Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Question about wearing hat with sidearm Message-ID: <11198@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 7 Nov 89 02:17:33 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 21 Approved: military@att.att.com From: wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales) >From various reading (fiction and non-fiction), I've gathered that it's common in some (many?) military organizations to require that a soldier keep his hat or cap on whenever he is carrying a sidearm -- even in sit- uations (e.g., indoors) where taking off of the cap would be permitted or even expected. Not having any military experience myself, I am curious as to why such a rule would exist. Is there some practical purpose (e.g., keeping hands free to use the weapon at a moment's notice)? A symbolic purpose (e.g., to remind the soldier, and others around him, that he's armed and thus can't "get comfortable")? Or is it simply one of these "just so" rules whose logical basis, if there ever was any, was long ago forgotten? -- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, CA 90024-1596 // +1 (213) 825-5683 "Mr. Scott, since we are here, your statement is not only illogical, but unworthy of refutation."