Group - Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform

The Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform or MCCUU is the current battledress uniform of the United States Marine Corps. It is also worn by US Navy Corpsmen and US Navy Chaplain Corps members assigned to Marine Corps units. Field testing began in 2001, the uniform debuted in 2002, and the changeover was completed in October 2004. It replaced the Battle Dress Uniform, which the Marine Corps had shared with the US Navy, US Army and US Air Force. However, both the MCCUU, and its distinctive camouflage pattern MARPAT are exclusive to the Marine Corps, which holds the patents to their design, and are not widely available to the civilian market. MARPAT is available in two color schemes, woodland and desert. The uniforms are manufactured by Propper International Inc., American Apparel, E.A. Industries, American Power Source Inc. , and Columbia Sewing Company. The MCCUU should not be confused with the similar looking FROG uniform. The MCCUU is intended for wear in the field or for working parties, but has become the typical working uniform for all deployed and most garrison Marines and Sailors. The variety worn depends on the environment and season: Deployed Marines wear whichever color is more appropriate to the climate and terrain, Marines in garrison wear the woodland MCCUU with long sleeves in winter months, and the desert MCCUU with sleeves rolled up in summer months (the transition occurs simultaneously with Daylight Saving Time). When rolled, the sleeves of the blouse are tightly folded up to the biceps, exposing the lighter inside layer, and forming a neat cuff to present a crisper appearance to the otherwise formless uniform. In the past, when Marines wore the Battle Dress Uniform, this served to distinguish them from the Army and Air Force, who rolled their sleeves so that the camouflage outside of the cuff folded down over the completed roll. Unlike the previous BDU, the MCCUU was designed to be used with body armor, which previously restricted access to front pockets. To further distinguish the uniform, upon close examination, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor can be found within the pattern. Its use as a combat uniform has led to some strict regulations for wear in garrison: the MCCUU may not be worn off base, although it may be worn when commuting to and from duty in a private vehicle. Dismounting for incidental stops en route off of a military installation is no longer permissible excepting legitimate emergencies only.