One told me he would never use an umbrella. I've picked up comments from both active and retired Marines I know. What are you hearing?īOWMAN: Well, there's a lot of chatter on social media, as you might imagine, for and against. KELLY: I mentioned reaction has been mixed. And having spent a lot of time with Marines in the field in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marines, I can tell you, just seem to thrive on bad conditions - heat, snow and rain.īOWMAN: And they've been known to joke, when it's pouring out - it's a good thing we're amphibious. No military personnel from any service are allowed to use an umbrella out in the field. But not everywhere, not out in the field?īOWMAN: Right, definitely not in the field. They can wear it with service uniform, dress uniform.
#UMBRELLA CORPS FEMALE FULL#
So now that male Marines enjoy full umbrella rights - but there's a qualifier here. And all other services, male and female, from the Navy, Army and Air Force had been allowed to use an umbrella for years now. What's new here is that male Marines can now use this regulation black, collapsible umbrella. Now, before he signed off on it, female Marines could use umbrellas while wearing service and dress blue uniforms. The top Marine officer, General Dave Berger, just signed off on it. KELLY: I'm tempted to ask where you fall, but I won't put you on the spot quite yet.īOWMAN: Well, Mary Louise, the Marine Corps Uniform Board started looking into this back in the spring, took comments from Marines, approved it. That's right, all Marines can now carry a, quote, "all black, collapsible umbrella during inclement weather with the service and dress blue uniforms." Now, for some Marines, this is welcome news for others, carrying an umbrella might not look tough.
With all the stories coming out of Washington these days, you might have missed this one, but it is big - the Marine Corps has revised its umbrella policy.