The first uniform change that hit me was in my first hitch -USAF. In 1976, as I finished tech school in Chanute AFB, Ill., I was driving back home to Tallahassee, Fl., before going on to Tyndall AFB, Fl. It was the last few days we enlisteds could wear our khakis. I really liked that uniform. Comfortable, looked good.
After that, we wore the "bus driver" uniform, light blue shirt and dark blue pants.
I was always a bit of a rebel. In my Navy hitch, I wore the black Wellington boots instead of the black low quarter shoes or chukka boots. A Chief in tech school ordered me to not wear them due to being "for E7 and above" only. I found in the published regs that they were legal to wear for all enlisteds, so I kept wearing them. I also wore my old USAF field jacket onboard ship, as it was far supior to the Navy foul weather jacket. Wore my USAF combat boots too, as they were well broken in and supple as sneakers. Unfortunately, the deck nonskid ate them within six months!
Some of my shipmates wore the old dark blue trousers and blue shirt, and the crappy "painters cap". The gals coming out of women's bootcamp in Orlando especially were issued them, even though the chambray shirt and dungarees had replaced them as standard issue. I guess they were getting rid of the old stuff then.
