WASHINGTON — Airport travelers will now be able to see, and thank, airmen returning home from overseas.
New Air Force regulations allow airmen, if they want, to wear their desert combat uniforms on certain commercial flights to and from the Middle East. The policy went into effect earlier this month.
Previously airmen had been required to wear civilian clothes on all international flights because officials felt uniforms could make them targets, said Lt. Col. David Zeh, deputy director of manpower and personnel for U.S. Central Command Air Forces.
The highest-rated advertisement during the Super Bowl showed the applause and cheers that often greet uniformed servicemembers returning home. So while soldiers returning from the Middle East were often warmly greeted by civilians in airports, airmen traveling to and from overseas conflicts were harder to spot because of their civilian clothes.
“We wanted to allow our troops to be recognized, too,” Zeh said. “Anything from applause to a handshake, it’s good for our airmen to have that.”
But Zeh said the main reason for the change is simple convenience.
“We’ve found that while security is still a concern, it’s more convenient for airmen to wear the uniforms on these flights, instead of worrying about getting bags and getting changed and maybe missing a connecting flight,” he said. “The Army is already allowing this to occur, so we wanted to offer the same option.”
The uniform option is open to airmen traveling only on U.S.-based airlines. It applies to those returning from foreign countries to airports in the United States, or those headed from U.S. airports directly to military bases overseas. It also applies to airmen traveling from one U.S. airport to another.
Zeh said airmen headed to foreign, nonmilitary airports still must wear civilian clothes, for safety reasons.
Officials warned airmen that if they choose to wear it, the uniform must be clean and in compliance with proper dress instructions. As a measure of preparedness, the policy also requires airmen who wear a uniform to carry a civilian change of clothes with them, and those dressed causally to carry a uniform with them.
The Department of Defense issues foreign clearance guides for all four services, to provide general guidance on dress and appearance for military traveling overseas.
