Corps confirms new boot coming

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By Kimberly Johnson - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 19, 2007 15:27:32 EST

Boot changes are afoot for the Corps, Marine officials confirmed.

Speculation about new footwear coming down the pike emerged last week, after Commandant Gen. James Conway was spotted wearing a boot with a “hard, rubbery plastic coating” on the toe during a trip to West Coast bases.

The boot is a “Mountain Cold Weather Boot” that was adopted last year, said Marine Corps Systems Command spokeswoman Lt. Geraldine Carey.

“The boot is manufactured by Danner and is for deployment in a mountainous cold-weather environment and is not currently authorized in garrison,” she said in an e-mail. “Marines who are seen wearing the boot in garrison are either conducting further evaluation or deploying in the near future.”

Details about the boots have not been released, but new photos from Conway’s visit to California show an upturned toe — similar to high-tech running shoes — and a tab in the back believed to assist foot insertion. Looking at the photo, the hard covering on the toe also appears to cover the heel.

DISCUSS: New boot afoot

Marine Corps Gen. James Conway and Sgt. Maj. Kent, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, wear the new Mountain Cold Weather Boot on a visit to California on Oct. 26.