CF green dress shirts & cufflinks

[dimsum]

There are some sellers on eBay offering a pair of compasses set in cufflinks - perfect for the ACSO in your life...

No, but miniature GPSes though... 

 

[dapaterson]

Re: French cuffs and cufflinks: Item first raised by the RCN in 2015; dress committee endorsed it as an optional item for the RCN, with only RCN Ensign cufflinks, to be purchased at member's expense.

Somehow, this has morphed... good idea fairies are everywhere.

 

[Gunner98]

So if you choose to wear cuff links and some others don't, does that take the uniformity out of the uniform.  Maybe it is more like the variety of berets and styles that you see in a military unit, to each his own and uniformity is lost.  Having to starch French cuffs so that you could actually wear the cuff links would surely be a deterrent to some.

 

[OldSolduer]

So this is what the deep thinkers in the CAF have come up with?

:facepalm:

 

[FSTO]

So if you choose to wear cuff links and some others don't, does that take the uniformity out of the uniform.  Maybe it is more like the variety of berets and styles that you see in a military unit, to each his own and uniformity is lost.  Having to starch French cuffs so that you could actually wear the cuff links would surely be a deterrent to some.

The shirts will not have French Cuffs. There will be a hole in the regular cuff to put cuff links through. Not a big deal.

 

[Gunner98]

The shirts will not have French Cuffs. There will be a hole in the regular cuff to put cuff links through. Not a big deal.

I have read this thread and know they won't have French cuffs. I was merely observing that the announcement said they would and it would be deterrent if it was accurate.

 

[garb811]

Well, I'm glad that the whole cuff link thing for LS shirts, that I'm not sure anyone in any numbers was clamoring for, has been approved. 

Yet the Army still is adamant that fleece is not an outer garment, even though that has been coming up in town halls with the troops since the fleece entered the system (even though the RCAF has made it work even for RCAF pers on Army bases without the sun exploding), ball caps are not military headdress (RCN seems to have decided otherwise) and we are absolutely steadfast that short hair and clean shaven is a hygiene requirement and the standard that males will follow notwithstanding this is another item perennially on the town hall topic list, even through hundreds, maybe thousands, across the CAF are wearing beards due to being RCN, having a medical chit, Muslim, Sikh, Norse pagan or any other religious accommodation without their face falling off and somehow the ladies with long hair, Indigenous, Sikh and others with religious accommodations for hair length, somehow avoid lice infestations.  And...uniformity, right?

But I get it, cuff links were huge in the times when we had "historical" ranks and uniforms so this is a logical progression for the minority of the CAF who actually care about such things.  Next up?  Regimental and Branch Ascots for short sleeve shirts that I'm sure 2 or 3 people who loved the things would be happy to see back? I still have mine, somewhere, so that will save me some money I guess...

End of the day, there are a bunch of items that the Dress Committee could take on and approve that would have a far more beneficial impact on morale because large numbers of people actually care about the issues, yet we keep seeing stuff sprung on us out of the blue that 99.5% of the CAF really doesn't care about that somehow makes its way onto the agenda.

 

[jollyjacktar]

C'mon, nothing says 70's stylin like a bitching Ascot.  8)

Seriously though, l'd like a head dress l could wear with NCD in winter that doesn't let the wind whistle over/hit my ever expanding forehead like the knit of my black toque does.

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

That head dress exists, JJT.

I know that the "RCMP" hat like that was authorized at some point in the 90's so long as it was purchased at one's own cost. I don't know if it still is the case. Personally, I always felt it was the perfect winter head dress for operational dress and would have liked to see it adopted as such.

 

[jollyjacktar]

True, and l love mine dearly but its not authorized for NCD.  CFs only.

 

[RocketRichard]

That head dress exists, JJT.

I know that the "RCMP" hat like that was authorized at some point in the 90's so long as it was purchased at one's own cost. I don't know if it still is the case. Personally, I always felt it was the perfect winter head dress for operational dress and would have liked to see it adopted as such.

Yukon headdress can be ordered via Logistik.  Vast improvement over the massive toaster like monstrosity from the 80's early 90's.


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[dimsum]

That head dress exists, JJT.

I know that the "RCMP" hat like that was authorized at some point in the 90's so long as it was purchased at one's own cost. I don't know if it still is the case. Personally, I always felt it was the perfect winter head dress for operational dress and would have liked to see it adopted as such.

I'd like to think that the Ushanka would lose all credibility if it wasn't Sean Connery wearing it in that scene.  That being said, I love my Muskrat hat.

 

[RocketRichard]

I'd like to think that the Ushanka would lose all credibility if it wasn't Sean Connery wearing it in that scene.  That being said, I love my Muskrat hat.

It is a sweet piece of kit. Sean Connery is a stylish gentleman. Has there ever been a unit on parade with all members wearing it? Photos or it didn’t happen.


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[Eye In The Sky]

Yukon headdress can be ordered via Logistik.  Vast improvement over the massive toaster like monstrosity from the 80's early 90's.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The RQ at our unit back in the day dubbed it the “cap, fuzzy, ridiculous”.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Well, I'm glad that the whole cuff link thing for LS shirts, that I'm not sure anyone in any numbers was clamoring for, has been approved. 

Yet the Army still is adamant that fleece is not an outer garment, even though that has been coming up in town halls with the troops since the fleece entered the system (even though the RCAF has made it work even for RCAF pers on Army bases without the sun exploding), ball caps are not military headdress (RCN seems to have decided otherwise) and we are absolutely steadfast that short hair and clean shaven is a hygiene requirement and the standard that males will follow notwithstanding this is another item perennially on the town hall topic list, even through hundreds, maybe thousands, across the CAF are wearing beards due to being RCN, having a medical chit, Muslim, Sikh, Norse pagan or any other religious accommodation without their face falling off and somehow the ladies with long hair, Indigenous, Sikh and others with religious accommodations for hair length, somehow avoid lice infestations.  And...uniformity, right?

