Military Uniforms & Ranks (1ABG Airman Manual Chapter 4)

PRSG - 1st Air Base Group Airman Manual

MILITARY UNIFORMS & RANK INSIGNIAS

As of January 2014

Airman Manual

Puerto Rico National Guard State Guard Command

1st Air Base Group Headquarter Muiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico

Airman Manual

Airman Manual


This chapter provides quick reference guidance for

the proper wear and appearance of the uniforms and

insignia that will be worn by both male and female,

officer and enlisted personnel in the Puerto Rico Air

State Guard (PRASG).

Policy: PRASG members are authorized to wear a

uniform similar to that of the U.S. Air Force. PRASG

members must use the distinctive PRSG Command

Crest on the left pocket of the Service Dress Uniform

and the PRSG Air Force marking on the ABU.

Command Responsibility: All commanders will

ensure that all members, individually and

collectively, present a professional, well-groomed

appearance, which will reflect credit upon PRASG as

the State Command of the Puerto Rico National

Guard. They will ensure that all members are

uniformed in accordance with the provisions of this

manual, that uniform violations are promptly

corrected, and the members are continually informed

as to the proper wear of the uniform. The Group

Commander, or the commander to whom such

authority is delegated by the PRSG Commander, will

prescribe the type clothing to be worn by members

during Unit Training Assemblies (UTAs) or engaging in organized civil action activities.

Appearance of Men in Uniform: Articles such as

wallets, pencils, pens, watch chains, fobs, pins,

jewelry, handkerchiefs, combs, cigars, cigarettes,

pipes, and sunglass cases will not be worn exposed

on the uniform. The wear of wristwatches and rings

is permitted. The wear of identification bracelets is

likewise permitted provided they present a neat and

conservative appearance.

Appearance of Women in Uniform. Uniform skirt

lengths will be in keeping with the dictates of fashion

and good taste, but with due regard to the dignity of

the uniform. In any case, skirt lengths will be no

higher than above the top of the kneecap or lower

than the bottom of the kneecap. Skirts will hang

freely and under no circumstances will they be

excessively tight. Pencils, pens, pins, handkerchiefs,

and jewelry will not be worn or carried exposed on

the uniform. One small spherical (ball), conservative,

diamond, gold, white pearl, or silver pierced, or clip

earring per earlobe and the earring worn in each

earlobe must match. Earring should fit tightly without

extending below the earlobe. (EXCEPTION:

Connecting band on clip earrings.) Other visible

ornaments around the neck or on the head,

ornamentation on eyeglass lenses, and ankle bracelets

are prohibited. Wristwatches, identification bracelets,

and a maximum of three conservative rings are

permitted. Conservative sunglasses may be worn,

except in military formation. Appropriate

undergarments will be worn to present a

conservative, feminine appearance.

Personal Grooming Standards:

The personal grooming standards listed are minimum

standards that represent common appearance issues

and are not all-inclusive. Although Airmen have the

right, within established limits, to express their

individuality through their appearance, the Air Force

has defined what is and what is not an acceptable,

professional military image for Airmen. Except for

minor variations based on gender differences, all Air

Force personnel must comply with the same personal

grooming standards.

Hair-male and female: Will be clean, well-

groomed, present a professional appearance, allow

proper wear of headgear, helmet or chemical mask

and conform to safety requirements. Will not contain

excessive amounts of grooming aids (e.g. gel,


mousse, pomade, moisturizer), appear lopsided,

touch either eyebrow, or end below an imaginary line

across the forehead at the top of the eyebrows that is

parallel to the ground. If applied, dyes, tints, bleaches

and frostings must result in natural, human hair

colors. The hair color must complement the

members complexion and skin tone. Examples of natural human hair colors are brown, blonde,

brunette, natural red, black or grey.

Hair-Male: Tapered appearance on both sides and

the back of the head, both with and without headgear.

A tapered appearance is one that when viewed from

any angle outlines the member's hair so that it

conforms to the shape of the head, curving inward to

the natural termination point without eccentric

directional flow, twists or spiking. A block-cut is

permitted with tapered appearance. Hair will not

exceed 1 inch in bulk, regardless of length and

inch at natural termination point; allowing only

closely cut or shaved hair on the back of the neck to

touch the collar. Hair will not touch the ears or

protrude under the front band of headgear.

