Uniform to work day/Armed Forces day

Everyone Uniform and Drill
1

did anyone where uniform to work on Wednesday?

i would have but our Wing didnt get any notice of Wing support/approval until (late) Tuesday and only to the OC and Adj accounts so missed out this year!

anyone taking part in an Armed Forces Parade?

2

I take it as a reservist type exercise only people that could do so is officers?

3

???
huh?
[/confused]

could do what?

i refer to the wearing of uniform at your place of work or school.

last year all but two of our uniformed staff wore their uniform to work and the majority of the Cadet their uniform to school.

the Armed Forces Parades is self explanitory, we have half a minibus of Cadets going to support the county’s efforts…

4

Absolutely not.

5

I thought that wear uniform to work day was for reserve forces to wear their uniform to their day jobs?

Didnt relise it was for cadet forces aswell I am glad I am wrong on this one.

Good on your sqn for supporting tomorrow I will be too just not with cadets but a load of Vets.

6

I did.

1 Like
7

that seems very final.
is that because your work doesnt approve you to wear it
you dont want to wear it

or are you disagreeing with a Armed Forces Parade

8

Its not really a parade is it? Call me cynical… but I’ve always seen it as a PR exercise.

9

that seems very final.
is that because your work doesnt approve you to wear it
you dont want to wear it

or are you disagreeing with a Armed Forces Parade[/quote]

I don’t for a number of reasons.

  1. I’d feel waltish going to work in my uniform. Justified or not, there would be people that would think I’m trying to passing myself off as a “real RAF officer”. One being the ex College RSM from Sandhurst.

  2. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. The people I work with know what I do. The people that walk passed me in the office to go to the water cooler would just look at me thinking “why is he dressed like that”.

  3. That awkward question of “Are you in the RAF?” would get asked.

I’m in no way embarrassed by my uniform or status in the ATC but I feel absolutely no need to wear my uniform to work. UTW day, to me, is for reservists. It’s for the ones that could be put in the firing line. Not ones, like me, that go to swimming comps and go on camp for a week. My real life equivalent is a scout leader; would he go to work wearing his/her Neckerchief and woggle once a year?

I don’t need any more support of my employer or to raise awareness amongst my colleagues. There would be nothing to gain except a waltish boost to my ego.

10

Well scout leaders used to on BP’s birthday not sure why they dont now.

But I can see where you are coming from instead of wearing a uniform on these days I just wear my RAF Blazer minus the gongs.

11

[quote=“the fixer” post=8809]
I don’t for a number of reasons.

  1. I’d feel waltish going to work in my uniform. Justified or not, there would be people that would think I’m trying to passing myself off as a “real RAF officer”. One being the ex College RSM from Sandhurst.

  2. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. The people I work with know what I do. The people that walk passed me in the office to go to the water cooler would just look at me thinking “why is he dressed like that”.

  3. That awkward question of “Are you in the RAF?” would get asked.

I’m in no way embarrassed by my uniform or status in the ATC but I feel absolutely no need to wear my uniform to work. UTW day, to me, is for reservists. It’s for the ones that could be put in the firing line. Not ones, like me, that go to swimming comps and go on camp for a week. My real life equivalent is a scout leader; would he go to work wearing his/her Neckerchief and woggle once a year?

I don’t need any more support of my employer or to raise awareness amongst my colleagues. There would be nothing to gain except a waltish boost to my ego.[/quote]

For me, you have summed it up nicely here. I wouldn’t, because although we do play a role that can be seen as important in the community, we’re not likely to be on the receiving end of live rounds like the reservists. Unless, of course, Cadet Blogg’s definition of a safe direction doesn’t quite align with mine… :angry:

12

I don’t think the point is to show how warry you are; isn’t it to get across the point that there may be people in uniform in the community that people weren’t aware of and to highlight the armed forces in areas that are lacking in stations/barracks/whatever the navy have.

13

I never brought it down to how warry I’m not. I just don’t identify as a member of the armed forces. Hence feel no need to take part in UTW day even if it’s fully supported by the MOD.

I do however appreiciate the good will gesture of allowing me to take part should I wish to.

14

Playing devils advocate a little here but is a VR Media Ops Officer performing a role that is more important or more dangerous than a VR(T) Officer ?

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafreserves/rolesandsquadrons/mediaoperationsofficer.cfm

Should said officer feel he/she is being ‘waltish’ for turning up to UTW ? Would you draw the same scout comparison with a Journalist in civvy street ?

The fact of the matter is that both the VR Media Officer and the VR(T) Officer are “REAL RAF RESERVISTS” performing a specialist role with unique skills and attributes. The fact that they are not frontline troops and in the firing line isn’t relevant. I would like to think that both Officers would be proud to wear their uniform on such occasions.

MB

15

More dangerous, certainly.

They would be deployable just like any other reservist.

“In recent years, our squadron members have taken part in operations around the world. In the Gulf, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Iraq and Afghanistan”

16

Its not really a parade is it? Call me cynical… but I’ve always seen it as a PR exercise.[/quote]

Sir, pop to Odi high street tomorrow and tell the guys there its just a bit of PR :evil:

17

I do understand to a degree what you say but I feel you are missing part of the reason, and that is exposure.

With the Armed Forces shrinking and about to shrink further, the visibility of the forces is less and less. After all the ACO out numbers the RAF! Through wearing your uniform to work it also allows, in the VR(T) case, the blue foot print to grow. I does not matter if you are RAF, RAFR, RAF VR(T). Members of the public see a uniform.

Yes you are not the same as front line forces but only a percentage of the forces are ‘front line’. I can think of numerous branches that will not have a round shot at them unless they are very unlucky. Yes they have the liability to go into the worst situations but the majority don’t. Does not make what the VR(T) do and less worthy.

I can simply tell you that I would by far prefer to have my RN job than have a civvie job and run a Cadet Unit.

18

Being on the frontline?!

Have you seen today’s teenagers?!

19

I don’t do uniform-at-work day because I’m not a reserve - regardless of the additional impact it just doesn’t seem to me to be the purpose of that event.

We do get involved in the AFD parade as I see that more of a celebration of the forces, plus if the CF didn’t take part there would sometimes be no obvious RAF, army or navy contingent there at all!

20

Our ‘local’ AFD is 30 miles away and is really a party/fete type event at a rugby club, so whilst I did the first one as we got alot of old muckers to join in for a good boozy catch up, we arent doing much for this one.

As for uniform to work day, I hadnt realised it was on so didnt take part. Not usr ewhy I didnt know as I get the Adj emails on the Sqn, but maybe got lost in the rest of the spam style mails that come through all the time and my ‘filtering’ system didnt distinguish.