A "Why" Dress Thread split from OCdt Speaks at Freedom Rally

[Blackadder1916]

It is, but IIRC, you can only do 2 years at the DB and then have to be transferred to another federal institution to finish your sentence.

There apparently have been some changes to the conventional wisdom that the first two years (less a day) of a sentence of imprisonment was served at Club Ed. It's discussed In the notes to QR&O 104.04 – IMPRISONMENT FOR SHORTER TERM

(B) Service prisoners and service convicts typically require an intensive programme of retraining and rehabilitation to equip them for their return to society following completion of the term of incarceration. Civilian prisons and penitentiaries are uniquely equipped to provide such opportunities to inmates. Therefore, to facilitate their reintegration into society, service prisoners and service convicts who are to be released from the Canadian Forces will typically be transferred to a civilian prison or penitentiary as soon as practical within the first 30 days following the date of sentencing. The member will ordinarily be released from the Canadian Forces before such a transfer is effected.

 

[brihard]

I went thru Cornwallis with him; he was often 'the example' for coursemates to follow; drill, kit and quarters, etc.

Where ever he is, I hope he has been able to move on in life.

Looks like his life went to shit and more or less stayed there. You see him around social media a bit, generally in the context of blaming everything on Mefloquine. I gather he’s been in and out of treatment and court.

Life after Somalia: Kyle Brown, PTSD and the past

“You want to know what PTSD did to me? It's the great destroyer and stealer of happiness. The great usurper, it takes everything. "

edmontonjournal.com

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

My personal favourite from the RCN occurred while doing a full day closed up for RAS during RAS WUPS in the West Coast Firing Area. The dress was NCD without rain gear or weather jackets, because the people in the dump would be too warm working in them. So I stood in the wind and spray at the forward end of the bridge wing holding a course/speed board soaked to the bone and shivering...

But it works both ways, Furniture. Also on the West Coast, I've had forty to fifty sailors (including me) work hard on deck, overdressed, sweating like dogs and getting dehydrated because a single C.O., born and raised in Vancouver, could't tolerate being "cold" on an open bridge during evolutions and thus, countermanded the X.O./Coxn's choice of dress for the evolution. That as C.O. he could wear whatever he friggin wanted didn't seem to sink in with that particular bloke.

The obvious solution (to everyone except the RCN) is to admit that when you carry out evolutions at sea and far from the public eye, who cares if we are or not all dressed the same way !!!!

 

[dimsum]

The obvious solution (to everyone except the RCN) is to admit that when you carry out evolutions at sea and far from the public eye, who cares if we are or not all dressed the same way !!!!

Frankly, I doubt the public cares if we're dressed the same way even when working* in the public eye.

*not parades or ceremonial stuff, just going about doing our jobs

 

[Furniture]

But it works both ways, Furniture. Also on the West Coast, I've had forty to fifty sailors (including me) work hard on deck, overdressed, sweating like dogs and getting dehydrated because a single C.O., born and raised in Vancouver, could't tolerate being "cold" on an open bridge during evolutions and thus, countermanded the X.O./Coxn's choice of dress for the evolution. That as C.O. he could wear whatever he friggin wanted didn't seem to sink in with that particular bloke.

The obvious solution (to everyone except the RCN) is to admit that when you carry out evolutions at sea and far from the public eye, who cares if we are or not all dressed the same way !!!!

I'm a firm believer in the RCAF way of doing dress, dress comfortably. If it's hot in January, don't wear a coat. If it's cold in July, wear a coat. If you're hot, and the person beside you is cold, then each of you can layer up or down to suit your comfort.

 

[dapaterson]

What is this treat people like reasonable adults concept of which you speak?

 

[kev994]

I'm a firm believer in the RCAF way of doing dress, dress comfortably. If it's hot in January, don't wear a coat. If it's cold in July, wear a coat. If you're hot, and the person beside you is cold, then each of you can layer up or down to suit your comfort.

I can think of one guy who wore his rain jacket with his flightsuit year-round…

 

[Kilted]

I remember watching someone get jacked up for wearing his rain jacket in the field because the rain jacket "isn't a field jacket."

 

[daftandbarmy]

I remember watching someone get jacked up for wearing his rain jacket in the field because the rain jacket "isn't a field jacket."

 

[Remius]

Hoods. Guys getting jacked up for wearing hoods. Hoods on the jackets we were issued…

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

I'm a firm believer in the RCAF way of doing dress, dress comfortably. If it's hot in January, don't wear a coat. If it's cold in July, wear a coat. If you're hot, and the person beside you is cold, then each of you can layer up or down to suit your comfort.

