Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley donned the service’s new Army Greens uniform during an event honoring the 75th anniversary of Operation Overlord this week.
Previously known as “pinks and greens,” the uniform was inspired by those worn by World War II-era officers and is now expected to be worn Army-wide as early as 2020.
Milley wore the uniform to an event commemorating the liberation of Europe from Nazi forces that began on June 6, 1944, commonly known as D-Day.
“We had the honor to meet with several Veterans of D-Day and it was deeply humbling to visit with these heroes of freedom,” the chief of staff wrote on his official Facebook account.
Milley took several pictures alongside veterans of World War II. More than 1,300 U.S. service members, partnered with 950 troops from across Europe and Canada, headed to northwestern France to commemorate the D-Day anniversary, according to Army public affairs releases covering the events this week.
Milley’s Facebook page posted pictures of a memorial in the town center of Sainte-Mère-Église, France, that honors paratroopers from the U.S., British and French airborne units that jumped into Normandy during the D-Day invasion.
Maj. Gen. Brian Winski, the current commander of the 101st Airborne Division, was also photographed in the new uniform, talking with a World War II veteran during the Cabbage Patch Ceremony at Carentan, France.
The ceremony honors the 101st Airborne paratroopers who fought the Germans in the cabbage patches surrounding Carentan.
Milley’s official account also posted pictures of the Normandy American Cemetery located in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, which was established by the U.S. First Army several days after the D-Day invasion as the first U.S. cemetery on European soil in World War II, according to the American Battle Monuments Commission.
The new Army Greens will be fielded to soldiers reporting to their first units as early as next summer, the Army said in a November press release announcing the change late last year. However, the mandatory wear date for the uniform won’t be until 2028.
The current Army Blues uniform will serve as a formal dress uniform under the new plan, while the Army Greens will become the everyday business-wear uniform for soldiers.
The Army’s combat uniform, known as the Operational Camouflage Pattern, will remain the service’s duty day and field uniform.
The new uniform will come at no additional cost to the American taxpayer, the Army said in its announcement, adding that the uniform will be produced domestically.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
