USPHS Uniform Information and Updates

By CDR Bruce Tierney

As we continue to work through the recent changes to PHS Uniforms, both current and proposed, many officers who do not yet own the BDU wonder whether they should purchase the current version knowing that the uniform will likely change in the near future. Indeed, few uniforms have generated more questions or concerns for officers than the Battle Dress Uniform or “BDU”. The BDU was renamed from the Field Utility Uniform or FUU in an update of the Special Uniform Situations Instruction on 20 July 2005. This Instruction, CC 26.3.7, was updated once again on 24 September 2008. It is now the primary alternative to the standard Working Khaki uniform for deployment and is perhaps the best alternative for use in the potentially adverse living and working conditions that often result from a deployment such as following a hurricane or other natural disaster.

One of the first questions asked is whether the BDU is now a “required” uniform. Effective with newly updated uniform instructions, CC26.3.4 and CC26.3.5, the BDU will become a uniform officers are required to maintain on 01 January 2009 as noted in section 6. In addition the Working Khaki, the typical alternative Corps working uniform, will be phased out of the uniform inventory effective 01 August 2009 as noted in PPM 08-020 (PPM link no longer available. Incorporated into CC 26.3.1 ). It is my personal opinion that officers should seriously consider purchasing at least two sets of the BDU for wear on deployment. Based on my own experience with recent hurricane deployments it is clearly the superior uniform for wear in extreme conditions.

Components of the BDU

Utility Coat and Trousers: The BDU uniform consists of the Woodland Green BDU that, up until recently, had been worn by all services as a working uniform (except possibly the Coast Guard which typically uses the Operational Dress Uniform or ODU which is a solid “Coast Guard” blue in color). But more on that later! The BDU consists of a Utility Coat (often referred to as a blouse to distinguish it from the Field Jacket) and Trousers. It should be noted that military creases are not required on the Utility Coat or Trousers. There are two materials for the BDU, the temperate material and the hot weather material, which typically looks like rip stop nylon. Uniform materials should not be mixed between the Utility Coat and Trousers. Uniform components purchased from an authorized manufacturer should be labeled as such and as a result should meet all design requirements. Sources for purchase will be discussed later in the article. In addition to the Utility Coat and Trousers, the basic components of the uniform include the following:

Belt and Buckle: The belt is of a black web material that is 1 ¼ inch wide with a black metal tip and an open-faced black buckle. This buckle is completely different from the buckle worn with service uniforms like the service dress blue and must be purchased separately. A black web belt with a Velcro closure or a 1 ¾ inch black web belt with a flat black buckle are acceptable alternatives, but they may be more difficult to find.

Combat Boots: Boots are the only type of footgear authorized with the BDU uniform. However there are several different styles of boots available. Boots should have uppers (including the part going up the ankle) that are approximately 10 inches high. The material can be all leather or a combination of leather and fabric. The fabric may be either green (what used to be known as the “jungle boot”) or black. In the newest update of the Special Situations Uniform Instruction a brown “brushless” boot was also authorized. The toe of the boot must be plain which makes the “jump boot” (once common in Army circles) inappropriate for wear with the PHS version of the BDU. Steel toes and zipper closures are acceptable options for the Combat Boot.

Socks: These should be at least as high as the boot top and should be either olive drab or black in color. No other color should be visible above the top of the boot although some socks are now made with a white foot and an olive drab/black ankle portion that would be an acceptable alternative.

Undershirt (the new black PHS “t-shirt”): One major change in the BDU with the new uniform instruction published in July 2005 is the new PHS specific undershirt to be worn with the BDU. The new undershirt is black in color with short sleeves and a crew neck. The previous plain brown undershirt was phased out by PPM 06-005 on 20 July 2007. All officers should now be using the new black PHS specific undershirt for wear with your BDU. Officers who are part of the new OFRD response teams are likely to be expected to have the new black undershirt.

Originally the new undershirt was described as having a yellow 3 inch diameter PHS seal on the upper left breast of the front of the shirt but the recent update PPM 06-005 has indicated that both 3 inch and 4 inch diameter seals on the front of the undershirt are now acceptable to allow for use of undershirts that have been produced with a 4 inch seal. As a result either size seal is now authorized and acceptable for wear. The words U.S. Public Health Service are printed in three lines with 2 inch Arial font (first line: U.S. / second line: Public Health / third line: Service) on the back of the shirt, in the same yellow color as the yellow quarantine flag. A similar shirt with an olive drab seal and lettering on black is authorized for tactical situations or when directed by the appropriate authority but this version is currently not readily available to my knowledge at this time nor is it likely to be needed for most PHS deployments.

