Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps
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The Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps serve to distinguish Marines from members of other services. Among current uniforms in the U.S. military, theirs have been in service the longest. The Marine Dress Blue uniform has been, with few changes, worn in essentially its current form since the 19th century.
Dress Uniform
See also Dress uniforms
The Marine Corps Dress uniform is the most elaborate of the United States armed forces, worn for formal or ceremonial occasions. Its basic form of a blue jacket with red trim dates back to the 19th century[1]. It is the only U.S. Military uniform that incorporates all three colors of the U.S. Flag. There are three different forms of the Dress uniform: Evening Dress, Blue Dress, and Blue-White Dress; only officers and SNCO's are authorized to wear the Evening Dress. Until 2000, there was a Dress White uniform, which is no longer authorized.
Blue Dress
The most common dress uniform is the Blue Dress uniform, often seen in recruiting advertisements. It is often called "Dress Blues" or simply "Blues". It is equivalent in composition and use to black tie. The various designations are listed in descending order of formality:
- Blue Dress "A" has a long-sleeved midnight blue coat (enlisted members have red trim) with a standing collar and belt (white web & gold waistplate for enlisted, blue for officers with a gold M-buckle), white barracks cover, plain white shirt, sky blue trousers, white gloves, and black shoes and socks. Large medals are worn on the left chest; ribbon-only awards on the right. Marksmanship badges are not worn. Females wear pumps in place of shoes, and may wear a skirt in place of slacks. For males, the dress coat is cut to be formfitting.
- Blue Dress "B" is the same as "A", but medals are replaced with their corresponding ribbons and all are consolidated on the left. Marksmanship badges may be worn.
- Blue Dress "C" is same as "B" but without the outer blue coat and white gloves. A khaki long sleeve button-up shirt and tie are worn instead. Ribbons and badges are normally worn on the shirt.
- Blue Dress "D" is same as "C", but with a khaki short sleeve button-up shirt and no tie.
Officers have the option of wearing a Sam Browne belt and the Mameluke sword, and Noncommissioned Officers may wear the NCO sword, as prescribed.
Because the Blue Dress uniform is considered formal wear, Blue Dress "C" and "D" are rarely worn. The main exception are Marine Recruiters and Marine Corps Security Guards, which will wear the "C" and "D" in warm weather. Only the "B", "C", and "D" Blue Dress uniforms are authorized for leave and liberty wear; the "A" is not.
General officers have a two-inch wide scarlet blood stripe down the outer seam of each leg of their blue dress trousers; field and company grade officers have a 1 1/2-inch wide scarlet stripe down the outer seam of each leg of their blue dress trousers; and Staff NCOs and NCOs have a 1 1/8-inch wide scarlet stripe down the outer seam of each leg of their blue dress trousers. Like the U.S. Army, General officers wear trousers that are the same color as the coat, while other officers, Staff NCOs, and NCO's wear medium (sky) blue trousers.
Blue-White Dress
Prior to 1998, the "Blue-White" dress uniform was authorized to be worn for the Silent Drill Platoon, an elite platoon of Marines operating out of Marine Barracks ("8th & I" in Marine Corps talk), in Washington, D.C.. Since then, it has become the authorized summer dress uniform for all officers (it replaced, in 2000, an all-white uniform, similar in appearance to that of the Naval Officer/CPO white dress uniform), SNCOs (unless they are in formation with NCOs and junior enlisted personnel who are not authorized to wear the uniform), if authorized and provided by the command structure, by NCOs and junior enlisted personnel for ceremonies and social events only.
Like the Blue Dress uniform, the Blue-White Dress consists of an "A" and "B" uniform, and is worn in the same manner as that of the Blue Dress uniform, except for the trousers, skirt, or slacks being white instead of blue. As with the Dress Blues, the "A" is not authorized for leave and liberty wear. The white trousers are not authorized for wear with neither the long or short-sleeved khaki shirt, precluding "C" and "D" uniforms.
Red Dress
To differentiate themselves from the infantry, musicians -- at that time, merely buglers and signal callers -- would reverse the traditional colors. Today's Marine Corps musicians still carry on such tradition by wearing a scarlet blouse with blue trim instead of the Dress Blues blouse.
