Happy birthday History Guy! As a retired Navy Sailor, this episode is very close to my heart. Operations Specialist First Class Petty Officer, OS1(SW/AW)
EVRAZ group of Russia 🇷🇺 inside America ! How much does a USA Zumwalt class destroyer cost USA 🇺🇸 taxpayers? EVRAZ Portland Oregon? EVRAZ Pueblo Colorado? EVRAZ Chicago Illinois? EVRAZ Claymont Steeel Corp DeLaWaRe
As a retired Naval Officer, I particularly enjoyed this episode. Aviation Greens was my favorite uniform and was what I wore when I was assigned to the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. The soldiers and airman on the staff thought I was a Marine. The Marines thought I was a Canadian. However, one U. S. Army sentry at the HQ building, when he saw me, exclaimed, “wow, sir, Aviation Greens. That’s been an authorized Navy uniform since 1917.” Turns out his hobby was U.S. military uniforms.
My father was Navy in WWII. He called the “fore and aft” cap a “piss cutter”. When I traded my Dixie cup for a piss cutter I thought they were great. All you had to do was hang it through you belt and you never lost/left it. I never got used to the regulation cover for officers. I found it too cumbersome to drag around and was a pain to find on the tables with all the other identical covers. I always like the Av greens. Unfortunately, for me, they did away with that uniform just before I was commissioned, then brought it back (for a while) just as I retired. Damn the bad luck. Fly Navy 🇺🇸
@@robertheinkel6225 When I was in the Navy, my WIFE told me "Don't forget your c**t cap!" as I was about to walk out the door without my cover. When I spun around with my jaw nearly on the floor and before I could say a word, she informed me that was how both she AND her mother referred to the female "garrison cap" while they were in the Army.
Outstanding! As a retired Navy Captain, a proud dolphin-wearing submariner with 30 years of service, plenty of "fruit salad" on my chest, "scrambled eggs" on my covers, memories of going head to head with Soviets, with two masters degrees from MIT thanks to the Navy, and so much more, I applaud your excellent accounting of our fine traditions! BZ!! Love watching your well-conceived and expertly- crafted channel!
Fifty years ago I was an MP, and I wanted a flight jacket for the cool nights. I went into town and bought a old flight jacket at the surplus store in town, then went back on base to the supply Sgt. and turned in the jacket for a new one...........
We used to have a saying back when I was in (USN, '75 - '95): "How can you tell the difference between an Aircrewman and a Storekeeper? The Storekeeper is the one in a flight jacket."
When I was in Navy boot-camp, the drill instructors liked to drill into our heads when indoors - to not wear our cover, as it's for covering our heads, and inside - the roof was already covering our heads. Thus, they were using the word "cover" (by the 1980's, when I was in) as a mnemonic device to remind us to not wear the cover inside..
That's a great story about the reporter and Admiral King. "Out of my way, Chief!"- The line that molded a nation's uniforms. Too bad that sentence wasn't uttered by a professional baseball player from Pittsburgh. Wait for it... Because every good story should have Pirates in it.
Some of your presentations are thrilling, some somber, some encourage the listener to introspection; This was excitement and joy. I'm happy for you in your completed set. Thank you for sharing it with us.
You and I have spoken about US Navy and Coast Guard "covers" before. Now this episode covers it all for the combination cover. Thanks for calling the chin strap by that name, and covering that as well. Perhaps the only thing left is the 1/4" wide gold chin strap for midshipmen and Warrant Officer 1 ranks. Another good job, Sir -- Michael Dougfir, US Navy vet.
Thank you for this video! I appreciate the etymology of the word cover for accuracy in your detailing the naval hat history. My sister just retired from the Navy so the timing of this particular upload was perfect🙂
I love the hat episodes. As a note, when I was in the Navy, back in the 1980s, the overseas cap was called a garrison cap. All hats were generically called covers, but the brimless one was specifically called a garrison cap, and the round hat with a brim was a combination cap. As a kid kid, watching all of the World War II movies and documentaries, I was fascinated by the great variety in Navy uniforms. Great episode.
When I was in the Army 73-81 we had two types of Class A Uniform caps. The Overseas Cap similar to what you have shown and the flat Garrison Cap commonly referred to as the "C*** Cap."
Reminds me of my dad's Air Force dress whites. He wore then only once. The opening of Space Command at Peterson AFB. That uniform spent years in a box under the bed. When the Air Force got rid if dress whites he took it back to clothing sales and was able to get a refund.
Everyone hated the Whites! As a Senior Enlisted guy Stationed at Hq SAC, I was expected to have white uniforms. (I also had a white Mess Dress uniform jacket.) I wore the Class A once. It was so dirty after standing on the parade field for an hour that it had to be dry-cleaned twice. I never wore the Mess Dress. The white uniforms were retired shortly after the Chief of Staff retired. I couldn't give them away. Not even the SAC Museum wanted them, and the retired Chief of Staff was a CINCSAC. Yes, I know there is only one CINC now.
I remember dismissing a facebook post asserting that british officers in the 18th-19th century were not allowed to duck or falter when leading a bayonet charge. In this situation his cap would be his only cover.
I love items that have their own unique story, like the guy who wore it or how it fell into private hands or similar. Nothing beats being able to have someone visiting, hear them comment on your collection, and then pulling an item out of a display case or off a shelf and start telling its story!
In Canada a more common term is " remove your headdress please". When entering a messhall for instance. Or just five or six guys yelling "headdress headdress!" Because you forgot.
I was a junior officer in the late 60's and in many of the O'clubs if you wore your cover into the bar they would ring a bell and you bought the bar a round. A friend of mine made that mistake, realized he couldn't cover the tab, ran out the door into the jungle, was chased but got away. Thanks for the info HG.
The evolution of the military uniforms of MANY nations is a fascinating subject in and of itself. And, might I add that as a reenactor, it's a damned EXPENSIVE one!!!
There's four regulation US Navy uniform colours. "That's dumb, we need to come up with one, standard uniform colour." There's five regulation US Navy uniform colours.
So basically the same story as when someone tries to come up with a new universal standard electronic connector (for example phone charger). All they did was just add yet another incompatible type.
Great episode! Thank you. I was on enlisted US Navy active duty in the late 1960's and a member of the active US Navy Reserve well into the 1970's. I remember well the shift of the enlisted uniform from blue jumper to blue jacket and tie (similar to officers and senior enlisted chiefs)in 1973. Along with that change came the traditional cover, black brim, strap and white vinyl fabric top. As I recall that uniform did not go over well in the ranks. The Navy returned to the blue jumper around 1980, having realized their mistake. Also the standard military drill command to remove one's hat while in ranks is "Uncover- Two" and to put the hat back on is "Cover- Two". I look forward to your next post.
On Covers: In the Marine Corps one is required to be under cover at all times in uniform. In practice this means that if we aren't under something like a roof, we must have our cover on. As a rule Marines don't wear a cover indoors at all (and also don't salute) unless they are on duty.
Same with the Navy. Cover at all times when not inside. I was a Corpsman so the saluting rules were pretty relaxed, between Corpsmen and Medical and Nursing officers, at least after Corps school.
I salute you all - just basic manners - I try to tell my students (I teach 7th grade) that you NEVER wear a hat when there is a roof over your head - EVER - no matter how many idiots you see doing it.
One exception is when on a flight deck or flight line; loose covers are considered FOD hazards and can cause a lot of damage if sucked into a jet engine.
I never heard of the term "cover" applied to what you wore on your head until I went to Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. The term "cover" was clearly explained to all of us recruits by a drill sergeant. After that the matter was settled! It was also explained to us that we never wore a cover indoors, and always wore it outdoors. Sempter Fi!