But I get it, cuff links were huge in the times when we had "historical" ranks and uniforms so this is a logical progression for the minority of the CAF who actually care about such things.  Next up?  Regimental and Branch Ascots for short sleeve shirts that I'm sure 2 or 3 people who loved the things would be happy to see back? I still have mine, somewhere, so that will save me some money I guess...

End of the day, there are a bunch of items that the Dress Committee could take on and approve that would have a far more beneficial impact on morale because large numbers of people actually care about the issues, yet we keep seeing stuff sprung on us out of the blue that 99.5% of the CAF really doesn't care about that somehow makes its way onto the agenda.

I flip the coin on the whole lot of it.  Is beards and who can grown their hair long REALLY the biggest issues we face?  I am like my WCWO.  I am so fucking tired of the talk about beards.  Seriously if the most grave issue that a group of people can bring up at a Wing townhall is beards we as a military are so far into the hurt locker it’s more than concerning. 

The RCAF fleece was designed as outerwear from the get go.  Epilauttes for rank slips on and Velcro for name tapes etc.  The army designed it differently with a different intended use.  Is this really the most pressing issue people posted to the C Army have?

Your post suggest there are other more pressing issues than cuff link have les that need to be addressed like beards and fleece.  I see things that fall under the lists I will call Operations and Support etc that should be a higher priority than all of this dress crap.

Why don’t we insist at town halls those things get sorted out instead of beards and fleece?  Because beards and fleece don’t add to or detract from our ability to close with and destroy an enemy.  Or keep SLOCs open.  Or intercept airborne or seaborne threats tonour northern border.  Stuff like that. 

Beards. I could care less.  Our aging fighter and MPA fleets....those are real issues. 

 

[PuckChaser]

Problem is, beards can be changed by the CAF CWO with support of the CDS. Fighters, MPAs and the 50 other major equipment pieces that are falling apart need funds from the government, and I'd like to think the troops are smart enough to know that. Why bitch about something you know the person running the townhall has no ability to change?

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I’ll answer with a question.  Why give Snr leadership the impression we care about beards more than real issues?

I went to a townhall with the 1 Cdn Air Div Commander last summer.  Someone wasted 15 minutes over the topic of digital signature and their use.  Seriously?  This is the best use of time with the Div Cmdr????????

We focus on the peas and not the steak far to frequently when given the opportunity to bend the ear of leadership.

 

[Blackadder1916]

I’ll answer with a question.  Why give Snr leadership the impression we care about beards more than real issues?

I went to a townhall with the 1 Cdn Air Div Commander last summer.  Someone wasted 15 minutes over the topic of digital signature and their use.  Seriously?  This is the best use of time with the Div Cmdr????????

We focus on the peas and not the steak far to frequently when given the opportunity to bend the ear of leadership.

Now, I served in an era when open to all ranks townhalls with senior commanders were unheard of, but the same picking flyshit from pepper was also heard during Pl Comd's/OC's/CO's hours.  While I respect your interest in making use of these rare opportunities to raise matters of operational importance, my take is that these meetings (like a Pl Comd's hour) is a way to informally pass on info of general interest and to gauge what is bugging the troops.  Well, for the "time wasting someone", the issue of digital signatures was obviously important enough for him/her to raise it in that venue; perhaps the concerns they had had not been adequately met when raised at a lower level.  Of course, there will always be that certain someone who wants to jump in with a comment/question just to hear themselves speak.  Did you ever think that the "digital signature" dude may also think that always bringing up issues that can only be addressed by the political masters may be wasting time and doing so excludes issues (like his) that could actually be resolved by bringing it to the direct attention of a higher commander.

Not everyone's burning issue is ops primacy.  For a lot of soldiers/sailors/airmen, their quality of life boils down to getting paid regularly (and better), being able to have some freedom in their appearance, not getting fucked over and generally having a fun time.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Not everyone's burning issue is ops primacy.  For a lot of soldiers/sailors/airmen, their quality of life boils down to getting paid regularly (and better), being able to have some freedom in their appearance, not getting fucked over and generally having a fun time.

Trust me, I know.  Hence why we are discussing the importance of beards and digital signatures over the importance of ALSE, decent boots and a whole other list of things that hold actual importance to the business a military conducts.  There's generally 2 types of folks in the military;  those who conduct ops, and those who support.  I've seen way too much tail wagging the dog the past several years, where the "operations are cutting into administration" mindsets prevail.

There's a slight difference in Pl Comd's hour and *Air Div Cmdrs* hour.  IMO.  Time and place, know your audience, etc.

 

[captloadie]

EITS - You have enough time in and experience to know that you can ask the pointy ended questions all you want, and you will never get an answer from a Div Cmdr or the Comd RCAF. Why you may ask? Because the big things are almost all politically motivated in some way (and I'm not just talking Gov't politics, I mean office politics as well).
The higher echelon positions aren't just about being great leaders anymore. They need to be great managers, and great politicians. If I were the 1 CAD Comd, at the beginning of every town hall question period, I'd say "If your question is about when PLD is going to change, when we are getting new airframes, why you can't get flight suits or boots, I am abundantly aware of your concerns, but I don't have the answers. So what's on your minds?"

As for your blanket statement about the support apparatus wagging the dog, maybe don't paint everyone with the same brush. We as an organization have lost much of our ability to control the support processes. PSPC and SSC are external orgs that we must bow to. And every time DTEP comes calling for bodies to make more pointy ended positions, the support side usually takes the hit.