Appendix D
         Uniforms in the            1 St M-arine Division

    The  authority   governing Marine  unift~nns and    personal  equipment  is
contained in the Marine Corps uniform regulations and CentCom-generated
directives regarding wear. Neither Major General Myatt nor Lieutenant General
Boomer officially authorized changes to the prescribed uniform. Differences
existed among the Services, however. Unit insignia, name tags, and branch or
specialty insignia characteristic of Army and Air Force dress were much in
evidence. By mid-September 1990, Marines began applying the distinctive eagle-
globe-and-anchor USMC pocket insignia to the desert battle dress. In addition,
the green, and later tan, flight clothing; medium green nomex~ flame-retardant
tracked vehicle and helicopter crew clothing; and green coveralls continued in
use by those Marines authorized to wear such clothing. The use of those items
added  variety to    the basic desert uniform and contributed to    the gradual
emergence of sometimes obvious, sometimes subtle, differences among Marines,
their units, and their commands.
    Departures from the prescribed desert uniform and regulation equipment
partly resulted from supply shortages which took place during the massive
increase in American forces beginning in December 1990. For several weeks the
desert battle dress uniform remained in short supply. The onset of cold weather
and the lengthy period of field deployment contributed to the emergence of non-
regulation sweatsuits worn as undergarments, as well as various colored watch
caps.  Some of the differences    proved to be   idiosyncratic   (`selective dis-
obedience" as one officer noted) in nature, which Generals Boomer and Myatt
tacitly permitted by their silence on the subject of dress--so long as everyone
retained a semblance of uniformity.
    During Operation Desert Shield the manner of wearing the pistol emerged
as one obvious example of individualism and, to a lesser extent, of status and
unit  affiliation. Many   of the officers and staff noncommissioned     officers
deploying with the 7th MEB wore the black leather shoulder belt designed for
tank crews. On the I MEF staff the tanker shoulder belt distinguished former
7th MEI3 members from later arrivals. This distinction disappeared in time. The
shoulder belt's convenience and comfort made it universally popular. Its use in
the 1st Marine Division by persons authorized to carry the pistol centered on
tracked vehicle personnel, division staff, and regimental staffs. Some battalion
officers wore the shoulder belt, but it was uncommon in infantry units.
    The tanker shoulder belt proved difficult to obtain as supplies of the belt
disappeared. By December 1990, privately purchased belts made an appearance,
but most aviation personnel held to their issue aviator shoulder belt. A variation
to the shoulder belt was to affix the Beretta pistol holster to the upper nylon
straps on the desert camouflage flak jacket cover and slide the holster's base into
the jacket's breast pocket.   Some members of the I MEF staff performing
essentially office work, combined with the perceived remoteness from serious
attack, dispensed with    shoulder and waistbelts and   attached the holster and