Commentary - New dress, appearance changes affect everyone

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Changes to Air Force policy is nothing new. In fact, it's something we've all grown accustomed to during each of our respective tenures in the service. The most recent changes in dress and appearance, which became official in July this year, are about to hit their boiling point.

Air Force Instruction 36-2903 received numerous upgrades in the most recent version effective July 18. This facelift was received after several years of interim updates as uniform items were introduced and phased out.

According to the Air Force Personnel Center, the most noticeable changes are the integrated public display of affection language, elimination of Friday morale t-shirts for flight suit wearers, addition of "dental ornamentation" as prohibited items, exclusion of the Command Insignia from the count of maximum badges authorized, added authorizations for cosmetic tattoos for medical reasons for both men and women, and the allowance of cosmetic tattoos for non-medical conditions, such as eyebrows and eye liner for women (which is in line with other services). Tables are now integrated into text and each uniform has its own section in the AFI. There are also photos of uniform combinations, drawings depicting hair standards, and measurement tools for Airmen and commanders to determine if tattoos meet standards.

A good resource for learning about all the changes yourself is to visit the AF Personnel Center's website for more information. Check it out here: http://www.afpc.af.mil/dress/index.asp.

First order of business: cell phones. Previously, the old AFI allowed the use of personal cell phones while walking in uniform. This has changed, again. The new AFI explicitly prohibits the use of all personal cell phones while walking in uniform, except for official notifications.

Dates to remember as we draw closer to the phase out of old uniform items:
- Oct. 1, 2011: 33S Legacy Badges
- Nov. 1, 2011: Battle Dress Uniform
- Nov. 1, 2011: Desert Camouflage Uniform
- Nov. 1, 2011: Black t-shirt
- Nov. 1, 2011: Black combat boots (with utility uniforms and FDUs)
- Nov. 1, 2011: Tan boots with Airman's battle uniform (outside Theater of Operations)

Important to the Warrior Airman are updates in authorized gym bags. We all go to the gym and no doubt carry a gym bag with us, but did you know there are regulations on what you can and can't carry when in certain uniforms?

With blues and the physical training uniform, gym bags of a solid color black or solid dark blue are the only authorized combinations. For those in the ABU, bag can be solid color black or blue, ABU-patterned, olive drab or AF sage green. Small logos are authorized, though stitching color must be the same as bag color and you can only carry it in the left hand.

Aside from staying fit, most of us like to carry some sort of backpack with us everywhere we go. We all have items we'd rather carry on our backs than fumble with in our hands; this new AFI lays out very clearly what is and isn't legit.

With blues and the PTU, you can have a solid color black only. However, with ABUs, a solid color black, ABU-patterned, olive drab and AF sage green are all authorized. The bag can be carried in the left hand only and worn on the left or both shoulders, though it may never be worn solely on the right shoulder. We all know this, how else are we to render proper customs and courtesies?

Have you ever seen people walking around with those creepy colorific contact lenses? Well they're in the wrong; contact lenses must be clear and cannot change the natural color of the wearer's eyes.

Speaking of things that can seem a bit off, we move on to watches. All watches worn must be conservative in nature. Watches may not be covered in diamonds, be neon or bright colored in nature, bands may not exceed one inch in width and cannot be novelty watches (like with a cartoon character, etc.).

Continuing with accessorizing, earrings will be spherical in shape and no more than four millimeters in diameter. The following colors have been authorized: white diamond, gold, white pearl and silver. Bracelets must also be conservative. They may be no more than a half inch in width, be gold or silver in color and may not support a cause, a person, a philosophy or group. Though there are exceptions, medical alert and identification bracelets are authorized. Also, traditional metal POW/MIA bracelets, which come in colors other than those authorized, do remain legitimate.

Regarding the venerable ABU, sleeve cuffs will remain visible at all times. All pockets will be secured and items stowed in pockets will not be visible except pens stowed in the pen pocket. Your ABU cap may not be pushed, rolled, folded or tucked in.

Keeping warm will be important here and as we get closer to the cold weather months, there are some key things to keep in mind. So for this information I encourage you to view this slideshow depicting the various authorized combinations of the uniform for the winter months:http://www.kunsan.af.mil/photos/slideshow.asp?id={9ad4e99f-da45-4aaf-bc3a-3e7a901e6ec4}.

Once again, if you have any questions or want to learn more, make sure to check out the AFI itself. You can do so by clicking this link: http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/media/epubs/AFI36-2903.pdf.

[Editors note: The Air Force Personnel Center and Kunsan First Sergeants Council contributed to this article.]