Fleece Envy

Being winter, it’s surprisingly cold here, especially in the early morning, which is something none of us consciously thought of when preparing to deploy; at Ft. Jackson, we scoffed when we were issued black fleece jackets and over pants along with DCU patterned gortex hooded jackets and over pants. I certainly am laughing no more; being light of bulk (i.e., skinny) I regularly wear the black fleece jacket on my morning walk from Poolside Camp to the DFAC and on to the Palace. By mid-day, the temperatures here in Baghdad rise to the low, and comfortable, 70s F. The days of hellish 130F highs are still a long way off so, despite it being a little chilly, everyone is enjoying the mild weather.

Everyone, except for members of the U.S Air Force who, as it was recently identified by a force-wide email, are forbidden to wear the black fleece jackets that were issued to them by their parent commands before coming here. Currently, the Air Force is transitioning from DCUs to their newly designed Airman Battle Uniform (ABU), which features a light gray and blue “tiger stripe” digital pattern similar in concept to the Army’s Army Combat Uniform (ACU). Some of the Air Force personnel who have been here a while are still wearing DCUs and those more newly arrived sport ABUs. Regardless, it seems they are not allowed, per Air Force uniform regulations, to wear the black fleece jackets. Such are the penalties for maintaining “the high appearance standards of the Air Force,” as quoted in the email that went out.

The fellow Navy officer I replaced suggested I read, “Catch-22” while here. I am beginning to see why.