Like the Blue-White Dress uniform, musicians are not authorized to wear the khaki shirts with the Red-Dress Uniform. Should the condition warrant (summer heat), the band will wear the appropriate Dress or Service uniforms.
Evening Dress
The Evening Dress is the most formal (and by U.S. Military standards, the most elaborate) of the Dress uniforms, and is the equivalent of white tie in usage. It is only authorized for wear by officers and SNCO's, and only a required uniform item for senior officers (Majors and above). It comes in three varieties:
- Evening dress "A" (for officers) is similar to Dress Blue "A", except an evening coat with strip collar, white waistcoat, and white shirt with pique placket is worn. The stripe on the trousers is a thin red stipe inside a gold stripe instead of scarlet. Females wear a long skirt. Miniature medals and badges are worn.
- Evening dress "B" is identical to Evening Dress "A" except males wear a scarlet waistcoat (General officers) or cummerbund (other officers), and females may wear a short skirt.
- SNCO's Evening Dress for Staff Non-Commissioned Officers, and much resembles a tuxedo with antiquated rank insignia sewn on the sleeves. A blue boatcloak with a scarlet silk liner is optional. Junior officers not required to possess Evening Dress may substitute Blue or Blue-White dress "A". It is appropriate for such occasions as State functions, inaugural receptions and dinners, and formal dinners.
Service Uniform
The service uniform consists of olive green and khaki colors. It is roughly equivalent in function and composition to a business suit. It is the prescribed uniform when
- serving on a court-martial
- making official visits and calls on American and foreign dignitaries, officials, and Military officers.
- visiting the White House, except when in a tourist capacity, or on an occasion where another uniform is specified.
- reporting for duty onshore
Like the Blue Dress uniform, the service uniform is authorized for wear while off-duty (on leave or liberty).
The Service uniforms are designated:
- Service "A" (or Alpha) is the base uniform. It consists of a green coat, green trousers with khaki web belt, khaki long-sleeve button-up shirt, khaki tie, tie clasp, and black shoes. The coat is cut to be semi-form fitting, with ribbons and shooting badge worn on the left chest of the coat. Females wear a green necktab in place of the tie, pumps instead of shoes, and have the option of wearing a skirt instead of slacks. It is sometimes appropriate to remove the jacket while indoors.
- Service "B" (or Bravo) is identical to the "A" except the coat is removed. Ribbons may be worn on the shirt.
- Service "C" (or Charlie) is identical to "B" except with a short-sleeve button-up shirt and no tie.
There are three types of authorized headwear for the service uniform. Both males and females may wear the green soft garrison cap, sometimes nicknamed "piss cutter". There is the option of wearing a hard-framed service cap (called a Barracks Cover), the design of which differs between females and males. As on the Blue Dress uniform, officers wear rank insignia on the shoulder epaulettes of their jackets and the collars of their shirts, while enlisted personnel wear rank insignia sewn on their sleeves.
A crewneck sweater may be worn with the "B" and "C" uniforms, in which case rank insignia will continue to be worn on the collar. The collar is worn on the outside of the sweater in order to display the rated rank insignia. When wearing the crewneck sweater with the long sleeve khaki shirt, a tie is not required.
Utility Uniform
The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform or MCCUU is intended for wear in the field or for working parties.[2] It is rendered in MARPAT digital camouflage that breaks up the wearer's shape, and also serves to distinguish Marine uniforms from those of other services. Previously, Marines wore the same utility uniforms as the Army. It consists of MARPAT blouse and trousers, green undershirt, and tan (specifically "olive mojave") suede boots. There are two approved varieties of MARPAT, woodland/winter (green/brown/black) and desert/summer (tan/brown/grey). To further distinguish the uniform, upon close examination you can see the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor within the pattern.
The approved headwear is the utility cover, an eight-pointed brimmed hat that is worn "blocked", that is, creased and peaked. In the field, a boonie cover is also authorized. The trouser legs are "bloused", or the cuffs are rolled inside and tightened over their boots with a spring or elastic band known as a boot band or blousing garter. Since the introduction of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP), Marines have the option of substituting a color-coded rigger's belt for their web belt, indicating their level of proficiency in MCMAP (the web belt will be phased out by 2008 due to a requirement for all Marines to achieve a tan belt rank by then[3]).
