In about 2012, I was taking a military history course at a big state university with both Army and Navy ROTC programs. One day we were talking about the evolution of military uniforms circa World War I, how most of the major combatants in that war moved away from bright identifying colors to drabs and proto-camouflage schemes during the war, and the professor asked an NROTC student who was wearing his blue NWUs that day, "What's the deal with that camo pattern, anyway? Do you know?" "I think they're the colors of paint you're most likely to get on yourself aboard ship," the student replied, with a perfectly straight face.

Because it looks cool and some senator and or admiral has a family member who designed it and they get a kickback for having it issued. Dungarees and the blue chambray shirts were the best.

Went into the navy in 1969. There was a period were we were required to change to the "new" uniform made from synthetics. Some sailors paid a high price when the Navy found out what melted clothing did to human skin.

I was in the Coast Guard for 31 years as both an enlisted and officer. As an enlisted I loved the Cracker Jax uniform. Aside from their classic look, they were designed to turn inside out and neatly roll up for storage in a seabag. When you needed to wear the uniform you take them out of your seabag, unroll them and they still look great. Semper Paratus!

To camouflage man overboard

Digital camo was not adopted because it works better against digital sensors, because it does not. Digital was invented because it is easier to make multi-scale camouflage in a digital pattern. An important aspect to any camouflage is that the various blobs of colour will be perceived differently at different ranges. With older camo's, the blobs of colour might work to break up an outline at medium range, but blend together at longer range and stand out as a distinct flat colour at close ranges. Multi-scale camouflage uses many sizes of colour blocks and blends them in such a way that the camouflage works optimally in large range of distances or scales, giving better protection against perception.

10 years in the Navy on submarines. I was proud to wear dungarees daily. They made sense and were comfortable. In my opinion the Cracker Jacks look great! This new digital uniform doesn't promote being members of the Navy. They look like soldiers.

I wore Dungarees my whole time in the Navy. They never should have gotten rid of them. To be honest, they were pretty comfy as a real working uniform. Also, cheap enough to readily buy replacements.

Outside of normal land-based used by corpsman or Seabees; this is one of the Dumber fashion trends naval uniform history.

As a former Air Force guy, I was always flabbergasted by the plethora of uniforms in the Navy. Thanks for helping me understand it a little better.

Canada NO - "we" tried one uniform and it was so bad half the career sailors quit (I may have exaggerated there). At 76, I confess to being the only 'Army Guy' in my family - even my son went Navy. But my dad, in the 1950's through 70's NEVER wore or even owned a pair of Levi type pants. When he was shore based the first thing he did when he got home was to change out of his dungarees - only then did he greet us. For real. I was 20 before I wore my first pair of jeans - again for real. Thanks for your work!!!!

I was Army. Never understood the blueberries until someone told me about the heavy greases and oils so many Sailors work with. Dark colors are essential to allowing the uniforms to still look servicable when working with that stuff. Mad respect to Sailors; it's not easy duty.

Over a 26 year career in the Navy, I hates the uniform changes, I came in with the button fly dungarees, went to a pull-over utility uniform and then back to dungarees, Salt & Pepper was in there also with the stupid cap. Every time, it cost me money I would have rather spent on my wife & son. Finally made Chief and the madness sort of calmed down, though I did have to buy a set of Choker Whites which I wore once for a change of command in the 11 years I was a Chief.

The story that I was told is that the blue camouflage pattern was at least partially intended not to camouflage you but instead camouflage the grease stains that you get on your uniform working onboard ship.

I collected all of my family's Navy uniforms when I was a kid and loved the bell bottom pants with 13 button flap in front. 13 for original colonies and each had an anchor on the front.

My dad was in the Navy in WWII. He said if you fell overboard, they did not come back to pick you up. I guess making it difficult to see you in the sea makes their mission easier.

I was in from '06 to '11. followed the uniform design board closely. The main selling point of the blue and gray digital pattern was to hide paint and grease stains. Having stood a school house uniform inspection in a year old, worked in set of NWU's it worked as advertised. The fading to orange when in contact with sea water is just sea stories that spread among the lower enlisted.

I drove past a British Army base a few years ago, the soldiers on gate duty had rifles (quite rare here), and they were wearing urban camouflage dress, with fluorescent overcoats.

