Wearing Uniform in Public (merged)

[davidk]

I dont see anything wrong with wearing combat boots and rucksack for personal training.. anyone have an "official" word on this?

The official word is disturbingly ambiguous. CF dress regs stipulate that you can wear what you want mixed with civvy clothes so long as your army gear doesn't identify you as a member of the CF (so no flags, "CANADA" tags, rank/insignia etc). However, your mileage may vary; when we went to the clothing store and someone asked about this, the Sgt said "no" fairly bluntly, and even forbade us to wear our new, stiff Mk. III boots outside our homes and the armoury to break them in. The best thing to do, I suppose, would be to take it up with your unit, since each one seems to have slightly (read: radically) different policy on how to wear the uniform. Personally, I'd feel safe wearing the boots and rucksack so long as I knew that my regiment's LCol wasn't watching me from his window.

 

[brihard]

I know that I personally wear my Wet Weather Boots almost daily. Initially it was to break them in, but then I blew through my pair fo Civvie boots. The Gortex boots are damned comfortable, and with the minor issue of having no grip on ice, are perfectly suitable winter boots for southeastern Ontario, aprticualrly considering the mild winters of recent years.

Here locally (Kingston, ON), it's not uncopmmon to see uniforms in town. During weekdays, lots of folks from the signals units on abse will wnader into town over lunch break to get errands done; I see a lot at the bank near my place. And of course, the first year RMC students are in uniform whenever they're off campus.

Whenever I happen to be working down at the armouries during the day (Rare- I'm trying to swing some more class B, but the budget is thin...) I'll generally head out to grab some food around lunch time, and of course this means heading out in uniform. It's common to see CADPAT on buses, in Timmie's (Oh, the number of uniforms in Timmie's...) and in most other public places. Occasionally my buddy and I will stop in for a quick bite at Harvey's on the way home after thursday parades too, and ahve never taken any grief about being in uniform.

Here around town the reaction to uniforms is generally pretty positive, or simply curious at worst. I was flattered the other day to have three or four young women honking and screaming at me from a car as I made my way home after work (Got dropped off slightly early to pick something up at the store).  I'm sure they'd feel a bit of chagrin had they realized I'm only 18, but it was good for a private smirk nonetheless.

Besides that, it's also fairly common to see people in combats at the local paintball field. Not just the old OD green, but CADPAT are evident most of the times I'm there- though with rank and insignia stripped of course. The paintball palce sued to have different forms of battle dress hanging on the wall, and I was once pretty pissed off to see a full set of CADPAT (AR) there. Never did find out where they got it- and yes, it was the real stuff.

I recall being encouraged to go on personal ruck marches when off duty by several NCOs, in combat boots with the issued ruck. Locally there seem to be few restrictions on uniform or kit in public as long as you don't do anything to offend the honour or integrity of the CF.

 

[George Wallace]

I know that I personally wear my Wet Weather Boots almost daily. Initially it was to break them in, but then I blew through my pair fo Civvie boots. The Gortex boots are damned comfortable, and with the minor issue of having no grip on ice, are perfectly suitable winter boots for southeastern Ontario, aprticualrly considering the mild winters of recent years.

See....that could be construed as misuse of Government property.   DND is not responsible for providing you with winter boots at public expense for other than Duty Purposes.   Does DND now have the responsibility to provide all Canadians with a good pair of winter boots?   No.   So you have bent the rules, and exposed yourself on a public forum..... 

GW

 

[johnny_boy]

I hate when I see people playing paintball in any sort of camo.. and especially cadpat now that I'm in the military. To wear it when you're not supposed to is one thing, but wearing it playing paintball? That pisses me off. It could be the fact that I only play tournament paintball anyways and I think wearing any camo playing paintball is dumb period. Besides the fact, people SHOULD NOT WEAR CADPAT PLAYING PAINTBALL! Every time I see someone wearing it I always tell them not to, unless they're a civvie who just happened to stumble across their own set.. in which case I go "Bleh.. never mind"

 

[brihard]

See....that could be construed as misuse of Government property.   DND is not responsible for providing you with winter boots at public expense for other than Duty Purposes.   Does DND now have the responsibility to provide all Canadians with a good pair of winter boots?   No.   So you have bent the rules, and exposed yourself on a public forum.....  

GW

I recall readign a CFAO or Q'sR&O some time back that specifically allowed the wearing of boots and a couple other items while in civilian dress, as they were not considered to idnetify one as a CF member. Unfortunately, I can't recall which, adn ahvne't found it again. That being said, I confess to wearing GORTEX boots. You got me, George.

