Uniforms of the United States Marine Corps

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

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. It is the only U.S. Military uniform that incorporates all three colors of theUS 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, and Noncommissioned Officers may wear theNCO 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 ceremonial units at Marine Barracks, 8th & I in Washington, D.C. (most famously the Silent Drill Platoon and Color Guard). 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), and by NCOs and junior enlisted personnel for ceremonies and social events only, if authorized and provided by the command structure.

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 cover" or "piss cutter". There is the option of wearing a hard-framed service cap (called a Barracks Cover). The design of these covers differ 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

MARPAT Utility Uniform

The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform or MCCUU is intended for wear in the field or for working parties. It is rendered in MARPAT (MARine PATtern) 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 (EGA) 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).

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.

Marines in a combat area may also wear Flame resistant organizational gear, or FROG uniforms. These combat uniforms are designed to reduce fire-related injuries, and look quite similar to the MCCUU.

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.

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, while the maternity MCCUU only comes in woodland (sleeves will not be rolled).

1. 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 
2. ALMAR 035/07 directing wear of the MCCUU
3. ALMAR 034/07 directing all Marines to earn at least a tan belt by CY 2008
4. MCSsysCom Infosheet PT uniform. Retrieved on 2007-10-31.
5. "Feedback Sought on PT threads", Marine Corps Times, 2005-10-27. Retrieved on 2007-08-30. 
6. Simmons, Edwin Howard (2003). The United States Marines: A History, 4th Edition. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-790-5