Political Correctness Run Amok (Again)…

This one came over the transom at the office today… Sigh…

Air Force Wing Phases Out Flight Suits
New Directive Designed To ‘Create Synergy’

Airmen at Peterson AFB in Colorado who have been issued flight suits will need to hang them up for good May 1. A policy letter released from Gen. William L. Shelton, commander of Air Force Space Command, directed personnel assigned to AFSPC to stop wearing flight suits, the green flight jacket and the A-2 leather jackets, no later than the end of the fiscal year.

“At the end of the day we are all Airmen, it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing. We’re all the same.” At the end of the day we are all Airmen, it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing. We’re all the same,”the end of the day we are all Airmen, it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing. We’re all the same,”Standardization among the entire command prevents the perception of a ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ situation; the very meaning of the word ‘uniform’ should drive us toward standardization.”

“We want to create synergy among all personnel across the command,” Shelton said in the letter. “When personnel wear the same uniform it has a unifying effect toward mission accomplishment. Standardization among the entire command prevents the perception of a ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ situation; the very meaning of the word ‘uniform’ should drive us toward standardization.”

Not only will requiring all Airmen in AFSPC to wear the uniform of the day create standardization, it will also save an estimated $670,000 per year. According to Chief Master Sgt. Thomas Trottier, 21st Space Wing command chief, most Airmen within the wing have already stopped wearing the flight suits and will not wear them past the end of the month under the direction of Col. Chris Crawford, 21st Space Wing commander.

Trottier encourages any Airmen needing more Airman Battle Uniforms to stop by any military clothing sales store sooner rather than later. “It should be an easy conversion, so personnel don’t need to worry. If they don’t have ABUs, they have the option to wear blues until they get their ABUs,” he said.

Airmen in the wing have an additional month to replace the A-2 leather jackets, which will be phased out beginning June 1. “By then the weather’s going to be nice, so they’re going to have plenty of time to get their authorized jackets,” Trottier said.

A few grumbles have been heard around base, but Trottier said the change is a positive one. “At the end of the day we are all Airmen, it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing. We’re all the same,” he said.

And they wonder why folks are leaving the Air Farce in droves…

If that is not bad enough, there is this one too!

THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM AN APPALLED OBSERVER:
Today I went to visit the new World War II Memorial in Washington , DC . I got an unexpected history lesson. Because I’m a baby boomer, I was one of the youngest in the crowd. Most were the age of my parents, Veterans of ‘the greatest war,’ with their families. It was a beautiful day, and people were smiling and happy to be there. Hundreds of us milled around the memorial, reading the inspiring words of Eisenhower and Truman that are engraved there.

On the Pacific side of the memorial, a group of us gathered to read the words President Roosevelt used to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor:

‘Yesterday, December 7, 1941–a date which will live in infamy–the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked’

One elderly woman read the words aloud:
‘With confidence in our armed forces, with the abounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph.’
But as she read, she was suddenly turned angry ‘Wait a minute,’ she said, ‘they left out the end of the quote.

They left out the most important part. Roosevelt ended the message with ‘so help us God.’
Her husband said, ‘You are probably right. We’re not supposed to say things like that now.’
‘I know I’m right,’ she insisted. ‘I remember the speech.’ The two looked dismayed, shook their heads sadly and walked away.
Listening to their conversation, I thought to myself, ‘Well, it has been over 50 years; she’s probably forgotten.’

But she had not forgotten. She was right..
I went home and pulled out the book my book club is reading — ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ by James Bradley. It’s all about the battle at Iwo Jima .

I haven’t gotten too far in the book. It’s tough to read because it’s a graphic description of the WWII battles in the Pacific.

But right there it was on page 58. Roosevelt ‘s speech to the nation ends in ‘so help us God.’

The people who edited out that part of the speech when they engraved it on the memorial could have fooled me. I was born after the war! But they couldn’t fool the people who were there. Roosevelt ‘s words are engraved on their hearts.

Now I ask: ‘WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE WORDS OF HISTORY???’

They powers that be are DETERMINED to take God out of everything…

This reminds me of the kerfluffle that surrounded the Enola Gay when the Smithsonian was going to display the fuselage downtown at the Air and Space Museum a few years ago.  The revisionist historians had the display placards written in such a way that WE were at fault for dropping the bomb “without provocation” etc…

That prompted Col Tibbets to speak publicly about the mission for the first time since WWII, and all the WWII veterans caused such and uproar they never put the fuselage on display…

Where does this revisionist crap end???

Comments

Political Correctness Run Amok (Again)… — 24 Comments

  1. Flight suits…
    The ARMY did this too. In Viet Nam we were issued a piece of crap Nomex uniform that looked as much like a set of fatigues as they could make it…
    Uncomfortable, ugly, and not as safe as a regular flight suit.
    They finally realized their mistake a few years later. This sort of thinking runs in cycles. In the future, when they’re having trouble recruiting pilots, they’ll ask around and come to their senses… too late.

