“War to the teeth & salvation for the world”

A few thoughts about uniform wearing by Cameron Horsburgh

One day I was at home working on my message for Sunday’s meeting when the phone rang. Trudy had forgotten to take her lunch in to the office and she was hoping I could take five minutes to run it up to her. So I picked up her lunch, got in the car, and delivered it. I had just about made it back to the car when I bumped into one of the saints of the Corps. ‘Hello Captain!’ he said, to which I responded. His next comment was interesting.

‘Oh, you don’t look very captainy today.’

What he meant was, ‘You’re at the Corps and you’re out of uniform.’ He’s the sort of person who would never question his officers publicly, but you could tell when he disapproved of something. This was one of those times. Whilst I didn’t see any need to justify myself, I explained that I’d just popped in to do a couple of quick things, and that I was going back home to work. Thankfully, he approved.

I’ve always liked wearing my uniform. I remember a Corps Cadet lesson many years ago where uniform wearing was explained. I don’t remember the details of the lesson, but I do remember Elijah Cadman’s exclamation: ‘I would like to wear a suit of clothes that would let everyone know I meant war to the teeth and salvation for the world!’

Now, as an officer, I’m the one teaching the Corps Cadet lessons and training recruits to be soldiers. The question of uniform wearing comes up frequently, and I’m always ready with the story of Cadman. Yet as I look at the reasons we really wear uniform I wonder if I’m being completely honest.

I first wore uniform in public nearly twenty years ago. I was cheating somewhat, because I wasn’t enrolled as a soldier until the next morning! I’d been waiting for this for years. I had my suit of clothes, and I was ready to tell the world that I meant war. I’ve been through a few uniforms since, but I still wear it proudly.

My concern is that in practical terms the Army has lost sight of the uniform’s purpose. Instead of being a means of publicly declaring one’s faith and willingness to stand against evil it has become an internal symbol of conformity and authority.

Before I became an officer I was involved in a paradenominational mission group. One Sunday afternoon this group had a particularly important meeting that I needed to attend. Consequently I wasn’t going to be able to go to the Army that night, so I explained the situation to my officer, who gave me her blessing.

The mission group meeting finished much earlier than expected. On the way home I realised I could make it to the Army on time if I didn’t go home first. I wasn’t sure if that would be appropriate. I was riding my bike, and it had been a hot day; moreover, the chain had fallen off my bike a few times, and I was covered in grease. I really needed a shower. Still, the Army’s proud of the fact that we don’t have a dress code, and I knew full well that there would be people there dirtier and smellier than I. So I pushed on, glad that I was going to be able to get there.

I arrived just as the meeting started. At the end of the meeting the officer shook my hand, glad that I was able to attend after all. After she’d moved on, another person, who was very influential in the Corps, came and quietly asked where my uniform was. I explained my reasons to him, suggesting it was better to be at the Army in regular clothes than at home in my uniform.

He disagreed. He told me that as a soldier I was expected to wear my uniform to meetings, and to do otherwise was an abrogation of my duty as a Salvationist. I naively thought that fighting the war was more important than simply dressing for it.

As a cadet I never quite got why and when I had to wear uniform. For example, there is apparently a rule in our Territory that requires officers (and by extension, cadets) to be properly attired when they visit THQ. It never occurred to me that people in THQ needed to be sure of my intentions in the Salvation War. (One cadet figured it must be because the devil is winning the fight there, and the staff need reinforcements. I’m not that cynical!)

Sometime we cadets would get a memo telling us to wear full Navy uniforms for particular lectures. Generally speaking, full blue uniform would be required if we had a visiting lecturer who was an active officer with a rank of full Colonel or higher. We had at least one retired Commissioner lecture us, and I’m fairly sure we had a retired General come to speak. We didn’t have to worry about full blues then.

Our choice of uniform was dictated by our visitors’ position within the Army. Our personal declarations of war were only incidental to the apparently more important aim of conforming to the structure of the Army. For many, uniform wearing is more to do with hierarchy than holiness.

Of course, forgetting the reason we wear uniform isn’t the sole preserve of Training College staff. In College we would wear uniform to class, and then get changed into regular clothes whenever we dared venture out into the ‘Real World.’ And it’s not only cadets who do it. I know people who leave their uniforms at the Army hall and get changed into them when they arrive on Sunday. Once the meeting’s over, they change back again to go home.

