Something smells funny....think i saw a fake Marine today. Input from service members

U

uluapark

Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
482
Saw someone today wearing the new Marine Corps digital uniform,but something odd, that doesnt sit right with me. He had a full colored flag patch on right side and it was backwards facing with the stars facing forwards. I have never seen this on Marine uniforms before. And arent all servicemen/women not allowed to wear cammo offbase? A few years ago,my army friend got mad at someone at grocery store for wearing cammo offbase, said it was against "regs".
 
Im not in the service but i always see the stars going forward. I think its something about the flag always going forward or something
 
Although I'm by no means an expert, I'm under the impression that that is the official way service members wear the flag on their sleeves. I was always told that it is to make it look like the flag is flying proudly in the breeze.
 
When I was a kid with less disposable income I used to wear military surplus clothing quite a bit. No one ever confused me with a Marine.

Maybe it was the flowing locks down past my shoulders, or the bandana/headband that clued them in.
 
That is a correct deployment flag-the full color ones are (at least when I was at 10th Mtn.) peacekeeping deployments. Stars are forward so the flag is always advancing.
 
When I got out of the army the practice wife and I were in the local ridiculously expensive private college library checking our email, and some entitled rich kid walks by with an UPSIDE DOWN deployment flag on his jacket, and a Che Guevara t-shirt. Both of us blew a valve-poor kid got quite a lecture (from the faculty of Infantry Tourette's university LOL)
Finished up by telling him I'd signed up to lay my life on the line to protect his right to do that, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to tell him what I thought...i think we were both a little bent from dealing with deployment...
 
I don't know about now (as I've been out a few years), but, when I was in the Marine Corps Reserve (before the digital camoflauge came out), no one in the Marine Corps had patches of any kind on the sleeves of the utility uniform. Part of the reason for this was to make it harder for the enemy to determine which unit they might be observing. The other reason, as it was explained to me, was that there is ONE Marine Corps, regardless of their MOS.

Having the flag on the shoulder may be different now, as this would be for everyone uniformly, but we did not have it back then.

Wearing the utility uniform off base, however, was a different story entirely. This was allowed off base ONLY when enroute from your place of residence to your duty station.

If this individual was simply hanging out trying to look cool and did not appear to be on their way to some destination, then chances are that your suspicions are right. If they claimed to be a "Sniper in Force Recon", then your b-s-o-meter should really start going off.
 
Sleeper0311 said:
I don't know about now (as I've been out a few years), but, when I was in the Marine Corps Reserve (before the digital camoflauge came out), no one in the Marine Corps had patches of any kind on the sleeves of the utility uniform. Part of the reason for this was to make it harder for the enemy to determine which unit they might be observing. The other reason, as it was explained to me, was that there is ONE Marine Corps, regardless of their MOS.

Having the flag on the shoulder may be different now, as this would be for everyone uniformly, but we did not have it back then.

Wearing the utility uniform off base, however, was a different story entirely. This was allowed off base ONLY when enroute from your place of residence to your duty station.

If this individual was simply hanging out trying to look cool and did not appear to be on their way to some destination, then chances are that your suspicions are right. If they claimed to be a "Sniper in Force Recon", then your b-s-o-meter should really start going off.
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thanks for the heads up. the next time i see him i will ask him where he is going, what his job is.
 
J W Bensinger said:
That is a correct deployment flag-the full color ones are (at least when I was at 10th Mtn.) peacekeeping deployments. Stars are forward so the flag is always advancing.
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You Sir, are correct! :D My wife just retired from the JAG Corps and she is/was a stickler for following regs...the officers even checked with her to see if their uniforms were all correct. (yes, I understand Army is different, but the regs are the same for the most part)

EDIT: if you get bored...http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/si...m Regs Chapters/Chapter 1_files/Chapter 1.asp :D
 
uluapark said:
Saw someone today wearing the new Marine Corps digital uniform,but something odd, that doesnt sit right with me. He had a full colored flag patch on right side and it was backwards facing with the stars facing forwards. I have never seen this on Marine uniforms before. And arent all servicemen/women not allowed to wear cammo offbase? A few years ago,my army friend got mad at someone at grocery store for wearing cammo offbase, said it was against "regs".
Click to expand...

