As a husband of a wife who breast feeds our son I applaud these women for taking the healthiest route for their children and not relying on formula for the nutrition of their children. However as a soldier and fellow member of the uniformed services I can not abide their disrespect of the uniform. While I am not completely informed on AF uniform regulations, I am confident that the way they are dressed is completely out of uniform regulations (no cover, blouse unbuttoned, t shirt up, breasts exposed). I wonder if their children were cropped out of the photo, would their current state of dress be considered acceptable by their COC or other people? There are appropriate places to go where your state of uniform can be out of regulation for bodily function and or changing. Bathrooms or locker rooms or another private area where both the child/children can be fed and the dignity of the uniform preserved.By Kristin Davis - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Jun 1, 2012 9:51:55 EDT
Two Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., airmen who donned their uniforms for a photo session in support of Breastfeeding Awareness Month violated a policy that forbids military members from using the uniform to further a cause, promote a product or imply an endorsement, said Capt. Keith Kosik, spokesman for the Washington National Guard.
A photo of Senior Airman Terran Echegoyen-McCabe and Staff Sgt. Christina Luna breastfeeding their children in unbuttoned airman battle uniforms went viral this week. Echegoyen-McCabe, the mother of 10-month-old twin girls, is pictured with her T-shirt pushed above her bared chest.
The women are both members of the Air National Guard and part of Mom2Mom, the breast-feeding support group that organized the photo shoot. Mom2Mom founder Crystal Scott said the group planned to use the pictures in posters to encourage new and expectant mothers at Fairchild and nearby Spokane to breastfeed.
Most of the images, shot by Washington photographer Brynja Sigurdardottir, feature breastfeeding moms in civilian clothes. Those didn’t stir a debate. And the Air Force takes no issue with those, Kosik said.
Hundreds of people expressed support for Echegoyen-McCabe and Luna online. Others said they fully supported women who breastfeed in uniform but that it ought not to have been photographed and posted on the Internet. And some said women should either cover themselves or find someplace private to nurse in or out of uniform.
Echegoyen-McCabe said in a telephone interview Wednesday that she was proud of the photograph. “To me, it feels like I’m doing something amazing in my uniform.”
She said she didn’t do it to start a debate. The sensation surprised her, she said.
The Air Force has no policy on breastfeeding in uniform. But it does forbid airmen from using the uniform to advance the cause of an outside organization.
“The uniform was misused. That’s against regulations,” Kosik said. “I want to be very, very clear about this. Our issue is not, nor has it ever been, about breastfeeding. It has to do with honoring the uniform and making sure it’s not misused. I can’t wear my uniform to a political rally, to try to sell you something or push an ideology. That was our point of contention.”
Not only are these blatant a uniform violations but they are also for the purpose of promoting an political cause. Save for specific instances sanctioned by the DoD (in the army dept of Civil Affairs) participating in political events or posing for photos which are political nature is restricted by military members. We are not allowed to participate in political events in uniform.
While these women are more likely than not good mothers, they are at best irresponsible airmen with poor discipline and a lack of respect for their service, placing their desire for political celebrity over their duty to the airforce. I can not lie, I am not too entirely surprised especially considering the politically charged environment and that they are irregulars (National Guard) that these women participated in these photos.
I am additionally sick and tired of soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines especially NG ones, who don't do it for a living and aren't expected to maintain the standard 24/7, 7 days a week, 365, using their once a month wear to spice up some kind of politic they like or sympathize with. If I recall correctly there was that SPC who wore his uniform to a rally in another thread.
Finally I hope this issue with women serving in combat MOS finally gets resolved in a way that does not diminish the physical standards of combat arms soldiers.
