R wrote:

"vincent p. norris" wrote in message
...
Once upon a time all the Navy and Marines wore brown shoes.

More precisely, at least when I was in, 1946-47 and 51-54, marines
wore cordovan shoes. So dark brown they could pass for black. Worn
with dress blues as well a greens and khakis.

When I became a Midshipman, V-5 (aviation cadet) in 1949, we were
issued black shoes to wear with khakis, whites, and blues.

I believe in late 1963/early 1964 the Marines changed to black shoes.

Last marine I saw, a couple of years ago, was wearing cordovan shoes.

vince norris

During my time in the USMCR (57-59) enlisted wore brown, officers wore
cordovan and all wore brown boots. Sharp dressed Marines enlisted personnel
would put a light coat of black polish on their dress shoes occasionally, to
make them look better with a kind of "highlighted effect", but if you
overdid it, the Gunny would see that you were occupied after hours with
saddle soap taking it down to bare leather and starting over again.

I am pretty sure that they changed to all black in late 63. During my time
in the Navy, I spent a year (actually 16 months) with the Marines in ANLICO
and all the Marines at Camp Lejeune NC wore black shoes and boots, and dirty
boots in Vietnam (1966) . From 73-94, I didn't really look that close, but
the Marines around the Navy Annex, and Pentagon wore black shoes.

Sometime in the 90's they started wearing brown boots again. I have seen
Marines almost every day since I retired from DOD in 94, and they all wear
black shoes. Today boots can be black with the old style Woodland camo
uniform or brown with the new type computer generated camo pattern uniform.
I haven't asked, so I don't know if black bots can be worn with the new
camo, or if brown boots can be worn with old camo. And I have no idea what
color boots are appropriate to wear with the new camo, and the Gor-Tex
Woodland Extreme Weather Parka.

Red Rider

Sh*t! the next thing you know a person in the US Armed Forces will have to
have a butler to get properly dressed.

Some of the Air Force officers I work with have told me that
the large number of unifornms required of a Naval Officer
was one of the factors that led them to join the Air Force.

Joe


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