Remember those goofy looking glasses your dearly beloved sported through Basic Training? They’re about to go away forever.
That’s right — no more military brides will have to look past those fabulous spectacles or “BCGs” (short for “birth control glasses” — yeah, they’re that ugly!) to see their beloved’s face. Instead they get to gaze past these beauties:
According to the Navy, all basic training recruits across the military will be given by default the new frames. And the BCGs will be a thing of the past.
Anyone else feeling a little sentimental? Everyone who needs glasses while having anything to do with the military basic has a BCG tale.
For example, those glasses are a part of my military story. It goes like this: I fell in love with an awesome man. And even though he had to wear those butt-ugly glasses that made him look like the biggest dork on the planet, I chose to love him anyway. The end. So sweet, I know.
What’s your BCG story?
About Amy Bushatz
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Ha! My brother loved my BCGs so much, he stole them and had new lenses put in. No joke, he wears them every day now.
I still wear mine! They're WAY more comfortable and have a better field of vision than my AF "Frame of Choice" for wearing with blues. I wear mine whenever I'm at home and don't have my contacts in.
I love it when my hubby wears them since its goofy looking and unique B-)
I used to wear my BCGs while travelling, because they were more comfortable than regular glasses. I was travelling to Russia by train in 1999 to take up a new job in St Petersburg as an English Teacher. I had flown to Germany, took a train to Krakow to visit with my lady, then by train again to Moscow for job orientation. I had e-mailed and called ahead to the school to tell them when my train was arriving, but no one was at the station to meet me. Took a cab to the US Embassy, tried to get the duty officer to call the school, but he couldn't have cared less. I ended up at the construction site of the new embassy, where the American security guards took me in, gave me many cups of coffee and 'gedunks', and continuosly called the school number until someone finally answered and came and got me. Of course, I was grateful beyond saying to these guys, most of whom were retired American military like myself. When I expressed my gratitude, the chief guard said, 'Naw, never mind. We figured you were one of us." I asked how they knew, as I hadn't mentioned I was retired, or even a veteran. He just laughed and pointed to my BCGs. Kind of sad in a way to see them go
What…….Russian mail order bride???????
Newsflash: The "new ones," that look a lot like the old "BCGs," are still BCGs!!!!
I thought the same thing. They are still ugly
I was just about to point that out. I came into the service with the old BCGs (black almost-horn-rim frames that dated back to the 1950s). As soon as I got out of basic I got civilian frames and wore those instead. The only time I took my BCGs anywhere was to NTC where I knew they'd get ruined in one or two minutes. They hurt to wear, lacked any wide field of view, reflected like a mirror, and transformed you instantly into a dork. (I have to say they awful on women too, but the name for those glasses can't be typed here.) Just the same, it's amazing that the so-called new glasses look very much like the old glasses.
First thought than ran through my head too! They looked like the new frames back in 1980 too…
That what I said when I first read through and saw the photo. The "new" design looks look the standard-issue BCGs I remember from 25 years ago.
"THAT'S what I said", I mean. See? I'm not wearing MINE so I can't see ****.
Mine had the wrong prescription in them, didn't know that till I got to AIT for 88M and I couldn't pass my eye exam for my drivers liscence. Wondered why it took me extra time on the range. They were so bad that they cut into my nose and left a scar. The drill sgt got tire of looking at me in them and handed me the keys to lock up one day and told me to get my civillian glasses. Which I wore for the last week and a half of basic. Made alot of people upset, but he said he was sick of looking at me in them…lol worked for me. I hated them. I threw them away at AIT.
I was convinced that my BCG's were indestructible. So after BMT I literally threw them against a brick wall as hard as I could… no damage at all. Wore them another 5 years! LOL
I successfully broke mine at AIT…they told me they were indestructible, so I threw them against the bathroom wall. They broke :)
While these are better… you'd think the military would just pay for lasik and enjoy perfect 20/20 vision for the rest of your life.
It's the best investment I ever made (pricey, but well worth it). Tho I did miss my transition lenses. Had to go buy sunglasses. =P
Thunder — the Army, at least, will pay for PRK surgery for qualifying Soldiers. This knowledge brought to you by my association with my husband, who had the surgery a few years ago, not any actual research into the matter.
