Where’d That Uniform Come From?

02 Dec Where’d That Uniform Come From?

You’d meet on the couch and discuss about how the game was gon na go down. She understood you were after her, and she was going to tuck herself away somewhere, and fast.

But.

The really awesome thing pertaining to it was when you went searching. Even when she was “hiding,” you could step into a room and see her outline against the window where she was standing behind the curtain. You may have found the little bump that was her beneath the covers on the bed, although she was being sooooo sneaky. And even though you acted not to see her awhile, it was obvious. (This was really true when she employed the classic move: that moment when she called out from her hiding place, “Come find me!” Always a plus.).

Cute pigtails, wide grin, that contagious laugh. The way her laughing eyes looked back at you as she went to base. Pretty much adorable, whether she wasn’t much for competition.

Play a game with her ten years after, though, and times will have changed. She’ll know what’s proceeding, and she’ll likely give you a run for your money … utilizing making use of secret spots in the house you never even knew existed. And you frankly might walk right past her in her hiding spot, again and again again, and not know it.

While secure games of hide and seek on a sunny Sunday afternoon are pretty idyllic, there’s nothing about the hide-and-seek of military combat that’s funny or sweet or peaceful. But, this little analogy is somewhat the same as the story of the development of military camouflage. Back in the day, armies wore uniforms that didn’t hide them in any way. Much like your niece’s feet showing from under the bed and making her location clear, the uniforms provided an army completely visible, bold colors loudly announcing their presence.

This was mostly a product of how armies collaborated to battle, back then. Historically, opposing armies often assembled close, marching to face each other on the front lines. Nowadays, however, warfare often transpires from more of a distance, and military uniforms are an attempt to render individuals inconspicuous, like having fun with your older nieces and nephews, or taking part in an all-adults hide and seek game in a huge park at night.

When the United States buckled down about camouflage, they hired individuals that they called camofleurs, people whose job prioritized coming up with a pattern that would help fit the uniform into the surrounding background. Gradually, the uniforms have become more sophisticated, designed for specific army operations and the locations where they go on (such as developing a uniform to blend into the sandy terrain and colors of the Middle East, for instance). Today they employ digital camouflage patterns as well.

And uniforms aren’t the only things that are camouflaged these days. Ships, buildings, military combat vehicles … all of these are disguised at different times, too. As technology has evolved, military strategies have become more highly developed and researched, and this includes camouflage for uniform clothing and other things.

It’s an interesting story and if you ‘d like to read more and remember through some fascinating photos of the journey, take a look at these articles.

For a brief “picture essay” of various uniforms and helmets, this is a nice stop. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/slideshow/2015/11/10/history-camouflage-in-pictures.html#/slide/british-army-khaki.

For more pictures, including one of the ghillie suit, check out this link. http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/06/a-brief-history-of-military-camouflage/240291/#slide5.

For a discussion about the development of the camouflage department of the military, camouflage patterns going mainstream and being worn by the general public, and the disguising of other things (buildings, equipment, etc.), this is a nice read by Time magazine. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1906083,00.html.
For a timeline of camouflage development beginning in the late 1800s, go here. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/08/01/history-camouflage-military-united-states/13485491/.

When solid color khaki was used) all the way to the technology and sophistication put in to today’s uniforms, this article gives a history from back in the day. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2015/10/21/evolution-us-military-camouflage-from-basic-green-and-khaki-to-digital-patterns-and-beyond.html.

Figuring out the track record of something that has become commonplace to us is exciting and presents a framework for where we stand in history.

The military uniform is a design of sacrifice and devotion to country, and we are proud to transport the service men and women of our country. For any military transportation need that might arise, we are only a call away!