Climebear
i guess its so they can all go to the pub at lunchtime. I dont think they wear civvies in the pentagon do they??(i dont know, i've never worked there).


DPSA
I disagree. if we educated the public to be proud of our servicemen there would be no problem at all. I have wandered the streets of many a sh**y place in the world, many times unarmed. I tink if i can do that there i can do it in Lincoln or Manchester or London, but ESPECIALLY an airport.

I still love living in London though, despite the threat, it is a great Capital to a Great Country - and I am proud to have (and still do) defend her!

There I was, minding my own business eating lunch in a pizzeria the other week, in the vicinity of Washington Dulles(t) airport. Imagine my surprise when two RAF Sgts strolled in, wearing uniform, and sat down to watch the football. Noone batted an eyelid.

Certainly wouldnt happen in the UK. Hats off to those guys.

£10 they were adminers. Only way you can get a job overseas now is to be a shiney and post yourself there!

At the end of the day it is really up to the person what he wears. I for one regularly wear rig ashore....Tescos, shops etc. If I felt the need to wear uniform ashore then I would do and Id be bloody proud to do so. Nobody is going to ask/order you to get changed or stop wearing uniform when you are representing and defending this country. And should theyb try then Im sure a quick email to Rebecca Wade would do the trick.

Speaking as a civvie I would prefer to see the lads in uniform.

It's reassuring and surely must pass the message that the country cares from a security point of view and that we all value the hard work that these lad's and lass's have all done.

Clicker

Movers, I would guess, as it was about 5 mins from the airport. I assume therefore that there's an RAF unit there. There is certainly a Luftwaffe one.

could be worse - in Ottawa they p!ss all over military memorials, literally.

a classy town, oh yes.

I have no problem with seeing people in uniform anywhere.

However, do these guys actually _want_ to travel in their uniforms? Unless it's a hassel factor to actually change into civvies, I would have thought they could'nt wait to leave the uniform behind for a while.

I also can't help wondering what all the post would be if they reversed the order and stated that all service personnel MUST wear uniform when travelling whatever the mode and means of transport.

Really? Why not? I may be a little out of touch - has there been a run of attacks on military personnel within the UK recently? Are our terrorist enemies specifically targetting military personnel, their homes and their modes of transport? This must have escaped the BBC's sharpest journalists!

Or is it yet another example of good old British 'I'll make sure they can't sue me' sloping-shoulder disease?

This stinks, as it did in the days of the IRA - when there really was a threat.

Killing some time in Wichita waiting for yet another new (OK, sorry, reconditioned) bit to be sent out for our knackered old FunBus, we were having lunch in a local restaurant.

In walked 4 USAF flight crew in growbags, who sat down and ordered.

Nothing unusual - except that this was a restaurant which some of you will have heard of. Hooters! For those who've never heard of it (poor saps) see http://www.originalhooters.com/

Imagine the Sun headlines if 4 RAF aircrew in growbags called into Hooters in the UK! Incidentally, one of the USAF flight crew was a lady - and she was quite happy to be in Hooters.

BEags,

Did they get a free handful?

Of peanuts!!!! you lot have minds in the gutter :}

visitor
 

I am a corporate captain and only visit the Military forum to see what I have missed.

I live in Gibraltar, and am exposed to the uniform on/off culture, but only slightly.
I always see Navy chaps in uniform in the town, but very few RAF, and never Army, (well perhaps 1). Navy whites always look smart and stylish.

As an aside the Hooters company had until recently their own airline HootersAir.......

Secondly, as the BAA has been taken over by the Spanish, will the uniform policy change?....

Lastly, in almost any US airport you see uniformed service people, and I feel safer.

Thanks for your work, and please dont let the bast&rds get you down.

Bumz.

There was a story I heard immediately post 9/11 that one plane had a load of Marines in uniform on board, when it landed at nearest airport as instructed, a number of young men amongst the passengers quietly disappeared. probably not true, but I think the presence of uniformed personnel is going to make a bad guy think twice.

On wearing uniform in UK, RN does appear to be different - RN were allowed to wear uniform on last weekend's Gay something march, RAF and Army were not, although there was of course no ban on attending

Ref wearing mil uniform on RAF flights...i was travelling to Afghanistan and we stopped off in Romania (dont think you do anymore). We were in uniform all the way and the hotel we stayed in (5*) didnt have a problem with ourselves in uniform.
But i agree with the US attitude to military. Arriving in Sanford Airport in Orlando i was asking for a up-grade and the girl on the rental desk spied my MOD 90 in my wallet. Seeing this she said if i was mil she could do a good deal...so from a crappy focus type car i went up to a Camaro convertible for only $10 extra per day! The Australians treat their forces in the same way as well..

I remember the way the local council tried to sting me for poll tax whilst I was away in GW1. When I pointed out that there was no-one at home, the jobsworth told me that, in that case, it would be classified as a 'holiday home' and I have to pay even more.

