Posted: 5/8/2005 8:43:22 AM EDT
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Anyone wearing it yet? I have the boots which you can wear with the BDU's per the message from DA that just came out and the digital name tapes are waiting for the new unifrom. But I dopn't have it yet. Anyone out there have it? |
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Do you blouse on the outside of the boots with these? Look pretty cool, that digital stuff works pretty well. I was skeptical when they first showed us Marpat, but it works. Are you going to all desert boots? Every body was so pumped about the angled pocket on the blouse, but you can't reach the damn thing with a flak on anyway. I guess they do look pretty cool though. |
I have the desert camo, woodland camo and urban camo ACU. Our unit is part of the test program for the new uniforms. We had to go in for these little questionaire sessions where we had to write down comments on what we thought worked and didn't work on the ACU. Funny thing though, the original cut of the ACU never changed, not even with the arival of the new digital print camo. Oh yeah, the zipper rests in the up position right at the top of your body armor plate. I told them about that, so did everyone else... did they listen? Noooo. |
Naw, the other colors were scrapped in favor of a "catch all" pattern taht's supposed to work in most any environment. The new pattern looks like a friggin robot barfed on you when you wear it... It's a take-off on the USMC digital ACU style uniform, only the squares are a little more rounded out if you know what I mean. The woodland, desert and urban ACUs are only distributed to selected test units, one of which is the STRYKER teams at Fort Lewis. A lot of us are wearing them over here in Iraq right now. Give me some DCUs with the pockets put up any day over this horseshiz... |
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Yeah, I think that MARPAT should go across the boards. It's a good idea, looks well executed. My Marine friends like 'em. That way, we wont look like goofballs and it will be practical. Plus it should prevent the Chair Force from looking like clowns with their projected uniforms. |
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Can't do it. Marpat, true Marpat, has the Eagle Globe and Anchor in the pattern. Sorry to all you doggies out there, but you didn't earn it, so you can't wear it. I like the new Marpat cammies myself, but I think the ACU uniform is an improvement even on them. The one color for every environment idea may not pan out however. And while I'm on the subject, allow me to rant about all the fat-assed Corpsmen wearing my EGA as well. If you didn't graduate from MCRD Paris Island or MCRD San Diego, or Quantico for the zeros, you are NOT a Marine, and should not be allowed to wear the EGA. It's simple really, either you earned it, or you didn't. 
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I'll agree. You Marines can have all the EGAs you want. I just think the color schemes work well. |
Been doing it for years anyways. Not interested in starting now, 'specially with the gay pin-on shiz. |
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The Army started this as an attempt to have a catch-all practical uniform. For the most part, they did good. I was always of the mindset that they should have uniforms like this for the field or operations and a garrison uniform, then again I thought that it'd be practical if they had folks working in maintenance or other like jobs wearing tees or sweat shirts. Either that or just give them a set of coveralls they report to work in, kinda like pilots. Those digs gotta be hot for sure, especially in places like Georgia, N. Carolina or Tennessee. Sorry, I thought I was Eric Shinseki for a second there.... |
Most motorpool guys have coveralls issued to them, they wont get flight suits or ABDU's because thats issued for a different reason, but coveralls are authorized and used by ground mechanics, at least everywhere Ive been. BDU's are cooler temperature wise however, but the coveralls keep you from having to buy new uniforms when you get gear oil and grease all over yourself. |
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originally from joker581
I was thinking the same think. When you or a buddy is down and screaming "CORPMAN" I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you most likely will not ask if he graduated Marine Boot Camp before you let him save your ass....  Don't judge all by one, it shows Imaturity..... Hell, I'm US Army and even I know the tradition and history of the relations ship between Corpman and Marines. You must have missed out on that lecture while you were polishing your EGA..... |
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I appreciate the concern over the pin on insignia and agree that it should be sewn on. If you gentlemen here saying you will go without are leaders you are setting a bad example for your soldiers. If you are enlisted, you get a clothing allowence to cover the cost that the badges cost. AAFES sells their own brand that is cheap and is probably the same as the high end stuff in the STABRIGHT, etc. packages. Be proud of what you earned and show your peers and juniors what you earned. If you are officers then I'll say that is pretty pathetic on your part to take that position. Just keep your decision in mind the next time one of your soldiers fails to follow your orders because they think they are smarter than you. DA made the rules and I don't think anyone here is above the DA level. Set the standard now and work to change the rules to a more sensible solution like a velcro patch for those with badges. I am willing to bet you can get your unit supply to keep some badges in stock. NSNs are available and the badges are in the system for those not willing to come off $1 or two for a badge. So, to make a short story as long as I possibly can, yes, the ACUs are now on the street. Most soldiers are getting the old style nametapes and rank. www.1800nmetapes.com has over priced ACU rank and name tags available now at $5 a pop for name and US Army tapes with velcro. THE RFI teams run you through pretty quick. Pay attention as sizes for boots (I know have 4 different sizes of boots, same foot) and uniforms are different. |
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Wearing skill badges and ribbons has always been optional. Saying that choosing not to wear them is a sign of poor leadership is silly. Dirtbags can have a tripple stack and great leaders might not have one. We are obsessed with badges in the Army; witness the Combat Action Badge. |
