Without question, the return of service dress khaki has been welcomed by many officers and has even begun to make waves among the ranks of midshipmen and officer candidates. This classic uniform displays the Navy's strong sense of tradition. While we welcome the reappearance of service dress khaki, the retirement of another historic uniform has gone almost unnoticed. This uniform dates back to the beginning of naval aviation and is unfortunately slated for retirement (tentatively scheduled for 2010) with the introduction of the new Navy working uniform. I am referring, of course, to aviation working greens (AWGs).
The aviation community has three historic and traditional uniform articles, the leather flight jacket, brown shoes, and aviation working greens. While the leather flight jacket was introduced during the 1930s, aviation working greens date back to 1917, six years after the inception of naval aviation and just four years after the introduction of brown shoes. I mention the brown shoes in this case because this uniform item was eliminated in 1976, only to be resurrected nine years later. There is an opportunity here to save this historic and traditional uniform without retracing the steps of those who fought so hard to bring back the brown shoes.
Of all the branches of the U.S. armed forces, the Sea Services by far have the strongest sense of tradition. But the retirement of aviation working greens would amount to the retirement of a great naval aviation tradition. There has recently been a significant resurgence of interest in this historic uniform in the aviation community. Today aviation working greens are rarely worn, but they should remain an optional uniform rather than be phased out. Possible reasons for wear of the uniform include, but are not limited to, squadron duty officer or other situations that require a more formal uniform than the Navy working uniform. Replacing utilities and coveralls with the Navy working uniform makes sense. Replacing aviation working green (a suit-and-tie uniform) with the Navy working uniform does not.
While the current round of uniform regulation revisions has been aimed at simplifying and reducing the cost of the sea bag for Sailors, the current de facto policy for the aviation working green uniform is that those who choose to buy and wear it do so. Those who do not have never been required to buy them in recent history. Keeping them as an alternate uniform, to be worn when service dress khaki, service khaki, or service dress blue would otherwise be worn is a fine way to uphold tradition while keeping the cost of the sea bag reasonable.
To further reduce cost, the leather flight jacket can be worn in lieu of the aviation working green coat. The only additional items that are needed are the matching trousers and either a green garrison cap or a green combination cover. The other aviation working green components are part of the service dress blue or service dress khaki uniform.
To facilitate making the uniform more acceptable in joint and non-aviation commands, an easy change to the uniform regulations would be to allow wearing the uniform as "aviation service green" at no additional cost. By the addition of ribbons, and wearing the uniform as aviation service green, it would increase the number of occasions for which aviation greens are suitable if a more formal uniform is desired. Adding aviation service green as an option would give those who wear the uniform more flexibility in where and when they can be worn.
The Navy has a rich history, one that any Sailor can be proud of. Those who have come before us in naval aviation—Presidents, Medal of Honor recipients, numerous other combat veterans—all wore this uniform with pride and honor. It would be a shame to end that tradition and history. As we celebrate our naval heritage with the re-introduction of service dress khakis, aviation working greens should proudly remain a part of the aviator's sea bag.