Marines don't wear patches on our uniforms. So, I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't a Marine.
 
Sleeper0311 said:
Wearing the utility uniform off base, however, was a different story entirely. This was allowed off base ONLY when enroute from your place of residence to your duty station.
Click to expand...

It's still the same way (well, it was a few years ago before I got out). My Company 1stSgt told us that there was only one instance where you were allowed off base in the utility uniform, and that was if we were driving to base, died in a car crash, and the EMT's pulled our lifeless body from the car and left it in public. :)
 
Bear in mind that Marines are not the only folks that wear digital cam uniforms. Army ACUs look very similar and have different patch requirements and we wore duty uniforms off base all the time. Heck even the Air Force wears digi-cam these days. Are you sure it was Marine?
 
I thought the USMC decided not to use the camo that the Army selected and stayed, instead, with the two different patterns they had selected. MARPAT?
 
They Did Thomas infact USMC decided to copyright their version so other branches can't use it specifically, However the differences in patterns in digi-cam are not that dramatic. You can tell them apart if you know what they both look like but for many people digi-cam is digi-cam. I don't know how familiar each person discussing the topic here is with the various patterns. So just mention that there ARE other people besides Marines that wear very similar variations and unless you are close enough to see the EGA embedded (LOL) how do you know if it is true Marpat? Here is an example of the differences in the Marpat vs the Navy Work Uniform types 2 AND 3.

MARPAT_comparison_zpsbce46e0d.png


Besides the Government licensed a number of companies to sell Marpat "issue" to civilians. Tactical tailor, Eagle ect all sell directly to civilians. And yes the version with the EGA. Not saying it isn't tacky. As ex-Army, anyone trying to pass themselves off as true military is a bag of excrement. BUT... What did the guy have on his tape over his left pocket? if it was USMC then THAT is definately wrong unless he was a Marine. Heck might even be something like ROTC, if the Marines have such. I don't know. I guess I just don't see a need to get all worked up about someone wearing a piece of clothing. I served to guarantee them that freedom among others. And no wearing Marpat is not against the law. Tacky Yes, morally wrong possibly but unless he was not a Marine and was presenting himself as such, it isn't against any laws.
 
ljusmc said:
Marines don't wear patches on our uniforms. So, I don't know what you saw, but it wasn't a Marine.
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, digital woodland, the green pixil camo uniform, with light tan boots, and Marines branch tape. with the stop sign( sorry for crude description) shaped hat.
 
Shavru said:
...I just don't see a need to get all worked up about someone wearing a piece of clothing. I served to guarantee them that freedom among others. And no wearing Marpat is not against the law. Tacky Yes, morally wrong possibly but unless he was not a Marine and was presenting himself as such, it isn't against any laws.
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That makes a lot of sense.
 
I'm stuck back on post # 4 trying to wrap my mind around this.

"Maybe it was the flowing locks down past my shoulders, or the bandana/headband that clued them in."

Trying to visualize Howard Wallace with flowing locks down past his shoulders and it's just not working at all.

Does Red Flower know about this? I'd ask about a picture but frankly I'm not sure I want to see it. Just one of them hard to fathom things in life we stumble on from time to time.
 
Bawanna said:
...

Trying to visualize Howard Wallace with flowing locks down past his shoulders and it's just not working at all.

Does Red Flower know about this? I'd ask about a picture but frankly I'm not sure I want to see it...
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Too late. You challenged me to go digging. I found one old crumbling B&W photo from the '70s.

10455822_10203413080382221_5593379637348035347_n.jpg



Hair can grow and be cut.
Beauty and Wealth can come and go, as can fine clothes, uniforms, or even rags.
Approbation of authorities and the masses can be there, or gone in an instant.
 
My Oh my! Photos from the 70s. I am just SOOOOOoooo glad that those all happened to be burned up in a tragic fire. Fortunately we managed to limit the damage to 2 boxes of old junk but when I got there with the fire extinguisher I made sure to get that 3rd box that had all the old pictures too. Err I mean I had to douse the box just to make sure the fire wouldn't spread... yeah that is what happened.
 
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