Ryan, there were actually 3 different NWUs. The "blueberrys" were NWU I, and NWU II & III were a digital woodland and desert pattern similar to, but not identical to MARPAT woodland and desert. The woodland pattern was meant to be worn by anybody who regularly served ground side and in the field that weren't Marine Corpsmen, people like chaplains, Sea Bess, etc. The desert pattern was supposed to be reserved solely for the use by Navy Special operations like SEALs.

I think the Service Dress Blues (Cracker Jacks) is one of the swankiest uniforms. It exudes "Navy" and the sea service.

The branch with the best camouflage uniform is the Marine corps MARPAT. It works and the Marine corps been using it the past 25 years. Army (OCP) comes in second. Navy (NWU III) comes in 3rd.

As a Navy vet there is no reason for sailors to wear camo on a ship. The dungarees were very comfortable to work in. If a sailor falls into the water the last thing they need to be wearing is camo. The only con on the dungarees was they were sometimes worn in prisons and thus might be associated with criminals. For this reason many bases prohibited the wearing of dungarees off base.

I remember hearing a story of the development of the fade to orange uniforms. The first few iterations would turn orange simply from the salt spray or being in salt air for long enough.

I wore dungarees for the vast majority of my Navy career at sea, with the addition of coveralls a bit later. When they phased out the bell bottom dungarees, I wore mine until the very LAST day they were authorized. I even got chewed out briefly, because I was still wearing mine that day, until I was able to state the Naval instruction that stated that the dungaree uniform was authorized until 23:59 that day. I didn't get into any real trouble BECAUSE I knew the uniform regulation and the instruction that delt with the transition to the new utility uniform. That individual was still not happy that I was still wearing dungarees, but there wasn't anything they could do about it!

I find the Navy’s newest uniform very entertaining. Especially when they realized that the camouflage worked so well that they could not distinguish each other’s ranks. Now everyone has a big blue square in the center of their chest so we know their rank. To answer Ryan’s question there should not be one standardized uniform. Each branch builds their uniforms around their specific missions in mind.

Most sailors hated the blue digital camo uniform but a couple told me they liked it because it tended to not show grease and paint stains. Totally makes sense if you're assigned to that kind of work.

The cracker jack dress blues are SHARP. I was always proud to wear those.

The fade to orange thing is a complete myth I wore the NWU for 6 years and trust me I did my fair share of sweating in that uniform especially when I was on Guam. The uniform never changed colors or really even faded much over my entire enlistment. I even fell in the water once at Gab Gab Beach, and the uniform is still blue to this day.

I'm surprised they didn't just make orange camouflage uniforms. Just say that "We're thinking of reintroducing grog into the fleet for morale purposes so we want to find the drunks who fall off the boats."

Growing up in a navy family where my father joined in 1960 and my mother joined in 1970, I was always very curious why it is the Navy got rid of bell bottom dungarees, button down shirts and sailors caps. Do you know that if a ship goes down every single one of those items of clothing is a personal flotation device? And not only that, they were comfortable to work in and provided ease of movement. I remember when my mom retired in 1994 and she was an active duty reservist for her last I think 12 years. And when she retired from Willow Grove they were just starting to introduce those weird blue jumpsuits into the Navy. I thought those were horrible and then they came out with the camouflage ones and I was like oh wait there's always somebody waiting in the wings with a dumber idea.

I enlisted during the days of dungarees (1994), endured the switch to the gas station uniform (utilities, 2000-2010), and retired wearing the NWU. NWU would still be the uniform if it wasn't so flammable. The NWU was sold to us as more comfortable, less wear and tear, and more uniform across the service. It was supposed to hide paint spots well, but typically when a sailor spilled paint on themselves it still left a noticeable spot. I always said that the Navy should have switched to something like the NWU in 2000, instead of the utilities, which I _hated._ NWU was winterweight cotton, so it was hot as hell to wear during the summer. The camo in the water gripe is mostly crap, as a swimmer in the water only has their head showing anyway, what clothing you are wearing is irrelevant.

My favorite Navy dress uniform was the button down dress blues. My favorite utility uniform was the the Marine fatigues with a black beret that were issued in the riverine units.

I was a civilian shipbuilder that worked on a variety of Navy contracts. Denim jeans and leggings underneath were my prefered uniform along with a long sleeve flame retardant top, year round. Sometimes I wore the blue jumpsuits (same as the sailors), which were comfortable and offered protection! I thought the digital camouflage was for urban environments, but khaki seemed to make a comeback during the Iraq war.

