The marines serve both on ship and ashore, while aboard ship their duties closely approximate those of the sailor in the line of the navy and while serving ashore their duties are of the same nature as those of the army soldier, but their uniform is distinctly military in style and appearance.
Both officers and enlisted men have uniforms of blue cloth corresponding to those of the navy and worn upon the same occasions, and the officers have white uniforms to be worn upon the occasions when officers of the navy wear white, while the enlisted men have no white uniform coats but wear uniforms of khaki-colored cotton material upon the occasions when enlisted men of the navy wear white. This khaki uniform is officially known as “summer field” uniform, but commonly called “khaki.”
Both officers and men are also provided with a “winter field” uniform for wear upon active service in the field whenever the weather is too cold for the khaki uniform. The winter field uniforms and the overcoats for officers and men are made of woolen cloth of a shade known as “forestry-green,” a grayish olive green.
In time of war the special full dress, full dress and mess dress uniforms are not worn unless especially ordered for a particular occasion.
UNIFORMS FOR OFFICERS OF THE MARINE CORPS
The commissioned officers of the Marine Corps are required to have complete outfits of special full dress, full dress, undress, white undress, mess dress, summer field and winter field uniforms.
The warrant officers of the Marine Corps are required to have the same uniforms with the exception of special full dress, full dress and mess dress.
The occasions upon which these uniforms are worn are given in the table of occasions for uniforms for officers of the Navy and Marine Corps, page 109, and the composition of the various uniforms is as follows:
Special Full Dress Uniform.—For officers of the Line, a double-breasted frock coat of dark blue cloth, extending to about one foot below the waist, with two rows of gilt Marine Corps buttons down the front from the line of the collar to the waist, the buttons being arranged in groups of threes for the rank of Major General Commandant, in groups of twos for the rank of Brigadier General and equally spaced for all other ranks; with a standing collar embroidered with gold oak leaves for general officers and covered with gold lace braid for other ranks, the cuffs bearing ornamentations of gold embroidery to indicate the rank of the wearer ([see illustrations at page 155]), the cuffs for general officers being of dark blue velvet; dark blue cloth trousers, trimmed down the outer leg seams with one and a quarter inch wide gold lace braid having a quarter inch scarlet silk stripe through the center; a bell-crowned cap of dark blue cloth with a sloping visor with a gold chin strap above it and the silver and gold Marine Corps device at the center of the front of the crown, gold epaulets, black shoes, white gloves, and the Marine Corps sword suspended from a belt by slings, belt and slings covered with gold lace braid.