In garrison during the summer, the sleeves of the blouse are tightly folded up to the biceps, exposing the lighter inside layer, and forming a neat cuff to present a crisper appearance to the otherwise formless uniform. In the past, when Marines wore the same utilities as the Army and Air Force, this served to distinguish them from the others, who folded the sleeves with the camo facing out.
Unlike the Dress and Service uniforms, utilities are not permitted for wear on liberty (while off-duty).
Both officers and enlisted wear rank insignia on each collar, which is affixed like a pin and not sewn on as in the Army/Air Force. Enlisted insignia is always black, while officers wear bright metal insignia in garrison and subdued insignia (or none at all) in the field.
Miscellaneous
The PT (Physical Training) uniforms consist of Green shorts and t-shirt or green sweatpants and sweatshirt with the EGA printed on. A new PT uniform consisting of a track suit is in development and will be available in 2008, in addition to the existing PT uniform. [4]
The following items may be worn at the individual's discretion, except when in formation, ceremony, inspection, or when the commander decrees that uniformity is required:
- Grey all-weather coat (which is a double-breasted trenchcoat with removable liner) is authorized for wear with all uniforms during inclement and cold weather (the Silent Drill Platoon has its own special Dress-blue coat)
- Grey tanker jacket is authorized with the Dress "C" and "D" and Service "B" and "C" except when the all-weather coat is worn
- APECS parka and trousers or rain poncho may be worn with the Utility uniform during inclement or cold weather
- Service sweater will be worn with rank insignia on the shoulder epaulettes:
-
- Blue service sweater may be worn with the Dress "C" and "D"; enlisted Marines will wear gold pin-on rank insignia
- Green service sweater may be worn with the Service "B" and "C" as well as with the MCCUU (under the blouse); enlisted Marines will wear black pin-on rank insignia
- Gloves may be worn at the individual's discretion except when in formation ceremony (white for Dress, black for Service, none for Utilities except in the field).
- Olive green undershirt with a unit insignia or other design may be worn in lieu of the green undershirt for the MCCUU or with the PT uniform (a custom shirt will not be mandatory unless provided without cost to the individual)
- Umbrellas and purses may be worn or carried by female Marines when appropriate if they are black and plain
Female Marines may wear the Service or Utility maternity uniforms when the standard items will no longer fit. There is no maternity dress uniform, and the maternity MCCUU only comes in woodland (sleeves will not be rolled).
Comparison with the Army
Marines were often confused with U.S. Army soldiers. This was more prevalent when both services wore the same utilities, but with the introduction of digital camouflage (MARPAT for the Marines, ACU for the Army), this is no longer a point of confusion. However, there are several significant differences:
- Marines do not wear berets, and wear boots only with the utility uniform, while Army Airborne and Air Assault units wear shined black boots with dress uniforms (This will change with the introduction of the Army Blue Service Uniform later this year (which will be authorized in late 2007 and required in 2011), when boots will no longer be authorized other than with the ACU utility uniform).
- The Marine utility cover is an 8-pointed creased and peaked cover, the army uses a rounded cap. Unlike the Army, Marines do not wear rank insignia on the cover, instead there is an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor in the middle of the cap. However, both branches no longer mandate any sort of insignia on helmet covers, since the visible portion in the front tends to be covered by mounting brackets for night vision devices.
- In garrison, during the summer months, the sleeves of the blouse are tightly folded up to the biceps, exposing the lighter inside layer, and forming a neat cuff to present a crisper appearance to the otherwise formless uniform. In years past when Marines wore identical utilities to their Army and Air Force counterparts, this served to distinguish them as the other services have a different standard for rolling sleeves. In Haiti, the practice earned them the nickname "whitesleeves".
- Marines now wear predominantly dark green or tan camouflage (switching between woodlands in winter and desert in summer), while the Army ACU is a light gray uniform intended for all climates.
- The Marine service uniform is an olive green coat with khaki shirt and tie, the Army uniform is a dark green coat with light green shirt and black tie (due to change soon, see above).
- The Marine service uniform contains fewer decorations - only ribbons, marksmanship badges, and breast insignia (e.g. scuba bubble or aviator wings). The Army service uniform contains, in addition, breast combat insignia (e.g. Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medic Badge), arm patches denoting current and prior combat unit, and certification tabs above current unit shoulder sleeve insignia like the Ranger Tab or Sapper Tab.
