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Caps keep on covering at Great Lakes

While few people in the fleet will wear ball caps with their blue cammies, it will be commonplace in one place — boot camp.

In April, the Navy’s newest will be issued the NWU, and with it an eight-point cover — but they won’t be able to wear the hat until they earn it along with their Navy ball cap, which the service will continue to issue.

During training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill., their ensemble will be quite different from those in the fleet.

“During basic training, the recruits will wear their recruit ball cap with the NWU,” said Sarah King, spokeswoman for RTC.

They will wear the NWU as the standard daily uniform, but will switch into coveralls for certain events, including the “Battle Stations” graduation exercise. They will remain in coveralls for the “capping ceremony” when they are issued their “Navy” ball caps and are called sailors for the first time.

But their wearing of the “Navy” ball cap will be short lived.

“Following the capping ceremony,” King said, “they will return to their compartments where something akin to a second capping will occur as they transition to wearing the standard eight-point cover with their NWUs.”