Making a case for the modern day professional.

          Whenever I approach a topic that I feel very strongly about, I do my absolute best to understand both sides of the conversation. I try to put myself in the shoes of someone on the other side of the aisle and understand what environmental stressors would shape my opinion if I were that person. When it comes to topics regarding the military, I try to evaluate issues from all ranks and positions, even though I have been a dirty enlisted man my entire career. In this blog post, I am going to do my best to take the side of the salty First Sergeants, the old Sergeants Major, and the prim and proper officers of all levels.

 

“What in the fuck are you on about, dude?”- You, probably.

 

        Any time one of the aforementioned ARMY leaders have corrected me on my uniform, Professionalism has been cited as the reason for their disdain for a disruptor such as myself. Did you really think walking 47 feet from the shop to your truck without a hat on was acceptable? Unprofessional.  Did you REALLY think that wearing a combat shirt at the range was sending the right message to junior soldiers? Unprofessional. Obviously anyone who would even think about wearing a high-cut helmet is too unprofessional to exist in a career field with any real responsibility, right?

OK, I know I said I was going to take their side….

       When I ponder as to why a Captain in the ARMY would assume the lowest of me just because I want to don myself with the best tactical gear possible, I come up with a few conclusions. The first being pressure form the top. I have to assume that the BN commander would chew their ass if he came out to the range and saw nothing but Crye Precision and Patagonia. It could appear that the company commander has lost control of his troops. In that way, I sympathize with the company commander. This doesn’t just apply to a company commander. A BN commander can feel pressure from a BDE commander and so on and so forth allllll the way up the ladder. I also believe that soldiers wearing non-issued gear is a bit unsettling for the average military leader because it implies a freedom of choice on behalf of the junior soldier. In other words, there is a rule that you must abide by, and you took it upon yourself to ignore that rule in favor of comfort and efficiency. What other rules that leadership establishes are you going to be willing to bypass for your own personal gain? Unprofessional. So, next time you reach down to unblouse your boots, understand the pickle you are putting your leadership into. You are a direct reflection of them, and you look un-disciplined, overly concerned with your comfort, and… unprofessional.

Alright, time to argue for the other side.

I want to be very clear that given the option between being incompetent with cool gear, and being very competent with only issued gear, I would choose the latter 10/10 times. But why not have cool gear AND excel at your job?

        Imagine a scenario in which you are a leader in the ARMY. You are in the middle of a mission, and a problem arises. Like a problem that you need taken care of immediately. Lives are at risk. You spot two available soldiers. You have never worked with either of them, but it’s all you got. One is wearing Crye precision uniforms and has a high-speed plate carrier. The other is full AR670-1 with DAPS and all that shit. Which one do you approach to solve your problem? I can answer that for you. The guy with a high-cut, cryes, and a beard looks more capable. We all know it, and we have all experienced it. I agree with the Army that appearance matters. I just do not think the ARMY is aware of what professionalism LOOKS like in 2025. Above is a picture showing two soldiers. One in ARMY issued gear and one in SPEAR gear. Which one gives you more confidence?

I have had one company commander in my time in the military who understood this. I watched him have multiple conversations with other ARMY leaders about his troops appearance. He did not waiver once. He made his case against BN commanders, battlespace owners, first sergeants, sergeants major, and the list goes on. He was willing to have tough conversations with his bosses in order to ensure that when his troops presented themselves on the battlefield, They appeared competent and experienced. In return, we (his troops) took care of actually being competent and experienced.

 

As we operated in our AO, I noticed how junior soldiers treated us. They treated us with respect and were willing to listen to our advice without question, instead of that usual dick measuring contest you get with unfamiliar units.  When we had to approach a PL and ask him to adjust his platoon’s TTPs in order to better fit our mission, he trusted us. I do wholeheartedly believe that our physical appearance played a part in that.  The conventional force senior leaders we worked with were definitely uncomfortable with our appearance initially. Still, once we started working for them, our actions spoke much louder than our high-cuts.

My commander from that rotation still talks about how the one comment that kept surfacing from all the different ground force commanders and platoon leaders we worked for was, “Your guys are professionals; you should be proud.”

To the guys who are in favor of cool-guy gear and fail to see why their leaders are so against it: I would urge you to understand the position you are putting your leaders in. They want you and the rest of your unit to be seen in the best light amongst their peers. Pick your battles, and understand that wearing issued gear isn’t the end of the world. This, too, shall pass.

 

To the leaders who are opposed to cool-guy gear: There is a sense of pride that your troops get from appearing as professional as they are. They want the units that they are supporting to look up to them. In 2025, cool-guy gear does just that. I would love to see leaders understand how important this issue is to their troops, and maybe fighting for your guys to get that exception to policy letter wouldn’t be as big of a fight as you think.

 

pro·fes·sion·al·ism

/prəˈfeSHənlˌiz(ə)m,prəˈfeSHnəˌliz(ə)m/

 

 

noun

noun: professionalism

1. the competence or skill expected of a professional.

"the key to quality and efficiency is professionalism"

o  the practicing of an activity, especially a sport, by professional rather than amateur players.

"the trend toward professionalism"