Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 29, 2005 Leanna Copple uses a steam iron to press the heavy cotton camo battle dress uniform of a local soldier. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Uniforms get top treatment By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune They’re called cammies, utilities or BDU’s and they’re made for soldiers and Marines to run in, jump, roll in the dirt and risk their lives in — so why do they pay the dry cleaners more than $10 a set to get them laundered, starched and ironed with razor-sharp creases? It’s an old tradition in the Marines those three creases down the back, but soldiers, especially of the lower ranks "don‘t particularly care for it," says one soldier at the Medford Armory who asked not to be named. "I do my own — just use spray-on starch and iron ’em flat." Not so with the higher-ranking enlisted men, who drop their BDU’s (Battle Dress Uniform) at Ramsey’s Cleaners on Court St. in Medford for the full treatment — wash, rinse, starch bath, dry, then a labor-intensive pressing on the big Miracle Fabric Safe ironing machine. Here, with military precision, Leanna Copple spends about five hours meticulously pressing 10 sets of cammies with three vertical creases in back, each perfectly centered between seams. The two front seams perfectly bisect the name tag. The pants get front and back creases. "What does it take to do this job right? "Patience, lots of it," said Copple. Advertisement Her boss and Ramsey’s owner, Jim Eichman, added, "If it’s not right, you’re in trouble and will be doing it over. There’s nothing more difficult than the military press." The job is so time-intensive that Eichman said he actually loses money on it and wants the public to know he isn’t looking for more business pressing BDUs. According to military customers, the starch-and-crease treatment has b een officially discouraged, as it’s expensive, creates non-uniformity of look and doesn’t last, Eichman said. "They told them not to do it and the regular GI goes along with it, but up the ranks, they like it and they do it," he said. "It’s a misconception that starch helps uniforms stay nicer longer. They wrinkle as soon as you start moving around �— and with polyester, they (unstarched uniforms) stay pretty flat anyway," he said.." "I don’t do it (starch and press)," said 1st Sgt. T.J. Santoio at the Medford Armory. "It’s not in the regulations but it’s allowed. Some guys like it. Not me." The military press is favored by law enforcement and cop shirts from several local police agencies hung in the shop’s waiting rack. "The money is in drapes, blinds and hats. If I didn’t like the military and police, I wouldn’t do it."," Eichman said. John Darling is a free-lance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Investments & Loans Advertisement s