What if you were "under arms"? (Or armed, if I am using the phrase incorrectly.) And I know that Navy regs say that you are not to salute unless you are "covered." If you intend to salute a superior officer, you wear some type of cover.
I spent 21 years in the Navy. When I made Chief and could wear the khaki combination cover I thought I was going to die from happiness. Great episode. The first and one of the few times I ever saw aviation greens I thought the guy was some sort of U.S. Marine. Great episode. Thank you.
I'm a US Navy Submarine Service Veteran and I must say... What a great video! You just presented "Video Proof"of why we had to have so many Uniforms! (even in the 1990's). Ok... So, my Basic Daily Uniform was the Dungaree Uniform, but I also had Working Blue, Working White, Dress Blue and Dress White; all of which my White-Hat "Dixie Cup" was Authorized Cover. Once I was assigned to an Afloat Command (USS Jacksonville SSN-699), I was assigned a "Ballcap", with Ship Identification etc...
The little known WW 2 battle of The Hue, where the US Navy fought the US Navy over whether to use a battleship grey hue or a khaki hue, eventually won by Admiral Nimitz by outlasting Fleet Admiral King.
As always, interesting, succinct and to the point. I couldn't watch these for hours on end. but 15 minutes a day, or even twice a day, sure adds to our (my) education. Thank you, HG.
Your reason you offer for your collections is exactly what got me into antiques -both furniture and electrical appliances! I've got some serious prized pieces, including the original box that came with my 1954 GE Electric waffle iron with interchangeable griddle plates; with three cats, a 66yr old box from a waffle iron is absolutely furniture!
Great video!! I had a lot covers while navy, to include the iconic dixie cup, which is officially called the White Hat..." Go figure. One of the decision factors for joining the Navy when I was 17 and entering boot camp at 18, was the fact that on ships the sailors wore ball caps with the ships logo or name/hull number. I had always wore ball caps growing up. CWO4 Aviation Boatswain (ABH prior), Retired 2016 after 30 years of service.
Herman Wouk served on two Destroyer-Minesweepers in the Pacific. In the Fifties there were a couple of million vets who have hooted derisively if the film got the uniforms wrong
As a Naval Academy graduate, it is great to learn this 43 years after I became a plebe. This would be a great addition to reef points, for the plebes coming in. The five stars for Fleet ADM King look far smaller than the four for Admiral. Thank you as well for showing "Mister Roberts". My ultimate point as a midshipman was singing tribute to Henry Fonda, as he received the Kennedy Center Honor.
The "overseas service cap" style had a very different (and completely unmentionable for fear of getting nailed by the RUclips Police) name while I was in the military :D
This reminds me of when I enlisted in 1974 Zumwalt was changing the work uniforms from blue shirts, dungarees and Dixie cups to some God awful getup that no one looked good in and I can't even describe.(edit: The new dress uniform was a suit like a Chief wears and milkman covers.) Thankfully when we got out to the fleet we could still buy and wear dungarees and baseball caps along with cracker jacks and Dixie cups. The boot camp junk went in the dumpster
Thanks for centering on the Navy for your discussion of covers. I'm a navy vet. My dad was a wwII navy chief petty officer who left active duty not long after the end of the war. In mentioning colors, when I served there were contrasting terms; brown shoe and black shoe navy, brown for aviation black for the rest of us.
How many carriers do you think America needs? You guys are already 23 trillion dollars in debt. I know let's borrow some money from China and build another aircraft carrier.
I just found a box of my dad’s old covers. He retired a Senior Chief (in 1987) and I mostly remember seeing him in his khaki cover, so seeing what I think was his first one out of basic in a box was awesome.
Cover rather than hat reminded me of an air force riddle: how many trucks are on this base? Answer: one, the top of the base flagpole. All the other "trucks" are vehicles.
You minimum number of trucks on the base and where is it located? Answer is One and under the ball on the base flag pole. Try this line what is lowest ranking officer on the ship and where is his duty station on deck? Ensign and on the bow flapping in the breeze. The difference between a boat and a ship is a boat you can put on a ship but a ship doesn't fit on a boat. With a name of Jody how many do you know? Cadence's that is.
In the US Army, we refer to hats as headgear, or cover as like others have said we’re always to have “cover over our heads”, referring to the fact that headgear is only worn outdoors. The wearing of headgear indoors (by Army regulation) is only permitted when a Soldier is under arms. Commonly this applies to Military Police, who while armed on duty, do not remove their headgear while indoors.
When I was in the Army, the Cap was that thing you could fold and stick in your pocket or belt, that included the "baseball" style cap. The round cap mostly worn officers was called a "Saucer". And of course anything that finished off the top of a Marine was called a "Lid".
@Corazon Sierra You do realize that there were Union units, usually state militias that also wore grey uniforms and Confederate units that wore blue uniforms or no uniforms at all.
I really enjoyed that! Perhaps an idea for an episode for you is the “Brown shoe Navy” and the “Black shoe Navy” my Dad was a brown shoe guy in Naval Aviation, that might be an interesting story.
But with the cammies, accidental discharge of lunch is concealed during afternoon formation! Geoff Who was in the middle of the camouflage fatigue conversion around 1980.
@@dbmail545 I hated it when everybody in the hospital went to a bewildering assortment of scrubs and you didn't know if you were getting advice from the Chief of Surgery or the bloke whooping the deck! Geoff Who notes the local hospitals color code and label the staff.
As a young seaman in Canada we wore a common "work dress" with the army and Air Force. This consisted of rifle-green work trousers; a zippered rifle-green work jacket; a "lagoon green" work shirt; and beret or ball cap. This work dress made us virtually indistinguishable from gas station attendants. It was definitely not an aide to recruitment. In 1986 it was changed, in part because of lessons learned from our Royal Navy colleagues in the Falklands War. The poly material would melt and fuse with skin under the extreme heat of fires and provided little protection from cold when wet. The replacement uniform was made from Nomex (like race car drivers) and protected from fire.
Man we should have been taught this in boot camp - to learn the history of the uniform, that would have allowed us to understand WHY it matters so much. *sigh*
If you were in the Marine Corps, then they would have more then likely told you the history behind the uniform . At least it was like that when I was in
@BC Bob When I was in ('75 - '95), flightsuits were not authorized for off-base wear. They were considered "organizational clothing", not a uniform. Then again, same thing with dungarees. When I see the weird combinations of uniforms they wear nowadays, and after seeing plenty of "blueberries" out in town, I would prefer to see the zoom bags instead. I used to wear the aramid long johns under my flight suit, regardless of whether I was flying out of Brunswick or Cubi. There were times, though, when I had on jeans and a t-shirt, or on dets out of Kadena, gym shorts and a tank top (no Cabin Air, flying depressurized on station over the S.China Sea in mid Summer!) Some flights were so hot, we just wore the shorts, tank, flight boots and LPAs while onsta!
I remember dismissing a facebook post asserting that british officers in the 18th-19th century were not allowed to duck or falter when leading a bayonet charge. In this situation his cap would be his only cover.
Every time I hear somebody call a military cover a "hat" I must correct them. I never owned a "hat" when I was in the US Air Force. All I had was covers. Thanks History Guy for making this a video for the civilians who call it a "hat". Great video!
The combination cover is a great piece of gear, ... at a price. Provides shade to the eyes but is bulky. Similarly, the enlisted round hat, dixie cups, fore and aft caps (with some impolite informal names) as well as the officer's garrison cap are beyond worthless in the sun. Give me a ball cap, or a jiffy pop cap to provide shade. I even coveted a pith helmet but that never happened. Jiffy pop for nautical types, the Army version of the patrol cap comes to a point. Blessedly the blueberries or aquaflage uniform will soon be as dead and unmourned as King Gray uniforms.
