Like the Service Dress Blue (SDB) uniform, the USPHS Male Service Dress White uniform (SDW) is prescribed for wear for all functions where Formal, Dinner, or Full Dress uniforms are not prescribed—but only during Summer.
It also has a decidedly different design, with a distinctive single-breasted coat with a standing collar (also called a Mandarin collar) that’s led to it being informally referred to as a “choker.” Additionally, hard shoulder boards are worn to denote rank in lieu of the sleeve stripes found on the SDB. The male and female versions of the SDW Coat are extremely similar, but the male coat has five front buttons as opposed to six on the female coat; it also comes with two breast pockets (female coat has none).
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