The original idea in the RCN - a long, long time ago - was that you promulgated dress for an upper deck evolution because most sailors spend their whole day below deck and don't know the current weather when called on deck. This way, they would bring what they needed to be protected from the weather, if they then chose to wear it or not depended on individual taste.

But of course, just like the legendary Army tradition of having two soldiers guard a bench so no one sits on it that gets traced back after decades to an original order made because the bench had been painted, but nobody ever told the guards the need for their watch was over, the Navy quickly turned it into a uniformity of dress requirement where none was required. And it all goes down hill from there with officers who believe they can order the dress they want to wear, not what is required or comfortable.

 

[dimsum]

And it all goes down hill from there with officers who believe they can order the dress they want to wear, not what is required or comfortable.

I'm just glad that folks aren't in DEU for entering/leaving harbour, or for Officer of the Day. No one is watching you come in or leave, and who thought wearing a cotton/poly (or all-poly) uniform as a first responder to a fire would be a good idea?

 

[Haggis]

The obvious solution (to everyone except the RCN) is to admit that when you carry out evolutions at sea and far from the public eye, who cares if we are or not all dressed the same way !!!!

Members who relax their dress in the field or at sea - such as wearing toques - will do so in garrison or ashore. This erodes the fibre of cohesion and morale leading to a generalized breakdown of discipline and anarchy. Because of members like this, who care not for customs and teaditions, we have beards and bling and patches and people can even buy their own non-uniform boots and bras! Soon, troops will even be asking for personalized name tags. Where does it end?

 

[dimsum]

Where does it end?

Us looking like a bunch of Elvises?

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Members who relax their dress in the field or at sea - such as wearing toques - will do so in garrison or ashore. This erodes the fibre of cohesion and morale leading to a generalized breakdown of discipline and anarchy. Because of members like this, who care not for customs and teaditions, we have beards and bling and patches and people can even buy their own non-uniform boots and bras! Soon, troops will even be asking for personalized name tags. Where does it end?

Actually Haggis, some of the most professional and competent people in the RCN are found in the submarine service. Yet, it is a service where "pirate rig" was the dress of the day. It varied from various colours of rugby jerseys - very popular with the officers - to just T-shirts for us diesel mechs and everything in between for the various other trades. In the submarines (at lest in my days - don't know about today) no-one cared about what you wore as long as you did your job competently,

Similarly, when I was a MARS officer, in the days of the old green work dress, then the black and wedgwood blue garrison dress, at sea in winter, I always wore a turtle neck cotton shirt under my uniform. Never heard a single comment about it and a few sailors did the same thing without any reproach. Again, as long as we did our job professionally, nobody cared.

So where it ends is irrelevant.


... But these days are over, unfortunately.

 

[Haggis]

Actually Haggis, some of the most professional and competent people in the RCN are found in the submarine service. Yet, it is a service where "pirate rig" was the dress of the day.

But, but..... (we need a sarcasm emoji)

One of my SLP coursemates was a submariner. He was a little "off", but still a consummate professional.

 

[OldSolduer]

“Because we’ve always done it that way”

 

[Kilted]

Soon, troops will even be asking for personalized name tags. Where does it end?

I mean, I once saw troops with green nametapes ordered to go out and by hi-vis nametapes so that they would match everyone else.

 

[Pelorus]

I mean, I once saw troops with green nametapes ordered to go out and by hi-vis nametapes so that they would match everyone else.

This is something that irks me to no end in this organization. It speaks to a type of institutional bullying that shitty leadership gets away with because junior members are usually too often afraid of putting a target on their back (real or perceived), or rocking the boat when they just want to be the grey person and get their package signed off to move on with their careers.

I have certainly fallen victim to it a few times in the first half of my career, although I have heard rumours that it still exists even in the highest levels of the organization (peer pressure to buy special CANEX DEU belt buckles with branch/trade/etc insignia anyone?).

I have no problems buying your own kit if it's completely optional and one does it on their own initiative. I pay out of pocket for better quality sea boots and insoles because I find it completely worth it when standing on your feet for 12+ hours in a day. But forcing members to pay out of pocket for some novelty that only serves to placate the OCD of leadership when the system has failed to provide it in a timely manner is not on.

 

[Kilted]

I think that most troops still buy nametapes because they dont want to look new. It took me five years before I got issued nametapes, after requesting them more times then I can count.