- Se7eN

[ 14 June 2001: Message edited by: Se7eN ]

I'm quite familiar with the advent of the Combat Readiness Evaluation that was developed by MGen Vernon as Comd LFCA and the subsequent genesis into an army "Warrior" program. The Warrior badge was discontinued after the warrior program was bureaucratically destroyed. The badge was based on your PWT score and your 3.2 km run result. After the run was deemed in excess of the CF standard it was dropped from the score leaving just the PWT score. I think there was some concern over whether everyone was tested on an equal footing (cbt arms soldiers get more rounds than CSS) and whether it was fair comparing the results. At the end it simply collapsed under the weight of bureacracy and it subsequently evovled into minimum level of capablity (MLOC) training and deployment level of capability (DLOC).

I'm not sure if we ever needed a badge to show what "skill" level we were at. You are either a soldier or you are not. To quote a line from Blazing Saddles "Badges, we don't need no stinkin badges".

ICS badges buddy was referring to werer (I believe) the Warrior badges.

The only thing worn on DEU is the trade badges on the sleeve.

Finally, ...ack your comments on the higher infantry standard for PWT. We always had our fair share of soldiers who me that standard (even without the extra rounds!).

By the way...I remember very well the 7.62mm ball point pen.

Chimo!

The bus driver jackets and lagoon green shirts were awful, and the Garrison jacket was poorly designed (the waistbelt rode way too high and the jacket was too hot to wear indoors and too light to wear alone on anything but a mild autumn or spring day). But I think the biggest complaint had to be the boots - high top, high polish boots were an insult to the Airborne Regiment, firstly, and secondly, were the cause of so much additional uniform maintenance - for those who did not join in the rush to get medical chits demanding combat boots.

Would be nice to see a new garrison dress similar to the old British working dress - a cotton OD green shirt that you can tuck in - combine with OD (combat) green denim pants (WITHOUT cargo pockets) you would have a sharp uniform that you could do the odd bit of maintenance or heavy lifting in as well. (You could also wear the shirt with trews or the kilt). Seems silly to wear camouflaged uniforms (this applies equally to garrison dress and the new camo combat uniform) to do office work or classroom lectures in.