My husband is a Marine and they paid for it a couple years ago because of his job. Not everyone gets it free but he did only because of that. I think they all should have the choice if they want it. Wouldn't it be better to have them see perfect and not deal with all the hassle of glasses and contacts while in war or the field?
The Corps is payin for my lasik. there is a 3 year waiting list but if your a flyer like me it only takes 3 months. btw i only wore my bcgs on the range haha hid those ******** all through boot. the new ones are better but not by much. i was issued new glasses when i went to NAS Pensacola, made me look like a grandpa haha but the sunglasses they issued are pretty sweet. gold rim aviators haha perks of flyin.
The Air Force will cover it as well (PRK or LASIK depending on what they think is best). There is a tiered system: Aviators 1, all other deployers 2, everyone else 3. Most people I know can get it within a year. There's a sign when you walk into the optometry clinic with the info.
I tried to get the Army to pay for LASIK after my first deployment, but got caught in a classic military Catch 22. "How much longer do you have on your enlistment contract?" They asked.
"18 months," I said, "but you know my whole Brigade's getting Stop Lossed for the next Iraq rotation, so it's more like 28 or 30 months."
"Well, you're a good candidate medically, but you have to have 24 months left in the military!" They said.
"Um, can I come back when I get those Stop Loss orders?" "Sure. But remember, you can't have LASIK if you're within 90 days of deploying."
"But that's when deployment orders are issued!" LOL, so you only get LASIK if you don't spend half you enlistment deployed, or if you're a careerist. The careerists deserve it, but I wonder how many people in non-deploying units got LASIK simply because they were more likely to be able to apply during the allotted time frames!
My husband was in Recon it only took a couple months to get in for Lasik. I could have it done in 6. I guess the waiting list depends on where youre stationed.
Is the military paying for Lasik now ?
is this gonna cost the army more?
My hubby told me about this; he's in BCT now and was issued the "new" glasses. I was disappointed! When I went through Air Force basic training many years ago, *I* had to wear the BCGs! I didn't think it was fair that he gets out of it!
I have been wearing them since they came out. Every time my R/x changes I drive to the Navy base
and get my brand new pair. I even have a pair of sunglasses. I do not like the new black frames but
that is what the military had before the BC glasses came out. Before that they had a green/gray thin
frames. Again, change just for the sake of change.
Those BCGs are indestructible! When I got home from AIT I drove over them with my car and only managed to bend them a little. Thank God for Lasik!!
Where can I get a pair?
i'll sell you mine, they're basically one size fits all. name a price.
BCGs were horrible! The Navy did my PRK for me. All branches can get it done. PRK vs Lasik depends on being a good candidate for it. Everyone told me there was a 3 year wait list, but I got called back in 3 months. If you’re thinking about it I say go for it. The worst they can do is say no.
Yeah unless you are still in training, within 2 years of the end of your enlistment contract, or within 90 days of an Army deployment. Or ON deployment. LOL, there's a lot of catches, but it's worth asking! I applied but didn't meet the requirements, spending all of my enlistment in training, on deployment, within 90 days of deploying, or withing 2 years of separating :D.
I'm leaving for BCT for the Army very soon… and I dread having to wear the BCGs!! I have used contacts since I was in the 6th grade, I'm now 24… so I'm not use to any glasses really. I would be very excited if I didn't have to wear the BCGs, and even though the newer black frames are not all that stylish, they sure as heck beat the older version!!
:D
I dated a guy in the Navy for a while and he had BCGs. I loved them, they were adorkable and he'd put them on just to make me giggle.. There was something so cute about seeing a guy with all these muscles and a buzz cut wearing those nerdy glasses.
Are the black ones as high as the BCGs? The one plus to the BCGs is that you can shoot in them, unlike a lot of the sleeker more stylish civilian frames which don't cover your eyes when you're in the prone. But I guess they issue Army and Marine recruits ballistic glasses with prescription inserts now. I hate those things, dust gets lodged between the inserts and the outer frame…
I hated them so much that on the final ruck march back from the final FTX I tossed them on the ground as we were walking. A few miles later someone handed them to me during a rest stop. I just couldn't get away from them.