- Likewise, Marines wear few devices on their utilities. As compared to the Army, which has US flag and unit patches as well as service tabs, the Marines do not wear shoulder patches of any type on their utilities. Typically, the only distinguishing features on Marine utilities are service and name tapes; eagle, globe and anchor emblem; rank insignia; and breast insignia (the latter of which is not worn in the field).
- Army officers previously wore branch insignia (e.g. infantry or engineering) on their left collar opposite their rank on the right collar where appropriate; though with the introduction of the Army Combat Uniform in 2005, AR 670-1 authorizes only Chaplains can wear their branch insignia above the name tape on the right side of the uniform. Marines wear no branch (e.g. aviation or infantry) insignia, so instead, officers simply wear rank insignia on each collar. There are two exceptions to this rule: a very small number of Chief Warrant Officers who are designated "Infantry Weapons Officer" (MOS 0306), who wear a gold bursting bomb insignia on their left collar; and Navy personnel authorized to wear Marine uniforms, who wear their assigned rating.
- Marines never salute without a cover. This precludes the vast majority of Marines from saluting inside, where covers are removed except for those individuals under arms (or wearing a duty belt, a method of symbolically being under arms without a weapon). The Army permits soldiers to salute out of uniform in certain circumstances, but this is never acceptable to a Marine.
- When the Marines and Army previously wore the BDU with sleeves rolled up, the Army tended to wear them with sleeves rolled inward, while Marines wore them outward, presenting the lighter inner fabric (known as white-side-out). Marines continue this tradition today with MCCUUs, while the Army does not roll sleeves on the ACU.
Traditionally, Marine officers eschew the wearing of rank insignia in combat, on the theory that it simply makes them targets (as in Vietnam) and do not allow saluting in these situations. Enlisted Marines are supposed to know who their leaders are, regardless of whether they are wearing rank insignia. This attitude supports the conduct of amphibious operations, the most complex of all military maneuvers. During such a maneuver, units are typically scattered and without a traditional command structure. Leaders are anyone who takes the initiative to lead, an attribute that is stressed throughout Marine Corps training and doctrine[citation needed].
History
On 5 September, 1776, the Naval Committee published Continental Marine uniform regulations specifying green coats with white facings (lapels, cuffs, and coat lining), with a leather high collar to protect against cutlass slashes and to keep a man's head erect. Its memory is preserved by the moniker "Leatherneck", and the high collar on Marine dress uniforms. Though legend attributes the green color to the traditional color of riflemen, Colonial Marines carried muskets. More likely, green cloth was simply plentiful in Philadelphia, and it served to distinguish Marines from the red of the British or the blue of the Continental Army and Navy. Also, Sam Nicholas's hunting club wore green uniforms, hence his recommendation to the committee was for green.[1]
At the founding of the United States Marine Corps in 1798, it was issued leftover uniforms from "Mad Anthony" Wayne's Legion, blue with red facings. It was the beginnings of the modern "dress blues". The uniforms also came with a round hat, edged in yellow.[5] In 1834, President Andrew Jackson reinstated the green and white jackets of the Colonial Marines, with gray trousers. However, the dye on these faded quickly and in 1841 the uniform was returned to the blue -- this time with a dark blue coat and light blue trousers with a scarlet stripe down the seam for officers and NCOs. In 1859, new dress uniform regulations were issued; the new uniform had a French-style shako with an unpopular pom-pon. There was also the option of a fatigue cap, fashioned after the French képi.[5] In the 1890s, the Marines adopted some practical changes to the field uniform, adding a "campaign" cover, with a large Marine emblem on the side, and canvas leggings.[1]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Chenoweth, USMCR (Ret.), Col. H. Avery; Col. Brooke Nihart, USMC (ret) (2005). Semper fi: The Definitive Illustrated History of the U.S. Marines. New York: Main Street. ISBN 1-4027-3099-3.
- ^ ALMAR 035/07 directing wear of the MCCUU
- ^ ALMAR 034/07 directing all Marines to earn at least a tan belt by CY 2008
- ^ "Feedback sought on PT threads", Marine Corps Times, 2005-10-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ a b Simmons, Edwin Howard (2003). The United States Marines: A History, 4th Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5.
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