    I firmly believe we are headed for an economic fall. And I’ve also come to the realization that may be the fastest way to cull the deadwood and get this engine back on track.
    Don’t be deadwood.
    Be a good Boy Scout.
    (Obviously NOT directed at you personally, Navy!)

  2. eia- Probably… sigh…

    Andy- It is NOW, it wasn’t before…

    GB- Yep, I remember those (and you sumbitches stealing our flight suits out of the laundry) 🙂 The rest? Yep, agree whole heartedly!

    GB- The complete Enola Gay is at Udvar-Hazy.

  3. They pulled similar stuff with the medics in the hospitals in the 1990’s. Took away their whites and made them figure out how to get blood stains and worse out of BDU’s.

    As for the other one, nothing would surprise me anymore. War memorials have become more about ‘artistic’ expression and political correctness than they are about remembering. I’ve heard school choruses change the words to patriotic songs because some of the words might offend the weak of constitution and mind. Heck, I’m surprised they still fly the flag anymore.

  4. Where does this revisionist crap end???

    Never. What I hope is it is like a pendulum near it’s left half swing period; if that makes any sense.

  5. We can only hope that Well Seasoned Fool is correct. The backlash against the revisionist crap does seem to be gathering steam.

  6. Hmm. I seem to remember the Air Force bringing back the brown leather flight jackets to buck up the morale of the zoomie pilots and aircrew.

    Seems they were jealous of the Navy’s leather flight jackets…

  7. NFO, You continue to raise my blood pressure! That is an affront to every thing I hold dear and WAS TAUGHT in school.

  8. Don’t forget that the SECOND DAY the the Enola Gay was on display at Udvar-Hazy, it was vandalized by one of the revisionists who threw a bottle of paint at it and dented the fuselage. I’d been there just a few hours prior. If only…

  9. Hmm… would sending some of those seriously cool silk “Flying ace” scarfs to some Pilots cause an uproar? They could give one to their crew too cause after all “it doesn’t matter what we’re wearing”

    Pax
    somewhat appalled…

  10. Alan- NNNNOooooo…

    DB- Yeah, good point!

    WSF/Rev- I truly hope so!

    Rick- Yeah they did…:-)

    Keads- Sorry!

    Murph- Yeah, now that you mention it, I DO remember wishing I’d been there, but if I had, I’d probably STILL be in jail for what I’d have done to that little POS…

    Pax- 🙂 Yep, THAT would trip em off line!!!

  11. NFO, I am certain that AFSPCOM doesn’t have any flying billets. In a misguided attempt at making everyone “uniform” the AF issued flight suits to just about everyone. I even saw a documentary on History Channel that showed the officers at the facility where they monitor the GPS system (not a pilot or crewman among them) in the bags.
    Of course I’ve also seen Army general officers giving press briefings at the Pentagon in BDUs.
    It’s a far cry from when we had to change into UDs to leave the hangar for chow or to the barracks.

  12. The USAF was doomed when they started to outlaw nose art on aircraft. The A-10 squadrons maybe the last hold outs.

    Gerry

  13. Space Command should never have been issued “flight suits” to begin with. As a retired, Flight Engineer who wore a “zipper suit” for many years I can tell you first hand we DID make fun of them with their “Buzz Lightyear” badges, and the whole flight suit thing. I agree with getting rid of them.

    That said, this is the USAF we are talking about, and in their ongoing identity struggle to set themselves apart from the Army, this too will change. (Come on AF, get over it! It’s been almost 65 years! Everyone knows you are no longer part of the Army!)

    BTW, several (appx. 12) years ago I read the USAF has had more uniform combinations since it became a seperate service than the US Army has had in it’s entire existance. I believe I read that in “Air Force” magazine (from the AFA), but dog-gone if I can find the source now.

  14. I honestly thought both of those articles were joking at first. I guess nothing should surprise me anymore.

  15. “Where does this revisionist crap end???”

    When those of us that remember differently have died off … one way or another
    Q

  16. Move the black beret to the entire Army. That won’t make them Rangers but it takes away from the Rangers.

    Someone was saying we had a Constitutional Right to pursue happiness, but that is mentioned strongly in the Declaration of Independence not the Constitution.

    If you don’t know History, you watch television and movies… for the feel good.

  17. I remember not being allowed to wear our fatigues off base except “coming or going from home.”

    Anyone else remember fatigues?

    This is what happens when we have liberals tinkering as “social engineers” with the military.

    As far as that asswipe who vandalized the Enola Gay, I’m with you NFO–I’d etiher still be in jail or on the run for what I would’ve done to that son of a bitch.

    –AOA

  18. Don- Yep… sigh

    Gerry- The BUFFs were allowed nose are during 2003-2007…

    Mark- I’ve heard that too! 🙂

    CT- Nope, not joking…

    Chief- Understood, but you go back and look at clips, it’s there.

    Quiz- Probably…

    Earl- That and read history too!

    AOA- I remember… Hell, I remember having to go on/off base in either whites or blues!!!

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