'Tis the season for winter clothing

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GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  As the winter months usher cooler weather, we're reaching into the back of our closets and bottom of our clothing drawers for our jackets, hats, scarves, and gloves. Staying warm becomes a top priority for surviving the Texas cold, however, as U.S. Airmen, it's important to remember the proper wear of our authorized cold weather uniform items.

Air Force Instruction 36-2903, Dress and Personal Appearance, outlines the appropriate wear of our uniform combinations. Listed below are a few highlights from the Air Force Personnel Center Dress and Appearance Standards website, which highlights some of the most common cold weather uniform arrangements:

Sage Green Fleece:
· For outdoors use only; remove when indoors
· Can be worn with black leather, green leather, suede, or knit gloves; black or green knit cap or sage green fleece cap; black scarves; and black earmuffs
· Will remain zipped no lower than halfway between the name tape and collar
· Collar will be folded over and resting on the shoulder
· Accoutrements will include name and service tapes (ABU patterned background) and subdued rank (solid background/none ABU patterned)
· Not authorized to be worn solely over a t-shirt or thermal underwear

APECS Parka:
· For outdoors use only
· Can be worn with black leather, green leather, suede, or knit gloves; black or green knit cap or sage green fleece cap; black scarves; and black earmuffs
· Will remain zipped at all times
· Hood will be stowed when not in use
· Green fleece jacket can be worn as a liner in the APECS parka
· Will have a slip-on rank that will be worn on the rank tab

Lightweight Blue Jacket:
· May be worn indoors or outdoors.
· Must be zipped at least halfway.
· Officers wear shoulder mark rank insignia. Officers center regular size (1 inch) metal rank insignia 5/8 inch from end of epaulet.
· Enlisted wear 4 inch (men) or 3 1/2 or 4 inch (women) sleeve chevrons, halfway between shoulder seam and elbow when bent at 90-degree angle.
· U.S. Air Force Symbol is optional. May be embroidered on the left side at members cost and is not authorized to be worn with civilian clothes.
· Women may wear the male version of the lightweight blue jacket.

Gloves:
· May be worn with all authorized outer garments.
· They will be all one color, leather, knitted, tricot or suede, or a combination of leather, knitted, tricot, and suede.
· Black or sage green gloves may be worn with the ABU, FDU and all authorized outer garments to the ABU or FDU.
· Only black gloves may be worn with the service dress uniform and all approved outer garments worn with the blue service and service dress uniforms