The one uniform item I regretted giving a way upon leaving the USN many decades ago was the peajacket, a perfectly designed and sewn protection against cold foul weather. Impervious and tough as shoe leather.

I am a dungaree, boondocker wearing sailor and I'm SO glad that I missed this debacle. Sailors looked like sailors.

Oh, finally, explanations for this bizarre trend! And it's good to know it's not in use at sea. Actually, now that I think about it, I never saw Navy sailors wearing NWUs at sea when I worked fleet support. They wore the same coveralls we did, except nobody ever slipped them olive-colored ones. Also, the commenters on this video have raised a lot of other interesting assertions, it's very satisfying! I still have a few sets of milspec coveralls that I got from slop chests on various ships, it took me a while to figure out what sizing to ask for, for each manufacturer, but I admit that I sometimes only brought one pair of coveralls with me aboard a new ship, to save traveling weight (I also never took a foulie jacket home with me, or brought anything quite like that jacket). I still use the coveralls, both for crawl-space work or other dirty jobs, and for working outside on very hot, sunny days, because I absolutely loathe sunscreen. I wouldn't call them my favorite anything, but they're a valued and permanent part of my wardrobe.

Canada unified its three services into the Canadian Forces in 1968, and one common green dress uniform was issued. In practice, they wore different daily uniforms that were practical for their daily duties. However, this was never popular and the unified services model was never copied by other countries. In 1987, the CF "Commands" reverted to their historic titles of RCN, RCAF, and the Army, and updated "Distinctive Environmental Uniform" were issued.

In my 21+ years of service in both the USAF and MI Army National Guard, I have two favorites. Back in the mid 1970s, the USAF switched to a permanent press green fatugues. They were comfortable and easy to clean. In the Guard, my favorite was the DCU, desert uniform I wore in Iraq 2003-04. It was light, breathable and easy to care for. Granted, with both I missed the sound and feel of "breaking starch" in the USAF early green fatigues and the BDU, Battle Dress Uniform, I was first issued in the Guard. The digital ACU, in the Guard did have nice pockets, the Velcro closures were not liked, nor was this uniform breathable. The later made then hot to wear. A small trivia with the ACUs. When I was going through the horse barns at the county fair, horses were spooked by the uniform. I guess with the old BDUs, we just looked to the horses as walking bushes. The horses just were not sure what we were in the ACUs!

Man this question has been keeping me up for years now. Thanks!

Canada started 8it with CADPAT. Marines then copied it to become MarPat. PuzzlePalace types then got "camo envy." At the same time, there was a legitimate grip in the Navy about a lack of fire-resistant uniforms. And, that the "nukie-poo" boiler suit then rampant in the Fleet was causing more gripes (it was becoming a very expensive "dressy" thing to be worn ashore ($49.95 overalls ought not require $150 in embroidered stuff on them). Turns out, it's easy to get aramid fiber into "BDU style" clothing, and two-part clothing can be made to fit more people better easier & cheaper. Thus, "blueberries." But, the brownshoes got 100% of the fire-resistent production, which led to shortages. Then, all the deployed people, like SeaBEES and the like, needed "in country" attire, and there was no way to use MarPat for USN jobs with all the EGAs in it. Enter in the AOR II and III uniforms. Well, all the AOR III uniforms were aramid fiber included from the get-go, which is how the avocado (aka "guacamole") green digital supplanted blueberries. Because the Navy has always "been like that" there's a long list of no-go places in NWU, no matter how comfortable they are.

Really happy with the new army "pink and brown's" dress uniforms. Almost wish i would have stayed in longer, just to have gotten a set.

The US did have one uniform, the ubiquitous BDU’s of the 1980’s until post 2000.

My favorite Navy uniform is the classic Dress Blue. Looks great. Best US Military uniform is the Marine's Dress Blue. Truly a sharp looking outfit.

I like the matching dark blue shirt and pants that sailors are currently wearing. They are functional, yet present a sharp, professional look to those serving aboard ships and submarines at sea.

