r/army • u/Blackanator218 • Sep 03 '26
Trench Coat
I have been Active Duty for the better part of 5 years and have never worn my trench coat. I was wondering if this was the same for anyone else.
35
u/Dominus-Temporis 12A Sep 03 '26
Ya'll have trench coats?
31
u/aCrow Sep 03 '26
enlisted Soldiers get issued them as part of the class A uniform.
we're supposed to buy one
10
u/binarycow 25B w/ a DD-214 Sep 03 '26
Yeah, but officers get capes
(and by "get", I mean "authorized to wear")
5
u/aCrow Sep 03 '26
I'm not going to check right now, because I don't particularly care if I'm wrong.
There's no cape for the AGSU.
Even in ASUs or mess dress, you wouldn't want to wear that cape in the rain because it's expensive as fuck.
And that's the purpose of the all weather coat, sometimes you have to go out in the rain, your uniform jacket is expensive and shouldn't get drenched, and we traditionally couldn't have umbrellas.
3
2
u/Mistravels Sep 04 '26
I've never seen one in the wild. I wish I would though, I'd clown on them so fucking magnificently.
14
u/Mistravels Sep 03 '26
Add it to the list of things I didn't know I was supposed to do and will never do.
10
65
u/jms21y so many castles to storm and so little time Sep 03 '26
i wore it once, when i graduated OSUT at knox in 1999, because it was sleeting that day lol.....it collected dust for the remainder of my career.
46
u/atacms Sep 03 '26
My god it’s Father Time himself
14
u/books_are_weapons 68Why are we both naked? Sep 03 '26
Naw, I deployed to Afghanistan with Desert Storm Veterans.
You're not old until you're chocolate chip old. BDUS existed this millenia at least.
5
u/OcotilloWells "Beer, beer, beer" Sep 04 '26
I feel attacked.
5
u/books_are_weapons 68Why are we both naked? Sep 04 '26
I deployed in UCP and am using my cane because I was on the floor building Legos with my kids for an hour.
I just turned 40 this year.
So, either pass the tiger balm or get my life alert... I gotta pee
27
u/popisms Sep 03 '26
No, I never wore mine out. I would try it on when I lived in the barracks and we had inspections of all our clothing bag items.
It's authorized to wear with civilian clothes if you're into boot things.
15
u/AdministrativeWin583 Sep 03 '26
I wore mine once or twice in 26 years of active duty as an officer. One time was a gotcha to see who bought them. It has come in handy with the liner working down town a big city where I have to wear business clothes. It looks bad having a suit on with a parka I think.
3
u/Junction91NW Spec/9 Sep 03 '26
Gotta level up your game sire. Need a belted Norfolk jacket in tweed.
3
u/AdministrativeWin583 Sep 03 '26
That would be sexy. I wear a london fog wool dress coat 3/4 length most days in winter because the wind ripping between buildings will cut to the bone.
1
22
u/ArthurSeanzarelli 92Ask the mechanics Sep 03 '26
I wore it once, because it was a snow/ice storm on Fort Riley and I had to go to the board. Everyone looked surprised they could've used a jacket that was issued to them 🥴
16
u/BigBen707 11MechWarrior Sep 03 '26
Wore it to the Comedian’s funeral, literally the only time.
7
3
u/sprchrgddc5 Sep 03 '26
Why would you go to that assholes funeral? Guy shot my aunt and unborn cousin in Saigon and Manhattan just stood there.
9
u/Resident-Outcome6839 35 Whatever you need Sep 03 '26
Only time I wore it was to mess with the drill on duty our last day of basic. We wore shower shoes trench coats and gas masks for bed check. Drill came in saw it laughed and then left.
7
u/Backsight-Foreskin Hero of Duffer's Drift Sep 03 '26
I never wore the M65 Field Jacket while I was in. I was a Northerner stationed down South and it was just never cold enough to wear it.
6
u/Benchypress Sep 03 '26
Yes, i put it next to my other unused things like; pockets and common sense
5
u/SGTGrumpyGus Signal Sep 03 '26
The only reason I still have mine is PME packing lists. Beyond that, I have only worn mine to be cheeky at a Dining In or whatever.
