We spent a few days last week at Fleet Week in San Francisco where we had the privilege of hanging out with the crew of the USS Makin Island (LHD 8). These great Americans were totally impressive in every respect.
BUT . . .
Many of them were wearing the infamous Navy Working Uniform, which the Kit Up! team had heretofore only seen in pictures. (The Navy personnel we ran into during our Afghan embed were all wearing ACUs.)
We're here to tell you that this uniform is even more ridiculous in real life. When NWU-wearing crew gather in groups of more than, say, three the area starts to take on the vibe of a set of a James Bond flick (the old corny ones, not the new grittier ones). A couple of crew members actually semi-apologized to us for the uniform.
It's not the cut nor the fit nor the fabrics -- it's the stupid cammo pattern. Who in the hell green-lighted that? (And how did they present it to the CNO with straight faces?)
What environment did the designers plan on the wearers hiding in? What's wrong with solid blue or even solid haze gray?
The NWU has got to be one of the top ten -- no, top five worst uniform ideas in the history of the U.S. Navy -- no, in the history of the U.S. military.
What are some of the other all-time uni-flops?