Fortunately Hesseltine announced that all who had been away in GW1 would have their tax refunded, so the little $hit at the council office had to eat his words and pay up.

Uniform at airports
 

I am new to this site and first time post, here goes:
I was appalled to read about this subject and hope that someone has drawn the media's attention to it, if not I have a friend who is a jounalist on our local city paper and I will be speaking with him this morning.

I always wore my uniform with pride and always got favourable comments and the people where I lived were always commenting and I couldn't buy a beer when I was home on leave. How sad it is that things seem to have moved full circle.

On the subject the security issue's perhaps the brass or whoever decided on this, if they used the security card, as most tend to, then maybe they should take a look at this link.

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2...-afraid-p1.php


To all those who have served I say this :D :D :D

I am completely bewildered by this thread. To be honest I feel like going to work tonight in my Naval uniform and not my airline one.( I wear a naval belt any way, like a lot of other guys. No one has told me to take it off yet.) I dont think many would notice the difference.Or I may be mistaken for a customs officer. A couple of weeks ago our Flag Officer instructed us to wear our uniforms on the streets to raise public awareness. In doing so he was only emphasising a policy that has been in place for a while now. As to military uniforms being a security threat well I am sorry but I would have thought that it would be a deterent to see squadies all over the place.

DD

Amen to your last:ok:

I'm afraid you've all missed the point that it doesn't matter who your Bosses are, or what they want! - It's the Airport Bosses, and Police, that don't want the aggro, and don't want your uniforms!

Funny, but when the proverbial hits the fan, they will need us.

ISTR that BAA were more than happy for the boys in green to patrol outside LHR soon after 9/11, despite the fact that a Scimitar CVR(T) would be a poor counter-terrorist weapons platform.

Many years ago my Squadron (green, not cavalry, not signals, so work it out..) used to travel down the M4 to the land of the sheep quite frequently. The service station staff used to welcome us, and I'm certain that the lady dishing out the chips gave us all an extra portion. On one occaision there were some thugs scrapping in the car park and the duty manager asked us to go and sort it out as the Bill were miles away. Luckily it just took a few hard stares and they scuttled away.

Rigga
It doesnt matter what the airport bosses and the police want. CDS sits on the primeministers board. If he told them that we can wear uniform, then we could wear uniform. The more people that wear uniform in public places, the less chance of any type of attack.

This is really becoming a bee in my bonnet now. I have recieved a preliminary reply from David Cameron on this subject. I will post his reply as soon as i get it. All i want is the right for a serviceman (or woman) to choose whether they want to wear uniform or not.

..and there's still one or two on the M4 (near to the Plain) that'll give 20% off the food bill with a military ID...:)

Almost makes eating the food worth it :(

Ah, Engineers then. :}

Policy at the last flying station in the West Mids is not to wear flying kit outside camp. Is this a Crab-wide rule, or is it just a local-ism? I often see trafficers and adminers (and a few in green gear) in the town shops (almost always sans headgear), so what's the deal when aircrew aren't to be seen in their working dress? Preferably with head gear to make the uniform complete (must be something to do with crabs and hair styles :ugh: ).

Do I look like I get all excited about Bailey bridges? Well spotted. Used to have an RE beret for those "grey man" moments, though.

I've got a darkish blue beret for just the same thing.

To be fair on that my camp wont let techies wear our overalls outwith our workplace,even on Q duties, whilst aircrew saunter where ever they feel in flying suits

On a rare occasion yesterday I needed to go into the local Tescos in uniform on the way home from work. The looks from some of the other customers suggested that I may have been an alien/contagious/a piece of sh1t on their shoe. Yet no one batted an eyelid at those wearing filthy painters/workmans overalls and the local chavs with acres of flab hanging out.

I know I probably shouldn't be surprised but it does make me wonder sometimes.

I also note that on the Lyneham village website discussion forum the local busy bodies have taken to "scruffy airman" bashing. These are the same people who are supposedly worried sick that Lyneham will close and their village will be ruined.

Crab wide rule is for No1 or No 2 dress only in public Hence why have to revert to blues (No2 dress) from my normal work rig of CS95 (No 3 dress) whenever I get the train up to Cranditz
Oh and if they are sans headgear they should be told to put it on by anyone with sufficient seniority (or by any WO irrespective of the seniority of the slack ....) irrespective of service. Unless, of course, they happen to be aircrew on the Crew Bus at a secret airbase in Northern Scotland (see another current thread);)

No its not.....Its your boss that matters.










She's called Elizabeth and lioves in Windsor if anyone wants to contact her

Uniform is one thing. Scruffy, baggy flying overalls festooned with boyscout badges covering different coloured T-shirts and worn by overweight 'cabin crew' is quite another issue. :=

ISTR that they wanted the green uniforms, not the tracked black'n'green transport. The question was rapidly asked "Well what the hell did you expect them to turn up in?"