Thank you for an interesting, informative episode. As a retired naval aviator I enjoyed your review of the history of Navy Officer uniforms, and our “covers.” As a long-term subscriber, I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment from well thought out episodes. BZ!
LOVED THIS ONE..... I'm an Army vet and when I joined you had Army Green Class A, and B. We also had Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs). The light weights were just coming out when I joined. Then we got new boots. Padded top of the "barrel" of the boot. Better inserts and speed lacing. After I got out of the Guard in 2005, it seems that they changed the field uniform almost yearly. And the boots. Then they came out with the Blue uniform. And then they came out with the "retro" World War II "style" uniform. It seems that every General wants to leave their mark and use the Army uniform to do it. I've got at least 11 sets of BDU's. Three black rain / winter coats. And the same with Class A's. And oddly enough..I think I might be able to fit into one or two of them....
This is excellent but it reminded me that im interested in why the Marine Corps flag changed from blue to red. I work for Marines and they don't even know.
In 1925 the legendary commandant of the Marine Corps John Archer Lejeune settled on gold and scarlet as the official colors of the corps, reasoning that the colors had been used on the uniforms of officers and men of the Marine Corps most consistently since the inception of the Marine Corps. The U.S. Marine Corps had used a number of different flags to that point, including blue from 1913 - 1939, and during a redesign in 1939 the flag of the corps was revised to match those official colors.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I am formally requesting a deep dive into the U.S. Marine Corps. We were taught Marine Corps history in boot camp, some of which I have not been able to confirm, such as the origin of the moniker 'teufelhund' or Devil Dog. In the video I would mention other countries that have Marine Corps (British Royal Marines are awesome), and I suppose it would be appropriate to make a series of videos on the other branches. All gave some, some gave all.
Shipmate, Great episode as usual... especially your comments on the gray uniform...the Navy has tradition of ignoring uniform regulations we don't like ... in the early 1980s we had a "salt and pepper" uniform for officers ... service dress blue trousers and summer white shirts with shoulder boards -- worn extensively in the Atlantic, but not a "uniform of the day" in the Pacific as i recall....that's a clever way of getting around regs ... and of course the word gets out pretty quick -- if the Fleet Commander doesn't wear it, you feel fully empowered to not wear it either ... and the "salt and pepper" uniform didn't last long ... BTW, ADM King would have been a "midshipman" while at the USNA, not a "cadet"...thanks.
@Me Smith I was in during the early eighties (see my comment). I was fine with anything together with the combination cap. I hated, and I hate, the "dixie cup" with anything but the cracker jack uniform and possibly dungarees, although a ball cap works better with dungarees, IMHO.
The submarine service - the one part of the US Navy that seems to have most influenced modern US Navy uniforms. The modern surface and aviation warfare pins got their inspirations from the submarine badge/pin. It was the submarine service that first began wearing the modern navy coveralls (also called "poopie suits"). According to you, it was submarine officers that first wore khaki uniforms (I did not know about this). I can't speak for the surface or aviation sailors, but US submariners also wear casual undershirts and sneakers while underway instead of the plain white undershirt and navy-issued "boondockers."
Funniest navy hat related thing I saw was a meme where the text was "Chief told me to stencil my cover so I did" and the picture was the underside of a white dixie cup hat with 'fuck the navy' inside XD
I like your toy cannon collection. I once built a brass cannon loosely based on the French 75. It was about 8" long, recoiled on it's trunnions and could put a .177 BB through a 3/4" board. Wish I still had it. If I did, I'd gift it to you but alas, I gave it away about 25 years ago. Too bad as I suspect you'd of appreciated it much more. Thanks again for your programs. History is where it's at!!
Navy vet here. I wear one all the time I'm outside. About the only difference between now and my service time is sometimes (but not often) now I will wear my hat indoors. Never did like the Dixie cups. Seemed like the most useless design ever.
@@samiam619 I'm 72 and still have all my hair and sunglasses work great. I just can't stand anything around my head. Got ordered more than dozen times to put it on when I was in the service. I did wear a helmet when in Vietnam for 18 months though.
@@ibindare Also Navy vet (8 years), I stopped wearing them soon as I got out, the exception is when I go hiking. Sun will just scorch my fair skin, and my hair is getting a bit thin on top, and the top of my head will get sunburnt too if I don't wear one when outside for hours. Funny thing is I once heard that wearing a hat could speed up going bald, that was my main reason for not wearing one. Not sure if that's true though. And I'm so thin up top it doesn't matter anymore. I may start wearing a hat more often. Though to this day I still cannot wear a hat indoors, it doesn't feel right. And I also dropped saying cover as soon as I got out, people would just look at me weird if I continued calling them that.
We do not go to the bathroom, we use the head. Walls are bulkheads. Ceilings are overheads. Floors are decks. Doors are hatches, windows are portholes, and stairways are ladderwells. Left is port, right is starboard, and the foreword end of the room where the entry hatch is located is called the quarterdeck. Service rifles are rifles, never guns. "Guns" refer to machine guns or shotguns. It's weird to talk to civilians after a being indoctrinated with naval terminology for months on end.
Good episode. Thanks. For many years I’ve felt at a loss and that I was confused about naval uniforms and hats or caps in particular. After watching this I now realize it is the Navy that was confused.
Personally, I think I’m only the Navy’s case, the uniform would be ideal if it stood out against the average color of the sea in case a man falls overboard or a ship is sunk. Making the uniform the same color as the sea seems silly to me, but I suppose it might have merit if an enemy is looking to pick off survivors.
@@WALTERBROADDUS -- Dept of Defense: "To save money, all the services will wear the same working uniform." Each service: "Okay, but ours needs to be unique in some way."
When in the U.S. Air Force, I preferred to wear the "wheel hat" rather than the flight cap. The flight cap reminded me of the Boy Scouts. My crew at Clear AFS, AK, called it "Capt Morgan's bus driver's hat"! I didn't stay in the AF long enough for it to develop a "fifty-mission crush", though.
As a native Frenchman, I can tell you that the French generic word for hats, caps, beanies, berets, etc... is "couvre-chef" (head cover). As the military has several kinds of headgear, they officially use that generic word in their written regulations. That's probably, in my opinion, the origin of the use of "cover" by the US military.
Your lead photo of the young Lieutenant, standing with binoculars, on the bridge of USS Missouri, had a descendant aboard the ship on her second commissioning in 1986. He was an Operations Specialist who was featured in a photo illustrating 'hazing' in the Navy in Newsweek magazine. He was in costume, dancing in competition in the Shellback ceremonies as we crossed the equator at the date line. That is the Golden Shellback. I can say, modestly, that it was my photograph as part of the PAO staff. BTW, it was a pirate costume, to make it a great story.
Probably because it was a Naval Service thing, originally. Bleeding over into the Land Branch by Former Marine Drill Instructors taking billets as Drill Sergeants for whatever reasons... New vistas to conquer, change of venue for personal reasons, genuine patriotic motivation to help improve a Brother service? Who can know? Some of the best Marines were prior -service-Army. John Basilone, and Evans Carlson come to mind. Some people put the needs of the Nation above inter-service rivalry. It must be a recent thing, as during my tour in the mid '70s, I did not observe Army personnel refer to headgear as a "Cover''. But I had very little contact with them.
