At my junior high school, we had a three-finger rule. Its accords: no girl was to wear any sleeveless shirt whose straps were not at least as wide as the index, middle and ring fingers held in parallel.
On more than one occasion, my friends were banished to the principal’s office and made to wear embarrassingly non-designer garments because of it.
This week, news of a similar policy at the U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaked on social media, where a sleeve-rolling “trial” is underway to help soldiers beat the summer heat (exepected high for today: 95 degrees).
As with all things military, sleeve-rolling procedure is highly regulated. While no official rules have been published, here’s what we know so far.
1. Abide the dollar-bill rule. As evidenced by this Facebook video, a crisp Mssr. Washington serves as the official ruler for fatigued sleeve-rollers.
2. Camo in or camo out? According to General Mark Milley, this part’s still up for debate. It’s a very serious decision; GQ says out.
3. Don’t try this at home. The trial is for Fort Hood soldiers only. It began with the First Cavalry Division but has since spread at the commander’s discretion.
4. Restrictions apply. Only OCPs (Operational Camouflage Pattern) and ACUs (Army Combat Uniform) are to be rolled. “Don’t get clever with your dress uniform,” says ArmyTimes.
On June 26th, they’ll wrap the trial and make a decision on whether to A) continue to allow sleeve-rolling and B) circulate it to other bases around the world.
Riveting stuff. Stay tuned.
Main image via @GENMarkMilley
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