Marines want to wear their uniform for high school graduation, but their school said no

Three Marines who graduated boot camp in April were looking forward to representing their recent accomplishment at their Colorado high school graduation later this month. That was until they were told by school officials that they would not be allowed to wear their dress blues unless it was covered by a cap and gown.

Thomas Pencis, Jacob Dalton, and Christopher Ferguson went to summer school in order to finish their credits early and attend Marine Corps boot camp before graduating from Centennial High School.

Their school is in Pueblo, Colorado also known as the “Home of Heroes” because it was home to four Medal of Honor recipients: one from World War II, two from the Korean War, and another from the Vietnam War. Four large bronze statues depicting the MOH recipients sit in front of the Pueblo Convention Center, which is also home to active duty troops and veterans. In a statement to Task & Purpose, the Marine Corps said it was “aware of the sentiments expressed by Marines from 8th Marine Corps District who recently graduated high school. We value our relationships with our local high schools and will continue to respect the policies and procedures of all establishments and institutions within our communities and are appreciative of their ongoing support.”......

The story was first reported on Tuesday by a Pueblo television station, KRDO. On Thursday, the three students met with school officials, including a mediator, to find a compromise. The details are still being worked out but in general, the school decided to honor the three Marines at graduation after the presentation of the colors, while wearing their dress blues. Then the students would change into their gowns and pick up their diplomas.

Let's clarify things for you: I was a career Marine and served in combat. Not "I heard an explosion a mile away" combat, genuine day-after-day firefights for 15 months. I have served for 27 years, including commanding an artillery battalion, and all over the world. I have extensive experience as both an enlisted Marine and as a commissioned officer - including serving as an Investigator for the Marine Corps IG and Convening Authority for several Courts-Martial.

So if I tell you what the Marine Corps policy is on the wearing of the uniform, you should take it as Gospel.

The Marine Corps encourages Marines to wear their Dress Blues at social events, because when more young people see these young men in uniform, yet more young people want to join us. And while I'm expounding, Marines that have graduated from Boot Camp are considered full-fledged Marines, not recruits anymore. As was once explained to me just after I graduated, no Marine is better than another: some are given respect because of their high position of responsibility but they are no better: there may even be five minutes or so when you will be the most important Marine in the world - so when you render honors to a senior Marine, he must return that respect back to you equally.

As far as your jibe about women Marines, they are wonderful and capable Marines, but I reserve judgment about their use in infantry combat. Infantry is organized murder and distractions will be fatal.

A cap and gown should certainly supersede, as it is the uniform for the event. Unless they’re working as honor guard or something, as a graduate the uniform is the gown.

I don’t know current active Marine regs, but retired Marines aren’t supposed to wear their uniforms wherever they want, they’re limited to fancy functions like funerals or weddings, or military related ceremonies.

AR 670-1 prohibits wearing of uniforms whenever you want off-duty, unless it’s something military related. Or, of course, quick stops on the way home from ‘work’ or such.

The only exception to Army or Marine regs is MoH recipients, who can wear their uniform any time except for commercial/political/bring discredit type of stuff.

So these two kids are probably not even supposed to wear their uniforms to this non-military event, so the whole point is moot.

“... so when you render honors to a senior Marine, he must return that respect back to you equally.”

I guess what you fail to understand is that they didn’t do it for the Corps, they did it for themselves. And that’s not respecting the uniform or the branch, that’s using it for personal gain. So while I point out their failure for misusing the uniform for their persoanl needs, and not that of the Corps, you applaud them and try to support their inexperience and failure to live up to the level of the Corps while openly admitting their effort to use it as a tool for adoration for themselves.

“...because when more young people see these young men in uniform, yet more young people want to join us.”

You may be speaking for the branch here, but not for them as that was not the reason for their wearing of the uniform. They are the problem, not the uniform.

“... served in combat.”

So did I, in a number of countries. Left Vietnam on my back from a missile and it paused my service for 6 years to get healed. Part of while there, I worked as a bird dog both air and ground support with MAGS-16 as a FAC and after I got hit, was taken out through Da Nang. I didn’t retire from the military until the early 90’s as a top four, went to work for the department of the army, and DOD out of the pentagon. And what I did at both was troop related and other areas.

Combat has nothing to do with being a good soldier/airman/Marine. It has to do with the integrity and intestinal fortitude of the individual person and what they have inside to work within a unit. And if they want to misrepresent themselves while misrepresenting the branch by not following directives and orders, that’s on them and reflects the branch. And that is an obvious display of their not being a Marine but a person that needs direction you say they have the ability to understand right out of boot.

“So if I tell you what the Marine Corps policy is on the wearing of the uniform, you should take it as Gospel.”

Never questioned that. But if I identify a problem with how a young Marine mishandles a military situation of trying to equate 10 weeks of what many call basic knowledge, of the ability to be an independent military representive, in a public display for the wrong reasons, then there’s a disconnect there that needs correction. They aren’t ready at that point in their career to entertain that status of any member of the military as they don’t come out of boot, your word, ready to be a Marine at that level. This is what they will learn at further training as that isn’t taught at boot. You either give them too much credit or lower the level of expectency of the branch. They didn’t follow orders they were given and misued the uniform for themselves.

wy69

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.