RAF told not to wear their uniform in public

[saltire]

here.
Just a few weeks ago the tossers MOD came out and said that all military personnel should be albe to wear their uniforms in public. Then things like this happen. In the USA, military personnel get respect when they wear their uniforms in public, even though a lot of people disagree with the involvement of USA/UK in Iraq.
DH joined up in 1986. It was a time when Irish terrorism was rife, and he was told then not to wear his uniform in public - he still doesn't. he wears a normal jacket over the top, although he can do that with the RAF day to day uniform.

I find it strange that anyone who wears a uniform to work would also want to wear it outside office hours. You don't see policemen in the pub, or judges or nurses. Abuse of any kind is wrong, of course.

I was surprised the military were allowed to wear uniform outside work, they never were when my dad was in the Navy ... but I guess that was an IRA-threat thing?

dont you think it makes him less of a target if he is not wearing his uniform? I know in the usa they get respected but it is very sad to say it just is not the same anymore. Maybe thirty years ago. But not now. My dad was in raf and wore his uniform out and people were great. Not now. Younger people dont give a rats arse. It also makes them sitting targets. Why is it such a big deal for him to wear it out anyway? Please dont take it the wrong way because i think the armed forces are great and please pass on my thanks and how proud you must be to have such a courageous dh. It is just a sad state of affairs that our once great country has been reduced to this.

ps lucky you! I always liked men in uniforms!(not firemen)

I think that's the thing Lapin - they don't want to be like, say nurses, and have to change just to come home.
If DH has to go out during work time, like I said he puts a jacket over the top, but then he doesn't wear combats all day, so his uniform is not as noticeable.

Ok, just changing to get home is probably unreasonable (esp. if it's a top to toe change, overcoat etc). If you want to stop in a pub on the way home, fine too. But wearing a uniform on your days off, as a status symbol or something, I'd find strange.

Oh no, DH would never wear his on his days off - that's just weird. I suppose there are some that do, although maybe not in this country

when dh was in the navy he never wore his uniform on public if he could help it

he ended up in glasgow airport after crashing his car on the way to work

he was wearing his uniform as he had been expecting to just drive straight to work and after the let him out of hospital he made his way over to the airport so I could pick him up easily

he was standing in a queue to buy a sandwich with hi uniform on and blood down the front and huge ads over lots of stitches on his head and two woman were tutting and saying' oh forces, they do nothing but fight each other'

at Trinity Rhino's DH (not the bit where he was hurt).

When I did army training (in my student days, compulsory) we wore the uniform for training and the remainder of the day too. On the way home we had to salute everybody of higher rank (and as a student everybody else was of higher rank), mind our language, not use plastic, foreign carrier bags, not smoke, lots of other restrictions. And the uniform and boots (recycled from previous generations) were all itchy and uncomfortable.

THis was the norm when dh and I were first married, due to the very real threat from the IRA.

Old habits die hard, and dh will not wear his uniform unless it is a formal requirement

why is it so funny
I wasn't particularly suprised by the old bats saying that but didn't find it really funny

lol at littlelapin i would be awful if i had a dh in services. I have got a thing about men that can look after themselves! So you never get him to wear it for special occasions then!

For nurses it's at least partially about hygiene, presumably?

So MB, do you know when it changed? I've just realised my dad left the navy in 1997 (and the intervening 11 years have gone where exactly, I demand to know?) so there's been a long time in which it could have changed!

has it changed though, or is DH just old school and won't wear his outside at all?

TR - maybe I'm an old bat, then. Or just my sense of humour

your not an old bat cristina
I guess it is funny

Just felt wobbly about the car crash when he told me about it and felt defensive on my dhs part I guess

I suppose you need some detachment from the situation, it was the difference between what had happened (serious) and how it came across to others (mundane). Didn't mean to upset you, TR.