I still have mine in storage….let's face it, they are OOGLY…but they work!! mabye when I am in my 80's I will use them. They made me feel like SUCH a dork!! But ya know…a little white tape around the middle on the nose bridge, a plastic pen holder and a slide rule and any of us could fit right in at a nerd convention! LOL
But I love'em still the brown one were better than the black ones!!
when does this start!!!!
Damn it, I was looking forward to getting them, I hope their sold in stores!
I hated mine so much I did everything I could not to wear them. I can see distance well enough and you don't need them to march so it just came down to reading. I'd wear them only when squinting or playing the trombone just didn't cut it. After basic and at least part way through tech I took them to the firing range and introduced them to a 12-gauge – - I still have the frames, with one hole some dents and a few scratches but the lenses are toast.
Funny thing, almost 30 years later I'm wearing a pair almost identical to my BMG's.
I hated the BCGs in basic. I actually had a guy tell me I looked like the little yellow guys from "Despicible Me"! I laughed pretty hard at that one. I personally think they should keep them. I mean if I had the pleasure of wearing them and looking like a cartoon character I think everybody after me should have the same chance! The one good thing about them though is that they are totally indestructable. They lasted way better than my worthless frames of choice pair.
I was contemplating Lasik, until my two optometrists told my problem was more complicated than that. My vision was deteriorating, but not to the point that my Health Insurance would cover it. I waited to the point that I missed a stoplight one day. I called in. They told me to park the car, and I would have lens replacements the following week. Which I did. One at a time overa period of weeks. My vision now is 20/15. Color values, 100%. I chose to have far vision adjusted, use of corrected vision for reading. Comfort level 105%.__Chaplain D. Westfield, Retired______
wrote about this today on our blog too!
Husband still has his and wears them every now and then.
I didn't get my BCGs until I took my over 40 physical. Since I really just needed reading glasses, I was gone TDY when the glasses came in, and co-workers managed to get to the before I did. When I got back from TDY, I found my BCGs, complete with their modifications—adhesive tape added to the bridge, and one screw replaced by a paper clip. The glasses will stay that way in my memory box.
Back in Basic in Fort Knox a couple of years back, we were standing in formation out in the middle of the woods. One of the DS behind us took a cs canister and threw it into our formation. While we started to freak out and reach for our masks, the DS's were screaming at us not to run away. I fumbled for my pro-mask I accidently dropped by BCGs and promptly heard a crunch. During the confusion, one of the other soldiers had stepped on it. Unfortunately, the lens broke and my eyesight was terrible. I couldn't see anything without glasses and needed my Battle buddy to lead me around. The DS's got tired of yelling at me on where the hell I was going and allowed me to go back to the barracks and retrieve my civilian glasses.
I took the lens' out of my buddies spare pair, and used them for thinking glasses.
The new black ones look like the old black ones from back in 1984-1985. Did they just find a lost stock pile of frames??? lol
I had the BCGs or as my DS said RPGs in basic. Most uncomfortable glasses in existance. Once in AIT they let us dig out our civilian glasses and finish up with those. As a follow up, post 9/11 I was deployed as a guardsman, after our medical checkup, they asked for our perscriptions. During the transition from home station to duty station we all were given a gift. One pair of BCGs with tinted lenses, one pair with the wraparound ear amputators, one standard pair and the wonderful three blind mice pro-mask inserts.
I remember being at the grenade range in basic and while standing in line waiting my turn the drill sergeant come over and tell “if that grenade was to off right now the thing that would
Hahaha I actually did use mine during a Halloween contest….I was a mad scientist…I completed the look by a completely unnecessary band-aid across the bridge of the nose; it was perfect…
Wow. I thought we were the only ones to call them BCGs in the 80s.
nepoleon dynamite anyone lol
My Uglies were Gray, if anyone can remember back that far (1970's) and the Black ones that replaced them weren't any better. But the "flight" style was reserved for pilots and officers back them. The one good thing was that they were industructable, but then that was one of the bad things too.
Nobody else calls them RPG"s??? Stood for rape pervention glasses when I wore them.