Undergarments: Standard undergarments for male and female officers are not specifically spelled out in the updated instruction but should be similar to those worn with other uniforms. Undergarments in brown or olive drab color are available and would be appropriate with the BDU but are not required.

Headgear: Standard required headgear for the BDU is the utility cap. The description of this cap with six sides in the initial uniform instruction was incorrect but has been updated in PPM 06-005 to correctly describe the Navy-style eight-sided cover with a firm bill, plated sides and a high front panel. Note that the utility cap comes only in the hot weather style (rip stop nylon appearance) and can be worn with a uniform of different material. Be sure not to purchase the similar cap that has the preprinted Marine emblem on the front panel. The Army style rounded utility cap is completely different and is not authorized for wear with the PHS BDU. Insignia for the utility cap has also changed from prior instructions. It used to be the miniature rank insignia or a subdued version of the miniature PHS cap device. Now the large bright metal rank insignia is authorized for wear unless the Local Uniform Authority (LUA) specifies use of the subdued large metal or cloth rank insignia. Use of subdued rank insignia on headgear would be unusual for most Corps deployments. It should be worn centered, horizontally and vertically, on the front panel of the cap. For O-6 officers, the eagle faces to the wearer’s right. Every officer should possess at least one utility cap to carry on deployments.

Field Jacket with Liner: The Field Jacket looks similar to the Utility Coat and is of the same woodland camouflage material, except that it has shoulder straps. The black windbreaker and raincoat as well as standard civilian jackets and coats are not authorized to be worn with the BDU, so to ensure you have adequate protection in cold weather, one should consider purchasing the Field Jacket. The Jacket also has an optional removable green liner available that attaches to the inside of the Jacket with buttons. As an option, the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) camouflage parka and trousers are authorized for wear with the BDU. Details of the ECWCS can be found in Instruction 7.

Sweater: The sweater authorized for wear with the BDU uniform is not the same as the black sweater worn with the Working Khaki uniform and other general uniforms. Instead the Marine Corps olive green sweater (“wooly pully”) made of 100% wool or acrylic, in a heavy ribbed knit crew-neck design with shoulder and elbow patches, is an optional item. Note that it is worn only under the utility coat, never as an outer garment. In addition an olive drab green wool scarf is authorized for wear with BDU outerwear.

Rain Poncho or Suit: A Rain Poncho or Suit can be worn as an optional item in either woodland camouflage or solid olive drab green. If a poncho is worn, it is of the pullover style. Most military clothing stores sell a woodland camouflage rain jacket in the same pattern as the BDU that would be appropriate to wear. Appropriate wear of insignia is not described in Instruction 7 but usually a tab on the jacket is available on which to pin the large bright metal rank.

Gloves: Light duty work gloves should consist of black leather shells with optional fabric inserts of olive drab or black material. On a personal note, I have never found the gloves with inserts to be of particularly good function, and have worn conventional black gloves with no brand markings with good results. Some companies will make plain black gloves specifically for that purpose.

Grooming/Jewelry: Grooming and jewelry standards for all PHS uniforms also apply to the BDU uniform. However, the LUA may require removal of jewelry under field conditions or when the mission dictates. Officers may also wish to consider the purchase of a set of ID or “dog” tags to wear as part of the BDU uniform although they are not specifically described in the Instruction.

Insignia and Identification Patches

Even more so than the basic uniform components, few things cause more confusion for officers than appropriate wear and placement of insignia and patches on the BDU. Cap insignia has been described above and includes the only “pin on” insignia authorized with the basic BDU uniform. All other patches should be embroidered cloth that is sewn on. Note that embroidering directly onto the uniform is not authorized. They should be sewn-on with thread that matches the background material or edge. A straight machine stitch should be used in sewing; cross-stitches, whip-stitches, or other stitches are not authorized.

Utility Coat collar: Insignia on the collar is similar to what is worn on the Working Khaki uniform. On the left collar the subdued cloth PHS corps device insignia on an olive drab background is worn in a similar fashion to the Working Khaki with the point of the caduceus towards the tip of the collar and falling along an imaginary line bisecting the angle of the collar point with the anchor pointing inward. The center of the device should be 1½ inches perpendicular from each collar edge. The patch itself should be 1 inch square. On the right collar, the subdued cloth rank device is worn. For O-1 thru O-3, the bar(s) should be pointing toward the collar point, for O-4/O-5, the stem of the oak leaf should be pointing towards the collar point and for O-6, the head and feet of the eagle should both be on the imaginary line that bisects the collar point with the eagle facing forward. The center of the device should be 1½ inches perpendicular from each collar edge and the amount of extra cloth around each side of the rank device should be roughly symmetrical.