I didn't mind the Utility uniform, ie the direct successor to the OG Dungarees, and the utilities were nice for shore duty when the option of short sleeves was there. I came in when dungarees were still worn and transitioned to Utilities, I just wasn't a fan of Dungaree pants. I was out before the new Blueberries were mandatory, although they were in testing before I got out. My favorite uniform was the all Blue (Black actually) Johnny Cash's (Working Blues), those just looked slick. The current Peanut butter Tan and black replaced both the Johnny Cash's and Working white uniforms.

The Chairforce almost got a much cooler version of its ABU digital tigerstripe. The cooler test version was in the same colors as the marine MARPAT, instead they ended up getting it in the shades of grey Army ACU colors.

That was a great answer... thank you.

The CadPat does a pretty good job of blending into the background, assuming you have the right colour for the environment. So the temperate woodland pattern works quite well in Canada and Europe but not so well in Afghanistan. Was definitely far more comfortable than the earlier Canadian work dress uniform that I was first wore in green and then in air force blue.

I wore the dungarees my entire time in the Navy. Very comfortable and lasted a long time. They should have kept them.

So when Lt. Cmdr. Morton walks by you can hide in his palm tree...

When i served in the Navy, early part of the 1070s, was issued a blue uniform similar to the officers blue, the hat was replaced by and officer type hat. And the summer one was also replaced by the white's officer style uniform. Our ship was issued small lockers with the proper size to fit those uniforms only, left in 1975 and was told a few years later the Navy dropped those uniforms because the cost it would cost to retrofit the ships with the lockers for those uniforms.

What does camouflage have to do with where the Captain stored his wine bottles?

I never heard that the blueberries were supposed to turn orange if they made contact with saltwater. Also, the purpose of dungarees was so that if a Sailor went overboard, s/he could get his/her shirt or pants off, tie the ends, flip them over their head to catch some air, and use them as a basic floatation device. Very difficult with bloused trousers and boots, believe me I know.Does everyone who works on deck get a float coat nowadays? Also, being 100% cotton, the dungaree shirt and dungaree pants couldn't catch fire. Anyone?

Canada has a common land combat uniform for all three services which comes in temperate, arid, and winter colour schemes. The current shipboard working uniform is Naval Combat Dress, which consists of a flame-retardant blue shirt and black pants, and a ball cap or beret.

Nice thing about the dungaree working uniform was that if you were at sea you could tie a line to them and drag them for a few minutes. Rinse them out in a deep sink, hang them in a fan room to dry and they were good as new. And besides, you took a gamble when using the ships laundry if you would.get your stuff back or not.

It was proposed that it was actually a reverse camo for paint splatter. I remember talking about this around 2004 or 5. I only saw ship duty. Since all sailors onbourd will eventually have to paint something, especially deck division, and most painting involved allot of splattering various shades of grey that always found there way on the blue coveralls, that splatter would just get lost on the digi-blueberry uniform.

Always thought the blue cammies made ya harder to spot if ya went overboard. You'd fit in perfectly with the blue water and white caps!

Joined the Navy in 1972. Started out with "Cracker Jacks" then went to the "Bus Drivers" by the time they switched back I made Chief, so "Bus Drivers" became Khakis for me. The new "Cracker Jacks" were not the same quality of wool and were a darker (more black) blue. I am a Submarine Sailor so our underway uniform was the "Poopy Suit" which I loved. At boot camp working uniform was the "Utilities" but were found out to be dangerous around rotating machinery so Chambre Shirts and Dungarees came back in style.

When I was in the Seabees in the 90's we still had the utility greens while the Marines had camouflage. When we did get camouflage it was a generation behind the Marines. Now the Seabee's finally get their own camouflage and the rest of the Navy adopts the Seabee's uniform. The Seabee's normally make do with hand-me-downs and when they get get something new it gets taken from them.

Fades to orange on contract with salt water; that’s some impressive chemical engineering right there 😮 … provided it doesn’t turn out to be carcinogenic or another environmental problem later on.

