Parris Island recruits are first to get new female dress blue coat

The Corps has been mulling a new dress blue coat for female Marines, modeled in similar fashion to their male colleagues, for several years now.

On Tuesday, recruits with with Platoon 4040, Papa Company, 4th Recruit Training Battalion, were the first company to receive the new female dress blue coat, according to a posting from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina.

The new female blues feature the iconic mandarin collar as seen on the male dress blues, but do not have breast or lower pockets like the male uniforms.

In 2016, the Corps put out a forcewide message that it was planning to adopt a modified version of the female dress blue coat but cautioned it could take several years before a new coat would be finalized due to testing.

RELATED

Marines adopt new uniform rules for cammies, dress blues

It’s official: Women Marines will wear a modified female blue dress coat that replaces the folded lapel with the iconic leatherneck collar.

By Lance M. Bacon

The push for the new female coat came in conjunction with sweeping Pentagon changes to opening combat job fields to women across the services and overall support for gender-neutral fitness standards.

Then-Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus said that he wanted uniforms that "don’t divide us as male or female, but rather unite us as sailors or Marines.”

A 2016 poll by the Marine Corps highlighted that the new female dress blue coat prototype was generally popular with enlisted and officer female Marines.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Robert B. Neller approved the new modified female dress blues in a MARADMIN that went out January 8, 2016.

But the new uniforms were expected to be delayed.

“Due to prototype refinement, contracting, and acquisition timelines, initial fielding of the modified female dress blue coat is anticipated to take 24–36 months,” the MARADMIN states.

Papa Company is set to graduate Oct. 12.

In Other News

A child thought he’d found a rock — it was actually a Marine’s jawbone

A human jawbone discovered in the Arizona desert was recently discovered to belong to a U.S. Marine Corps captain.

Internet subsidy used by millions of vets, troops set to expire in May

A federal program that helps troops and veterans pay for home internet access will run out of funding next month without congressional action.

Meet the Marine aviator of the year ― an unmanned aerial vehicle pilot

Maj. Shane Gentry used his real-world experience remotely piloting the MQ-9A in combat missions to train other Marines to fly the aircraft.

‘The flak can’t always miss. Somebody’s gotta’ die’

An excerpt from 'I Will Tell No War Stories' by Howard Mansfield.

Senators push VA to fix problems with vets’ toxic exposure claims

A group of Senate Democrats wants quicker action from VA leaders on solutions to some problematic toxic exposure disability claims.

Supreme Court rules in favor of veteran who sued over GI Bill limits

The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a veteran who wanted to use both his Post-9/11 GI Bill and Montgomery GI Bill benefits.

Korean War hero Ralph Puckett to lie in honor at US Capitol

Medal of Honor recipient Ralph Puckett will lie in honor at the U.S. Capitol in recognition of his heroism during the Korean War.

Retiring Marines have to give 6 months’ notice, up from 4 months

Want to retire from the Marine Corps? The service now requires at least six months' heads up.

His father never spoke of WWII. His flight logs told the story for him

Historian and author Howard Mansfield had vowed to never write another word about World War II. Until another one fell into his lap.

US military to expand universal pre-K at dozens more bases this fall

The U.S. military will rapidly expand its universal pre-K program to another 79 primary schools, for a total of 80 locations, in the 2024-2025 school year.

Load More