Clothing Question

[ninty9]

I was at a Remberance Day ceremony today and there was a soldier present who stood by the flag for the duration. I believe he was a copral. My question has somewhat to do with what he was wearing.

I would assume that he was a regular, but being in Calgary the closest regular base would be Edmonton. So I really don‘t know. He only spoke for a moment but he did not say his name or regiment or anything. Anyway, he was in the special dress uniform. My question is do you keep your uniforms at home while you are in the reserve? Also, would he have to get permission to wear his uniform outside of a military situation? I wouldn‘t think you could just wear your uniform wherever you like. Another thing that came to me is dog tags. Do you wear them all the time, or only when training etc? All the questions pertain to the reserve forces since that is what i‘m going into. Thanks.

 

[combat_medic]

There are several reserve units in Calgary that he could have been part of

-The Calgary Highlanders (he‘d be in a kilt)
-King‘s Own Calgary Regiment (he‘d be wearing a black beret)
-15 Med Coy Calgary

and a few others. As a reservist, yes, you get to take your uniform home... how else would you iron and polish it? Also, you do need permission to wear it. I know a guy who got married in his uniform, but he still had to get permission.

As for dog tags, in the reserves they‘re a little harder to come by (at least out here). If you‘re on course you should wear them, and if you‘re overseas operationally you have to have them. You can wear them all the time if you want... it‘s up to you.

 

[Zoomie]

Depending on your Unit and its allotment of patrols, scarlets, kilts etc., you may or may not be allowed to have your own issue of unit regalia. The standard CF issue dress uniform (DEU - distinctive environment uniform) is for you to take home and hold on to. You will most likely receive this uniform upon completion of whatever they call QL3 these days.
As to the issue of dog tags, or identity discs. Everyone will eventually receive a pair, it all depends on how slow your unit is at ordering them. As to when you should where them. Personally, I don‘t wear them at all. When I was in the reserves, I never wore them either. The only time that you are really supposed to wear them is when you go on operationaly callout or when you are on a CF aircraft. I use the caveat that these aircraft I am flying here in the ‘Jaw are in fact Bombardier owned, so I don‘t bother wearing them. Besides, if I crash or don‘t survive the ejection, there‘s just me or the instructor to separate.

 

[ninty9]

Thanks for the info, guys.

He wasn‘t wearing a kilt, His uniform was green, and I couldn‘t tell if his beret was black or green. I thought it was green but I could be wrong.

I think i‘ll probably be going into the Highlanders, so this means I have to wear a kilt?

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Highlanders wear kilts.

Other units in Calgary...

33 FES
14 MP Platoon (det)
15 Med Coy (det)
14 Svc Bn
KOCR

or he could have been from another southern Alberta unit, 15 AD (Lethbridge), SALH....

Identification Discs (a bit of a misnomer, really) are not hard to come by, simply submit your request through the proper channels (ASC, usually) and be sure that you have proof of your blood type.

Dogtags are supposed to be worn when on duty. What you do with them when off duty are your business, there are no regulations about wearing them or not, that I am aware of.

You can wear your uniform when off duty with the permission of your superiors (ie for funerals, weddings, highland games, or other activities that you may wish and that your superiors feel appropriate - inappropriate use of uniforms would be things like political party gatherings, Ku Klux Klan rallies, etc.)

 

[Korus]

heh heh heh.. And get all your badges sewn on by the tailors as soon as possible. That way you don‘t have to do it yourself in a crunch...

 

[Lawrence]

14 MP Platoon no longer exists on paper. They are now 15 MP Company and have yet to get a unit designation number.

 

[Spr.Earl]

as for Dog Tag‘s just go to the O.R. and ask the clerk and she will hand you the form fill it out .Make sure you have your "BLOOD TYPE"

As to wearing them concider them as another form of I.D.,just in case like tit‘s on a bull.

When I travel on vacation I wear mine.
And I go all over the world.