The whole idea of changing the work uniform from bell bottom dungarees and chambray shirt, to a darker blue work uniform and eventually to the absolutely stupid Blueberries, is there are anal retentive senior enlisted, captains and admirals (in the puzzle palace) that can't stand to see a single speck of ground in dirt or oil on work uniforms. In 1968 there was a (supposedly) Navy wide uniform survey asking about pros and cons on the then current uniforms and suggestions for improvements. I was stationed on a Fram 2 destroyer in Newport, R. I. and with a few exceptions, no enlisted personnel had a problem with dungarees. What almost everyone hated was Summer Whites and the stupid dixie cup hat. I filled out my form, returned it with a suggestion for lightweight (lighter blue) summer cracker jack uniform and a return to the ww2 era flat cap. I later found that over 75% of the survey forms stayed in the Pentagon and permanent shore station commands. Thus in 1972 the Navy stated issuing stupid uniforms to appease the pencil pushers. I was discharged two days before the jacket, blouse with tie and trousers uniform became mandatory, so i never purchased any of the new uniforms.

I was in 73-76, in boot camp we were issued the pull-over shirt with 3 buttons and polyester pants, BDU's. After I got out to the fleet on a DDG, the Chief Bos'n mate told me I was still authorized t wear the old style dungarees. Took a few paydays to to build up enough Seafarers to never have to wear the BDU's again.

Best uniform? Without a doubt summer whites! Fun story: We had to pull in to Port Everglades and send divers over the side to make some repairs following sound trials in the Caribbean. The Engineer Officer and I decided to go tour one of the cruise ships moored nearby, so we put on our summer whites. As we walked around the cruise ship, passengers kept coming up to the Engineer and complimenting him on what a fine ship he had, thinking that he was the Captain!

Sorry. I preferred my chambray shirt and dungarees. Still have them.

The Short answer is, there was no good reason

Interesting, thank you. My favourite by far is camouflage with a high vis over the top.

I had a few issues with dungarees. 1. You weren't allowed to go off-base them. You could get gas, go to a drive-through etc. But, you weren't allowed to stop anywhere. I was on a bunch of joint bases, so if my co-workers wanted to go to lunch, unless I happen to be wearing my casual whites (Hawaii), I couldn't go. 2. They were cotton, so the tops would get very wrinkled within a couple of hours. You couldn't wear the same shirt twice without ironing it. Just a pain. One of the many reasons being deployed was a lot better.

I think a big part of them picking a camouflage was to reinforce a kind of war fighting mentality. Especially with sailors performing more duty on land with the GWOT. I think the Navy wanted to reinforce that expeditionary mentality with the entire force, not just the traditional combat forces. The Air Force did the same thing with the ABUs. They wanted to reinforce the idea that even airmen in traditionally support roles could be called upon to combatants in the GWOT. As the war on terrorism is closing down and we refocus on more traditional battlefields, I suspect we will move away from that. Or we may not, as the strategy we might use against China is to have smaller forces dispersed around the Pacific, forces with personnel who will be expected to perform support type jobs and as well as be ready to engage in combat.

The same reason the Space Force does

I didn't care for the "blueberries" when they came out but I missed them when they were gone. I think that the material was the major factor for the change. too hot in warm humid conditions and then there was the plastic melt. they could have phased into a material that didn't melt and maybe added a "summer weight" version for hot and humid conditions and kept the color. could be that one of the reasons to switch to the green camo was to "blend in" more with the other services.

I still have my dungarees from serving in the 80’s and 90’s. When it’s time to do some possible dirty work, I put them on. They are durable and easy for a sailor to run through a washer, along with a pair of blue pants. Let’s not forget the connection to all the sailors from history and the value of tradition. Something a lot of folks seem to forget.

The sailors HATED blueberries and thankfully they are gone

I was in from 2007 to 2011. Personally I liked the nwu 1000x more than the Dungeness or utilities as the were called from the mod 90s till phase out. The biggest change was the pants went from bellybutton jeans to a sort of dickies type work pant. The NWU was way more comfortable had alot more pockets and you actually felt like you were in the military not a janitor or in prison. And the best part is YOU DIDNT HAVE TO IRON THEM. I personally never heard anything about them fading to orange when contacting sea water

I was in the Army, and the entire history of the uniform and how it has developed is VERY interesting reading. Often you have to buy or be issued a uniform and headgear predicated of your job or unit. (Berets are for certain units) I wore whites when I worked as a medic and nurse. I wore a Flight suit when I was flying. Wore utilities of various patterns when I was with combat units. Issued more when deployed to Peace keeping, then combat tours. Some are fire proof or resistant i.e., Flight suits. Some uniforms have a coating that helps with avoiding heat sigmatures. Maybe that is why the Navy has a different uniform. No reason to make some give up the old dungeries...