Sideburns: If worn, sideburns will be straight and even width (not flared), and will not

extend below the bottom of the orifice of the

ear opening. Sideburns will end in a clean-

shaven horizontal line.

Mustaches: Male Airmen may have mustaches; however they will be conservative

(moderate, being within reasonable limits; not

excessive or extreme) and will not extend

downward beyond the lip line of the upper lip

or extend sideways beyond a vertical line

drawn upward from both corners of the

mouth.

Beards: Beards are not authorized unless for medical reasons, when authorized by a

commander on the advice of a medical

official.

Hair-Female: Minimum length is one inch, unless

approved by the commander upon recommendation

from a military treatment facility for medical reasons,

to a maximum bulk of three inches from scalp. Hair

will end above the bottom edge of collar and any side

of an invisible line drawn parallel to the ground.

When in doubt, assess correct length of hair with

Airman standing in the position of attention. Except

in the physical training uniform (PTU), hair lengths

that would be below the bottom edge of the collar will

be pinned-up with no loose ends. Bangs will not

touch either eyebrow, to include an invisible line

drawn across eyebrows and parallel to the ground. If

worn, hairpins, combs, headbands, elastic bands and

barrettes must match the hair color (i.e., blonde,

brunette, natural red, black, grey), but hair must still

comply with bulk and appearance standards.

Ornaments are not authorized (i.e., ribbons, beads,

jeweled pins). Scrunches are not authorized.

Military Uniforms: Each branch of the United States armed forces has its

own Uniform Regulations.

The United States Air Force uniform is the

standardized military attire worn by Airmen of the

United States Air Force and PRASG. Specific Air

Force Instructions address standardized wear that is

identical for members of both the Active Component

(i.e., the Regular Air Force) and that of the service's

two reserve components that comprise the Air

Reserve Component, that being the Air Force


Reserve and the Air National Guard, including the PR

Air State Guard.

Proper wear of the U.S. Air Force uniform is outlined

in Air Force Instruction 36-2903 (AFI 36-2903),

Dress and Personal Appearance of Air Force

Personnel.

The Air Force philosophy is that the uniform will be

plain, distinctive, and standardized. This

standardization includes a minimum and maximum

number of authorized badges, insignia, and devices.

Pride in ones personal appearance and wearing the uniform, greatly enhances the esprit de corps

essential to an effective military force. Therefore, it

is most important for all Airmen to maintain a high

standard of dress and personal appearance. The five

elements of this standard are neatness, cleanliness,

safety, uniformity, and military image. The first four

are absolute, objective criteria needed for the

efficiency and well-being of the Air Force. The fifth,

military image is subjective, but necessary.

Appearance in uniform is an important part of

military image.

Except when authorized to wear civilian clothes,

Airmen will wear the appropriate Air Force uniform

while performing military duties.

Airman Battle Uniform (ABU):

For work duty today, USAF ground personnel and

flight personnel not engaged in flight operations wear

the Airman Battle Uniform (ABU). The ABU

replaces the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), the latter

having been discontinued after 31 October 2011.

The Airman Battle Uniform is similar to the Army

Combat Uniform (or ACU) in color, with the

inclusion of slate blue, but is otherwise nearly

identical to the BDU layout. The ABU is to be worn

with low-maintenance foliage green suede combat

boots. The ABU does not have features of the U.S.

Army ACU, such as tilted/slanted pockets, sleeve

pockets, hook-and-loop attachment points and

closures, gusseted back, mandarin collar, etc.

However, the ABU does have essential NIR (near-

infra red) qualities. Unlike the ACU, the sleeves are

authorized to be rolled up. The heavy weight of the

material, along with the multiple layers used to make

the interior pockets, retains more heat than the ACU

or BDU in hot climates such as the Middle East.


USAF Service Dress Uniform

The current U.S. Air Force Service Dress Uniform,

which was initially adopted in 1993 and made

mandatory on 1 October 1999, consists of a three-

button coat, similar to that of a men's "sport jacket"

(with silver mirror-finish "U.S." pins on the lapels),

matching trousers, and either a service cap or flight

cap, all in Shade 1620, also known as "Air Force

Blue." This is worn with a light blue shirt (Shade

1550) and a herringbone patterned necktie (Shade

1620).

