quote:

I was in the Army from 1991-1995 and you simply DID NOT put your hands in your pockets other than to retrieve something, if you tried it you'd get called out and yelled at pretty quick.

How do you know they haven't been? Especially having been photographed in public.

When I was in you could not have an umbrella while in uniform. When you were outside you had to have a cover on your head. Cover had to removed inside unless you had a side arm
or pistol belt on. Hands in pocket were not allowed. If you were walking and carrying an object it had to be in your left hand, leaving the right hand free to salute officers.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

I spent 3 years at Naval Base Charleston and the bubbleheads could get away with wearing their poopy suits in the Exchange. The rest of us commoners would catch hell for wearing clean, pressed wash khakis (ie, khaki uniform with just collar devices, no ribbons). Pissed me off no end but I was told in no uncertain terms NOT to kick that anthill...

Not only did we wear poopy suits but we had steak and eggs for breakfast every Sunday

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
When I was in you could not have an umbrella while in uniform. When you were outside you had to have a cover on your head. Cover had to removed inside unless you had a side arm
or pistol belt on. Hands in pocket were not allowed. If you were walking and carrying an object it had to be in your left hand, leaving the right hand free to salute officers.

Precisely.

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

I spent 3 years at Naval Base Charleston and the bubbleheads could get away with wearing their poopy suits in the Exchange. The rest of us commoners would catch hell for wearing clean, pressed wash khakis (ie, khaki uniform with just collar devices, no ribbons). Pissed me off no end but I was told in no uncertain terms NOT to kick that anthill...

Not only did we wear poopy suits but we had steak and eggs for breakfast every Sunday

I worked at the Mobile Technical Unit in Charleston. (MOTU-10) During my tour I had business on a Fast Attack tied up in Charleston and a Boomer and a Trident in Kings Bay. All I can say is you guys earned every nickel you ever made. No way in HELL you're getting me underway on one of those things!

I went aboard the fast boat to work on some gear in comms. I told the watch on the after hatch as I was headed down the ladder that if I heard even the faintest hint that this thing was fixing to get underway, he'd best step back because I was coming out of that hatch like I'd been shot out of a cannon!

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
As far as I know it is still against regulations to have your hands in your pockets whether walking or standing unless retrieving an item.

But.... heck what do I know, everything changes from minute to minute. I am not talking about regs but the grey areas...

It is a joke. I have two years left and I am counting the days..


God forbid if you correct someone... OR HOLD someone to a standard especially if you cannot click a special interest block.

About two weeks ago I got promoted to SGT.. I made a joke to the Counter Intel SGT Major about how this proves the standards are lowered and in the crapper and he did not find it funny at all.. Now the 1SG and SGM at the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations unit thought it was hilarious..

More Truth than Humor from what I hear about today's military.

I had a total of just under 35 years in the Army, and hands were put into pockets to get something out of them.

I don't bleeve I EVER saw any person in uniform with a hand or hands in pockets.

However, bear in mind that in the British Army we don't walk around in uniform in the streets, let alone with a female in arm. Until quite recently, military uniforms were never seen in public unless at some kind of formal parade, as the terrorist threat was held to be too high.

The sight of military personnel walking around, let alone with hands in pockets, is not something I've noticed, and we live in a part of this county with two US military bases and a major British/NATO base.

The rules of garrison dress and having your hands in pockets are just that - garrison.

NONE of it applied in the field when you are Infantry. Most combat arms units training in the field use hoods, and hands in pockets are common, albeit there is very little slack time just standing around. Having a weapon in your possession also tends to keep your hands occupied. There's no rack to put it in out in the field - the typical working environment. And in the field you could wear jungle boots, which were banned on post, or other items/snivel gear to keep warm as needed.

The other 90% of the service has to live with their command micromanagement. Keep in mind the services train to use lethal full auto weapons - yet a soldier/sailor/airman/Marine may have a post commander who demands no firearms in post housing. Why? The best reason I heard was not having to answer for any negligent discharge. It was career management, not an appreciation of the rights we defended.

In the day, I wore the Marine steel belt buckle, there was never brass showing in an inspection. And those who noticed soon picked up the idea, too. Subverting the micromanagement was done by one and all.

I don't remember having hands inside pockets were an issue in the Navy once out of boot camp.

Of course, boot camp trained you to walk with your hands out. But I remember, if it's cold and you're not in formation and you don't have gloves, I would have stuck my hands in my pocket while walking.

Uncle Sams Misguided Child over here.

Yeah- no paws in pockets, ever.
Unless you were in the field. Thankfully that's when I spent most of my time.

