Preparing the Army Uniform

Start thinking about what you need to get the uniform ready for the Army promotion or Soldier of the month board. Know which items you have ready to go and which items need your attention. I am posting some resources below to get you started:

Fitting

When you first get your uniform in Basic Training, they are fitted (most of the time) to your particular size. As many of us know, things changes after a few months out of basic training and having your uniform property fit is important.

Here is an illustration that shows how the uniform should fit:

Credit: Basic Fit Guide (Fort Campbell)

For the gentlemen looking for a bit more information, I would also check out this video created by the Antonio Centeno from Real Men Real Style. He explains who a suit should look, many of the principles he mentions apply to the ASU as well.

 The Rack

Get your rack and awards figured out a head of time so when you are ready, the uniform can be put together all at once instead of piece by piece.

I recommend using one of the following sites:

Medals of America – Offers any medal you would ever need for your uniform

EZRackBuilder – I like these guys because they offer you the option to login and save your rack for later use

Using the sites I mentioned also put the rack in order of precedence, which makes life a bit easier.

Another tool I would recommend is the Uniform Tool to get everything situated on the uniform quick and easy.

 

Boots & Shoes

Footwear for the board should be tackled early if you have boots. Start getting your shine on early because there tends to be a learning curve up front. Check out this video to get you started (It’s an oldie but a goodie!):

If you are not required to wear boots in your dress uniform, usually airborne units are the only ones required, then things get much easier. All that is needed is a quick wipe down and some Kiwi Heel and Edge.

 

Additional Resources

I go into better detail on how to prepare the uniform and tips and tricks to help you along the way in The Board Bible but here are a few more resources to get you started:

 

Army.mil –  This site has all the information and updates you need to know about the ASU

Marlow White – I have personally bought my uniform from Marlow White. I sent them my measurements/size (obtained from alteration shop on post) and they mailed my uniform to me and I had all the alterations completed on post. They did a great job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos by Program Executive Office Soldier,