I was in bootcamp in the early 80s and had those ugly glasses and went to go on subs so I had to have bubble head glasses that are very thin frames running from the front to back so I could wear them with OBA and EBA systems and still be able to see . I hope the new guy get better looking glasses but on a sub you must have a bubble head glasses at all times. Never know when you may need air.
God..I've still got two pairs issued back in 1989 stashed away in my duffle bag in the garage. One with dark lenses and one without. I also have my "Lackland Laser" and a pair of the "glasses" designed to fit inside the "bubble gas mask" we were issued when we deployed to Desert Shield / Storm. Don't toss those little things you get along the way folks…it's worth it way down the line many years later when you have them to share with youngins in the family.
Former submariner (A-Gang) wants his EAB glasses back! My BCGs were the old black Wayfarer style, not the fugly brown ones. For a while, the sub service went to the Spiderman glasses (black plastic frame with hoop-like hinges that resembled 5-gallon bucket handles and rubber head straps). That didn't last long, thank God. We went back to the John Denver-style EAB glasses. Love them to this day!
My problem with them was that I can't wear plastic frames due to my prescription. The weight of the lenses and especially the difference in the lenses puts a torque on the frames that unscrews the one side with every step.
During Navy basic training, I got up WAY early every day to put my daily-wear contact lenses on instead of wearing my BCGs! I couldn't escape wearing them on certain days – fire fighting, gas mask and swimming come to mind. DITCHED them as soon as I got done with basic. I don't think those new ones are much better though …
I didn't realize military glasses are uniform…
Maybe some wear contects–I also need to spend time around servicemen more
I wear them at home, but do not venture out in public with them (occasionally I forget). My wife laughs at me when I have them on, but as stated above they are comfortable……. We look like Buddy Hollie when wearing them……
My boyfriend looks amazing in BCGs :)
In Orlando in 1988, I was issued the old black Wayfarer-style BCGs. Last company to get that old style, I heard. I eventually had the lenses tinted to make them sunglasses. I still have 'em, even post-LASIK. I just can't give them up.
Parris Island, eye exam,was told I needed glasses
Given glasses, couldn't see
asked to go to the head, threw glasses in trash
weeks later, qualified expert on the rifle range
I still do no wear glasses
down with BCG's!
Ummmm…. Those new frames look a lot like the ones I was given back in the 1980's as a new USAF recruit. I still have those frames, too.
While stationed at MB China Lake in the 50's I was issued glasses with pinkish
frames and round lenses. Not very stylish, but they sure helped me see better.
Man, I loved them. I looked just like Clark Kent.
Thank you for the posts! I still have my 1984 issued black BCG's. As soon as Boot Camp graduation was over, they went into storage and my civi glasses went on. MMC Nelson said I now looked human!
You can get these from an optometrist; they're great for tempered glass shooting glasses. And when you're packing a .45, nobody laughs at you.
During my 26 yrs in the Army the issued glasses were known as "Birth Control" glasses, seemed to turn the mood off.
I dropped my BCG’s into the trash can by the door on the way out of the barracks the day I left boot camp and put my civilian glasses back on. I wasn’t about to ever wear the BCG’s again.
EnIIIIIIIIIter text right here!Iiiiiii
My BCG story is about basic training…in 1985 I joined the Air Force…in basic I met Glenn and we became friends…we were unfortunate that we had bad vision and had to wear the black rimmed buddy holly looking frames…we changed our names to ernie and myron…we posed for rediculous poses…and talked with high pitched voices…trying to sound as much like geeks as we could…I haven’t seen Glenn (ernie) for 27 years…but remember the laughter we shared over these glasses…once we were able…we put on our civilian glasses on as soon as we could…
BCG's were dreadful! I was issued a pair at RTC, and once I graduated, immediately switched back to my civilian frames. I lost them in the ocean a year later, and switched to contacts to avoid wearing them again. That gave me the idea to lose the BCG's… wouldn't you know, once I tossed them in, they washed up with the next wave. I finally donated them to the Lions Club.