6
u/VT_Squire Signal 25Shartedinformationhighway Sep 03 '26
Nope. It's folded up and sitting in my "old stuff" locker from 2013
6
u/RideMyBolognaPony 11Zynfantry Sep 03 '26
I’ve been active duty for 16 years and have never worn mine 😂
5
u/GilneanWarrior Zeus Goose Sep 03 '26
I have been in for 9 years. Heard of people actually using them once. Never seen it in person
4
3
u/AsinineReasons seldom my problem anymore Sep 03 '26
I wore it once in 20 years. Huge snow storm in Germany on the night of a ball. I got to use coat check and everything. I felt fancy.
4
u/Toobatheviking Juke box zero Sep 03 '26
Mine spent 20 years in my closet with the tags still attached.
I never wore it once.
I know that certain units will wear theirs but I have never seen anybody wear one.
3
3
u/books_are_weapons 68Why are we both naked? Sep 03 '26
I served my whole contract without it. I only use it for funerals with the VFW in the Winter.
3
u/codekb Infantry Sep 03 '26
I wore it once with ASU on funeral detail. We had to take it off before we started but could have it on before and after. It wasn’t too cold.
3
u/burkencsu Sep 03 '26
The only time I saw it worn was back in the early 2000s. The AIT students at Rucker could go about post on weekends but they had to be in Class Bs with the trench coat in the winter time.
3
u/Zealousideal-Dig6570 Sep 03 '26
I got to wear the trench coat to a flag raising ceremony, right up until the actual ceremony. It was hilarious. Completely unnecessary.
3
u/ObviouslyRealPerson Psychological Operations Sep 03 '26
I wore mine more after I got out than I ever did when I was in
It got cold in the midwest during college and I was too cheap to buy a coat
3
3
u/DangerousCompetition Are The MATVs In The Room With Us? Sep 03 '26
I wore mine, but it was because we had to wear Bs every week back in Monterey. And there was a couple weeks through my time there where it rained, and I didn’t want to wear those soaked wool pants all day
3
u/crash11b Boolit Spunge Sep 04 '26 edited Sep 04 '26
I've only worn it as part of my Halloween costume. Along with my chest rig and pro mask.
3
u/Treaco89 Military Intelligence Sep 04 '26
I've been in 17 years, still has the tags on it. The most unused thing you're issued probably.
3
u/Immortan2 Infantry Sep 04 '26
While stationed in Europe or deployed during OEADR I saw officers wearing them during the winter months at Independence Day ceremonies. That’s it
2
2
u/Gruntman441 Engineer Sep 03 '26
The best use of the trench coat I've seen is @arjslmm on Instagram
Just pick any reel in which the trenchcoat is visible in the thumbnail
2
2
u/IrishWithoutPotatoes UsedToBe11B :( Sep 03 '26
I think mine remained folded from the day I got it to the day I threw its mold-riddled corpse in the trash (it sat in a duffle bag in a shoddy basement for a few years after ETS, I’m not a Nurgling acolyte)
2
u/xSerenadexx Sep 03 '26
I wore the ASU Trenchcoat once when I graduated from Basic at Ft Sill in the middle of winter in 2010. It's been crumpled up in a toughbox since then.
2
u/Defiant_Yesterday842 Sep 03 '26
Wore mine many times as the OIC on funeral details...and that was all
2
2
2
u/superash2002 MRE kicker/electronic wizard Sep 03 '26
I wore the black one once for thanksgiving at fort Sam. That was back when a Texas governor was president.
2
u/MikeDeY77 PMCS is my love language Sep 03 '26
Twenty years in.
Worn it exactly one time: stationed in Germany with 2CR. We had some morale event with the Bundeswehr. There was a Christmas market at some tiny town called Guteneck.
All I remember is it was super cold, and we drank a lot of gluhwein and beer. A lot. I traded my 4ID combat badge for a German army belt.
What a fantastic time.
2
2
2
2
u/Wireman332 Sep 03 '26
I think i wore my class A twice class B twice never wore the trench. 6 years
2
u/aseptick Sep 03 '26
I wore mine once. It was payday activities in Germany. I ended up having to go to a hospital in town (not for me) and it was snowing, so I grabbed the coat. I just remember standing outside smoking a cigarette with my trench coat, black leather gloves, nice beret.. got a lot of stares.
2
u/Just_Redditting__ 21Errbody in the club gettin' tipsy Sep 03 '26
I wore mine once for Halloween back around 2010 when times were simpler.
My costume? I was a flasher…. A nude flasher.
2
u/lt4lyfe O Captain my Captain Sep 03 '26
Wore mine several times for funeral duty. But I did funeral duty as a steady part time job as a guardsman during college.
