wrrii THE 1ST MARINE DWISiON IN DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM            143


          other than its natural configuration is not authorized.
          Sweatbands or bandannas worn separately or in conjunc-
          tion with authorized headgear are not authorized.


   The message's impact was minimal. While it slightly reduced the extreme
deviations, styling remained an aspect of dress throughout Operations Desert
Shield and Desert Storm. General Boomer continued to wear his characteristic
1,fedora.'1
   The errant gtinnery sergeant notwithstanding, Marines generally wore the
desert hat without insignia. Exceptions were the iron-on eagle-globe-anchor
utility cap stencil and, in rare instances, the metal service cap device.
   Two other caps appeared among Marines in Saudi Arabia. The familiar
green camouflage utility cap was the usual substitute for their desert hat. By
December, desert camouflage versions of the green utility cap (manufactured by
commercial firms in the United States) began to appear. Purchased on an
individual basis, they enjoyed limited use in the 1st Marine Division. Partly
this resulted from the lengthy period between ordering the cap and its receipt
via the very slow mail service. Also, by December the well-worn desert hat
marked the veteran from the newly arriving reinforcements, a number of whom
had the desert camouflage utility cap. General Myatt preferred the desert utility
cap and wore it constantly during the latter part of Operation Desert Storm.
   Each service used the same pattern desert battle dress uniform, distinguish-
able only by insignia peculiar to  each organization. Air Force personnel
assigned to I MEF wore name tags, and their specialty and insignia embroidered
in black thread on green backings as designed for the green utility uniform.
Some managed to obtain these items done with brown thread letters on a tan
backing. Army officers and enlisted men wore the same insignia and badges
authorized for use on the green utility uniform. After December 1990, some
examples of~brown devices on tan cloth caine into use, but those proved rare.
Rank insignia consisted of the subdued style, either pin-on or embroidered on
green backing.
   Until mid-September 1990 Marine desert uniforms did not carry the eagle-
globe-and-anchor USMC pocket insignia. After 15 September, a large supply
of iron-on labels arrived in Saudi Arabia and within a few weeks mOSt utilities,
but not all, carried this insignia. Typically, Marine desert battle dress uniforms
went without unit patches of any kind. A notable exception was the I MEF
liaison officers assigned to the British 7th Armored Brigade. They wore the
brigade's red on black desert rat patch on the upper right sleeve. Some Marines
assigned to CentCom wore name and service tags over their breast pockets. The
service identifying tag consisted of `US MARINE CORPS" in brown thread on
tan cloth. These patches came in the same shape and dimensions and were worn
in the same manner as Air Force name and service tags.
   By December a crisis occurred in the availability of desert uniforms. The
extensive buildup of American forces exhausted supplies and some arriving units
went without the desert battle dress for awhile. Complaints from General Myatt