Didn’t get my BCG’s till I got to AIT since they had some how gone missing while I was at Basic. Only used them when I went to the field or to ranges when the wind was high (first 5 years was at NTC). Used the sunglasses version more than often as they didn’t look quite as bad with the darker lenses. Had them on when spending the day at Myrtal Beach when I got hit from behind by a big wave and had the glasses knocked off my face. Thought they were gone for good but was more upset about having to spend the rest of the day blind, when with the next wave I felt something hit my leg, you guessed it, the BCG’s were back. Gave them and all of my old glasses to the Lions Club after getting LASIK (which I paid for with my reenlistment bonus several years before it was offered). The may have been ugly, but they were some of the most comfortable glasses I ever wore and you knew No One would steal them!
During Basic at Ft. Benning back in 1990, everyone who wore glasses was issued a pair of BCGs…well, those things were so ugly that when they were given to us I somehow “lost” mine. When the DS asked me where my BCGs were, I told him that I never got them. This happened at least 2 more times and by some miracle, I made it through Basic without having to ever wear them. Thank God for that because when it came time for our 4 day pass, all of my buddies had their BCGs and I was the only one with normal glasses who was able to talk to the girls.
I was given a pair during inprocess because the specialist running the optical exam was straight drunk from night before reeked of booze,and got the eye exam wrong. Never wore glasses in my life. When they gave them to me I threw them right in the trash,problem was the Drill Sergeant somehow knew I was issued a pair and wanted to know where they where. Did a lot of pushups but never gave up my story of what glasses.
The new ones look just like the ones the AF issued me in basic in 1976! Everything old is new again…and they look just as dorky now as they did then. I swear they're unisex.
Hey, the black ones were an improvement over the PINK ones I was issued! Of course, I'm talking about late 50's. The black ones at least make you look as if you are bookish, the pink ones…as if you're wimpish!
I never got pregnant wearing them for 20+ years. They truly are BCGs!!!
After basic, mostly just wore contacts. One evening, I put on the BCG's and almost scared my poor cat to death. He had never seen me in those before–he probably thought there was a giant owl coming after him.
We had this cat in my Reserve unit who wore his all the time, well after IET, and everyday as a civilian. He even had the black croakie-style strap to hold them on. We deployed to Afghanistan, where he continued to wear them. One day we were practicing for an upcoming flag-football tournament, and he got smoked square between the eyes with the ball! Those "indestructible" BCGs split in half and flopped down around his neck. Hilarious!
I have found a new purpose for these indestructible glasses. RACQUETBALL! My eyes are protected and even a straight shot to the eye was no match for the BCG! In addition, opponents consider them to be weird and menacing. So, recycle for sporting events. It is a good way to intimidate the opposition.
What memories marching in formation and my BCG's bouncing up and down on my face till they finally fell off and were hanging by the eye glass strap. And of course my TI screaming at me the whole time to fix them. I probalbly stepped on them about a dozen times and they never broke. They never could find a pair small enough to fit my face. They finally had to special order a pair of frames that were simular to BCG's for me.
For some reason I have 20/20 vision with old style vision test, but with most of the high-speed machines I usually get worse so I got issued BCGs in basic. I wore them at reception, but quickly I found that they impede my depth perception and there is no difference in sharpness of my vision and they gave me a headache so I never wore them again.
As a wearer of glasses, I know the pain of BCGs….but their durability was tested when we were standing in formation on a hot July day…a fellow recruit passed out and landed flat on his face. Not only was his nose broken, but his cheekbones as well… the glasses didn't even have a scratch on them!
one of the guys in my basic flight was blind as a bat — seriously like 1/2 inch thick lenses in his BCGs that made his eyes look HUGE. One day an MTI was trying to get up in his face and yell – he came in, like "TRAINEE!! WHAT THE HE— Damn son, can you see the future in those things??" After that he was laughing so hard he couldn't punish him, he just waved him off.
I Am VERY Nearsighted, so My BCGs were loaded with Coke Bottle Lenses, extra awesome. The first week they were issued had the worst headaches and kept catching the corners of tables when i walked by . They finally took me in after I ran directly into the metal post that separated a double door and knocked myself unconscious. The lens cut my cheek and nose but the frame didn't have a scratch. Turns out they had inverted some numbers and my Rx was WAY off.