A great video as usual. When the Navy decides to "simplify" the uniform (which it does on a regular basis) you know it's time for the sailor and the taxpayer to break out the wallet. In fact, if you ever decide to do history lessons that are hours in length, you might consider the history of U.S. Navy uniform changes in the modern era. An added bonus: Given the amount of money that changes hands with each simplification of the uniform, that story would also have pirates in it!
When I was in the US Army, 1956~1959, the term for the billed cap was "Service Cap, Enlisted men's." The cap consisted of the leather bill and stiff frame. "Cover" referred to the khaki (for summer) and olive drab (for winter) cotton or wool covers that were required to make up the completed Service Cap. There was one "frame" with interchangeable covers.
I've collected stuff all my long life. Firearms, lostahe stamps, gold and silver coins, historical California photographs, first editions western Americana, books on archaeology, memorabilia from my city, crystals and minerals, in fact anything that's unusual. When I worked in Crimea 25 years ago I bought a Russian Black Sea Fleet cap (belt, and watch too). Such things remind me of my extensive travels but also of subjects that interest me. Some serve as tangible investments.
Clearfield, Utah! I use to live there! But now I live in Charleston, SC. and I'm currently trying to join the coast guard reserves at the age of 38. Love your channel!
You do have a great Cover collection. I found out the difference between a hat and a cover while in the first days of Marine Corps Boot Camp. I never forgot the lesson. My collection involves U.S. Navy Ship Zippo lighters. I have three hundred of them, along with some mugs, ashtrays, belt buckles, a handful of ball caps and a load of ship/squadron patches. The oldest zippo is dated 1954. Thank you for the strolls thru history.
I was in the US Navy from Oct 18, 1971 to Aug. 15, 1975. I was in the aviation field of the US Navy. I saw a lot of kaki uniforms. All officers, no enlisted. We enlisted had but 2 colors to wear, white (summer) or navy blue (winter) ! In tropical climates they wore kaki year round, I think ! I never served in the tropics !
Wow! Is this episode of THG super informative for me! Just last week I received epaulets from my father's WWII USN uniform. What was odd to me was their color: gray. Now you have solved the mystery, THG! Thank you!
All those opportunities to talk about Pirates and not even mentioned in the story. Thank you for bringing this to us. It was very interesting as all of your material is keep up the good work.
Another ubiquitous cover in the United States Navy is the ballcap. Going as far back as WWII, Sailors have worn the ballcap aboard ships and on non-operational flight lines as part of the daily work uniforms. I received my first "RECRUIT" ballcap in mid-February 1998 as a new recruit at Naval Recruit Training Command Great Lakes. In early April, I participated in a ballcap exchange ceremony, and my recruit ballcap become a "NAVY" ballcap. While it may sound trivial, this was a momentous occasion for any recruit, and marked the first of many career milestones. Over the years, I've accrued many ballcaps from the command's I've been assigned to. Most are regulation navy blue in color, but my shipboard ballcaps have also come in various colors depending on which of the many training teams I've been a part of (red for Damage Control, Black for Engineering Training Team, Yellow for Force Protection Training Team, etc...). Point of fact, these colored ballcaps were provided in addition to the standard blue ballcap that issued free of charge to every newly reporting Sailor to the command. My most recent ballcaps have now come in coyote brown, as well, to better match our Navy Working Uniform (NWU) Type III's. A few have been personalized, limited to either my name or my position above the rear opening of the cap, above the closure. This seems equally as common across the Fleet, so much so that it's governed in Navy Regulations. Interesting enough, I was issued a baby blue ballcap - along with a baby blue beret - as part of my temporary assignment with the United Nations. However, I didn't care for it very much because the fit was slightly different from what I was used to. And the brim was impossibly long.
Excellent video-- thanks for doing it. In my old age, I have become interested in Adm Chester Nimitz, and am glad to learn of his part in the khaki uniform.
![Noob To Max With DRAGON REWORK In Blox Fruits [FULL MOVIE]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LnBMOinoOvA/mqdefault.jpg)
Happy birthday History Guy! As a retired Navy Sailor, this episode is very close to my heart. Operations Specialist First Class Petty Officer, OS1(SW/AW)
Thank you for your service.
@@whiterabbit-wo7hw You're welcome
EVRAZ group of Russia 🇷🇺 inside America ! How much does a USA Zumwalt class destroyer cost USA 🇺🇸 taxpayers? EVRAZ Portland Oregon? EVRAZ Pueblo Colorado? EVRAZ Chicago Illinois? EVRAZ Claymont Steeel Corp DeLaWaRe
@@whiterabbit-wo7hw I second that comment, "thank you for your service"
As a retired Naval Officer, I particularly enjoyed this episode. Aviation Greens was my favorite uniform and was what I wore when I was assigned to the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. The soldiers and airman on the staff thought I was a Marine. The Marines thought I was a Canadian. However, one U. S. Army sentry at the HQ building, when he saw me, exclaimed, “wow, sir, Aviation Greens. That’s been an authorized Navy uniform since 1917.” Turns out his hobby was U.S. military uniforms.
My father was Navy in WWII. He called the “fore and aft” cap a “piss cutter”. When I traded my Dixie cup for a piss cutter I thought they were great. All you had to do was hang it through you belt and you never lost/left it. I never got used to the regulation cover for officers. I found it too cumbersome to drag around and was a pain to find on the tables with all the other identical covers.
I always like the Av greens. Unfortunately, for me, they did away with that uniform just before I was commissioned, then brought it back (for a while) just as I retired. Damn the bad luck. Fly Navy 🇺🇸
Also referred to as a 'c**t cap' by the even lower-minded.
In the Air Force,they were called a c*nt cap, because when not in use, it looked like a female body part. Times have changed since then.
@@robertheinkel6225 When I was in the Navy, my WIFE told me "Don't forget your c**t cap!" as I was about to walk out the door without my cover. When I spun around with my jaw nearly on the floor and before I could say a word, she informed me that was how both she AND her mother referred to the female "garrison cap" while they were in the Army.
Outstanding! As a retired Navy Captain, a proud dolphin-wearing submariner with 30 years of service, plenty of "fruit salad" on my chest, "scrambled eggs" on my covers, memories of going head to head with Soviets, with two masters degrees from MIT thanks to the Navy, and so much more, I applaud your excellent accounting of our fine traditions! BZ!! Love watching your well-conceived and expertly- crafted channel!
Fifty years ago I was an MP, and I wanted a flight jacket for the cool nights. I went into town and bought a old flight jacket at the surplus store in town, then went back on base to the supply Sgt. and turned in the jacket for a new one...........
We used to have a saying back when I was in (USN, '75 - '95): "How can you tell the difference between an Aircrewman and a Storekeeper? The Storekeeper is the one in a flight jacket."
The jacket probably then went straight back to the surplus store. Wonder how many times it was used that way.
@@quillmaurer6563 I wouldn’t imagine the store complaining, imagine being able to just keep reselling the same exact jacket over and over again.
I just had a Basic Training Flashback.... "WHERE IS YOUR COVER?" (Forgot my hat when running for formation)
Straighten your cover! .. until the day I die
Me too and tech school
How badly did you get smoked?
I too remember being yelled at for not having my cover!
Arak He No: No doubt! I see a crooked hat, cover, I freak out!
When I was in Navy boot-camp, the drill instructors liked to drill into our heads when indoors - to not wear our cover, as it's for covering our heads, and inside - the roof was already covering our heads. Thus, they were using the word "cover" (by the 1980's, when I was in) as a mnemonic device to remind us to not wear the cover inside..
Strangely, the Army do wear indoors.
