21 October 2007

Rules and Regulations

This is more of a pointless rant rather than an insightful blog concerning Civilian Attire while serving on active duty…

The US Navy has a dress code, both while in uniform, and while wearing civilian attire. This dress code or Uniform Regulation is a lawful order and should be adhered to at all times. However, there are areas that are often overlooked and disregarded all together.

One of these said regulations is regarding jewelry for males. The article states that earrings are not authorized while in a duty status, on a military installation, or any other area under the jurisdiction of a military entity. Here in Japan, guys seem to think that it is okay to wear earrings while on base, or even out in town. Some seem to think that out in town is okay because it is off base… but the US Navy has jurisdiction over it’s members under the Status of Forces Agreement with out host nation.

One of my biggest pet peeves is that we, as US Military Personnel are representatives of the United States Armed Forces, so I feel that we should be held to a very specific standard. We should dress, and conduct ourselves in a professional manner on and off duty at all times.

In fact, a good majority of the members in service join to escape the crap back home. So they go to basic training and specialty school, and they learn respect and gain some military bearing. However, you take that same sailor from South Central Los Angeles, get him out of his Specialty School and into civilian attire again, and before you know it he is dressing, walking, and talking the same way he did as a civilian. Why would you revert to your old ways, especially if you were trying to make a positive change in the first place? His clothes will be two or three sizes too big, he will wear a hat or beanie on his head while his pants fall off his butt, all while wearing his grill and eight earrings with bling bling. (Mind you, dental ornamentation is also against uniform standards.)

I know that this rant is superficial, and when it comes down to it, who really cares what you wear in your off time, especially if you are constantly putting yourself in harms way? But hell, this is my blog and my rant, and I will keep complaining as long as I can. But is it too difficult to at least be presentable when you are off duty an in a foreign country? And why is it, that when I try to correct someone’s lack of understanding concerning earrings on base in male’s ears, they look at me like I just killed their family? I feel it to be my duty as Naval Leadership to enforce the standards that I took an oath to obey. I think that is also another underlying problem… people forget that they took an oath to obey and that they did so of their own free will and without reservation. Apparently, I haven’t forgotten, and god willing; I never will.

1 comment:

Sean Dustman said...

I hear you there, I constantly have to work over my guys but they still like working for me for some reason. Great blog, glad to see more corpsman writing out there (and writing more then me). Keep it up man.

PS link added:)