Metal buttons on the dress uniform were also changed

at this time, transitioning satin finish buttons that

employed the contemporary U.S. Air Force seal to a

historically significant retro insignia that had been

used by the U.S. Army Air Forces as a shoulder patch

during World War II. This change was also applied to

buttons on service hats retaining the chin strap and to

buttons on mess dress uniforms, to include mess dress

shoulder board insignia for officers.

Enlisted airmen wear cloth rank insignia on both

sleeves of the jacket and shirt, while officers wear

metal rank insignia pinned onto the epaulets of the

coat, and Air Force Blue slide-on loops ("soft rank"

shoulder insignia) on the epaulets of the shirt.

Officers also wear a band of dark blue cloth sleeve

braid loops 3 inches from the cuffs of the sleeves of

the coat. Braid is worn in a 1/2-inch width for officers

in the rank of colonel and below and in a 1-inch width

for general officers.


USAF Mess Dress:

The Mess dress uniform is worn to formal or semi-

formal occasions such as Dinings-in, Dinings-out, the

annual Air Force Ball, weddings and other formal

functions where civilian "black tie" would be

prescribed. Until the early 1980s, this uniform

differed from the current version, previously

consisting of separate mess jackets, a white mess

jacket worn in spring and summer and a black mess

jacket worn in fall and winter, combined with black

trousers and ties for males and an options of a black

cocktail length or black evening length skirt for

females. Black cumberbunds for males and females

and white and black service hats for males were also

proscribed, although wear of these hats was often

optional.

The current mess dress uniform in use since the

early/mid-1980s consists of a dark blue mess jacket

and mess dress trousers for males and a similar color

evening length skirt for females. The jacket features

ornate silver buttons, and is worn with the service

member's awarded medals in miniature size, wings in

miniature size, or other specialty insignia over the left

breast, command insignia over the right breast for

colonels and below (if applicable), satin air force blue

bow-tie for males or tab for females, and a satin air

force blue cummerbund.

Cufflinks are to be either shined or flat round silver,

or have the air force star and wing emblem, black

suspenders may also be worn, but remain hidden

while the jacket is on.

Commissioned officers, USAFA and AFROTC

cadets, and OTS officer trainees wear hard shoulder

epaulets (i.e., shoulder boards) similar to those worn

by commissioned officers of the U.S Navy.

Cadets and officer trainees wear insignia on their

shoulder boards as applicable to their pre-

commissioning rank position in their respective

officer accession programs.


Commissioned officer

shoulder boards for colonels

and below feature an officer's

rank insignia in raised metallic

thread, bordered by two silver

vertical metallic stipes similar

to sleeve braid.

General officers wear shoulder

boards covered nearly the

entire length and width in

silver metallic braid, with

silver stars in raised metallic

thread in number appropriate

to their rank. Enlisted

personnel wear the same large

rank insignia that they would

wear on their service dress

coats.

Officers also wear a single silver metallic sleeve braid

on the lower sleeves of the Mess Dress coat, with

sleeve braid coming in two widths, in a 1/2 inch width

for colonel and below, and in a 3/4 inch width for

Brigadier General and above. Enlisted personnel

wear no sleeve braid. No hat or nametag is worn with

the Air Force Mess Dress Uniform.

The Physical Training Uniform:

The Air Force designed new physical training

uniform that became mandatory for wear on 1

October 2006. The gear consists of shorts, t-shirt,

jacket and pants.

The shorts are AF blue with silver reflective stripes

on the leg, a key pocket attached to the inner liner and

an ID pocket on the outside of the lower right leg. The

t-shirt is a moisture-wicking fabric with reflective Air

Force logos on the upper left portion of the chest and

across the back.

The jacket is blue with silver reflective piping and a

reflective inverted chevron on the back. The pants are

blue with silver piping and reflective stripes. The

jacket and pants have since been redesigned with a

lighter, quieter material. A line of commercially

manufactured running shorts is also authorized for

wear.


Other Military Uniforms:

US Army Combat Uniform (ACU)

US Navy Working Uniform (NWU)

Coast Guard Operational Dress Uniform (ODU)

US Forces Multicam Uniform

US Army Service Uniform

US Army Mess Dress Uniform


Military Ranks


US AIR FORCE/PRASG RANK STRUCTURE

AND ABREVIATIONS

Enlisted Ranks:

Officers Ranks:

Documents

Military Uniforms & Ranks (1ABG Airman Manual Chapter 4)