Only because by the 1980s hats had been out of fashion for so long that young men simply didn't know it's rude and uncouth to wear one's hat indoors.
Bill Burns Except when armed.
@@WALTERBROADDUS No, we don't. The Marines do - when "under arms."
@@WALTERBROADDUS We did not.
That's a great story about the reporter and Admiral King.
"Out of my way, Chief!"- The line that molded a nation's uniforms.
Too bad that sentence wasn't uttered by a professional baseball player from Pittsburgh.
Wait for it...
Because every good story should have Pirates in it.
That is a great story. I bet made King wonder many nights. What did I do wrong on this idea? Why don't people understand this simple idea?
@@Houndini He was an Annapolis grad, good ideas are few and far between there. lol
Bravo !! Well played !!
Arggh!
hey you .
Nice touch showing a portrait of JFK with his cover.
I'm a navy vet and Mr. Roberts is my favorite navy movie. I'm so happy you showed it.
Some of your presentations are thrilling, some somber, some encourage the listener to introspection; This was excitement and joy.
I'm happy for you in your completed set. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Well, I would say that this video pretty much “covers” it all. Thank you History Guy :)
When I was active duty US Army from '66 to '68, the Khaki was my favorite uniform - with the "overseas" cap.
You and I have spoken about US Navy and Coast Guard "covers" before. Now this episode covers it all for the combination cover.
Thanks for calling the chin strap by that name, and covering that as well. Perhaps the only thing left is the 1/4" wide gold chin strap for midshipmen and Warrant Officer 1 ranks.
Another good job, Sir --
Michael Dougfir, US Navy vet.
Thank you for this video! I appreciate the etymology of the word cover for accuracy in your detailing the naval hat history. My sister just retired from the Navy so the timing of this particular upload was perfect🙂
I love the hat episodes.
As a note, when I was in the Navy, back in the 1980s, the overseas cap was called a garrison cap. All hats were generically called covers, but the brimless one was specifically called a garrison cap, and the round hat with a brim was a combination cap.
As a kid kid, watching all of the World War II movies and documentaries, I was fascinated by the great variety in Navy uniforms.
Great episode.
When I was in the Army 73-81 we had two types of Class A Uniform caps. The Overseas Cap similar to what you have shown and the flat Garrison Cap commonly referred to as the "C*** Cap."
Or piss cutter. Air Force.
Atlanta airport has claimed many of mt "garrison" caps...
Da Dillen we called them that in the Navy as well.
Reminds me of my dad's Air Force dress whites. He wore then only once. The opening of Space Command at Peterson AFB. That uniform spent years in a box under the bed. When the Air Force got rid if dress whites he took it back to clothing sales and was able to get a refund.
Everyone hated the Whites! As a Senior Enlisted guy Stationed at Hq SAC, I was expected to have white uniforms. (I also had a white Mess Dress uniform jacket.) I wore the Class A once. It was so dirty after standing on the parade field for an hour that it had to be dry-cleaned twice. I never wore the Mess Dress. The white uniforms were retired shortly after the Chief of Staff retired. I couldn't give them away. Not even the SAC Museum wanted them, and the retired Chief of Staff was a CINCSAC. Yes, I know there is only one CINC now.
I love this show. Every episode is very interesting, and I always learn quite a bit. Cheers History Guy.
I remember dismissing a facebook post asserting that british officers in the 18th-19th century were not allowed to duck or falter when leading a bayonet charge. In this situation his cap would be his only cover.
Aidan Sharples I have never heard that- but British officers have certainly been expected to lead from the front.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Grandad reckons it was a scene in one of the Sharpe films.
Cant find any reference to reality.
And the story about "Chief" King and Admiral Nimitz is hilarious!
I love items that have their own unique story, like the guy who wore it or how it fell into private hands or similar. Nothing beats being able to have someone visiting, hear them comment on your collection, and then pulling an item out of a display case or off a shelf and start telling its story!
In Canada a more common term is
" remove your headdress please".
When entering a messhall for instance.
Or just five or six guys yelling
"headdress headdress!"
Because you forgot.
"Headdress Headdress, eh? Sorry."
Sounds canadian
I think head dress is the general term in the uniform reg.
@@PaulFlude It's also the term used on parade when you are ordered to remove your hat.
I was a junior officer in the late 60's and in many of the O'clubs if you wore your cover into the bar they would ring a bell and you bought the bar a round. A friend of mine made that mistake, realized he couldn't cover the tab, ran out the door into the jungle, was chased but got away. Thanks for the info HG.
Short version: a bunch of high-ranking divas in the navy had different opinions about which colors look best so they kept adding colors.
The evolution of the military uniforms of MANY nations is a fascinating subject in and of itself. And, might I add that as a reenactor, it's a damned EXPENSIVE one!!!
There's four regulation US Navy uniform colours.
"That's dumb, we need to come up with one, standard uniform colour."
There's five regulation US Navy uniform colours.
So basically the same story as when someone tries to come up with a new universal standard electronic connector (for example phone charger). All they did was just add yet another incompatible type.
Great episode! Thank you. I was on enlisted US Navy active duty in the late 1960's and a member of the active US Navy Reserve well into the 1970's. I remember well the shift of the enlisted uniform from blue jumper to blue jacket and tie (similar to officers and senior enlisted chiefs)in 1973. Along with that change came the traditional cover, black brim, strap and white vinyl fabric top. As I recall that uniform did not go over well in the ranks. The Navy returned to the blue jumper around 1980, having realized their mistake. Also the standard military drill command to remove one's hat while in ranks is "Uncover- Two" and to put the hat back on is "Cover- Two". I look forward to your next post.
On Covers: In the Marine Corps one is required to be under cover at all times in uniform. In practice this means that if we aren't under something like a roof, we must have our cover on. As a rule Marines don't wear a cover indoors at all (and also don't salute) unless they are on duty.
Same with the Navy. Cover at all times when not inside. I was a Corpsman so the saluting rules were pretty relaxed, between Corpsmen and Medical and Nursing officers, at least after Corps school.
I was in the Army, and cover is worn outside, accept when carrying arms...then you remained covered inside...
If 'under arms', even a duty belt for guard duty, a Marine is expected to wear a cover, even indoors. Also, Marines do not salute if uncovered.
I salute you all - just basic manners - I try to tell my students (I teach 7th grade) that you NEVER wear a hat when there is a roof over your head - EVER - no matter how many idiots you see doing it.
One exception is when on a flight deck or flight line; loose covers are considered FOD hazards and can cause a lot of damage if sucked into a jet engine.
I would like to see an episode on the "black shoe navy" and the "brown shoe navy." Love the channel.
I never heard of the term "cover" applied to what you wore on your head until I went to Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego. The term "cover" was clearly explained to all of us recruits by a drill sergeant. After that the matter was settled! It was also explained to us that we never wore a cover indoors, and always wore it outdoors. Sempter Fi!
What if you were "under arms"? (Or armed, if I am using the phrase incorrectly.) And I know that Navy regs say that you are not to salute unless you are "covered." If you intend to salute a superior officer, you wear some type of cover.
I spent 21 years in the Navy. When I made Chief and could wear the khaki combination cover I thought I was going to die from happiness. Great episode. The first and one of the few times I ever saw aviation greens I thought the guy was some sort of U.S. Marine. Great episode. Thank you.
In my Navy service, early 1980s, that hat was officially the "Service Cap".
The Marines called hats "covers".