Johnny, we play a different style of paintball, you and I. Whyile you dress in day-glo and run around with a DM4 or a Cocker (or whatever you may use), I'm content to sneak around in the woods with my good ol' Tippmann and have fun there. I enjoy the odd game of speedball too, but I simply don't have the cash to keep up with you guys in paint or marker technology- and one or two balls a second is perfectly adequate for any firefight I've ever gotten myself in. A well tuned Flatline barrel is a wonderful thing.  ;D

 

[George Wallace]

Thanks for your comments Brihard.  It does show me that you have yet to realize what discipline and Dress and Deportment involve.  I am sure that you think you are correct in your actions, but to me it looks like you are disrespecting me and all the others who have served when you do so.  I don't think that this country has yet to become a Socialist country, nor do we have National Service.  We are not a Police State.  Nor are we a bunch of Welfare bums.  You have joined the CF, as a Reservist, and are paid enough to buy a good pair of boots, or jacket, or ski jacket, or such, and don't have to make the rest of us look like we are Unprofessional in the employ of the Government by your actions.

GW

 

[BDTyre]

Damn them...wearing CADPAT while playing paintball!
http://www.armee.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/6_1_1.asp?id=329

I hate when I see people playing paintball in any sort of camo.. and especially cadpat now that I'm in the military. To wear it when you're not supposed to is one thing, but wearing it playing paintball? That pisses me off. It could be the fact that I only play tournament paintball anyways and I think wearing any camo playing paintball is dumb period. Besides the fact, people SHOULD NOT WEAR CADPAT PLAYING PAINTBALL! Every time I see someone wearing it I always tell them not to, unless they're a civvie who just happened to stumble across their own set.. in which case I go "Bleh.. never mind"

 

[P Kaye]

GW, I think you might be being a bit too hard on the guy, if all he's doing is wearing his boots.
Before I went on course, I spent a couple of months wearing my Mk IIIs.   I had them polished so they looked nice, and always had my civilian pant legs outside them.   So without lifiting up my pant legs, it was not at all obvious that I was wearing combat boots.
I wore them for the purpose of getting my feet accustomed to them, and "breaking them in".   It worked wonders.   There really is no subsititute for wearing a pair of shoes/boots for over 8 hours a day to get your feet really comfortable in them.
I don't think I was being disrespectful to you, the Queen, the CF or any soldier therein, by wearing my boots in this way.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I recall readign a CFAO or Q'sR&O some time back that specifically allowed the wearing of boots and a couple other items while in civilian dress, as they were not considered to idnetify one as a CF member. Unfortunately, I can't recall which, adn ahvne't found it again. That being said, I confess to wearing GORTEX boots. You got me, George.

The rule applies, I think, to privately purchased CF clothing (ie surplus), not to misusing issue stuff.  As George says, you weren't issued the stuff to wear out while hiking, camping, shovelling snow at home or doing any of that "civvie" stuff - we have a responsibility to the taxpayers.  I know that seems like a joke in this day and age, but if we break faith with them, why then should we be concerned when "they" (the people) break faith with us?

 

[my72jeep]

This has been covered in this thread at the start but dress regs do allow you to wear some uniform parts with civvies. boots, gloves, toque, gabardine over coat. over shoes that kind of non operanational stuff.

 

[big_johnson1]

Ok, here's one to throw out for the wolves..

The Price is Right, with US servicemen in their uniforms jumping up and down and screaming like little girls while trying to win prizes on international tv.

Comments?

 

[johnny_boy]

darn them...wearing CADPAT while playing paintball!
http://www.armee.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/6_1_1.asp?id=329

That's different

 

[brihard]

This has been covered in this thread at the start but dress regs do allow you to wear some uniform parts with civvies. boots, gloves, toque, gabardine over coat. over shoes that kind of non operanational stuff.

Thanks sir- that's exactly what I was referring to; I simply couldn't find it.

GW, I recognize your opinion, and respect it, though I must also respectfully disagree. The exact brand of gortex boots we use are, as I recall, a Commercial Off The Shelf item- the exact same boots are available on the civilian market. They're all over Army Surplus stores, and the civilian oensa re indistinguishable from the issue ones, minus the name and last three scratched out on the inside of some of the pairs. I don't wear them heavily- probably less than a kilometer of walking a day on average. They're tough boots, and designed to last for years of military use- and that's in the regforce, to boot (no pun intended). Hell, my mom still wears her 23 year old combat boots from when she was in, and they're in almost perfect condition with thousands of miles on them.

As someone else mentioned, civvie pants aren't bloused, so on the odd chance that someone stares at my feet, they'll see the bottom third of what appears to be a work boot (which, for better or worse, it is), unless they know exactly what they're looking at. And if they know that, they also know that these boots are available in army surplus anyway. I've seen plenty of civilians wearing them. I certainly don't see how the odd person wearing black boots equates us toa  police sttate in people's eyes anyways; they don't really qualify as jack boots, and I definitely don't fit the stereotype- visual or otherwise - as a fascist thug.

I have nothing but the highest respect for every person who has served before or with me, and I don't think my choice of footwear particularly impacts on this. I always comport myself in public in a polite and reasonable manner, and I assure you that in the odd chance someone was firm in their mind that I was military simply absed on seeing my boots, my actions would do nothing to discredit the forces. When I see the kids walking around with combat pants and boots (even Cadpat these days- and the real stuff, not that Frontenac crap) and a T-shirt that tells the reader to go *** himself, I think wearing a good set of boots really says nothing in comparison. I can walk into the surplus palce downtown, and find CADPAT bivvy bags, new Gortex jackets, windpants,and bib overalls (which even I don't have yet), and even on a few cases full Tac-Vests, I'd hope that I can avoid being condemned for wearing my boots out and about from time to time.

