The garb that U.S. soldiers wear to war — the battle dress uniform, or BDU — has always been a function of time and place, and an icon of both.

Olive drab from the Spanish-American War and the green of World War II gave way to tiger stripes in the jungles of Vietnam.

Gen. Norman "Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf led his "Hail Mary" offensive of Operation Desert Storm in six-color camouflage — ironically now worn by the new Iraqi army.

Dark-green woodland camouflage never saw Cold War combat on the plains of Europe. For the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, the current three-color desert camouflage is the visual identifier for involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now, the look of U.S. warfare is changing again, and it is slightly rumpled, with boots that need no polishing, and it is, literally, a product of the digital age.

The Army Combat Uniform has a dusty gray-green look that proponents say is better on a mix of battlefields.

Capt. Victor Lunderman is one of the handful of soldiers at Schofield Barracks who already wear the "ACU." All he knows is everywhere he goes on base, people want to touch it.

"A lot of them want to touch, feel, pull on the pockets," said the 26-year-old Atlanta man. "They are really, really curious, and they're like, 'Wow, that's totally different than the old BDUs.'"

Less than 5 percent of Schofield Barracks soldiers wear the Army Combat Uniform, but it's coming. It will be available in base stores in January, and the 3rd Brigade of more than 3,000 soldiers, expected to deploy to Iraq, could leave Hawai'i with it next year.

Like the Marine Corps, the Army is switching to a pixilated pattern, in this case using light green, tan and gray to replace the existing amorphous blobs of dark green, brown and black on woodland camouflage. The desert version will use light green, tan and brown.

The Air Force and the Navy are looking to do the same.

The Army Combat Uniform has 14 key changes, including a Mandarin collar, a zippered shirt reinforced with Velcro, and pockets on the shoulder, instead of on the shirt-front — which couldn't be reached with body armor on.

Velcro is used liberally, on the knees and elbows for pads, for sleeve cuff closures, for rank insignia and on new calf storage pockets.

MIXED REVIEWS

Gone are spit-shine black boots, replaced by tan suede. The uniform is wash-and-wear — in fact, dry cleaning is prohibited with doodads such as infrared "feedback squares" affixed to each shoulder for friendly-forces identification, and it will be one-camouflage-fits-all-wars.

"The ACU enhances soldier performance by providing a uniform that is tailorable to the individual mission, provides enhanced functionality and ergonomics over the existing battle dress uniform and desert camouflage uniform, and does away with requirements to procure uniforms focused on specific environments," according to Program Executive Office Soldier, which was created by the Army to develop and field equipment such as the new combat uniform.

Lunderman, who works in operations with the division's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, says he likes the new uniform. "I'm pretty happy with it; (it) breathes a lot better," said the Afghanistan war veteran. He thinks it "fits into the whole transformation piece," referring to the Army's move toward becoming a lighter, faster, more lethal force.

"It's high-tech, and I can see how it can blend in with some of the environment we may find ourselves in," Lunderman said. He said maybe "60 percent (of soldiers) are really excited about getting something brand new, something different — and obviously it's something that they don't have to shine boots with."

Some detractors and advocates have weighed in at Airborne Ranger.com.

"I think it has some possibilities, but I'm not sure about it. I do like some things, like the slant pockets, the sleeve pockets, and the new things added to the bottoms," said one. "Yet I don't think the camo pattern will (do) much good in a jungle environment. Urban and desert, maybe, but not jungle."

Another said it "looks like it was washed one time too many."

A complaint was made that there's "way too much Velcro."

"I can see it now, you're on a patrol and a vine or branch ... gets a hold of ya and: riiiiiiiiiippppppppppp. Off come the jump wings, name tapes, bullwinkle badge. The loud ripping noise alerts your enemy to your location and you start to take fire," said another.

PEO Soldier said the advantages of Velcro — already used on body armor — such as comfort and convenience far outweigh the disadvantages, and noise can be overcome in much the same way soldiers practice light and noise discipline.

The ACU, made from a 50-50 nylon and cotton fabric, features the digital pattern in lighter colors because experts found it blended best with woodland, desert and urban environments.

The color black, found in the woodland uniform adopted around 1980, was removed because the eye readily picks up the color if the wearer is standing against anything but black. The three-color desert camouflage uniform now used was developed after the 1991 Gulf War.

The Army adapted the digital print from the Marine Corps design — which was patented and had the eagle, globe and anchor logo throughout.

The Georgia National Guard's 48th Infantry Brigade in February became the first unit to be issued the ACU as part of the $3.4 billion Armywide makeover.

GRADUAL INTRODUCTION

Senior Army leadership has started wearing the new uniform. About 150 Hawai'i-based Army reservists with the 322nd Civil Affairs Brigade deployed to Iraq in June with the pixilated camouflage, and Brig. Gen. John Y.F. Ma, commander of the 9th Regional Readiness Command of the Pacific Army Reserve, wears it in Hawai'i.

Capt. Jason Biel, who works in logistics and handles supply issues for the 25th Division, said those with the uniform at Schofield were transferred in already wearing it, or may have been authorized to purchase it elsewhere, but it will be available in shops in January.

The $88 price is $34 higher than soldiers pay now, but savings on cleaning and eliminating the need to have lots of tags sewn on is expected to offset that cost.

Deploying units and new recruits get the new uniform, and in the near term, a mottled U.S. Army will have, in some cases, ACU, desert and woodland camouflage side by side by side.

"This (the ACU) is the Army's official camouflage pattern, so all that stuff you see in green or desert camouflage, to include uniforms, rucksacks, rain jackets — all that stuff will eventually be replaced by this camouflage pattern," Biel said.

The Navy recently extended the test of digital blue and digital gray working uniforms on board the Pearl Harbor-based destroyer USS Chung-Hoon as part of Task Force Uniform, a bigger Navy experiment to replace working and service uniforms for sailors E-6 and below.

The Air Force, meanwhile, completed a seven-month utility uniform wear test in the spring, deciding blue and green tiger stripes were out, and that a digitized green, tan, blue and gray pattern deserved continued examination. A new uniform may be available in fiscal 2007.

Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.