I'm a US Navy Submarine Service Veteran and I must say... What a great video! You just presented "Video Proof"of why we had to have so many Uniforms! (even in the 1990's). Ok... So, my Basic Daily Uniform was the Dungaree Uniform, but I also had Working Blue, Working White, Dress Blue and Dress White; all of which my White-Hat "Dixie Cup" was Authorized Cover. Once I was assigned to an Afloat Command (USS Jacksonville SSN-699), I was assigned a "Ballcap", with Ship Identification etc...
The little known WW 2 battle of The Hue, where the US Navy fought the US Navy over whether to use a battleship grey hue or a khaki hue, eventually won by Admiral Nimitz by outlasting Fleet Admiral King.
That was Fleet Admiral Nimitz as well.
Rik Mik Not until December 1944.
As always, interesting, succinct and to the point. I couldn't watch these for hours on end. but 15 minutes a day, or even twice a day, sure adds to our (my) education. Thank you, HG.
"Put a cover on your gourd maggot", USMC boot camp 1966.
@orionh3000 He'll still kick your ass into next week.
@@RCAvhstape and we'll help him do it!
Your reason you offer for your collections is exactly what got me into antiques -both furniture and electrical appliances! I've got some serious prized pieces, including the original box that came with my 1954 GE Electric waffle iron with interchangeable griddle plates; with three cats, a 66yr old box from a waffle iron is absolutely furniture!
Great video!! I had a lot covers while navy, to include the iconic dixie cup, which is officially called the White Hat..." Go figure. One of the decision factors for joining the Navy when I was 17 and entering boot camp at 18, was the fact that on ships the sailors wore ball caps with the ships logo or name/hull number. I had always wore ball caps growing up. CWO4 Aviation Boatswain (ABH prior), Retired 2016 after 30 years of service.
So glad the importance of history is being supported by those like you Sir. Its also so interesting to any thoughtful person.
“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.”
― Winston S. Churchill
Make it too, he might have added.
Hats off to the History Guy! Another gem of history presented in his own inimitable style. I salute you sir!
If you ever watch The Caine Mutiny Jose Ferrer's character a Naval aviator is first seen wearing a green uniform.
Herman Wouk served on two Destroyer-Minesweepers in the Pacific. In the Fifties there were a couple of million vets who have hooted derisively if the film got the uniforms wrong
As a Naval Academy graduate, it is great to learn this 43 years after I became a plebe. This would be a great addition to reef points, for the plebes coming in. The five stars for Fleet ADM King look far smaller than the four for Admiral. Thank you as well for showing "Mister Roberts". My ultimate point as a midshipman was singing tribute to Henry Fonda, as he received the Kennedy Center Honor.
The "overseas service cap" style had a very different (and completely unmentionable for fear of getting nailed by the RUclips Police) name while I was in the military :D
Thanks for the info. I have a bit of a military hat collection myself and have always envied yours in the background there. Love your show.
More covers please. Let’s hear about the Dixie cup.
aka the squid lid
you sir, mr history guy, have a gift of making something as mundane as navy hats both educational and interesting. a rare gift.
This reminds me of when I enlisted in 1974 Zumwalt was changing the work uniforms from blue shirts, dungarees and Dixie cups to some God awful getup that no one looked good in and I can't even describe.(edit: The new dress uniform was a suit like a Chief wears and milkman covers.) Thankfully when we got out to the fleet we could still buy and wear dungarees and baseball caps along with cracker jacks and Dixie cups. The boot camp junk went in the dumpster
Thanks for centering on the Navy for your discussion of covers. I'm a navy vet. My dad was a wwII navy chief petty officer who left active duty not long after the end of the war. In mentioning colors, when I served there were contrasting terms; brown shoe and black shoe navy, brown for aviation black for the rest of us.
It's a shame that after 100 years of Naval Aviation; Eugene Ely has no Carrier in his honor.
And I live in Norfolk , Virginia , reside not far from where Ely took off.
How many carriers do you think America needs?
You guys are already 23 trillion dollars in debt.
I know let's borrow some money from China and build another aircraft carrier.
@@1joshjosh1 You live in Japan ?
@@1joshjosh1 That was an ignorant comment.
@@1joshjosh1
Yes. The should just rename their carriers instead of building new Super Carriers for maintaining hegemon.
I just found a box of my dad’s old covers. He retired a Senior Chief (in 1987) and I mostly remember seeing him in his khaki cover, so seeing what I think was his first one out of basic in a box was awesome.
Cover rather than hat reminded me of an air force riddle: how many trucks are on this base? Answer: one, the top of the base flagpole. All the other "trucks" are vehicles.
You minimum number of trucks on the base and where is it located? Answer is One and under the ball on the base flag pole. Try this line what is lowest ranking officer on the ship and where is his duty station on deck? Ensign and on the bow flapping in the breeze. The difference between a boat and a ship is a boat you can put on a ship but a ship doesn't fit on a boat. With a name of Jody how many do you know? Cadence's that is.
In the US Army, we refer to hats as headgear, or cover as like others have said we’re always to have “cover over our heads”, referring to the fact that headgear is only worn outdoors. The wearing of headgear indoors (by Army regulation) is only permitted when a Soldier is under arms. Commonly this applies to Military Police, who while armed on duty, do not remove their headgear while indoors.
HATS off to another great episode! Sorry couldn't help myself. LoL.
Yeah, that was a good one
As an old retired Marine I often wondered about covers
History 😅
When I was in the Army, the Cap was that thing you could fold and stick in your pocket or belt, that included the "baseball" style cap. The round cap mostly worn officers was called a "Saucer". And of course anything that finished off the top of a Marine was called a "Lid".
Halsey apparently didn’t like the grey uniforms because it, “made naval officers look like bus drivers!”
@Me Smith Per usual, Adm Kinkaid is quietly saving everyone's bacon while they boast about the sizzle.
@Corazon Sierra You do realize that there were Union units, usually state militias that also wore grey uniforms and Confederate units that wore blue uniforms or no uniforms at all.
I really enjoyed that! Perhaps an idea for an episode for you is the “Brown shoe Navy” and the “Black shoe Navy” my Dad was a brown shoe guy in Naval Aviation, that might be an interesting story.
Ah - the days when the US military wore proper uniforms and not camouflage pyjamas.
agreed. Camo is dumb.
But with the cammies, accidental discharge of lunch is concealed during afternoon formation! Geoff Who was in the middle of the camouflage fatigue conversion around 1980.
Let me guess. You hated it when nurses switched to scrubs over starched white.
@@dbmail545 I hated it when everybody in the hospital went to a bewildering assortment of scrubs and you didn't know if you were getting advice from the Chief of Surgery or the bloke whooping the deck! Geoff Who notes the local hospitals color code and label the staff.
@@dbmail545 Yeah.😷 And yes I dislike male uniforms for females. I liked women looking like women .
As a young seaman in Canada we wore a common "work dress" with the army and Air Force. This consisted of rifle-green work trousers; a zippered rifle-green work jacket; a "lagoon green" work shirt; and beret or ball cap. This work dress made us virtually indistinguishable from gas station attendants. It was definitely not an aide to recruitment. In 1986 it was changed, in part because of lessons learned from our Royal Navy colleagues in the Falklands War. The poly material would melt and fuse with skin under the extreme heat of fires and provided little protection from cold when wet. The replacement uniform was made from Nomex (like race car drivers) and protected from fire.
"Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others."
― Rosa Parks
Let us hope.
The brief sojourn into the etymology of "cover" alone was fascinating.
Man we should have been taught this in boot camp - to learn the history of the uniform, that would have allowed us to understand WHY it matters so much. *sigh*
It might have been easier to stay awake in class. ha haaa
If you were in the Marine Corps, then they would have more then likely told you the history behind the uniform .