Ok, here's one to throw out for the wolves..

The Price is Right, with US servicemen in their uniforms jumping up and down and screaming like little girls while trying to win prizes on international tv.

Comments?

Please tell me you're joking?

That's different

Oh man, I wish my unit could do that... I'd be the happiest guy out there, I guarantee.

 

[johnny_boy]

The Price is Right frequently has specials where all the contestents are service members, all decked out in DEU and all.

 

[dutchie]

GW, I recognize your opinion, and respect it, though I must also respectfully disagree. The exact brand of gortex boots we use are, as I recall, a Commercial Off The Shelf item- the exact same boots are available on the civilian market.

The point was not that the CF boots were easily recognizable by the average civvie as being Military issue, it's that those boots were issued to you in order for you to do your job. If you are wearing them on your own time to break them in, do PT, or the like, then you are still honouring that agreement to wear them for CF use only. If you wear them because your civvie boots wore out, you are clearly not wearing them for CF use, and are in fact misusing government property and you should stop. If you were wearing them once or twice a month over the winter (like here in Vancouver), IMHO that's ok. But 1km a day/everyday is way too much.


And I have always thought the whole Price is Right thing (or Oprah for that matter) is a little ridiculous. But hey, I'm Canadian, they can do what they want.

 

[brihard]

The point was not that the CF boots were easily recognizable by the average civvie as being Military issue, it's that those boots were issued to you in order for you to do your job. If you are wearing them on your own time to break them in, do PT, or the like, then you are still honouring that agreement to wear them for CF use only. If you wear them because your civvie boots wore out, you are clearly not wearing them for CF use, and are in fact misusing government property and you should stop. If you were wearing them once or twice a month over the winter (like here in Vancouver), IMHO that's ok. But 1km a day/everyday is way too much.


And I have always thought the whole Price is Right thing (or Oprah for that matter) is a little ridiculous. But hey, I'm Canadian, they can do what they want.

You're right, of course. I'm picking up a new pair of boots soon anyway- or I may have an old one shoved away in a closet; I'll have to check. Thsoe dmaned Gortex boots are just so comfortable though.

 

[big_johnson1]

Please tell me you're joking?

Joking? Ha, I wish.. I've seen that show off an on for years (Bob Baker must be an android), and while I've never seen an episode where the entire audience is military, I've seen plenty of groups of servicemen in full uniform sitting in the rows alongside the old heffers looking to win a new fridge. Every so often one of them gets called down too, and the jumping for joy starts..

I don't think I've seen anyone other than Navy pers either. I wonder if that says something

 

[1feral1]

I hate when I see people playing paintball in any sort of camo.. and especially cadpat now that I'm in the military. To wear it when you're not supposed to is one thing, but wearing it playing paintball? That pisses me off. It could be the fact that I only play tournament paintball anyways and I think wearing any camo playing paintball is dumb period. Besides the fact, people SHOULD NOT WEAR CADPAT PLAYING PAINTBALL! Every time I see someone wearing it I always tell them not to, unless they're a civvie who just happened to stumble across their own set.. in which case I go "Bleh.. never mind"

As much as I have a bad taste in my mouth about this, its a free country, and our citizens should be allowed to wear anything they want (aside of impersonators and related disgusting matters) when conducting these activities.

Here paintballers etc wear AUSCAM all the time, and I don't really care at all. So, don't take it personally, you have earned the privillage to wear a uniform, so it should not worrry you. CADPAT, MARPAT, OD combats, they are playing a game.

Cheers,

Wes

 

[BDTyre]

I just hope they all remembered to wash their CADPAT w/in 24 hours.  Nothing like showing up at parade the next week with the not-so-inconspicous remains of a hot pink paint blotch.

That's different

 

[Cliffy433]

Joking? Ha, I wish.. I've seen that show off an on for years (Bob Baker must be an android), and while I've never seen an episode where the entire audience is military, I've seen plenty of groups of servicemen in full uniform sitting in the rows alongside the old heffers looking to win a new fridge. Every so often one of them gets called down too, and the jumping for joy starts..

I don't think I've seen anyone other than Navy pers either. I wonder if that says something

As a former Cl A bum with lots of free time, I've seen TONNES (notice the metric spelling) of US Service personnel on Price is Right - of EVERY BRANCH (yes, even the USMC).  Hey, I'm all for more public wearing of the uniform - i've met people in Saskatoon who didn't know about Dundurn - as long as it's dignified.  I think the USMC mbrs are the only ones who don't jump around and squeal.  They stick to a courteous "Thank you, Bob!"

I coulda swore I saw a Cdn on the show in uniform once too, but don't quote me on that.

tlm.