Navy camo uniforms in the nooz: They're flammable. And for me: Camo? Why? [View all]

[Stinky The Clown]

Okay, the flammable part first. It seems the Navy camo uniforms, unlike the camo in the other services, is flammable. They used to be fire proof but sailors complained about comfort. Comfort won. Now the Navy's looking at the issue again.

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/01/navy-details-review-flammable-uniforms

Here is a picture of the current uniform.



I don't get this. Camo? At sea? Aboard ship? Really? Why? Back when I was in the Navy (Moby Dick was just a minnow back then) we wore dungarees and chambray shirts. The dungarees had actual, albeit mild, bell bottoms, although most sailors of the day wore Seafarer jeans. The Seafarers were quite tight in the torso and thigh area and flared smartly at the cuff. Seafarer also made nicely tailored fitted chambray shirts. This picture is typical. not model perfect, but typical of a 1960s sailor.



Sailors back then looked the part. No camo. No bullshit. Dungarees, chambray, and white hats. Iron-on name and sleeve rank insignia. Roomy shirt pockets. Seafarer was also a popular choice for civilians back then, what with the bell bottom style and all. Young women, especially, liked to wear the men's dungarees and pea coats. Very big on college campuses. My wife wore them, for example.



I still have all my uniforms. I don't fit them any more, but I do have them. I have genuine Navy issue and sets of Seafarers in dress blue, undress blue, dress whites, undress whites and lots of dungarees.

So anyway, back to today's uniforms. Why camo? What am I missing? Our uniforms had a purpose. They could stand up to actually living and working on a ship. Plus, in my view, they let sailors look like sailors, not some generic military person. Salty.

What do camos do for sailors?

I really don't get it.