The White Hat, Again
Posted by Fran Kent on April 11, 2010, 6:05 pm
Not long ago, a discussion took place here concerning the white hat worn by enlisted men. I found it interesting in part because some contributors referred to this article as a "dixie cup." Even though I spent five years on active duty and never wore any uniform but that of a Navy enlisted man, I had never seen or heard the term dixie cup except in reference to the waxed paper cup used for serving drinks. Moreover, research suggests that the sailor's white hat was in evidence long before the dixie cup appeared (it dates to 1919). In the course of this research, I learned of another curious reference to the uniform. An article from "All Hands," a magazine circulated widely among Navy people, referred to a sailor's blues as the "crackerjack." This clearly relates to the boy in blue on the familiar box of caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. Yet this confection wasn't introduced until the 1890's, long after the sailor's uniform was adopted. And in my time in uniform I never heard anyone refer to his blues as anything but blues, except to distinguish his liberty uniform as his "talor-mades." Times change, and likewise the glossary of terms. For example, the submarine of my time was called a boat, but it would be riidiculous to call today's huge nuclear-powered submarine a boat. So it is accurately designated a ship. I've sometimes wondered what has been done to accommodate the women of today's Navy: can they properly be promoted to any rating that includes "man?" I know what's been down with "radioman": with the advent of the computer, the rating has simply disappeared. About the others, I could probably find the answer on the internet. But I don't really care.
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