I’m retired Navy, 22 years. The Navy tried several times to get rid of the dungarees. We were never allowed to wear them off base because they were the same uniforms that were used in several penitentiaries. Truth be known, the ones we were issued were actually made in a penitentiary. Most of us went to the exchange and bought some Seafarers for a better fit and better look. In the mid 70’s they tried a new style. They were infused with a fire retardant (so they said) and featured a pullover shirt. The pants caused a lot of guys to break out in a rash on the inner thigh where they rubbed and the shirt made a lot of folks nervous because if they were to catch fire you’d have to pull it off over your head. They didn’t last, and we went back to dungarees. The next big move was to drop the crackerjack blues and whites and go to a suit and tie uniform. They said it was the result of a navy wide poll but nobody I knew ever met anyone who had seen the alleged poll. It, too, was dropped. I think that, more than anything, the navy just wants to blend in with the other branches a little better. I think that was the idea behind the suit. All the other branches are wearing camouflage , all the other branches wear a suit and tie, etc.

Why? Because some admiral somewhere wanted to be cool like the other services. Anything else is just smoke. It's so incredibly stupid. Dungarees were a perfectly fine working uniform.

Its an incredible waste of money for navy to have camo uniform.

In the early 90s my favorite thing to wear was the Coveralls. You could get your name and rank embroidered on them. Very practical and comfortable. Easy to wash. Easy to take off at the end of the day.

There was a show called Burn Notice and one of the characters was an ex-Navy Seal. They did a backstory episode on his last Seal mission. He was sent to South America and was ordered to wear the blueberry camouflage and the running joke on the show was the fact that the jungle was green but he was in blue.

My biggest decision every morning was what's the uniform of the day. In the late 60's and early 70's I was a Navy Corpsman ( medic ) with a Marine unit. We had the Navy's full issue of uniforms. Then we had the full issue ( Minus the dress uniform ) of the Marines. Two sea bags to carry ,one for each branch of service. Most of the time it was dungarees for field day's ( cleaning ) the clinic. Marine ( tan ) slacks and blouse with a white smock for duty hours and sometimes greens with combat boots. Always had to check the board to see what the uniform of the day would be in the morning.

I was very happy when the nNWU1 came out. Mainly because unlike the utilities, I was allowed to drive off base and be seen in public in the NWU just like the other branches I would see out and about in town at the end of the workday.

I grew up in Pensacola, so when I was a kid, I saw Navy uniforms a lot--especially officer and soon-to-be officer (pilot) uniforms. The NavCads HAD to wear their striking white uniforms whenever they left base. You talk about GIRL magnets! I loved those uniforms and the Navy's commissioned officer uniforms. But I have to say I also loved the Navy's dress enlisted (Cracker Jack) uniform. Though I loved cracker jacks, too, I never though the Navy uniform to be silly. In fact, I thought it to be a great uniform, commendably different from and not just a less fancy/stylish uniform from what the Navy officers wore as is typical of the other services. Makes me REALY proud, now, watching a Navy ships entering/leaving port and seeing all those sailors 'manning the rails'. As for a Navy work uniform, the dungarees, chambray shirt, and boon dockers were perfect--though I always wondered how they would be expected to keep a white 'dixie cup' clean. Though I'm a Marine, I've always loved the Navy, too.

The NWU's were chosen to help hide the common shipboard paints and to hide on the white speckled blue PRC decks. But they did not breathe at all in hot weather and were quite uncomfortable in almost all warmer/tropical environs. They should've just adopted the USCGs all blue BDUs that were already wear tested and in sufficient production.

As an ABE i had the NWU, NSU (i think i wore it one time) dress whites dress blues coveralls and my flight deck uniform. I prefered my green jeasey flightdeck uniform cause no need to worry about replacement due to getting hitemp grease on them

I remember one argument was the dungaree look was also used for prisoners, so they looked like convicts. If I recall that was the biggest reason to move away from dungarees.

When the Air Force was looking at camouflage, they looked at the bluish grey uniform, which we called Smurf Blue since we would have looked like a Smurf. Thank goodness we did not take it. But the Navy was interested in it. But the Best Digi Camouflage Uniform developed was the Marine MARPAT Digi uniform.