Never understood the point of having pockets on Dress Shirts. We only used them for our ID.
"A good Marine always carries a pen (or ink stick)" Ok, where? There's a slit, right here on the top of the flap on my pocket, made SPECIFICALLY for a fucking pen, and we can't use it? What. The. Fuck. Over?

"Carry your Mil ID in your left breast pocket"
Then what the hell is my wallet for?

Ok, so I toss my smokes in my sock, but my zippo is going in my pocket. It will keep my pen company.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I've been seeing this more and more in articles about the US Army deploying here and there and just saw it again with a UK Daily Mail article on US Army troops in Poland. In nearly every video clip or photo they show of troops, half of them are standing around or walking around with their hands in their pockets! Is this something that has been relaxed in recent years? Is it not a big deal anymore?

I was in the Army from 1991-1995 and you simply DID NOT put your hands in your pockets other than to retrieve something, if you tried it you'd get called out and yelled at pretty quick.

I'm just wondering if things like this have gone away over the years and it's not considered an infraction or violation of standards any longer?

Yeah...after being deployed and in some sort of gun battle for 20 years, no one in the Armed Forces gives a shit any more.

It's a stupid rule designed to fuck with SMs.

I went to Navy boot camp in Great Lakes, IL in the winter- the first day there a sailor fell on ice and fractured a vertebrae.

The first weeks we had no sweaters, watchcaps nor gloves. You had a t-shirt, work shirt and peacoat. If you put your hands in your pockets whilst outside you would be given extra duties or 11pm extra PT training.
As others have mentioned, you stood outside the mess hall in formation with snow falling on you waiting for your turn to eat.

When we finally did get gloves, they made us take them off when doing manual of arms because they wanted to hear your hand slap that rifle forearm when you did the moves.
Nuttin' like smacking a rifle stock when it's 8 degrees and snowing...
(Some say the Parris Island SC mosquitos were worse that the cold).

And that mean CC called people names, too-

quote:

Originally posted by mrapteam666:
As far as I know it is still against regulations to have your hands in your pockets whether walking or standing unless retrieving an item.

But.... heck what do I know, everything changes from minute to minute. I am not talking about regs but the grey areas...

It is a joke. I have two years left and I am counting the days..


God forbid if you correct someone... OR HOLD someone to a standard especially if you cannot click a special interest block.

About two weeks ago I got promoted to SGT.. I made a joke to the Counter Intel SGT Major about how this proves the standards are lowered and in the crapper and he did not find it funny at all.. Now the 1SG and SGM at the Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations unit thought it was hilarious..

USACAPOC people are "special"

And field rules are VERY different from garrison rules...at least they were for me.

There again various SGT Maj have been known to take a piece out of me. My field TA50 has and is what ever works best. Back in the day 90s early 2000s I totally rocked a Wolly Pulley sweater when it got below freezing but towards the end of my career it was in a CA unit....no one cared

When I was in the Army, no hands in pockets ever for any reason except in the field.

quote:

Originally posted by wcb6092:
When I was in you could not have an umbrella while in uniform. When you were outside you had to have a cover on your head. Cover had to removed inside unless you had a side arm
or pistol belt on. Hands in pocket were not allowed. If you were walking and carrying an object it had to be in your left hand, leaving the right hand free to salute officers.

Umbrella? Are you serious? What person in the military uniform of their country would be carrying an umbrella?

quote:

Originally posted by tacfoley:
Umbrella? Are you serious? What person in the military uniform of their country would be carrying an umbrella?

Major Allison Digby Tatham-Warter?

"How a British Officer Disabled A German Armored Vehicle WIth An Umbrella In The Heat Of Battle"
https://coffeeordie.com/digby-tatham-warter-umbrella/

From AR 670-1, 26 Jan 2021 (most current),
While in uniform, personnel will not place their hands in their pockets, except momentarily to place or retrieve objects.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I've been seeing this more and more in articles about the US Army deploying here and there and just saw it again with a UK Daily Mail article on US Army troops in Poland. In nearly every video clip or photo they show of troops, half of them are standing around or walking around with their hands in their pockets! Is this something that has been relaxed in recent years? Is it not a big deal anymore?

I was in the Army from 1991-1995 and you simply DID NOT put your hands in your pockets other than to retrieve something, if you tried it you'd get called out and yelled at pretty quick.

I'm just wondering if things like this have gone away over the years and it's not considered an infraction or violation of standards any longer?

Well, I got out of the army in 1966, after 11 years service. And NOBODY put their hands in their pockets other than to insert something into, or retrieve something, from said pocket.

We weren't allowed to do it even in the field. But then we had a dick for a 1SG.

I had a manager once that was ex army.
I had my hands in my pockets and he told me to remove them.
I told him to go fuck himself.