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Sunday, July 17, 2005
Some Ga. troops blister tattered desert uniforms
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Soldiers in the 48th Brigade Combat Team were thrilled to be the first to march off to war wearing the Army’s new mint-green, digital camouflage uniforms.
But after almost two months in the sands of Iraq, the reviews on the new duds are decidedly mixed.
Some Georgia Army National Guard soldiers say the uniforms are falling apart and aren’t ready for prime-time combat operations.
“They’re just not holding up,” said Staff Sgt. John Shaw, 43, of Long County as he stitched pants seams in two of his four uniforms. “Six uniforms might last a year over here. I doubt four will.”
Georgia Guard soldiers were supplied in February with four uniforms each. They say the seams wear out first, followed by the material in the seats. In addition, the Velcro used to affix rank insignias, name tags and unit patches creates problems because it gets clogged with sand.
Army officials said they will stand behind the uniforms until they have evidence that the problems are widespread and not isolated to a few soldiers. They said the changes in the Army’s battle clothing were not purely cosmetic, but were designed to improve a soldier’s performance in combat.
Officials who work for the Army’s soldier equipment division suggested that the 48th’s complaints are surfacing because Guard soldiers are not used to wearing any uniforms around the clock and have unrealistic expectations of normal wear and tear.
“I will tell you that I will be the first one to be called a goat if these uniforms don’t work out,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Myhre, a member of the 2nd Infantry Division’s Stryker Brigade from Fort Lewis, Wash., which tested the uniforms in Iraq from October 2003 to October 2004.
Lt. Col. John Lemondes, who heads the Army agency that developed the uniform, said the new 50 percent cotton, 50 percent polyester uniforms are made of the exact same material and have the same thread count as their old summer-weight predecessor.
“For many of these Guard soldiers â€â€? this is the first combat uniform they have worn,” Lemondes said. “They have no basis for comparison.”
Myhre said that Stryker Brigade soldiers, when given the new uniforms � known as the ACU for Army Combat Uniform � for testing, preferred them over the old Desert Combat Uniforms, now worn by most soldiers in Iraq.
“They loved them,” Myhre said.
Soldiers from the 48th Brigade are the only ones wearing the new uniforms in Iraq. However, all soldiers are likely to begin wearing them within a few years. Having a single uniform rather than one with a green, woodland camouflage and the other with a tan, desert camouflage, was the whole point of developing ACUs.
The uniforms differ from their predecessors in about 20 ways. Buttons are gone; zippers are in. Slanted chest pockets and shoulder pouches were designed to make them more accessible while wearing body armor. Velcro patches mean soldiers don’t have to sew name tags, insignia and unit patches.
But 48th soldiers say that in addition to filling with dust and dirt, the Velcro frequently snags on other material and loses its fastening ability in harsh desert conditions.
Sgt. Timothy Hass, 33, of Kennesaw said the Velcro has another drawback.
“Every time I take my flak vest off, I end up inadvertently removing unit patches,” said Hass, a Cobb County Police motorcycle cop. “Sewing them on would be a lot better.”
Myhre said soldiers get specific instructions for cleaning the Velcro patches with a small green brush that comes in their weapons cleaning kits. “For the guy who is doing this every single day it becomes these little tricks of the trade. These are all learned behaviors,” Myhre said, referring to uniform maintenance habits.
The Army Combat Uniforms are more expensive � about $88 a set, $30 more than the old style.
But Lemondes said the no-iron fabric and Velcro patches end up saving money � as much as $6 to $20 per uniform for patches and even more in laundering costs since no professional care is required.
Spc. Darryl Wilson, 37, of Jonesboro said soldiers from other Army units frequently ask him about the new uniforms when he travels to larger bases near Baghdad International Airport.
“I feel like a fashion model whenever I go up there,” said Wilson, a loadmaster at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in civilian life.
Wilson, who is based at Forward Operating Base Michael in Mahmudiyah, said, “Some of the guys think the ACUs look futuristic and like them a lot. Others don’t like the look at all.”
Wilson says he recommends the uniforms because they’re lighter, more comfortable and dry faster than other uniforms. Wilson also has a desert camouflage uniform that he says is heavier and less comfortable than the ACUs.
Shaw said comfort should be secondary, though.
Desert combat uniforms are “more durable, and over here durability is more important than comfort,” he said.
Hass said the new uniforms are well-designed but could have been made a bit tougher.
“It’s not strong enough,” he said. “I like looking cool, but it ruins the effect when you sit down and the crotch seams rip.”
