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Want to know more? Get up to date with the latest stories about service members and how all six branches make a positive impact every day.
Hear from young service members about their decisions to join, the friendships they’ve forged, the skills they’ve developed, and their opportunities to make an impact in the Military.
Life in the Military
One very obvious way that the Service branches are different from one another is their uniforms. Each Service branch provides their members with multiple sets of uniforms for many different purposes. These can include:
All of these uniforms include hats or “covers,” which are never worn indoors.
Depending on which is being worn, uniforms can display patches, ribbons, bars, chevrons, braids and/or medals that indicate the individual’s name, grade/rank, Service branch, unit and accomplishments.
Service members are responsible for cleanliness and upkeep of their uniforms, which must be both worn and kept in impeccable condition. To help with this responsibility, enlisted members are provided an allowance to maintain and replace required items as needed.
Military members who are off duty (and ashore), such as on evenings and weekends or during leave or liberty, are permitted to wear civilian clothing.
Like service uniforms, each military branch has its own grooming and personal care standards. These extensive rules and regulations outline the appropriate appearance and permissibility of:
To learn more about the grooming standards of a specific Service branch, contact a recruiter.