Engineers? AAC? RCT? RTR (they ain't cav!)?

I'm only joshing. Your handle gives it all away. As I am sure you well know ;)

Edited to add: Your brethren of the "non Artist" type robbed us bleep types of our berets in Bos so they wouldn't look quite so conspicuous. Only thing is, they failed to recognise that us bleep types don't normally go around tooled up to the nines!

You might be surprised to note that a large %ge of those in Bos were not full-time hooligans.

Way back when during Vietnam, I got stopped a few times by the police on my way to the mess in town late at night. As soon as they saw I was in uniform it was 'off you go then"

Tigs I quite agree with you but the problem here stems from the very top. Several years ago when I was working in the "Ivory Towers" on Whitehall I asked my boss why I couldn't wear uniform in the 'centre', afterall I had been lucky enough to travel to the MODs of the US, France, Spain and Italy as part of my job and in all places I wore uniform and nobody batted an eyelid. The reply was that it would make the MOD too much of a terrorist target. This made me mad so I pulled out my A to Z and pointed out that the MOD was marked as "Ministry of Defence" on the Whitehall page!! So a self respecting terrorist of any background won't just look us up in the A to Z and me wearing uniform makes the building a bigger target?????:ugh:

At one set of leaving drinks I asked a VVSO whether he would be encouraging a change and a move towards wearing of uniform in his next post. His reply was "No - the Civil Serpents wouldn't like it". So C*S bows to pressure from civil serpents because they like us to be anonymous ad we all have to be pink and fluffy about being "inclusive" and not elitist!! When and if the MOD goes to the wearing of uniform in London we might just start reminding the politicians that we do existand that we should be supported properly. My answer - wear your uniform with pride, smartly and correctly at all opportunities. Remind them, politicians, civil servants and the general public, that we do exist (but for god sake don't let linies downtown in their coveralls);) !!

Hey folks,

Just in case your intrested in regards to the medias coverage of the deaths in afghanistan of the two servicemen , having watched the BBC news i felt so appalled i wrote a snot-o-gram which i logged as an offical complaint with the BBC it read as follows:

Sir/Madam
I would like to draw your attention to what i feel is a injustice
perpetrated by the ten o clock news, I am both shocked,dismayed and
disgusted that the BBC seen fit to devote approximately six minutes and
the top priority to the story of Englands football captain resigning and
a mere two minutes covering the death of two of our this countries
servicemen. I apprexiate that this story may not have been the most
"sexiest" of stories however as a mark of respect the BBC could have
placed this story at the head of the programme, and as for the pitiful
amount of time spent covering the story, is a minute of air time each
all a servicemens life is worth to the BBC?

Regards

xxxxx


Two days later I recieved this reply:

Thank you for your e-mail.

Your concerns that you felt it was inappropriate to lead BBC ONE News programmes
on 2 July with the resignation of David Beckham as England football captain have
been addressed by the Deputy Editor of Daytime News, Ben Rich, on the BBC's
"Editors" online site (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/). His response is
as follows:

"Sunday brought one of those editorial dilemmas that we often face.

In the early morning, news came through that two British soldiers had been
killed in Afghanistan. It led the bulletins on radio and television. At around
10.30am, David Beckham resigned as England football captain.

So which of these events should be at the top at lunchtime and later?

We know some of our viewers hate sports stories, and we were also aware that
these tragic deaths in Afghanistan were very important too. Equally, around a
third of the entire UK population watched England's World Cup quarter final, and
it was a huge national as well as sporting event.

Also, when two British soldiers died last week in Afghanistan we not only led
with it, but had a second report from one of our defence correspondents
analysing the controversy over the mission itself, and the equipment our troops
had been given to accomplish it, and another live interview. That previous
coverage was also part of our thinking.

For people who don't like sports stories, the choice would be clear. But if you
accept that the World Cup should be big news, the question is how big? In the
end we put David Beckham at the top, although I suspect even some of our team
thought it should have been the other way round. But then on the same day eight
people were killed in two separate road accidents, and two women were found
murdered at a massage parlour - where did those stories belong?

These sorts of choices confront us most days, and all you can do is weigh the
factors as best you can, and accept that there is more than one valid view on
what course was right."

Please be assured that your feedback has been fully registered on our daily
audience log which is made available senior BBC management.

Thank you, once more, for taking the time to contact the BBC.

Regards


BBC Information


IMHO folks it still shows a lack of respect and sensetivity from the Beeb


I await any Comments

I have always enjoyed seeing representatives of the armed forces in uniform at Wimbledon. I have no idea if this is a perk or a duty but it seems right that they should be seen as important and accepted at British institutions such as Wimbledon. I hope that it is a perk and that they want to be there and are not there just as cheap security.

Although I didn't see any of them get involved when the streaker appeared the day before yesterday, there seemd to be quite a few Green Berets on the court yesterday when two comedians tried to play tennis on the centre court.