(no subject)
I give WAY too much weight to aesthetics.
Currently, I've really been thinking more and more about joining the military as an officer, and I'm trying to decide between the Navy and the Army. Many factors go into the pros and contras on both side, but my preference for uniform specifics really seems to carry more weight than it should.
I really like the Navy's uniforms on more counts than the Army's. They're cleaner and less cluttered than the Army's, which has various and numerous lapel pins and arm badges. The Navy have more choices for the Service Dress and Formal Dress uniforms. The sword's scabbard has gold and black versus the Army saber's straight steel and the Navy's sword has more etching. And, most of all, the Navy's blue uniforms' sleeves have those awesome band insignia to indicate rank and the white uniform has shoulder boards (not as cool as epaulets, but still cool), whereas the Army's blue uniform has the same small bands for all except generals and only differs in the colors to indicate one's branch, and nothing truly homologous on the green and white uniforms except the upper arm chevron patches, which aren't that bad, they're just not the Navy insignia. However, I like the color of the Army's green uniforms, which are unfortunately being phased out, as are the white ones (how well is the dark blue gonna keep one cool in hot climes?), and the Army's sword is more to my taste being steel with a black grip. I say I give too much weight to aesthetics because these kinds of ultimately trivial choices have an affect on me. But enough about uniforms, other things being considered of (usually) actual substance are:
(btw, I know some of these perceptions are probably misguided romanticism and would probably be eradicated when actually in the role, but they're there)
Navy
Pros: stronger family tradition in this service, including a famous admiral (cf. R.Adm. Winfield Scott Schley of the Spanish-American War); better titles; the feeling of commanding a ship or fleet seems strong/impressive to me (sci-fi probably influences this and the previous one with their space fleets, although I'd probably be more of an Intel or JAG officer than a line officer); general feeling of being safer (aside from long range weapons and submersibles, one can generally see one's opponent before an attack starts; the perception that the Navy sees less actual combat in current wars than it did previously; I'm more likely to have a desk job); combat on ships would feel like playing chess; more aspects of the uniforms
Cons: more limited in deployment (generally coastal areas, and mostly in the U.S., I would imagine); perceived to be much harder to have a relationship or other life outside the service (when the day is done in the Army, outside of combat zones, one can go home and go on leave more easily; when on a ship, you're stuck on that ship, often for months, until it comes back to harbour); ships, especially subs, can be cramped and have much less personal space and probably induce cabin fever more than a terrestrial base; when actually attacked and things go badly, my perception is that the ship is not as safe as being on land (I am generally confined to the area on the ship, and we need to hope we can out run and manoeuvre anything they have, otherwise we're stranded in the water); the more aesthetic points (uniforms, titles, feeling of command over a ship, etc.) are probably attributable to my love for aristocratic trappings/being a dandy and shouldn't really carry weight (my connotations of the Navy as opposed to the other services fits here too, probably because of the British affinity with Naval tradition)
Army
Pros: if the battle goes badly, retreat on foot is always an option and one can survive stranded in most terrains much more easily than if stranded in a marine environment; more call for officers and (I think) more chances for promotion; easier to have a relationship/life outside of the military (when the workday ends on the base you can leave the base; one can't leave the ship once the workday is done unless it's docked); perception of more diverse jobs and deployment options (or, rather, possibilities); less dramatic change from civilian life as opposed to the Navy, where you have to also get accustomed to sea life; combat seems more like Risk or an RPG (just as fun as chess); less chance of a paper-pushing desk job (yeah, it's safer, but do I really want to join the military for that?)
Cons: perceived higher likelihood of being on the front line and, consequently, serious injury or death; majority of aspects of the uniforms
As you can see, I have more to say about the Navy than the Army, and the one real contra of the Army is something that I really shouldn't think of as a guarantee, like many of the Navy contras-yes, I should be aware that I could die at any time, but I shouldn't expect to.
Currently, I've really been thinking more and more about joining the military as an officer, and I'm trying to decide between the Navy and the Army. Many factors go into the pros and contras on both side, but my preference for uniform specifics really seems to carry more weight than it should.
I really like the Navy's uniforms on more counts than the Army's. They're cleaner and less cluttered than the Army's, which has various and numerous lapel pins and arm badges. The Navy have more choices for the Service Dress and Formal Dress uniforms. The sword's scabbard has gold and black versus the Army saber's straight steel and the Navy's sword has more etching. And, most of all, the Navy's blue uniforms' sleeves have those awesome band insignia to indicate rank and the white uniform has shoulder boards (not as cool as epaulets, but still cool), whereas the Army's blue uniform has the same small bands for all except generals and only differs in the colors to indicate one's branch, and nothing truly homologous on the green and white uniforms except the upper arm chevron patches, which aren't that bad, they're just not the Navy insignia. However, I like the color of the Army's green uniforms, which are unfortunately being phased out, as are the white ones (how well is the dark blue gonna keep one cool in hot climes?), and the Army's sword is more to my taste being steel with a black grip. I say I give too much weight to aesthetics because these kinds of ultimately trivial choices have an affect on me. But enough about uniforms, other things being considered of (usually) actual substance are:
(btw, I know some of these perceptions are probably misguided romanticism and would probably be eradicated when actually in the role, but they're there)
Navy
Pros: stronger family tradition in this service, including a famous admiral (cf. R.Adm. Winfield Scott Schley of the Spanish-American War); better titles; the feeling of commanding a ship or fleet seems strong/impressive to me (sci-fi probably influences this and the previous one with their space fleets, although I'd probably be more of an Intel or JAG officer than a line officer); general feeling of being safer (aside from long range weapons and submersibles, one can generally see one's opponent before an attack starts; the perception that the Navy sees less actual combat in current wars than it did previously; I'm more likely to have a desk job); combat on ships would feel like playing chess; more aspects of the uniforms
Cons: more limited in deployment (generally coastal areas, and mostly in the U.S., I would imagine); perceived to be much harder to have a relationship or other life outside the service (when the day is done in the Army, outside of combat zones, one can go home and go on leave more easily; when on a ship, you're stuck on that ship, often for months, until it comes back to harbour); ships, especially subs, can be cramped and have much less personal space and probably induce cabin fever more than a terrestrial base; when actually attacked and things go badly, my perception is that the ship is not as safe as being on land (I am generally confined to the area on the ship, and we need to hope we can out run and manoeuvre anything they have, otherwise we're stranded in the water); the more aesthetic points (uniforms, titles, feeling of command over a ship, etc.) are probably attributable to my love for aristocratic trappings/being a dandy and shouldn't really carry weight (my connotations of the Navy as opposed to the other services fits here too, probably because of the British affinity with Naval tradition)
Army
Pros: if the battle goes badly, retreat on foot is always an option and one can survive stranded in most terrains much more easily than if stranded in a marine environment; more call for officers and (I think) more chances for promotion; easier to have a relationship/life outside of the military (when the workday ends on the base you can leave the base; one can't leave the ship once the workday is done unless it's docked); perception of more diverse jobs and deployment options (or, rather, possibilities); less dramatic change from civilian life as opposed to the Navy, where you have to also get accustomed to sea life; combat seems more like Risk or an RPG (just as fun as chess); less chance of a paper-pushing desk job (yeah, it's safer, but do I really want to join the military for that?)
Cons: perceived higher likelihood of being on the front line and, consequently, serious injury or death; majority of aspects of the uniforms
As you can see, I have more to say about the Navy than the Army, and the one real contra of the Army is something that I really shouldn't think of as a guarantee, like many of the Navy contras-yes, I should be aware that I could die at any time, but I shouldn't expect to.