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Marine Uniforms cont.
- Thread starter DocT
- Start date
The last time I wore the Chester Molester jacket was nine years ago, when I was a "salty" Third-Phase recruit at MCRD PISC. Prior to that, we had to wear the Mothers-of-America-issued poncho, which not only let the rain in, but kept you wet with sweat. For those of us who "rated" to look like Inspector Gadget with Kung-fu Grip, it was a symbol that we "made it."
Anyway, though I haven't worn it since then (aside from the occasional inspection, INCLUDING the one at TBS), I still have it because it is a required uniform item.
Does it suck dropping $150 or so on a uniform item you will never wear? Hell yeah it does. If money's an issue, buy one from a thrift store on/near base, or go to Quarter Sales at either of the Recruit Depots. It also sucks to drop a few Benjamins on the other required uniform items we rarely, if ever, wear or use (particularly in aviation), such as the Wooly Pully, the Mameluke sword, six pairs of utilities, the green barracks cover, etc. However, we all knew how much it was going to cost before we raised our right hands and signed on the dotted line.
Call me old-fashioned or naiive, but if the order says, "Officers will procure and maintain, in good and wearable condition at all times, the uniform items prescribed...," then I do it.
Anyway, though I haven't worn it since then (aside from the occasional inspection, INCLUDING the one at TBS), I still have it because it is a required uniform item.
Does it suck dropping $150 or so on a uniform item you will never wear? Hell yeah it does. If money's an issue, buy one from a thrift store on/near base, or go to Quarter Sales at either of the Recruit Depots. It also sucks to drop a few Benjamins on the other required uniform items we rarely, if ever, wear or use (particularly in aviation), such as the Wooly Pully, the Mameluke sword, six pairs of utilities, the green barracks cover, etc. However, we all knew how much it was going to cost before we raised our right hands and signed on the dotted line.
Call me old-fashioned or naiive, but if the order says, "Officers will procure and maintain, in good and wearable condition at all times, the uniform items prescribed...," then I do it.
gaijin6423
Ask me about ninjas!
I was scheduled for duty at TBS near Christmas, and I got a call the day before, telling me that I had to show up in Alphas. It seems a good friend of the CO had passed away, and the JOOD (me) would have to accompany the Col to Arlington for the funeral. It was raining that morning, I was pretty damned glad that when the CO said, "I think we'll wear All Weather Coats," I was able to produce one. There wasn't anyone else left in the barracks by that point, so I'd have been extremely SOL if I hadn't had it. Of course, that makes exactly ONE time that I've ever worn the damn thing, outside of MCRD Parris Island.
Oh, wait. I had to wear the thing at NAPS fairly regularly, too, and I remember the BOOST guys having to wear theirs as well.
I guess my point is, you'll only find out that you actually NEED it when you don't actually HAVE it.
Oh, wait. I had to wear the thing at NAPS fairly regularly, too, and I remember the BOOST guys having to wear theirs as well.
I guess my point is, you'll only find out that you actually NEED it when you don't actually HAVE it.
gaijin6423
Ask me about ninjas!
You mean other than making you look like a pimp? They don't let you fly, if that's what you're thinking...
"WTF is a swagger stick" I asked myself? Do the Marines still use them?
The Swagger Stick
by Blackie Cahill, Colonel of Marines, USMC
Probably the best description of its function may be quoted from a British Regimental Sergeant Major instructing new officers. "Now gentlemen, the swagger stick is not for rattling along railings, cleaning out drains at home, or swiping the heads of poor innocent little flowers. Nor is it for poking into stomachs or for fencing duels in the mess line. No, gentlemen, it is to make you walk like officers and above all to keep your hands out of your pockets".
"Swagger sticks" evolved from the "leading cane" prescribed for British officers in a General Order of 1702. On parade, this cane was used for leading men. But it was also used for administering on-the-spot punishment of up to 12 strokes for minor violations of regulations. Examples of the latter were:
sneezing in ranks,
scratching the head, or
giving an officer a dirty look.
The carrying of a club or stick to denote authority is almost as old as history itself. Now, not only do they satisfy the human desire for something to occupy the hands, but they also help combat that horrible and most undesirable tendency of putting your hands in your pockets. I carried the swagger stick until just before I retired in 1978