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You are missing the point completely. The Corps has a long-standing practice of wearing appropriate attire for specific occasions and situations. It was never appropriate to wear Utilities (or Cammies) off base. Several commands have loosened the restriction at different times to allow the brief convenience stops that many have described here -- but with disastrous results. Each time this was tried, the "exceptional" nature was soon forgotten and the stops got longer and more widespread, and pretty soon Jacksonville and Oceanside were filled with off-duty Marines in their sloppiest uniforms. With his "new" edict, General Conway is just taking the Corps back to its roots.

The Corps wants its Marines to appear in uniform, but in the appropriate uniform. Off base, the appropriate uniform is the informal Service "C" or "Charlies" (dress shoes, green trousers, khaki shirt and garrison cap) or the more formal Service "A" or "Alphas" (with belted green coat and khaki shirt and tie). Those are the minimums, and the Dress "C" (with blue trousers) and Dress Blue uniforms can also be worn when appropriate. Civvies are not the only option for off-base attire.

I’ve tried to find a web page with side-by-sides of the MARPAT, greens, dress blues, etc to show people that the USMC has, in fact, three or four uniforms and what they look like. I can’t seem to find one page that shows everything at once.

Whenever I’ve bumped into Marines here off-base in Nevada, they’re always wearing at least what you describe as the “C”’s at non-formal functions (eg, hearings where there is a civilian/military interaction, such as opening or changing military operational areas on NAS Fallon, or applying for new MOA’s). Events like weddings, funerals, etc — dress blues. On the road while transporting equipment, etc — cammies.

My initial reaction upon reading the press report was that I didn’t know when they allowed Marines to wear cammies off base. So even I, a civilian, see this just the way you Marines do — this is just SOP.

They are just tightening up on some previous exceptions for wearing the Combat Utility Uniform, as previously pointed out. Personally, I love to see them - I sometimes drive in the gate at Quantico when I pass by, just to be around them.

As far as I know, the Marines are the only service that requires the wearing of a uniform when traveling on “space available” military flights, even though that is done during liberty.

Here’s the actual order about the “utes”:

http://www.marines.mil/almars/almar2000.nsf/52f4f5d11f10b4c4852569b8006a3e35/9692786d317f3a0a852573230070f40e?OpenDocument

with belted green coat

blouse

and the Dress "C" (with blue trousers)

All Dress uniforms include trousers, unless you're a WM.

ALMAR 035/07


Date signed:	07/25/2007	MARADMIN Number:	035/07
Subject:	WEAR OF THE MARINE CORPS COMBAT UTILITY UNIFORM
UNCLAS 251400Z JUL 07 CMCUC TO AL ALMAR(UC) ALMAR ALMAR 035/07 MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC CMC// SUBJ/WEAR OF THE MARINE CORPS COMBAT UTILITY UNIFORM// POC/YA2 M. BOYT/-/MCUB/-/TEL:-(703)432-4607 OR DSN 378-4607 /EMAIL MARY.BOYT@USMC.MIL// GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS, OUR CORPS HAS BEEN IN A TRANSITION PHASE WITH REGARD TO OUR UTILITY UNIFORMS. THAT PERIOD IS NOW ENDED. AS MARINES, OUR UNIFORMS AND MILITARY APPEARANCE ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR IDENTITY AND HAVE TRADITIONALLY MARKED US AS THE NATION'S MOST DISTINCTIVE MILITARY SERVICE. AS SUCH, UNIFORMITY AND AN OUTWARD PRIDE IN OUR APPEARANCE HAVE BEEN CONSTANTS FOR EVERY MARINE - FROM PRIVATE TO GENERAL. 2. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ALMAR IS TO ENHANCE THAT UNIFORMITY; TO FURTHER DEFINE WHAT ARE CONSIDERED EMERGENCY STOPS OFF-BASE IN THE MARINE CORPS COMBAT UTILITY UNIFORM (MCCUU); AND TO PRESCRIBE SEASONAL WEAR AND APPROPRIATE LOCATIONS FOR THE MCCUU WHILE IN GARRISON. THIS ALMAR APPLIES TO THE ACTIVE AND RESERVE FORCE. THIS ALMAR OUTLINES SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO CURRENT POLICY AND SHOULD BE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY. 3. THE MCCUU IS A FIELD UNIFORM AND IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR WEAR IN A CIVILIAN ENVIRONMENT. WEAR OF THE MCCUU IS AUTHORIZED WHILE COMMUTING TO AND FROM WORK VIA PRIVATELY OWNED VEHICLE. HOWEVER, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, AND AS A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE TO THE REF, EN ROUTE STOPS WHILE OFF-BASE ARE NOT AUTHORIZED EXCEPT FOR BONAFIDE EMERGENCIES, SUCH AS MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, VEHICLE BREAKDOWN, OR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS. 4. MARINES MAY ONLY WEAR THE MCCUU AT OFF-BASE ESTABLISHMENTS WHEN USING DRIVE-THRU SERVICES SUCH AS ATMS, FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS, OR DRY CLEANERS WHEN THEY WILL NOT EXIT THE VEHICLE. 4.A. THE MCCUU IS NOT AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR AT OFFICIAL / UNOFFICIAL FUNCTIONS AND CONFERENCES HELD OFF-BASE OR OFF GOVERNMENT INSTALLATIONS AND FACILITIES. 4.B. IAW ALMAR 054/06, MARINES IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION CONTINUE TO BE RESTRICTED FROM WEARING THE MCCUU ON ANY FORM OF PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, TO INCLUDE METRO, BUSES, AND SLUG LINES; AND AT ANY DOD-LEASED, CIVILIAN FACILITIES, SUCH AS THOSE IN CRYSTAL CITY. 5. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, WHEN THE MCCUU UNIFORM IS DESIGNATED BY A LOCAL COMMANDER AS THE UNIFORM OF THE DAY IN GARRISON, THE FOLLOWING POLICY APPLIES: 5.A. DURING THE SUMMER SEASON, THE DESERT MCCUU WITH SLEEVES ROLLED UP WILL BE WORN AS THE UNIFORM OF THE DAY. 5.B. DURING THE WINTER SEASON, THE WOODLAND MCCUU WITH SLEEVES DOWN WILL BE WORN AS THE UNIFORM OF THE DAY. 5.C. LOCAL COMMANDERS WILL CONTINUE TO PRESCRIBE THE APPROPRIATE UNIFORM FOR FIELD AND TACTICAL ENVIRONMENTS. 5.D. WHEN AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR, DESERT FLIGHT SUITS WILL BE WORN IN THE SUMMER SEASON AND GREEN FLIGHT SUITS WILL BE WORN IN THE WINTER SEASON. 6. THE INTENT OF THIS ALMAR IS TO CREATE A STANDARD FOR WEAR OF THE MCCUU FOR ALL MARINES. HOWEVER, IT IS RECOGNIZED THAT UNIFORM POLICIES AT CERTAIN JOINT HEADQUARTERS, AND CLIMACTIC CONDITIONS AT SOME OF OUR BASES OR STATIONS, MAY LEAD TO REQUESTS FOR WAIVER TO POLICY. SUCH REQUESTS FOR WAIVER SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY COMMANDING GENERALS OR COMPONENT COMMANDERS, WITH JUSTIFICATION, TO THE COMMANDANT. ANY SUCH REQUESTS FOR WAIVER WILL BE CONSIDERED ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. 7. SEMPER FIDELIS, JAMES T. CONWAY, GENERAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS, COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPS//