Quote Originally Posted by davedove View Post
I understand that the top Army General declared that all soldiers were to wear the field uniform in support of those in the combat zones, sort of a "We're all on the same team." gesture.

I don't know the validity of that; it's just what I've heard.
That is, basically, correct. Wearing the ACU as the everyday uniform is to remind the American public that the military is engaged in combat, and to prevent the sort of disconnect between front line soldiers and the rest of the Army that the media was able to capitalize on during the Vietnam conflict. It's all about maintaining "soldier sympathy" on the home front.

My personal opinion (and I served ten years, almost all of it as a Public Affairs Officer) is that once the transition to the new Army uniform is completed (2010-12) you will see a lot more soldiers in the new Class A and Class B uniforms. Right now, in order to present a uniform appearance to the public, and remind that same public that our military is serving in several combat zones, the ACU is the uniform of choice.