Milwaukee FASHION

A staff sergeant at a missile base out west recently found himself down to only two presentable battle dress uniforms, so he decided it was time to buy some new threads. But it wasn t so easy to do that. The Air Force is phasing out the BDU in favor of the new airman battle uniform, so the sergeant, who asked not to be identified, figured he might as well upgrade to the latest and greatest.

As at most bases, the military clothing sales store didn t have any ABUs in stock and didn t know when they would get any. So the sergeant did what we all do these days and turned to the Internet. ABU Buying Guide After receiving assurances from a manufacturer selling ABUs online that its commercial version of the uniform is identical to those sold through Army and Air Force Exchange Services stores, the airman dropped $130 and had his new ABU a few days later.

When I got it, I compared it to a set a buddy of mine bought through AAFES, and they re identical, the staff sergeant said. I couldn t tell anything different. In fact, the Air Force says, the uniforms, both legally manufactured by Propper International, are identical. But the one sold through AAFES is manufactured in the U.S. The one sold commercially on Propper s Web site is made in the Dominican Republic.

Not a big deal to the staff sergeant, but apparently quite a big deal to the woman working at the base alteration shop. When he took his ABUs to have his name and stripes sewed on, the clerk at the shop refused his business. She said they were unauthorized illegal uniforms, he said. She refused to do them. The staff sergeant and the woman at the alteration shop aren t the only ones confused, and the question of which ABUs are authorized isn t the only issue.