Sadly, many of us wear our uniforms because it’s expected. That’s part and parcel of officership, but it’s no different for our soldiers. We want to play in the band, or hand out songbooks, and so we proudly wear the costume prescribed by the Army. Yet when it’s time to go outside and declare war on the dominion of Satan, we’re not so sure.

So what do I tell my Corps Cadets? I’ve always been told that wearing uniform signifies my desire to fight, yet my experience tells me it is as much to do with fitting in and conforming to the rules. Hopefully those in my tutelage will be clear about why they make the choice to wear it. I can only pray that they will learn to fight in a way befitting such a potent and important symbol.

Along with his wife Trudy, Cameron is the Corps Officer at the Colac Corps of the Australian Southern Territory. They have two daughters, Shekinah (12) and Charis (8). They all look forward to the day when the girls’ school has enough money to buy all the supplies it needs, but the Navy needs to sell raffle tickets to buy ships.

6 Comments to “War to the teeth & salvation for the world”

1. Hi,

   Another take on uniform wearing is to compare it to the military and their stance on uniform. They have a dress code - largely for in-base - to signify discipline (christian equivalent - discipleship). On certain areas of the base, they were certain uniforms, when meeting certain higher officers, they were other uniforms etc. Outside the base, they were regular ‘civies’. When on active duty, they wear whatever is required to get the job done - if that be full uniform, they wear it, if that be fatigues, they wear it, if that be ‘civies’, they wear it.

   As an army, perhaps uniform wearing is more about signifying our discipleship (discipline) to each other, but in fighting the war, we wear whatever we need to and feel comfortable wearing to get the job done.

   yours in Christ,
   Graeme.
Graeme Randall on December 13th, 2009

2. Interesting thoughts Cam. I would have to agree to a degree.

   Sharon B
Sharon Bywaters on December 14th, 2009

3. Thanks Sharon. To what degree do you disagree?

   Graeme: That’s a pretty useful comparison, but I’d like to push it a little further. Military personnel might wear civvies when they’re off base during peacetime, but during some war time scenarios they would be expected to wear it both on and off base. They would also be expected to wear it off base if they’re on duty and going about military business.

   The Salvation Army would like to think that we’re always at war and that the war is right on the doorsteps of our citadels. These are conditions when it would never be appropriate to take our uniforms off.

   I also wonder what the connection between ‘discipline’ and ‘conformity’ is. In the military uniform wearing is a matter of discipline, but within that it serves to reinforce the soldier’s place in the hierarchy. There are all sorts of rules about how one is to act in the presence of superior officers, and these would be impossible to enforce without a visible indication of one’s rank.

   My point is that we seem to be quite happy to enforce the rules regarding discipline and hierarchy within our ranks, but we want to take an attitude of detente when it comes to engaging the world. This, to me, seems backwards.

   Cameron
Cameron on December 14th, 2009

4. Not necessarily. As you know, we are currently at war - and have been since 2002. Military personnel are often instructed NOT to wear uniform off-base so that they don’t inflame the public and make the war worse. And if they happen to be in uniform off-base, there are a number of places they are strictly forbidden to go - such as bars, clubs, some shopping malls etc.

   There have been a number of cases where military personnel have been court-marshalled for wearing uniform off-base - particularly when they have gone into a bar etc. It’s all about what’s appropriate. How do they integrate into society and do the most work? In uniform off base, they become a target and endanger themselves and others, and reduce their effectiveness. Uniform really is a matter of internal discilpline.

   You are right, there is also a strong element of conformity here - and in the Christian context, that can be a bad thing. That is something that needs to be thought through a bit more.

   Yours in Christ,
   Graeme.
Graeme Randall on December 14th, 2009

5. Great article. Uniform wearing to me is more like being than doing. To this I mean that when in uniform - It is a public statement that I am ready to serve anybody in any way I can. That might be as simple as giving directions or as joyful as sharing the gospel.

   I sometimes get confused as to why I head off in uniform in my car - go to the Meetng and then head back in my car to home, but then I recall it gave me a chance to share with my neighbours, gave me the guts to pick up a young hitchiker who obviously needed help, and the time that a young guy came to my house needing advice just because of that fabric. Uniform wearing somehow makes it easier to “be Jesus” in that place.

   Uniform is also a great leveler - the well off; the middle class and the truly poor meet together as equals, all equally needing the love of our Father, it helps us to focus on love and not fashion.

   Daz
Daz on December 16th, 2009

6. Hi

   Thanks for the article Cameron - I tend to agree with you. My thinking is here - http://heathersplace99.blogspot.com/2009/05/blue-serge.html

   Heather
Heather on January 31st, 2010

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