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Depends where you are. Not wearing your wings in the 101st is a violation of command directives. You can get an article 15 for it. Plus, you should have some pride. This has nothing to do with the combat action badge. I think that was a bad idea but to say you will not wear your CIB because of it is pointless. Point is, the comment was made about not wearing them because of money. That speaks loudly of one's character. Where does it stop? I was too cheap to buy soap so I did not wash my a55 now I have a stomach infection because I am nasty and all the soldiers in my tent have fleas because of me being too cheap to buy soap. To say it is poor leadership to not wear them is NOT silly. If the command requires you to wear them, you wear them. Not to do so is a violation of an order and makes it tough for you to expect others to follow your orders when you fail to do so yourself. Take care of the little things and the big ones take care of themselves! Have some pride and set the example. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And I don't think we are obsessed with badges. Some leaders wanted to recongnize the soldiers pulling infantry duties when not infantry. Good intent but changes made the badge pointless. Make it tough to attain. The CIB and CMB have a history that should not be taken away from them. The CMB was degraded when all medics in theater got them (combat action or not), same as the CIB. We have a SSI and Overseas Service bars to show combat time. Another good idea gone south because someone was worried about the feelings of others over standards. Kind of like you not wanting to wear the badge because of money or it being and option or time consuming. |
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I'm former airborne, and having guys with all kinds of stuff on their chest was common. It is part of being a PROFESSIONAL, not wearing the stuff because of finances is about as lame as it gets. If the badge is part of the required uniform, then wear the shit. There is no bragging IMHO, at least where I was, when we wore our shit. Sure there is BS, there always is, and always will be. Don't like it get out when your ETS comes up. It sounds to me like some people are a little jealous of the guys that do the work and get the awards/badges. I just know from my personal experience that the guys that went to the schools and had the badges to prove it were highly respected because of the work they put into their profession. I can say that w/o hesitation. Flame suit on, afterall, we are all brave when we have a screen in front of us. I gotta say, the hat sucks, glad I got to wear a maroon beret! |
Gimme yer last name, unit and last 4. Kiss your shot record goodbye.... What if it's a moto Devil Doc wearing the EGA? A class 1 PFTer? What about the EGAs on my FMF Regs uniform? Hell, the USMC issued that to me themselves. I did 9494(twice in one day), humped the humps wth my HMG platoon(humped the .50cal receiver too). I always loved how the Marines, after 50 minutes of humping get to sit and take off their boots, throw on some moleskin, foot powder, hydrate, rest a bit while the docs stay up checking each Marine, taping and moleskinning feet, checking to see that there are empty canteens, for the entire duration of the halt, then off you go, no rest for 5 or 6 hours(on the 20/25 milers) There's a few Marines like you at my unit. Loud and proud about it, to the point of annoyance but if your CG of the USMC sees fit to let it be, tough shit. Belleau Woods, WWII Pacific Campaign. Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq 1 & 2 Corpsman have accompanied Marines in every clime and locale they decded to wage war. Was that all Marines raising the flag it Iwo? My friend HM2(FMF) Jeff Wiener was killed in Iraq a few weeks ago... He died treating wounded Marines. I can tell you with 100% certainty that his Marines said he should have been a Marine because he was a Warrior. "....You guys are the Marine's doctors; There's no better in the business than a Navy Corpsman...." Lieutenant General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, U.S.M.C |
| Why do we jump on each other for minor BS? On Sunday I had a Major jump in my shit for wearing ACU boots with my BDU's even though he had not read the ACU message that came out last month. He said that I must have read the message wrong - I told him I had scrutizized it pretty closely - he insisted I was wrong - I finally asked him whether I was stupid or a liar because I had to be one in his view of the world. |
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Gimme yer last name, unit and last 4. Kiss your shot record goodbye.... McNulty 3rd Bn 24th Marines 4th Mar Div 8782 Erase it, I could give a fuck. They've already lost it I'm sure. We're all just one big happy family, I'm sorry that my experiences with Corpsmen and officers weren't as hunky-dory as all of yours. Corpsmen are great as long as they stay in their air-conditioned tent and I don't ever have to see them, same with zeros... BTW, what is up with all the "nicey-nicey" and "the world is a happy place" shit I get from all the Devil Dogs on this site. You guys must be the most mellow group of Marines I've ever talked to. I was with my unit, 1st FSSG and CSSG15 in Iraq, and those guys are all like me, pissed off and mean. Oh, and just fyi I was in an H&S company that was turned into a provisional rifle company in Kuwait, so things didn't always go according to plan if you know what I mean. That may have had an effect. Maybe with time and distance I'll develop a more sunny disposition... |
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We had 2 serious casualties, one shot in the head (lost his right eye but survived) and one shrapnel wound to the back and arm (full revovery). Our corpsmen did alright, but the doctors at the base hospital did the real life-saving. I saw more Iraqi casualties (mostly gun-shot wounds, some even inflicted "accidentally" by the ING, and one pretty bad IED that killed 5) than Marine, and I'm damn glad for it too. I have personally never had more than Ibuprofen and shots, but if you're putting me into the "never been there" category, you're wrong. Edited to add: Gentlemen, this topic is closed for me. None of you were where I was, and I have never been where you have. Different experiences = different attitudes. I have all the respect in the world for any and all who serve or have served, I didn't mean any dis-respect. All the Chesty quotes in the world won't change my mind, so enough already...