Utility Coat front: An olive green cloth tape with the upper case letters “USPHS” embroidered on it (Closely spaced with no periods between the letters!) should be worn over the left pocket. A cloth tape with the officer’s name is worn over the right pocket. The tapes should be one inch wide and 4 ½ inches long (same width as the pocket) and worn parallel to and touching the top edge of the pocket. The letters should be in black, block-style and ¾ inch high. (Name tapes containing more than ten letters should be in Franklin Gothic Extra Condensed print, 48 point, ½-inch high). Different manufacturers may tend to use cloth tapes of slightly different appearance, so it is highly recommended that you purchase a name tape and a USPHS tape at the same time from the same location for each set of a BDU so that they match in appearance. However, there is no specific guidance on what type of cloth tape is used other than it be olive green and of the dimensions noted above. A note of caution: Cloth tapes from Navy sources tend to be wider than 1 inch. The description above is more consistent with tapes from an Army source. At a minimum you should not mix different size tapes on the same uniform.

In addition to the name tapes, officers are authorized to wear special skill badges, such as the Field Medical Readiness Badge (FMRB), on the utility coat. Badges are limited to a maximum of two and Instruction 7 indicates the badges must be for a medically-related skill or earned while a PHS officer. Unfortunately, this seems to be possibly contradictory to Manual Circular PHS # 372 from April 21, 2003 that authorized the wear of all earned special skill badges on the PHS uniform. Until such time as this possible contradiction is resolved, it may be safest to wear only medical skill badges on the BDU at this time. The FMRB is now available in a subdued cloth patch for wear on the BDU. The skills badge is worn centered on and 1/4-inch above the “USPHS” tape. If two badges are worn, the second badge is worn centered on and 1/4-inch above the lower badge.

Utility Coat left shoulder: Effective with the Hurricane Katrina response, the subdued USPHS unit patch began to be available on a regular basis and should now be accessible for all officers. The patch has now been formally defined as a required part of the BDU in the newest update of Instruction 7, 6-4.b (4)  in the special unit identification patch paragraph and every officer should have one sewn on each BDU they own. The subdued PHS unit patch should be worn on both the utility coat and field jacket centered horizontally on the wearer’s left sleeve, ½-inch below the shoulder seam. The date “1798” should be oriented such that it is at the bottom, similar to the way the seal is oriented on a standard PHS nametag.

Utility Coat right shoulder: At the same time as the unit patch was authorized for the BDU, the reverse American flag patch was authorized for wear on the right shoulder. However, the flag patch was authorized for wear only for Katrina-related activities. At this time it remains authorized only for Katrina-related activities. It is also authorized for wear when assigned to DoD operational units according to POM 06-003 dated 27 September 2006. Otherwise, no patch is typically worn on the right shoulder of the BDU.

Trousers: No specific patches are currently authorized for the BDU trousers. While other services sometimes have a cloth name tape, identical to the one worn on the Utility Coat, sewn over the right rear pocket flap, such action is not currently authorized in Instruction 7 for the BDU trousers that are worn by USPHS Commissioned Corps officers. In lieu of a name tape officers may wish to consider marking their trousers with their name in indelible ink on the inner waist band of the trousers to better identify personal uniform components while in the field where group laundry facilities may be employed. Until such time as its wear is clearly authorized in a future uniform update you should not put a cloth name tape on the BDU trousers. If your BDU trousers currently have such a cloth name tape affixed to them the cloth name tape should be removed.

Field Jacket Insignia: The cloth “USPHS” and name tapes are worn over the front pocket flaps, in the same manner as described for the utility coat. No collar insignia are worn on the Field Jacket, but subdued, embroidered sew-on type rank insignia are worn centered on each shoulder strap, with the bottom edge of the insignia 3/4-inch from the outer end of the shoulder strap, in much the same fashion as the metal pin on insignia are worn on the black windbreaker and raincoat. In addition, the PHS unit patch is worn on the left sleeve and special skills badges are worn in the same manner as described for the utility coat.

Wear of the BDU

The BDU is intended to be a working uniform and as such should be loose fitting and comfortable. Alterations to make it form-fitting are not authorized. The utility coat should be worn outside the trousers, not tucked in, and all buttons should be buttoned except for the collar button. The collar is worn open. The PHS undershirt is always worn tucked in. The trousers are worn bloused at the boots. The trouser legs will not be wrapped around the leg so tightly as to present a pegged appearance. Blousing accessories may be found at military clothing sales stores to assist in giving the pant leg a bloused appearance if you choose not to tuck the pant leg into the boot. When working in extreme heat, the LUA may authorize removal of the utility coat and unblousing the trousers from the boots. This should only be done when authorized. The cover is still worn when the utility coat is removed in outdoor settings unless the LUA indicates it is appropriate to remove it.

