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I got a moving eMail from my Dad today. Thought I'd share as even non Jarheads will find it powerful.

Mark

http://www.pcsuccess.us/yrg/farewell.html

Thanks for sharing, Mark. A good tribute.

Ooohrah.....may they RIP.

Damn. Reminds me all the more of what my small purpose is, and that it's all about those Marines who are fighting and dying every moment I'm enjoying my freedom. Oorah Teufelhunden.

To those who care, while at OCS, I found that there's what I like to call the "digicross" on the utilities. Just a little cross shape form on the new MARPATS. I had one right on the bottom brim of my cover, and I would just look at it when #$!% was gettin' deep at OCS and remember my bigger purpose. In the 18th pic, with a line of 3 Marines with their left hands on their fallen Marines kevlars, you can see one of those digicross' on his shoulder pocket. So, could be a lame bit of imagination on my part, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't think that there were moments when seeing that perfect little cross didn't kick my ars into gear and remember all the heroes that had come before me and were now with God. Well that's about as spiritual as you'll ever see me, Semper Fi.

It's in the pattern of the new MARPAT utilities. BDU's..... Marines don't know the meaning of that term. Just take a look at the 18th pic of the series in the video, the one I mentioned earlier. You'll see it in brown on his shoulder pocket. Relatively small, only about an inch big, but you can see it.

I believe that PlatoSVT is referring to a pattern that appears as part of the new BDU's. The pattern is a dot-matrix style camouflage, and in places forms the cross. That and the mini Eagle, Globe, and Anchor really makes the new uniform. I have my old BDU's folded nicely in a box (they were the actual set I wore overseas), but I have a new set with the digital camo, fully starched and pressed, sealed in a plastic bag in my closet. Every now and then I'll take them out and look at either of them, and remember the friends I lost -- its difficult, but I refuse to forget them.

Farwell Marine, Semper Fi devil dog... Ooh rah!

E1

I remember one candidate tried calling them that at OCS. He received a firm "What the f#@!* you think this is candidate...the Air Force!?!?" We stuck to utilities and cammies from that point on. So, I can't speak of what they were referred to as, but we were "discouraged" from calling them that name at OCS.

Oh and we had the chance to ask a Captain why the digital pattern for the new field uniforms. He said that they were designed with small and large shapes, rendered as blocky, edgy designs. This variety of size and sharp edges forces the eye to soften the actual appearance of the uniform because the eye has a tendency towards soft edges. So just looking at the sharpness and variety causes the eye to blur it moreso than just looking at a soft shape, as with the older uniforms. Plus, Marines always have the most kick a55, latest and greatest uniforms. Maybe not the rest of their gear, (we were using Alice Packs, literally from the Vietnam era during OCS) but Marines will always be looking sharp. But alas, the other services are slowly introducing their new MARPATS as well. The Army is forefront among them, but an airman in digital blue/white cammies just looks "off" to me.

Ah, found a pic, guess it's not digital, just fat-man Hawaiian T-shirt themed:



Sorry to thread jack, I'm easily distracted.

Cammies is the only term I accept as valid. Of course I'm biased; thank my DI's.