The Marine Corps has decided to use only woodland camouflage uniforms year-round, the Commandant said in a Marine Corps-wide message.Desert MARPAT camouflage uniforms will still be worn, but only in desert climates, while deployed, or when otherwise authorized by commanders.The message states that “upon transition to the summer season…the woodland MCCUU will still be worn; however, sleeves will be rolled up and the designated season service uniform will be Service “C”.
Woodland Cammies Clearly Better Than Desert Cammies
The move is likely to be popular among Marines, who have long had to deal with two different sets of uniforms in garrison. In the past, Marines would have “field” and “garrison” cammies of each color; the field cammies might be ripped in some places or faded, thus making them unsuitable for wear in a garrison environment.The new message lessens the burden on Marines by allowing them to wear woodland camouflage uniforms with the sleeves rolled up in the summer. This relieves the burden on low-ranking Marines especially, who are already forced to maintain Service Alphas, Bravos and Charlies, and probably Dress Blues as well.[caption id="attachment_9339" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
Source: Marine Corps Times[/caption]Also, woodland cammies with the sleeves rolled up have long been considered way cooler than desert cammies. Plus, it's harder to see stains on the dark material, which means that young Marines without reliable washers in the barracks can go longer without cleaning their uniforms.The Army also recently decided to roll their sleeves, but their sleeves are nowhere near as tight and cool-looking as the Marine Corps’.The changes came after recommendations from the Marine Corps uniform board, which had also recommended that Marine Corps Commandant General Robert Neller make Marines wear Service Bravo or Charlie uniforms when not in the field, but thankfully, Neller’s not a gigantic idiot, so he decided against that unbelievably annoying and widely hated idea.Another uniform recommendation concerned the female Dress Blue Coat, which is a modified version of the current female blue dress coat. This recommendation was approved by the Commandant.