Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) Uniforms Submitted by LT Kyle Lyons, USPHS, Uniform Policy Coordinator, Workforce Policy and Plans Division, Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management Please note: Any and all uniform questions can be sent electronically to phsccuniform@hhs.gov   Reminders to all Corps officers:  The Army cardigan and pullover sweater are no longer authorized for wear. However, the Army/Navy maternity cardigan is still authorized for pregnant officers throughout the term of the pregnancy and a brief post-partum period. The pewter Field Medical Readiness Badge is no longer authorized for wear, effective 1 January 2009. Though the new Global Health Campaign Service Medal and Global Health Initiative Service Medal have been authorized, the process to design, develop, and supply the medal sets has just begun. Therefore, please do not contact the Office of Commissioned Corps Operations (OCCO), the Office of Force Readiness and Deployment (OFRD), the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG), or the Immediate Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (IOASH) for information on obtaining these awards. Further information about design and availability will be forthcoming in future issues of the eBulletin. The typical timeframe from conception to production is 6 months to 1 year. In the meantime, the IOASH will be providing certificates signed by the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or the ASH for submission into the officers’ electronic Official Personnel Folders (eOPFs). None of the above offices or the Office of Commissioned Corps Force Management (OCCFM) is seeking input as to the design or specifications for the awards. Contact lenses must be without a design and natural in color -- blue, green, brown, etc. Uniforms are considered in a ‘serviceable condition’ if there are no holes, tears, rips, pilling, stains, missing buttons, and/or broken zippers. Unserviceable uniforms should have buttons or zippers replaced; rips, tears, holes, and stains require a new uniform item. Non-prescription sunglasses are not authorized for wear indoors unless there is a medical reason for doing so. Bulk of hair for both males and females shall not exceed 2 inches. Bulk is defined as the distance that the mass of the hair protrudes from the scalp. This does not include the bun worn by those females with long hair. Fingernails for men shall not extend beyond the end of the finger; and fingernails for women shall not exceed 1/4 inch beyond the end of the finger. For officers visiting the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan/National Capital Area -- Winter Blues are not authorized for wear. Civilian clothing (coats, boots, tennis shoes, wing-tips, hats, scarves, etc.) are not authorized for wear while in uniform. Tennis shoes may be worn if medically necessary and authorized by the officer’s primary care provider, and the authorization is on file with the Medical Affairs Branch of the Office of Commissioned Corps Support Services. Uniforms may be tailored to provide a well-fitting, professional military bearing. They shall not be altered to the extent of detracting from a military appearance, nor shall they be tailored to the point of presenting a tight form fit. Unless reaching for, or returning an item to the pocket, hands should not be placed in pockets while standing, walking, or speaking with another person. When standing around the office or elsewhere, to maintain proper professional bearing, hands are not to be placed in the pocket(s) (coats, trousers, etc.) unless retrieving or returning an item to/from the pocket. Shoes/boots should be clean, polished (not necessarily spit-shined), and in serviceable condition. Male officers cannot wear earrings or other piercings while on a Department of Defense facility. Officers cannot wear nose, tongue, eyebrow, or any other visible piercings (except for female officers with one pair of earrings in the lower ear lobe) while in uniform. When outdoors, plain (free of design, ornamentation or logos), black leather gloves are permitted for wear. Mittens, half-gloves, and gloves other than a leather material are not authorized while in uniform. The green Nomex flight gloves are not authorized unless the officer is currently in an active flying billet and wearing the flight suit.  QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS   Q:  Are officers allowed to wear the black fleece lining of the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) as an outer garment while in uniform? How about the Marine Corps Wooley-Pulley as an outer garment. A:  No, the ECWCS parka must be worn, or the M-65 Field Jacket may be worn, with the Battle Dress Uniform (BDU). Currently, only the Army authorizes the wear of the black fleece lining as an outer garment with their uniform. Corps officers detailed to the Army are not eligible to wear the black fleece liner in that manner. The Wooley-Pulley is only worn under the BDU blouse, not over or in lieu of it. The BDU blouse may be removed in the officer’s immediate work area. However, upon leaving the area to go to a meeting, to attend to personal matters, or for any other activity that takes the officer away from the immediate work area, the BDU blouse must be donned. Q: Are BDU trousers supposed to be bloused or can I wear them straight legged? A:  BDU trousers are required to be bloused unless there is a danger of an officer’s legs being entangled or ensnared. There are several commercially made items which officers can use to blouse the trousers, such as, the olive drab elastic bands with metal hook closure, Velcro ® elastic straps, or metal spring bands, all of which go over the top (calf area) of the combat boot. The bottom of the trousers should be tucked/rolled under the blousing strap; this may take more than one tuck/roll. The knot of the bootlaces and the green tie straps of the BDU should not be visible when properly bloused. Also, there should not be a gap from the bottom of the trouser to the top of the combat boot (e.g., socks, regardless of color, or bare skin, should not show). Q:  I heard an officer tell another officer they had ‘Irish pennants’ on their uniform, what does that mean? A:  In military lingo, ‘Irish pennants’ are the loose strings, fibers, or other miscellaneous material that are present on virtually every uniform straight from the manufacturer. Usually, they are located on pockets, button holes, or shirt sleeves. Officers are required to clip or remove strings, fibers, or miscellaneous material from their uniforms to maintain a professional ‘squared away’ appearance. Longer ‘Irish pennants’ are also referred to as repelling ropes or cables. Q: During the Inauguration, I noticed that several Corps officers did not salute the Presidential motorcade or did not salute during the playing of “Hail to the Chief.” Is this correct? A:  No, this is a serious breach of etiquette and customs and courtesies. Protocol dictates that uniformed service members in uniform render a hand salute to all properly marked staff cars/vehicles, to include flag or general officers and the Presidential limousine when visible or near the officer. The officer is to salute, and hold the salute, when the staff car become visible to the officer’s visual periphery and the salute is to be lowered upon the vehicles exit from the visual periphery. The salute does not need to be held for the entire motorcade, unless of course, additional properly decorated staff cars follow the President. Properly decorated or labeled staff cars include a placard with an O-6 or above rank displayed or an appropriate flag on the bumper. An O-6 officer need not salute another O-6 staff car, though it is courteous to do so, however, must salute all others. Pictured below is a General (O-10) placard for the U.S. Air Force and an Army Lieutenant General (O-9). Placards may be red, black, blue, or green. Officers are required to salute a properly placarded, decorated vehicle when it is occupied. Do not salute an empty vehicle. The President’s flag is also displayed below. The same protocol for “Hail to the Chief” is rendered outdoors as if the National Anthem is being played. Regardless if an officer sees the U.S. Flag or the President or not, the officer is required to turn in the direction of the music and hold a proper salute until the last note of the song is played. Some exceptions to the above protocol are if the officer is actively engaged in a work detail and his/her hands are encumbered, or is involved in providing patient care, or is indoors and uncovered.

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