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Show 14 H.ll'op Wi NEWS Nov. 15, 1991 w (oJg by MSQt. Mark Walsh Air Force Nes Service LUKE AFH. Ariz. The apparent, intentional absence of "doodads" adorning the Air Force's new service dress uniform seem to be one of the foremost features that caught the eye of Luke airmen and NCOs as they got their first look at the attire Nov. 1. worn by CMSAF Gary R. Ffingston. In w hat was only the second public showing of the Force audience, the uniform, the first to an r lack of collar brass, name tags, epaulets, pockets and seven less buttons were the most visible change on the uniform. One Luke technical sergeant described the change as attractive and more in line with today's more fashionable style. "It looks like a suit." said TSgt. Nancy Northrop of the 5Sth Tactical Training Squadron. "The bulk-ines- s of the old uniform is gone. It looks more profes- 66 all-Ai- The stripes (on the new uniform) are a lot easier to notice and to distinguish from other ranks. 99 AB Anh sional.' The advent of the new style, revealed at a Pentagon press conference Oct. 31. is the Air Force's push for its own distinguishable uniform, one that accurately reflects the service's aerospace image. "Basicallv. what our uniform is today is an Armv uniform dyed blue," Ffingston said of the current serv ice dress worn by airmen since shortly after the Air Force became a separate service in 1947. "It s the same specs, same pockets, same epaulets. Nothing different (from the Army's uniform)." Although people heard rumblings that the new. redesigned chevrons would be larger. Luke people were taken by surprise at the actual appearance of the stripes. Making them stand out more, however, is not their size, but the white instead of silver thread used as background. Pfingston said the stripes result from the Air Force's attempt to make the enlisted rank bigger and bolder. "The stripes are a lot easier to notice and to distinguish from other ranks," said AB Anh Gore, 58th Civil Engineering Squadron. O Wl I'uurd lukt Gort AFB Ant. Another common rumor has the shoulder board for the top three enlisted ranks being phased out. Pfingston said the Air Force has no plans to do away with the ranks; however, they will be redesigned to reflect the new rank design for the master, senior master and chief master sergeant. The new chevrons, very similar to the current E-and E-- stripes, are one stripe up and five down for master sergeant, two up and five down for senior master sergeant and three up and five down for 8 9 chiefs. Yet, larger, bolder and redesigned stripes were not at the top of the list of changes noticed by the Luke yiniSferai) audience. The cleaner, less busy appearance of the uniform was very apparent. "It is rough at times trying to make sure everything is lined up," said SSgt. Danny Blake, 311th Tactical Fighter Squadron. "It can be rough getting all that stuff on and making sure everything is perfect. It makes the (new) uniform a lot less cluttered." Designed with quality, style and affordability in mind, the new uniform will undergo a fit test, during which a full range of sizes will be tried on 300 people. Designed with the customer in mind, a fit assessment will be determined and a size prediction chart formulated to determine who should wear what size, based on individual measurements. It is also during this time that problems can be detected and corrected before the wear test begins in the spring. Only two months into her Air Force career, Gore feels the new uniform will cut down on tailoring headaches. "I like the idea that they're making it more because I had to have all of my issued clothing altered after I got them," Gore said. Sgt. John Owens, 58th CES, said he's glad that there will be only one standard dress uniform for the Air Force. And because of one uniform, Owens said the benefits will be seen not only in the uniform's professional appearance, but also in inspections and form-fittin- g professional military education. "When I went through PME, I felt others had an advantage over me because they had double-kni- t uniforms," Owens said. "I really like its neater appearance without all the buttons, epaulets and pockets." The dyes used in the new service dress are better matched, thus making it easier to match the coat to slacks and skirts. In the past, people found it an almost impossible task to completely match the double-knservice coat and other clothing articles. it The Air Force could possibly start issuing the new uniform to new recruits in basic training in early 1995. ora n C.Mp of Insurance Risk "High Specialty" All lines etersen Insurance Services BAD DRIVING RECORD, - i j i o r mm) ifN? Monthly Payment Plans I f U ' ' t" " Ginger Petersen" f V 3730 Riverdale Rd. ji. 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