People who wear the military uniform will often be respected immediately by others. They will also have a certain level of confidence that they will take with them wherever they go.

It is exciting to know some facts and trivia from time to time. You feel like you are stimulating your brain. There are different tidbits that you will remember and also share with other people.

The Different Types of Uniforms

A lot of impeccable tailoring goes into the various military uniforms available. Get to know the different types as you continue reading.

Air Force Dress Uniform

This is the type of uniform worn by the US Air Force. Some people might say that this looks like what civilians would wear but if you would look closely, you will notice that this is an upgraded version that is tailored to perfection.

Service Dress Uniform

This type of uniform comes with a three-button coat. There are also three silver buttons that will be designed in “Hap Arnold Wings.” This uniform will not be complete without trousers and flight cap. The shade will be easy to remember – shade 1620 or better known as Air Force Blue. The US pins would need to be placed on the lapel.

Take note that the outerwear will determine who among them are the captains and the servicemen. Captains will have epaulets on the shoulder area. The airmen will not have any.

Mess Dress Uniform

This is the type of uniform that will be used by those who need to attend formal occasions. Although there are instances when this is also worn on semi-formal occasions. The uniform for this has been around since the 1980s. As usual, the color that they use is dark blue. Women were only allowed to wear skirts before. It was only in the year 2020 that they were given an option to choose trousers instead of skirts.

• The jacket will come with ornate silver buttons. This will be worn with the service members awarded medals.
• There may also be other insignia that may be placed on the left breast.
• The command insignia will be worn by the colonels over their right breast.
• The Air Force blue bow-tie will be worn by men.
• The tab will be worn by women.

The hard shoulder boards will be worn by the commissioned officers, AFROTC cadets, OTS officer trainees and USAFA. For the colonel, the shoulder boards will be bordered with two metallic silver stripes.

The General officers will wear their shoulder boards differently. They will cover the length and width in a silver metallic braid. There are raised silver stars that will be placed according to their rank.

Different Military Uniforms by Branch

The different military uniforms will all come with their differences. It can be hard to identify what type of uniform one is wearing especially from a far. The colors are almost all the same. You will just know if someone is more accomplished based on the “decorations.”

The different military uniforms are:

• Army Uniforms – The army combat uniform will have the word “ARMY” placed on the left pocket. Take note that there are also several versions available for the dress uniform of people in the army.
• Marine Corps Uniforms – You will see in the combat uniform that the words “US MARINE” will be on the left pocket.
• Navy Uniforms – You will see the words “US NAVY” on the left breast pocket of this uniform. The top is usually paired with khaki or black slacks. Inside the main uniform, people will wear khaki button-up shirts.
• Air Force Uniforms – The combat uniform will also contain the words U.S Air Force.” This will be located on the left breast pocket. There are different dress uniforms that are available but most of them will be dark blue. Women will wear the same version but with skirts and pumps.

You need to remember that military uniforms are considered to be vital to understand the history of military culture. People feel that they cannot explain certain aspects of the military without having to describe the uniform.

Those who are wearing their uniform may act a bit stiff and would follow certain movements instead of how civilians would move. There are rules of conduct that they are meant to follow especially when they are wearing their uniforms. 

One tip to remember is to always follow your service member’s lead. Military uniforms can be fun to talk about.