The Uniform Isn't a Costume

Even offline, I’m still confronted by politically charged content—especially when it crosses into professional territory.

I don’t share my political or religious views online. I prefer in-person conversations for those topics. That’s just me.

But today, I want to comment on something politically adjacent—because it touches on professionalism, ethics, and training.

A video has been circulating showing two retired Army veterans, in uniform, interrupting a Senate hearing to protest the war in Gaza.

I fully support their right to protest. That’s a constitutional guarantee.

But when you wear the uniform—retired or not—you’re not representing yourself. You’re representing your country, your government, and your oath.

No one sees a veteran. They see a soldier. And that uniform isn’t a costume—it’s a contract.

It stands for neutrality, discipline, and trust.

DoD Instruction 1334.01 prohibits retired service members from wearing the uniform during public demonstrations, speeches, or interviews that imply military endorsement.

Even Medal of Honor recipients are barred from wearing it at political events.

Their actions violated that standard. And their arrest was justified.

This isn’t just a military issue—it’s a training issue.

As a training and development specialist, I think about perception constantly.

Every module I design, every system I build, every post I write—I ask:

What values am I modeling?

What am I training people to expect—from me, from each other, from the systems we build?

All communication is training. And as we say in the military: “We fight how we train.”

That’s what’s expected of us. That’s what I expect of myself.

Training isn’t just about skill transfer. It’s about modeling values, even when it’s inconvenient.

That’s the standard I hold myself to—and the standard I build into every system I design.