Duane,
Great points, and I agree with them, except I have no inclination to
avoid the uniform ;^)
I own 7 (yep, s-e-v-e-n) uniform shirts for use in pretty much every
function (I only have 2 pairs of pants...though I do own a pair of
GPH-issued shorts! lol!). Why you ask? It's pretty practical to have
different shirts to wear to a function. Sectional event in the summer?
Got a short-sleeve Sectional staff shirt. Ushering at District Council?
District Staff Dress Khakis... and so on. I drag them all out when I
teach Ranger Basics modules to show my leaders-to-be what the uniform
should look like because, strangely (or not) the uniform becomes the
dominate topic in the Question-and-Answer session at the end. I don't
really like the new ideas behind the uniform, as allowing the commanders
to wear the awards they teach opens a door to wanna-be General Pattons
everywhere. I wear all of my awards when I wear my dress khakis, but imo
5 rows of ribbons, especially when 2 rows are of merits I taught to
boys, just looks plain tacky, and I avoid wearing it as much as
possible, except when I'm teaching leaders.
Personally, though I measure all of my patches with a ruler and have my
uniforms pressed and taken care of at a law enforcement supply shop, I
see the uniform not as a focal point or something we should inordinately
focus on, but rather a tool to be used to further the ministry to the
public. Everyone knows what a Boy Scout uniforms looks like, but when I
walk in to a restaurant after a Ranger Sunday, I usually end up
satisfying the curiosity of a passer-by after they stare at my uniform
long enough. I think we should keep this in mind whenever we wear our
uniform in public, as these days, flash and image are everything
(something I emphasise on when teaching LMA modules) and a properly
maintained uniform does well to appease those ideas in the public. Of
course, on a campout, all bets are off as evidenced in a photo I have of
myself in my Pioneers uniform way back when (1990-91, ha!) covered in
mud (Thankfully I had no pins on at the time) after a spate of football
in the mud. Some reading that may be horrified, but when you get down to
it, what is more important, the uniform being clean, or the boy having
fun (My mom, after the campout, setteled for the former though... ;^))
A final note about the uniforms- Our District Commander emeritus Dee
Stroud was once asked by a GMA why he wore a plain uniform with his
Campaign hat. His reply, like everything else he says, was so simple yet
so deep. He pointed at the gold braid on top and said, "Son, when you
have this, everything else is just overkill."
-Loren C. Klein
Louisiana District Webmaster
rangerforums.com Administrator
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Well I don't like to brag but I also have extensive experience with M1
Tank Platoon and Steel Beasts. Plus I once read a book about German
Panzer Aces." - Harold Jones from TankNet Military Forums on his tanking
experience other than his decade serving as an M1/M1A1 Abrams crewman.
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