Whether it comes from tradition or a need for silence, there are quite a few reasons why military pants have buttons.
The main reasons why the military has buttons on their uniforms is because they are easier to replace, it is quieter when out in the field and during combat, they stay closed better than a zipper, lack of rust, as well as tradition.
It’s not as simple as that, however. There’s a lot more history regarding wearing buttons on military pants and why they still have buttons today.
Cheaper and Easier to Fix
A common reason for having buttons instead of zippers is because they are cheaper and easier to fix than zippers. When out in the field, it is easier to patch a button than to tear out a zipper and try and sew it in while wallowing in mud or the middle of the desert. Buttons are easier to carry and sew on.
Zippers need to be more intimately repaired than a button does. Having to fix one button instead of the whole mechanism that keeps the pants closed is so much simpler.
It doesn’t take a lot of skill to be able to sew on a button. Even if one button can’t be repaired until days or weeks later, the rest of the buttons still work rather than a broken zipper that doesn’t work at all if not entirely smooth.
Buttons Are Quieter
A red flag when being in combat is making noise, even something as small as zipping up your pants. It is important to be silent on the field at all times. Buttons aren’t exactly noisy when being slipped through the fabric. Zippers make a noise when being zipped up, which can cause serious problems for not just the person zipping up their britches, but also for the men or women with him/her.
Buttons are used on all uniforms; it isn’t according to sexes or anything. Buttons help soldiers to be stealthy. They’re also a great alternative to Velcro. Again, being noisy in a life-or-death situation can be detrimental to the survival of everyone. Velcro also isn’t necessarily a cheaper alternative to buttons.
However, when it comes to the top of a soldier’s uniform, a zipper is used instead of buttons. Before zippers, buttons were used. There were buttons used according to what type of shirt or coat was being worn. Each outfit was fitted with a button designated for that particular coat or vest. Today, the reason for using zippers is because it is easier to open up when someone is injured.
Just imagine trying to painstakingly unbutton each button when someone is bleeding out from injuries to the torso. It was more important to put the safety of others first rather than to consider the amount of silence provided.
Buttons Present Professionalism
One thing you will never see is a young man’s uniform not steamed to perfection, let alone their fly down. Part of their training is to make sure that they look professional at all times. The button keeps the pants closed so that there isn’t a mishap with a zipper either being down or becoming broken.
It’s not necessarily a thing with a certain amount of buttons representing something. The appearance of dishevelment does not present a powerful military. A military with disciplined men who are willing to conform and become a unit of togetherness comes from the presentation, and that includes the clothing worn.
Why Does The Navy Have Thirteen Buttons On The Pants?
The first sailor pants in the Navy had drawstrings. This, of course, wasn’t as ideal because they couldn’t be tightened and stay up during excessive exercise. In 1864, there were seven buttons added to new bellbottom pants that helped to hold up the flap in the front. There isn’t necessarily a specific reason as to why they chose seven.
Over time, there were more buttons added to make thirteen, possibly to make it look symmetrical more than anything else.
A high tale when recruits came into the military was that the thirteen buttons were to represent the thirteen original colonies. However, that is not necessarily true. They added more buttons because of a larger flap to cover the front area of the trousers. Because of a larger flap, there was a need for more buttons, not because of an homage.
The tale of the thirteen colonies has become more than a tale, and in the early 1990s, there was a button shortage for a short period of time, which scared all of the sailors into thinking that they wouldn’t be able to pay homage to the thirteen colonies through their buttons. The tale lives on today and certainly helps to pay tribute to those who helped to get the nation to where it is today.
History Of The Military Button
The original uniform in the military was more colorful and had a different purpose when it came to close combat and riding horses. During the civil war, grey and light blue were the colors of uniforms because it was assumed that those colors would keep them concealed from the enemy. There were buttons on the uniform at that time period.
In Great Britain, before the desire to have perfectionism portrayed in a uniform, baggy pants were outfitted because of a need to be able to stretch when kneeling; they also had larger pockets to carry ammunition as well as maps during early periods of war.
Buttons became widely used as not only a sign of professionalism but to also keep the flies closed and help keep down the noise. Zippers coming undone was frowned upon and could cause a recruit to get in trouble for being sloppy.
Buttons were used in various military uniforms over the centuries, but they became extremely popular during the mid to late 1900s. Whether it be in the Navy, the Army, or whichever branch of military it may be, buttons are still widely used and serve the best purpose of keeping the pants up and closed when doing an excessive amount of movement.