I’m not an optometrist, but BCGs have been out of the Army system for at least a year now. Before this deployment we’re wrapping up now they reordered for anyone who needed new glasses and while I expected to get BCGs as well, the guy told me they hadn’t issued them for at least 6 months (at that point) and the replacement was one of the normal looking frames.. the “new ones” this post shows weren’t even an option for us. (thankfully!) I still got the eyepro inserts and the pro mask inserts though.
Does that mean the current owners of BCG's will get issued civ looking ones or..?
I got issued those in navy boot camp b/c my right eye is near sighted. i wore them for one day and had a major migraine the rest of that day. I ended up throwing them in the space underneath the A&B drawer we had in our beds. never wore them again.
I was issued them in boot camp so I had no choice in getting them… I did, however have a choice in wearing them. It was so early in that our RDC's didn't really know everyone, so I simply hid them in my A/B drawer (personal drawer) and never took them out. I'm only a little near-sighted, so I was able to get away with this. I did take them back out and use them when we did weapons training, with no one the wiser. Everyone hated those glasses. Personally I don't see why recruits aren't allowed to use their own glasses. Replace them only if they break. Keep costs down.
I never received the correct prescription lens, so I was forced to go without glasses during my entire USMC Boot Camp, and even had to be qualified with the M-16 rifle, & 45-Automatic pistol at the rifle-range. Proof of this is by viewing my Marine Corps. picture showing me without glasses!
Before everybody goes crazy over the fallout of this decision, just remember what happened when the "old" BCGs from the 60s and 70s were discontinued by the military. They became all the rage on the civilian market and everybody wanted them. Now watch for the same thing to happen here.
I got issued female BCGs in at Navy boot camp in Orlando, FL in 1981. The lenses were the size of dimes, impossible to see anything that wasn’t dead ahead. My CC said I didnt have to wear them unless I couldnt keep my civilian glasses from sliding down my nose. Nobody on the whole base wore them, except the base commander. Later I got the style with the larger lenses (known as Clark Kents or Buddy Hollys) and the wires that hook over the ears; they actually had some field of vision, but I only kept them as backup for my contact lenses. When the 1970s-looking brown frames came in some time in the 1980s, most of the sailors I knew weren’t pleased with being issued “Army” glasses; there was a rumor that the black ones were de-authorized because they had become popular with new-wave and punk rock fans, and thus “faddish”. At least the new ones (I predict they will be called Peter Parkers) are modern and black.
I laugh at all the stories of indestructible BCGs, because they're not! Personally, I thought I looked pretty ridiculous in them. They made me look like I was an owl and my eyes aren't even that big!
I went through two pairs over the course of boot camp and MCT. My first pair got broken when another girl landed on my head during MCMAP training. I had to use clear tape to fix the broken temple.
During MCT I became prone to tripping over thin air so I started looking at the ground to try to make sure I didn't trip. Unfortunately for me, during the first day of our Three Day War, we hiked under some trees and someone in front of me lifted a branch. Obviously I didn't see them so the branch snapped back and hit me in the face. Luckily my BCGs took the brunt of the vicious attack but I spent the next two days constantly trying to keep the frames together and every one of my combat instructors would burst out in laughter when they saw me and my taped up BCGs.
My daughter called them (black BCG's) my Superman glasses!
When I was in basic training (USArmy) in 1958 we were issued plastic pinkish/clear glasses. Ugly but indestructible. I wore them after separation from active duty.
They don't work; I have five kids.
Just for your info, those black frames are the first BSGs. Those brown frame jobs came into the Corps in the 80's as in the 1980's. Before that we were issued black frame glasses just like the ones above. advforops out.
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I remember how they wanted us to all be the same, or similar and the BCGs were designed with this in mind. Unfortunately, I have a very narrow nose bridge, so my BCGs ended up making me stand out. Even so I didn't dislike them, I just hate glasses in general and when the opportunity came for me to go back to my contacts I did without ever looking back.
My husband hated his so much, that he didn't wear them to graduation. He was standing there in formation and him minus glasses of any sort and the amount of weight he had lost, I walked completely by him. It was taking everything he had not to bust out laughing at me.
I still have four pairs, Rx is about 10 years old, but they're still wearable and I can use them around the house. Comfort level is great, but looks, maybe I could score at midnight in Subic.