As someone who grew up in a family of commercial fishermen who always wore bright warm collars from red to lime green I never understood why the navy's sailors didn't do the same or at least have something incorporated with their uniform that helps with visibility

A have a set of undress blues that I wear for re-enactments aboard the Alabama BB-60. I always thought they were unique. They are like the dress blues but without the piping. They were the daily work uniform before they came out with the dungarees and blue shirt if I’m correct.

I read somewhere back around 2005 about these new uniforms and the biggest selling point was things like oil, paint, dirt, etc. weren't as obvious on those uniforms as opposed to the solid color coveralls. I always thought they looked ridiculous. I was issued those uniforms but never wore them, I was a Seabee. And there is a lot the Navy does on land and BDUs are the most practical uniform for that...

I didn't mind the dungarees. My favorite uniform while on a ship was always the coveralls and flight deck boots.

Dress uniforms, Marine Corps I prefer the dungarees the blue top Dixie cup. They are built for a purpose. Bellbottoms will help you get your jeans off with your Boondockers on better pants could be use a flotation device, the same with a Dixie cop. It can be used as a flotation device, maybe uniforms were good for a purpose. That’s why they were made like that.

Great explanations.

The classic long-sleeved knit jerseys with chonky horizontal black-and-white stripes favored by mimes, originated with French fishermen. They were garments intended to make someone who had fallen into the water highly visible. In context, a classic bit of anti-camouflage does seem completely practical and appropriate for serving on the ocean.

We wore camouflage pants on the flight deck back in the 90's along with the colored shirts that identified what your job was.

USAF Vet here and I preferred the old cotton button fly fatigues. Then the AF went to a permanent press material that did not breath at all!! UGH Just as I was getting out they were switching to BDUs (woodland camouflage). Only real plus was the shirt did not have to be tucked in so that was great in hot and muggy climates.

I wondered that too. I went in 1970. We wore blue dungarees and blue button up shirts and ball caps.

I was in the Air Force Reserve in the post Viet Nam Era. We had plain green fatigue uniforms for work with blue name tags and service name above the pockets colorful command patches on the right pocket and blue and silver rank chevron on the sleeves.we also wore a blue belt to hold up the pants the shirts were tucked into the pants. We were allowed to cut the sleeves to half length of two of our shirts to wear in the summer and went with long sleeves in the winter. Our dress uniform was the standard Air Force Blue, which has remained essentially the same throughout the Air Force History. We also had a classic B dress uniform that was more casual than the Blue Class A. It was a tan half sleeve shirt and cotton tan slacks. The rank chevron were still blue and silver, the belt was still blue, this uniform was worn with either the blue service cap or a blue flight cap. Tf a jacket or raincoat was needed that was blue. My dad, who was in WWII, saw that mix of tan and thought I was out of uniform. In his day it all matched in color. I always felt that the fatigue uniforms would have made more sense if they were either Air Force blue of to camouflage the airman working on the flight line a gray uniform. We were not allowed to wear the fatigue uniform of back except when driving between our off base housing and the base. If we traveled on civilian airlines we either wore a dress uniform or civilian clothes. I personally think the camouflage uniform look sloppy and should be worn on base, on board ship, military airplanes, or military vehicles traveling in convoy between bases, and of course in combat zones.

Digital camouflage in the Navy was actually done for one primary reason, and that was recruiting. The Navy felt that the (then) current generation was turned off by the bell bottoms and dixie cup hat, and needed something more akin the the other services to keep from losing potential recruits. The Air Force, who in many ways are the Navy's main competition for recruits, was changing over to new camouflage as well, and the Navy felt they needed to compete.Marine Corps uniforms have always been the best and the Dress Blue uniform has probably recruited more young men than a half price brothel.

I served from 1964 to 1968. I wore the traditional denim dungarees and white hat for work. On the flight line I could wear a blue ball cap. I really liked the dress cotton whites which could also be worn with a short sleeve collared shirt. It was a comfortable uniform and I really liked it. The traditional wool blue dress uniform was OK but not as comfortable as the whites. Well pressed and with neatly tied neckerchief it did look sharp. When I saw pictures of sailors in the blue camo I thought it looked odd. Not sure I love the new green either.

As a former Navy vet, my favorite uniform was the Johnny Cashes (winter working blues). Least favorite was the enlisted dress uniforms, both dress blues and dress whites.