At least it was like that when I was in
@BC Bob When I was in ('75 - '95), flightsuits were not authorized for off-base wear. They were considered "organizational clothing", not a uniform. Then again, same thing with dungarees. When I see the weird combinations of uniforms they wear nowadays, and after seeing plenty of "blueberries" out in town, I would prefer to see the zoom bags instead. I used to wear the aramid long johns under my flight suit, regardless of whether I was flying out of Brunswick or Cubi. There were times, though, when I had on jeans and a t-shirt, or on dets out of Kadena, gym shorts and a tank top (no Cabin Air, flying depressurized on station over the S.China Sea in mid Summer!) Some flights were so hot, we just wore the shorts, tank, flight boots and LPAs while onsta!
@@chrisslky7018 I fell asleep in class once. It did not end well.
it is so good to see you show no bias towards any of the colors of the uniforms and hats. In this world far to much emphasis is placed upon color.
US Army in he 80s, my Drill Sergeants cited 'head gear' when referring to our BDU Caps.
or you could use the ranger term: "Patrol Caps"
Army Regulation 670-1 (Wear and Appearance of Army Uniforms) uses the term "headgear".
I remember dismissing a facebook post asserting that british officers in the 18th-19th century were not allowed to duck or falter when leading a bayonet charge. In this situation his cap would be his only cover.
@@Gronk79 When I was in Ranger school the students from the battalions called them "PC's." I thought "why do we need a personal computer?"
@@Gronk79 Or the initialism....PC.
Every time I hear somebody call a military cover a "hat" I must correct them. I never owned a "hat" when I was in the US Air Force. All I had was covers. Thanks History Guy for making this a video for the civilians who call it a "hat". Great video!
Have you done a story about the Wolverine and the Sable, the Navy's freshwater aircraft carriers? A lot of WWII pilots trained on them.
Lake Michigan ?...Great Lakes cranked out 1,000 of Sailors and Officers.
Jesse Oaks That's a story I want to hear!
The combination cover is a great piece of gear, ... at a price. Provides shade to the eyes but is bulky.
Similarly, the enlisted round hat, dixie cups, fore and aft caps (with some impolite informal names) as well as the officer's garrison cap are beyond worthless in the sun. Give me a ball cap, or a jiffy pop cap to provide shade. I even coveted a pith helmet but that never happened. Jiffy pop for nautical types, the Army version of the patrol cap comes to a point.
Blessedly the blueberries or aquaflage uniform will soon be as dead and unmourned as King Gray uniforms.
I wish he would do a history on the paddle wheel carriers
@@brianbrown4115 That the Sable and Wolverine
Thank you for an interesting, informative episode. As a retired naval aviator I enjoyed your review of the history of Navy Officer uniforms, and our “covers.” As a long-term subscriber, I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment from well thought out episodes. BZ!
I always thought "cover" was short for "head cover."
LOVED THIS ONE.....
I'm an Army vet and when I joined you had Army Green Class A, and B.
We also had Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs).
The light weights were just coming out when I joined.
Then we got new boots.
Padded top of the "barrel" of the boot.
Better inserts and speed lacing.
After I got out of the Guard in 2005, it seems that they changed the field uniform almost yearly.
And the boots.
Then they came out with the Blue uniform.
And then they came out with the "retro" World War II "style" uniform.
It seems that every General wants to leave their mark and use the Army uniform to do it.
I've got at least 11 sets of BDU's.
Three black rain / winter coats.
And the same with Class A's.
And oddly enough..I think I might be able to fit into one or two of them....
This is excellent but it reminded me that im interested in why the Marine Corps flag changed from blue to red. I work for Marines and they don't even know.
In 1925 the legendary commandant of the Marine Corps John Archer Lejeune settled on gold and scarlet as the official colors of the corps, reasoning that the colors had been used on the uniforms of officers and men of the Marine Corps most consistently since the inception of the Marine Corps. The U.S. Marine Corps had used a number of different flags to that point, including blue from 1913 - 1939, and during a redesign in 1939 the flag of the corps was revised to match those official colors.
Lejuene's birthday message is also read every year at our birthday balls.
The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered Thanks!
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel I am formally requesting a deep dive into the U.S. Marine Corps. We were taught Marine Corps history in boot camp, some of which I have not been able to confirm, such as the origin of the moniker 'teufelhund' or Devil Dog. In the video I would mention other countries that have Marine Corps (British Royal Marines are awesome), and I suppose it would be appropriate to make a series of videos on the other branches. All gave some, some gave all.
Blue to Red.
Blame the Democrats.
An episode that's hard to top. I've seen only three in person. Thank you for sharing this History with us.
Shipmate, Great episode as usual... especially your comments on the gray uniform...the Navy has tradition of ignoring uniform regulations we don't like ... in the early 1980s we had a "salt and pepper" uniform for officers ... service dress blue trousers and summer white shirts with shoulder boards -- worn extensively in the Atlantic, but not a "uniform of the day" in the Pacific as i recall....that's a clever way of getting around regs ... and of course the word gets out pretty quick -- if the Fleet Commander doesn't wear it, you feel fully empowered to not wear it either ... and the "salt and pepper" uniform didn't last long ... BTW, ADM King would have been a "midshipman" while at the USNA, not a "cadet"...thanks.
@Me Smith I was in during the early eighties (see my comment). I was fine with anything together with the combination cap. I hated, and I hate, the "dixie cup" with anything but the cracker jack uniform and possibly dungarees, although a ball cap works better with dungarees, IMHO.
mark harnitchek I positively HATED that uniform. Fortunately short lived.
The submarine service - the one part of the US Navy that seems to have most influenced modern US Navy uniforms. The modern surface and aviation warfare pins got their inspirations from the submarine badge/pin. It was the submarine service that first began wearing the modern navy coveralls (also called "poopie suits"). According to you, it was submarine officers that first wore khaki uniforms (I did not know about this). I can't speak for the surface or aviation sailors, but US submariners also wear casual undershirts and sneakers while underway instead of the plain white undershirt and navy-issued "boondockers."
Funniest navy hat related thing I saw was a meme where the text was "Chief told me to stencil my cover so I did" and the picture was the underside of a white dixie cup hat with 'fuck the navy' inside XD
I like your toy cannon collection. I once built a brass cannon loosely based on the French 75. It was about 8" long, recoiled on it's trunnions and could put a .177 BB through a 3/4" board. Wish I still had it. If I did, I'd gift it to you but alas, I gave it away about 25 years ago. Too bad as I suspect you'd of appreciated it much more.
Thanks again for your programs. History is where it's at!!
I've never worn a hat since my time in the military, not even a baseball cap. I hate the damn things.
Wayne D You must be bald, shaven or don’t mind the sun getting in your eyes...
Navy vet here. I wear one all the time I'm outside. About the only difference between now and my service time is sometimes (but not often) now I will wear my hat indoors. Never did like the Dixie cups. Seemed like the most useless design ever.
Air Force...
@@samiam619 I'm 72 and still have all my hair and sunglasses work great. I just can't stand anything around my head. Got ordered more than dozen times to put it on when I was in the service. I did wear a helmet when in Vietnam for 18 months though.
@@ibindare Also Navy vet (8 years), I stopped wearing them soon as I got out, the exception is when I go hiking. Sun will just scorch my fair skin, and my hair is getting a bit thin on top, and the top of my head will get sunburnt too if I don't wear one when outside for hours. Funny thing is I once heard that wearing a hat could speed up going bald, that was my main reason for not wearing one. Not sure if that's true though. And I'm so thin up top it doesn't matter anymore. I may start wearing a hat more often. Though to this day I still cannot wear a hat indoors, it doesn't feel right. And I also dropped saying cover as soon as I got out, people would just look at me weird if I continued calling them that.
