Military appearance

Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen resort to liposuction

By James Sanborn on October 31, 2013 Battle Rattle, Fitness, Marines, Medical, Military appearance

The New York Times, Washington Times and the New York Daily News and others are just now reporting a story that is old news for Military Times readers — service members are resorting to extreme weight-loss methods to meet strict body composition standards. Marine Corps Times reporter James K. Sanborn first broke the story three years ago in July 2010, when it was revealed that a large number of service members were resorting to risky and sometimes deadly weight loss methods including dehydration, purging, diet supplements and yes — even liposuction. Doctors told Marine Corps Times then that often perfectly…

Clothing retailer gets props for pulling dress blues-style jacket

By Hope Hodge Seck on August 20, 2013 Military appearance, Pop culture, Uniforms

A trendy clothing retailer moved fast to pull a coat off its website after Marines complained it looked just like the famous Marine Corps dress blues jacket. Popular mall store Hot Topic posted the item, which replicated the blues coat’s standup collar and red trim, in early August, but took it down just two days later. “Replicating the Marine Corps dress blues or making it as a fashion trend is simply unacceptable,” one military user commented on the store’s Facebook page. After the creator of the “Terminal Lance” comic, Max Uriarte, shares the item on his page, dozens more users…

Behind the Cover: Mad as hell about the tape test

By Hope Hodge Seck on August 12, 2013 Battle Rattle, Behind the Cover, Fitness, Military appearance

Meet Staff Sgt. Jeff Smith. He’s a veteran marathoner, a two-workouts-a-day gym rat, and a 17-year-Marine who saw his career hit a major speed bump when he landed on the wrong side of the infamous tape test in 2009. If a Marine falls outside the height and weight regulations specified by the Marine Corps (and data provided by manpower officials show about 14 percent of all Marines do), he or she has to submit to the tape test, which takes a tape measurement of the neck and waist and uses an algorithm to arrive at a body fat calculation. Just…

Amos: Marines sticking to their MARPAT “like a hobo on a ham sandwich”

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 22, 2013 Capitol Hill, Commandant, Deployments, Marines, Military appearance, Uniforms

Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, reassured Marines in Hawaii last week that he was committed to keeping the distinctive MARPAT camouflage pattern for Marines, even as lawmakers consider adopting one single camo pattern for all the services. Amos has so far been quiet regarding the proposed changes, even as Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has come out in support of a common camouflage–or at least a reduction from the ten-plus patterns now being utilized across the services. But on July 15 he had some folksy fighting words regarding a change for troops aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii. “We…

Behind the cover: Unisex dress blues?

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 16, 2013 Behind the Cover, History and heritage, Marines, Military appearance, The CMC, Uniforms

Everyone recognizes the distinctive dress blues uniform worn by male Marines: the high mandarin collar, the broad belt, the round white cover. Well, female Marines may get to wear that uniform too if all goes well with a wear test taking place now down at Marine Barracks Washington. All female Marines stationed at 8th and I have been wearing the white dress cover this parade season, and a select number have also donned tailored versions of the men’s dress blues jacket instead of the traditional women’s lapel blazer with white-collared shirt and necktab underneath. At the end of the summer…

Student told to cover USMC uniform for high school graduation

By Gina Harkins on June 5, 2013 Boot camp, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Military appearance, Recruit, Uniforms

A New Hampshire 18-year-old who completes boot camp this week is returning to his high school for his graduation, but was told he has to cover his new uniform if he wants to participate in the ceremony. Brandon Garabrant will graduate from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island on Friday, WMUR reported. He’ll then fly back to New Hampshire to attend his high school graduation and was planning to wear his new Marine Corps uniform there. But his mom told WMUR that the school’s principal emailed her to tell her that all students should wear school caps and gowns to…

Behind the cover: The Corps’ war on plump Marines

By James Sanborn on November 26, 2012 Battle Rattle, Behind the Cover, Drawdown, Manpower, Marines, Medical, Military appearance

This week’s Marine Corps Times takes a look at the Marine Corps’ intense efforts to bring all Marines in line with the service’s body fat standards. After the growth to 202,000 Marines ended, leadership cracked down on fat Marines, and thousands were assigned to the Body Composition Program in 2010. But with the drawdown now underway and competition at its peak, those numbers have fallen steadily each year since. Other services, which have also re-emphasized fitness standards, have seen even more dramatic results than the Marine Corps, with significant increases in the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen getting the…

Behind the Cover: muscular Marines vs. the tape test

By Gina Cavallaro on May 29, 2012 Battle Rattle, Behind the Cover, Fitness, Marines, Military appearance

The tape test is the only DOD-approved method of measuring body fat for members of the military. But some say it is inexact (which the Marine Corps acknowledges) and that it is unfair to large Marines who have an excellent appearance but run the risk of ending up in the body composition program for exceeding height and weight standards for their age groups. This week’s cover discusses this issue through the case of Sgt. Joshua Legier, 28, who at 6-feet 3-inches tall and 246 pounds exceeds his weight limit for his height. He got even bigger when he was on…

Behind the Cover: The hidden truth about ‘sleeves down’

By James Sanborn on November 14, 2011 Behind the Cover, Military appearance

In the aftermath of an unpopular decision to go “sleeves down” all year, Marine Corps Times has obtained documents that detail the behind-the-scenes Uniform Board debate that lead up to the change. The documents, obtained from a source with knowledge of the board’s voting process, reveal some startling truths leadership didn’t want you to know. For all the details check out this week’s edition of Marine Corps Times or subscribe here and read it online now.

Chinese military eases tattoo, weight regs

By James Sanborn on November 3, 2011 Military appearance

If you are chubby, Chinese, tattooed, pierced and in college, the People’s Liberation Army wants you. While the U.S. Marine Corps has tightened appearance standards in recent years — banning certain types of tattoos and cracking down on those who don’t make weight — the Chinese government is easing standards in hopes of drawing younger, better educated, urban youth. The Chinese military has lifted a ban on face and neck tattoos which have grown popular among fashionable youth, but they must be less than two centimeters across. Recruits can now also have ear piercings if holes are not obvious. And…

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