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Some corpsmen are real turds, no questions about that, but to say they don't rate is a bit over the top. Yup I'm mellow, that's because 1. I'm not in the fleet right now; so I'm not in "NCO mode" 2. I don't have a damn thing to prove to anybody, I know what I've done and don't feel the need to brag about it and I'm not so arrogant to think anybody who is not like me is a turd i.e. officers and corpsmen. now, do I want soldiers wearing a EGA? No. Just like they wouldn't want us to wear a 101st patch or something. Do I care if sailors, who risk thier lives to save ours wear them? nope. As long as they are actively serving with a FMF unit in the field I could care less. For all you corpsmen ou there, pay no attention to him, he does not speak for the majority. Most Marines value your service and recognize the danger you put yourselves in for our sake. Air conditioned tent? HA! thats a joke. Again I'm speaking from a grunt perspective, but anytime I slept in the field all the brass from Lt to Col were out in the damn sand too, along the the docs. Combat vet or not you're ignorant about how things work corps wide, sorry the truth hurts. I know things work different where you come from, I know a few 33 whatevers myself so I know a bit about how it is, and it ain't like the rest of the corps. |
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The whole badge thing on COMBAT UNIFORMS really has me perplexed. Who the hell really gives a shit if you are a 5 jump chump, have your wings and belong to a pogue REMF unit? If the "C" in ACU really stands for COMBAT what difference does it make if you are a 19D doing a dismounted patrol through some shit hole in Iraq with a bunch of 11B's? Is the enemy going to run away faster at the sight of all the patches on the 11B soldiers vs. 19Ds? The combat uniform was meant to survive the rigors and demands of combat, when you go back to garrison and wear your class A's then stack that shit on as far as I care. Maybe I am just a jaded C-DAT, but the confusing part of the CIB to me is that if I have a squad of 11B integrated into my Company Team and we are all living, working, fighting, dying under the same circumstances and conditions, then the 11B all get awarded the CIB but none of the 19 series soldiers do not? How does that work? KILO OUT |
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Oh, almost forgot, has anyone actually seen the NEW and improved ACU's? Not the old school ACU's but the ones that the Army Times wrote up several weeks back. Seems that they have already changed the color balance of them. More of the woodland green and a darker shade of it vs. the original uniforms that appeared to be waaaayyyy too washed out right from the factory. Anyone? KILO OUT |
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I have mine along with the rest of the 101st. The reason for correction of the minor stuff is quite simple: discipline. If you can't take care of the little things then they will bite you one day. You may think it is trivial but it is true. I have some hard ass NCOs working for me and some that are very laid back. The hard asses have soldiers that do nothing but complain about them and the other guys BS around like they were swapping sisters and living together in the same frat house. I have less problems from the soldiers working for the hard asses (drugs, pregnancies, spouse abuse, money problems, PT, uniform issues, etc) than the laid back crew. They took care of business in Iraq and back home just the same. The other guys are a pain in the ass and they require more supervision for even trivial tasks and I can't trust any of the young guys to do anything when the NCOs are gone. Everyone likes to use the SF as an example of how being laid back really does not impact the mission but enhances it. What they fail to understand is how much bullshit these soldiers went through to get where they are and how much discipline it took. They know when to turn it on and when to let loose. Depending on the way you handled the Major says a lot about you. If you are right and know it, tell him so as a professional. He'll verify it later most likely. If you are a smartass and tell him he is jacked up then you did not help matters. Not everyone is informed and people make mistakes. It is how the situation is handled that determines if the mistakes continue. He was right to make the correction on the boots because he thought it was wrong. Most officers and NCOs these days walk past all kinds of mistakes and set new (lower) standards and can't understand why people don't want to do their jobs well or why tasks don't get completed. Since he was wrong it was your responsibility to teach him so he would not make that mistake again. |
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My two bits: I for one will never say an ill word about Corpsmen. If they get through FMSS and serve with a FMF grunt (or combat engineer or recon, or whatever) company, then they're my buddy. Call me nuts, but I thought the Army could have saved some money by taking the MarPat utilities, changing the tiny EGA to the Army emblem (think the officers dress cover badge) and dropping the embroidered EGA on the chest pocket, then issuing them. Never having been in the Army, take my opinion for whatever little it is worth, but I can't cotton to the idea of the velcro shoulder patches and that new collar. |
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I'm sick of hearing some individuals bragging about branch training. It's about what's done in the field that matters. training is nothing but preperation for that. I'd rather have a battle-proven veteran that recieved next to no training watching my back than someone who went through the best training available. Training isn't real battle experience. I hope someday your life depends on a corpman. Then you'll see how those "unworthy fat-assed" corpsmen are. You shouldn't speak so poorly about the men you serve alongside. By the way what're we gonna do with our BDU's? I'm gonna use mine for hunting when it get phased out. |