Probably because it’s more glamorous, looks better, and doesn’t require wearing as much wool!

Oh, and gives an excuse to wear as many guns as possible….

And medal ribbons. The Canadian forces being like ourselves (not giving a medal for everything) always reckoned the Americans got a medal for being housetrained. I do know that they get a medal for serving overseas (not even in a combat zone) and for passing their annual weapons qualification. Huh? I always thought being able to use a weapon effectively was what a soldier was paid for, not something they got a medal for. Although I was in a technical branch of the army I still had to pass my weapon qualification every year. As we were always told “A soldier first, a tradesman second”.