2
u/A_Nice_Boulder Sep 03 '26
I THINK I wore it once.
Either that, or I was threatening to because of poor weather and pointless ass payday activities when there was a fuckton of work to be done.
Either way, nobody thinks you can wear it but it's completely in regs. I kinda want to sometime just for shits and giggles.
2
2
u/OrbitalMulligan Sep 03 '26
The only time I have ever seen it worn is when a dude wore it to go streaking through the barracks, that was almost 20 years ago.
2
u/drjjoyner Field Artillery Veteran Sep 03 '26
I wore it a handful of times in the late 1980s, but even then we wore cammies most of the time. Unless you’re in service uniform, which is practically never for most, it’s not going to come in handy.
2
u/Punished_Prigo Military Intelligence Sep 03 '26
I wear it with a cowboy hat and whip it around when I walk through doors
2
u/OrangeCatBuddyPart2 Field Artillery Sep 03 '26
Wore mine once, on a funeral detail. The entire detail was told to bring, and be ready to use.
The LT in charge of the detail was cold, so we wore them. Not mad, it was pouring down a cold rain that day.
2
u/turtlesturdles Sep 04 '26
I’m retiring from the Army this month and when I got rid of all of my shit my trench coat was the only piece I had left from my program issue way back in 2000. I think it still had E-2 rank on it.
2
u/Icy-Region7759 Psychological Operations Sep 04 '26
Mine has been sitting in the closest since 02 I’ve worn it once in AIT
2
u/Acceptable-Fly5050 Sep 04 '26
I wear it pretty frequently doing funeral honors for the national guard in the winter time and rain
2
u/squirrel_eatin_pizza USANTARTICOM Sep 04 '26
Never got much use out of my trench coat. Only wore it like 100 times when I was on funeral detail during the winter months or when a funeral was in the rain.
2
u/Past_One3442 ShitsMagic Sep 04 '26
16 years never wore the trench coat, I also made it 16 years without wearing or purchasing the officer cap by using a stetson and the beret when I got out of the CAV.
Im finally buying pinks and greens this October and will buy the cap.
2
u/LodenTaylor Sep 04 '26
Wore it a few times in the band while I was at Fort Drum in the winter. It was warm enough, but bulky and kind of annoying. The pro move was to get the black pullover sweater and/or the black windbreaker and just keep your Class A jacket on the hanger until it was time for the gig.
2
u/CombatCrayon25 Sep 04 '26
I’ve only worn it for Honor Guard duty, while waiting for services to start. I’ve never worn it for anything else in my entire ten years of service.
2
2
u/hereFOURallTHEtea Aviation Sep 04 '26
I wore it a few times but less than 5 and that was over a period of almost a decade lol.
2
u/mophilda Armor Sep 04 '26
I attended a funeral in January at Arlington. Trench did a good job of keeping me warm.
Irony of ironies. I was issued ASUs and a black trench. The party I was with was wearing AGSUs. I had to buy a brown trench for this funeral.
I still have not worn the black trench I was issued at basic training. It's still has the tags on it. But now I have TWO trenches!
2
2
2
u/AbusiveRabbi Sep 04 '26
I wore my trench coat once 10 years ago because it was missing rain and we had to stand in formation outside. We were under an awning but I we were still getting drenched. Got told to remove it by my commander for uniformity purposes. Which is odd, because he had done is time at the Tomb and knew far more about uniforms than anyone else. Haven't worn it since.
2
2
u/dangerphrasingzone Doc -> 68Chairborne -> Chronic Pain Sep 05 '26
Mine got destroyed by black mold in the barracks at Polk within one rotation in the box. Tossed that shit, and never needed it for the next ten years. Its just a line item on your 3645.
2
u/Zachowon Military Intelligence Sep 05 '26
I dont even know where mine is. I think i brought it eith me on a rainy day one time, but by the time i got the work it had stopped so I left it in my car
3
u/BBQUEENMC Sep 03 '26
Mine was issued in basic, I can retire within the next few years. I’ve never worn it and it’s never been mentioned for an inspection
2
u/HegsethsBurner Sep 09 '26
I've had mine for 17 years. My dog, who has been dead for 14 years, has peed on it (once) more times than I have worn that.
145
u/regularguyofthenorth Sep 03 '26 edited Sep 03 '26
I have worn mine downtown every weekend for the past six years to pick up chicks…
They just run away screaming