The little details of history deserve to be remembered too! Thank You! Another great video!!!
History that deserves to be forgotten: Zumwalt's much despised "Ice cream salesman" uniform for enlisted men. 1975-1982.
Your passion and enthusiasm for history is wonderful and makes me smile. Keep being you.
I was in the USMC in the early 80s. I still say have s hard time saying "hat", its always a "cover" to me. :)
We do not go to the bathroom, we use the head.
Walls are bulkheads. Ceilings are overheads. Floors are decks. Doors are hatches, windows are portholes, and stairways are ladderwells.
Left is port, right is starboard, and the foreword end of the room where the entry hatch is located is called the quarterdeck.
Service rifles are rifles, never guns. "Guns" refer to machine guns or shotguns.
It's weird to talk to civilians after a being indoctrinated with naval terminology for months on end.
Good episode. Thanks. For many years I’ve felt at a loss and that I was confused about naval uniforms and hats or caps in particular. After watching this I now realize it is the Navy that was confused.
Personally, I think I’m only the Navy’s case, the uniform would be ideal if it stood out against the average color of the sea in case a man falls overboard or a ship is sunk. Making the uniform the same color as the sea seems silly to me, but I suppose it might have merit if an enemy is looking to pick off survivors.
traderjoes good point
I refer you to the "polarizing blueberries" www.stripes.com/news/navy-says-goodbye-to-the-blueberry-camouflage-uniform-1.600745
Today's camo makes even less sense.
@@WALTERBROADDUS --
Dept of Defense: "To save money, all the services will wear the same working uniform."
Each service: "Okay, but ours needs to be unique in some way."
*Blueberry camo wants to know your location*
When in the U.S. Air Force, I preferred to wear the "wheel hat" rather than the flight cap. The flight cap reminded me of the Boy Scouts. My crew at Clear AFS, AK, called it "Capt Morgan's bus driver's hat"! I didn't stay in the AF long enough for it to develop a "fifty-mission crush", though.
As a native Frenchman, I can tell you that the French generic word for hats, caps, beanies, berets, etc... is "couvre-chef" (head cover). As the military has several kinds of headgear, they officially use that generic word in their written regulations. That's probably, in my opinion, the origin of the use of "cover" by the US military.
@ Frederic Letellier - merci!
Your lead photo of the young Lieutenant, standing with binoculars, on the bridge of USS Missouri, had a descendant aboard the ship on her second commissioning in 1986. He was an Operations Specialist who was featured in a photo illustrating 'hazing' in the Navy in Newsweek magazine. He was in costume, dancing in competition in the Shellback ceremonies as we crossed the equator at the date line. That is the Golden Shellback. I can say, modestly, that it was my photograph as part of the PAO staff. BTW, it was a pirate costume, to make it a great story.
I spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and we never called our hats or caps "covers."
Was it because your heads were hard enough you didn’t need a cover? 😉
Probably because it was a Naval Service thing, originally. Bleeding over into the Land Branch by Former Marine Drill Instructors taking billets as Drill Sergeants for whatever reasons... New vistas to conquer, change of venue for personal reasons, genuine patriotic motivation to help improve a Brother service? Who can know? Some of the best Marines were prior -service-Army. John Basilone, and Evans Carlson come to mind. Some people put the needs of the Nation above inter-service rivalry.
It must be a recent thing, as during my tour in the mid '70s, I did not observe Army personnel refer to headgear as a "Cover''. But I had very little contact with them.
Same here.
PLEASE keep the military cap stories coming. They're fascinating!
11:34 Hat's off to JFK!
A great video as usual. When the Navy decides to "simplify" the uniform (which it does on a regular basis) you know it's time for the sailor and the taxpayer to break out the wallet. In fact, if you ever decide to do history lessons that are hours in length, you might consider the history of U.S. Navy uniform changes in the modern era. An added bonus: Given the amount of money that changes hands with each simplification of the uniform, that story would also have pirates in it!
When I was in the US Army, 1956~1959, the term for the billed cap was "Service Cap, Enlisted men's." The cap consisted of the leather bill and stiff frame. "Cover" referred to the khaki (for summer) and olive drab (for winter) cotton or wool covers that were required to make up the completed Service Cap. There was one "frame" with interchangeable covers.
I've collected stuff all my long life. Firearms, lostahe stamps, gold and silver coins, historical California photographs, first editions western Americana, books on archaeology, memorabilia from my city, crystals and minerals, in fact anything that's unusual. When I worked in Crimea 25 years ago I bought a Russian Black Sea Fleet cap (belt, and watch too). Such things remind me of my extensive travels but also of subjects that interest me. Some serve as tangible investments.
This was fascinating, and my eye was drawn to the slouch hat on the shelf behind you as well!
Clearfield, Utah! I use to live there! But now I live in Charleston, SC. and I'm currently trying to join the coast guard reserves at the age of 38. Love your channel!
You do have a great Cover collection. I found out the difference between a hat and a cover while in the first days of Marine Corps Boot Camp. I never forgot the lesson. My collection involves U.S. Navy Ship Zippo lighters. I have three hundred of them, along with some mugs, ashtrays, belt buckles, a handful of ball caps and a load of ship/squadron patches. The oldest zippo is dated 1954. Thank you for the strolls thru history.
I was in the US Navy from Oct 18, 1971 to Aug. 15, 1975. I was in the aviation field of the US Navy. I saw a lot of kaki uniforms. All officers, no enlisted. We enlisted had but 2 colors to wear, white (summer) or navy blue (winter) ! In tropical climates they wore kaki year round, I think ! I never served in the tropics !
Wow! Is this episode of THG super informative for me! Just last week I received epaulets from my father's WWII USN uniform. What was odd to me was their color: gray. Now you have solved the mystery, THG! Thank you!
All those opportunities to talk about Pirates and not even mentioned in the story. Thank you for bringing this to us. It was very interesting as all of your material is keep up the good work.
Another ubiquitous cover in the United States Navy is the ballcap. Going as far back as WWII, Sailors have worn the ballcap aboard ships and on non-operational flight lines as part of the daily work uniforms.
I received my first "RECRUIT" ballcap in mid-February 1998 as a new recruit at Naval Recruit Training Command Great Lakes. In early April, I participated in a ballcap exchange ceremony, and my recruit ballcap become a "NAVY" ballcap. While it may sound trivial, this was a momentous occasion for any recruit, and marked the first of many career milestones.
Over the years, I've accrued many ballcaps from the command's I've been assigned to. Most are regulation navy blue in color, but my shipboard ballcaps have also come in various colors depending on which of the many training teams I've been a part of (red for Damage Control, Black for Engineering Training Team, Yellow for Force Protection Training Team, etc...). Point of fact, these colored ballcaps were provided in addition to the standard blue ballcap that issued free of charge to every newly reporting Sailor to the command.
My most recent ballcaps have now come in coyote brown, as well, to better match our Navy Working Uniform (NWU) Type III's.
A few have been personalized, limited to either my name or my position above the rear opening of the cap, above the closure. This seems equally as common across the Fleet, so much so that it's governed in Navy Regulations.
Interesting enough, I was issued a baby blue ballcap - along with a baby blue beret - as part of my temporary assignment with the United Nations. However, I didn't care for it very much because the fit was slightly different from what I was used to. And the brim was impossibly long.
Excellent video-- thanks for doing it. In my old age, I have become interested in Adm Chester Nimitz, and am glad to learn of his part in the khaki uniform.