Loose threads must be trimmed from all uniform components. Shoe laces must be secured in a manner such that no loops are created and the ends of the laces must be tucked into the boots. Boots should be shined to the extent that is possible to do so depending on the working environment. The sleeves may be rolled up only when allowed by the LUA. The manner in which the sleeves are rolled up has changed recently and is now back to the Navy style such that the underside of the sleeve is exposed when the sleeve is rolled. The sleeves will be rolled neatly above the elbow, but the bottom should be no more than 3 inches above the elbow.

Acquisition of BDU Components

PHS BDU components can come from a variety of sources. Although PHS uniforms are moving to be closer to the Navy uniform in many ways there are still components unique to our own service. Most military facilities are rapidly moving to a new version of the utility uniform and the BDU worn by PHS is getting more difficult to find as a result. Navy clothing stores may still carry the BDU that we wear but that is expected to be changing soon with the introduction of the Navy Working Uniform (NWU). But they also may not typically have items that are PHS specific. For Atlanta area officers one exception has been NAS Atlanta, but it is not clear how much longer that facility will be available as NAS Atlanta is scheduled for closure. BDU components - including new items like the PHS Undershirt and Command Ball Cap - can still be found at the Navy Uniform site for the time being. However, they are not always familiar with specific PHS uniform requirements, so it is important to work closely with them to ensure you get what you are looking for. Often you will have more success calling the toll free uniform number, 800.368.4088, to ensure you find what you are looking for.

The Officer Device Supply Center is also a source for BDU components and unique PHS items. They carry the black T-shirt and the Command Ball cap as well as collar insignia. You can reach them by phone at 225.756.3793 or on their website.

Future of the PHS BDU

As I have alluded to previously, after more than 20 years where each of our sister services used the Woodland Camouflage BDU, each of them has recently deployed or proposed to put into service a new field utility uniform that differs greatly from the current PHS BDU. It was originally expected that the PHS would adopt a version of the NWU as the new PHS field utility uniform as a result of the policy decisions made by the ASH in August 2007. However that plan is now being re-examined by the Acting ASH to determine whether the NWU meets the needs of the PHS. There is still an expectation that the current PHS BDU will be replaced at some point in the future but it is currently anticipated that it will remain the primary PHS working uniform for the next two years.

Even though the BDU may be changing in the near future it is now a required uniform to maintain and will likely be required for future deployments. Should it be phased out in the future it is also expected that there will be a transition period for the current BDU. This will make it authorized for wear for at least some period of time that as yet has not been determined but could last into 2011 or even beyond. And since officers are now authorized to wear the BDU every Friday you will have ample opportunity to make use of your investment. So to ensure that you are prepared for deployment, I encourage every officer to start now to put your BDU together, so that you can ensure it is correct and ready to go when you are called to go to the field to do what we do best as PHS officers, helping others in need at a time of crisis.

Far Left: Current PHS Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), front view.  Left Center: Current PHS Battle Dress Uniform, side view.  Right Center: BDU with the current sleeve roll style shown in profile.

Far Right Upper: Close up of sleeve roll with underside of material exposed. Far Right Lower: BDU Field Jacket with PHS Patch and cloth embroidered rank on epaulet similar in location to metal rank used on Black Windbreaker. Note that collar insignia is not worn on the field jacket but name and USPHS tape are worn over pockets similar to the blouse.

Left: Close up of PHS Patch shown centered horizontally on the wearer’s left sleeve, ½-inch below the shoulder seam with correct orientation, date at bottom.

Right: Close up of front of BDU Utility Coat with name and USPHS tape over pockets, collar insignia with rank on right, PHS insignia on left and skill badges, if any, over USPHS tape above left pocket.

Recently approved Navy Working Uniform (NWU) [Pictured above] - Uniform expected to be similar to above pictures. Not yet deployed by the Navy but expected in the near future. Primary uniform predominantly blue and gray for shipboard use.  Left and Center: Officer version of proposed uniform with yellow lettering on name tapes (cover will be 8 sided cover similar in shape to current PHS cover).

Right: Proposed rain and cold weather jacket in similar pattern to basic NWU. Digital woodland and desert versions have been proposed for use by special ops forces or other units requiring a tactical uniform. PHS may adopt a version of the NWU as the new PHS working uniform once it is deployed by the Navy.

Army Combat Uniform (ACU), [pictured above] - All purpose uniform for both woodland and desert terrain.

Initially proposed AF BDU [pictured above on left] had a predominately blue color. Recently the AF approved the new grey-green uniform similar to the two pictures seen above on the right which is now known as the “Airman Battle Uniform” (ABU).

Marine Corps Woodland BDU or “Combat Utility Uniform” [pictured above] – First service to introduce a digital camouflage pattern which is known as MARPAT (Marine Pattern). A desert version is also in use.