Hi! I was wondering if you’d be willing to do a little explanatory post about military uniforms? I love the detail of the zipper on T’s OCP top but I have trouble imagining what it actually looks like. Also maybe a dumb question but, seeing how she had it on upon arriving at C’s apartment in the last chapter, would they not change after leaving the base? Do you keep your military uniform on even off base?
OCP tops, imagine a light weight jacket, with pockets on the chest area, and pockets on the upper sleeve. The upper sleeve pockets are closed by zippers, but have large Velcro patches on the outside. On the sleeve, there are four patches, the left arm is your AFSC, Christens would say PRSNL, for Personnel, Tobins would be a rocker, so an arch, that’s says SERE Specialist. Below that is your MAJCOM badge, they both would have AMC for Air Mobility Command, which is Fairchild AFBs Major Command. The right arm the top is the spice brown American Flag and below is your Squadron, they would both have the 331st Training Squadron. Everything indicates what you do, where you do it, and why. The zipper is a double zipper that goes up and down, (it’s a pain) and it’s cover in a flap of fabric about 1.5in wide that is held closed by Velcro. When Tobin zips her jacket, she leaves the little pull tap on the zipper sticking out of the flap, and Christen fixes it by putting it under the flap and closes the Velcro to secure it. It’s a very intimate act because you have to be really close, and your touching the upper chest.
Honestly, that scene comes from my wife doing that to me when I get dressed quickly. I tend to miss details whenever I’m moving quick and she fixes my zipper and it always makes me feel safe, like she’s always going to catch the things my mind can’t focus on and make sure I’m squared away and don’t look like a fool. She takes care of me, and I thought Tobin could use the same feeling with Christen.
In chapter 3, Christen was still wearing her uniform. Tobin was in civilian clothes. When “she” still had her fingers on the zipper, that was Christen on her own uniform.
Yes we change after work. Some people go home and change, some people change at work, then go home. It’s a preference. I change at work most days, but I’m a mechanic and I’m usually in coveralls. I take my uniform home Fridays to wash and wear it on Mondays to stand up. But most days I come and go in civis. But you can wear your uniform to get food, or shop at a local store, even go to a restaurant wear the dress is equivalent, but that’s rare, most people want to get out of OCPs as fast as they can lol. Hope that helps.
