Actually, I said that because someone remembered you said you were on the staff you won. The sash that I saw as maroon wouldn't be appropriate for a cavalry officer of the line. This is why the presentation is so important.
It should be noted that the entered uniforms were so close together that we had to break the tie on some of the most nit picking items. This is a problem with the military category. It is usually solved by having someone on the judging staff who knows what should be on the uniform and what shouldn't, which is why I was there. It was a good judging crew. Mad Mountain Mike conferred with me on military matters, and I conferred with him on his areas of expertise, and the ladies kept us straight on hairstyles, etc. We both knew which hats were wrong. I believe we both qualify as what Bob Boze Bell calls "Hat Nazis." That didn't apply in the military category as both were right.
The good news is you won. Congratulations. The bad news is now you can't enter that uniform again at EOT or the Convention or at Mule Camp, possibly other regionals. This means you don't get to see how well it would stack up against Sergeant Drydock or Colonel Baylor. I fear this rule will lead to mediocrity in this category particularly. Those who make the rules don't agree, but somehow I feel the field would be better with Sergeant Drydock, Captain Bacon, Calvin N Hobbs (as Custer), yourself, and myself in the field. Then the winner would know he'd fought a good fight.
I would also like to take this opportunity to say one thing to all of the military costume wearers at EOT who didn't enter the costume contest:
YOU CAN'T WIN IF YOU DON'T ENTER. ONE TROPHY WENT BEGGING.