Pancho Villa

I have always felt that the USMC so-called eight point cover (part of the garrison wear of the Marine Corps Pattern Digital Desert Combat Utility Uniform, or MARPAT DDCU) was a fairly minimal garment as far as head gear went, somewhat better than a beret (as it actually did shield the eyes from the sun), but somewhat less effective than the so-called “boonie” wide brimmed cloth floppy hat. Hence, when I was informed that wear of the boonie hat was authorized in the field (where I am), at the earliest opportunity I packed my eight points and pulled out the boonie. In addition, the boonie comes with a chin strap with a plastic toggle cinch on it, not only great for keeping the hat on your head in windy conditions, but, I figured, great for when I entered a building. In the military, when you enter a building, one’s cover is removed—and the problem with the boonie over the eight point is that it is bulkier and harder to stuff in one’s pocket. So, with that handy dandy chin strap, I would just loosen the cinch all the way, and push the hat back off my head, where it would hang off my neck on my back. No need to stuff it in a pocket, but nicely removed for while in doors.

Well, I did not reckon on tradition and uniformity working against utility in this case, but it did. After a few days of glorying in the built-in convenience and superb utility of the boonie cover’s many features, I was approached by a senior officer in my chain of command. He very politely informed me that persons un-named (but implied they were undoubtedly senior in rank to either him or myself) had observed my Pancho Villa-like treatment of my boonie cover during periods when it was not on top of my head, and tactfully suggested I switch back to an eight point cover should I find myself resenting the continual stuffing of the boonie into my cargo pocket when duty or leisure required me to convey myself into a building. The same day, some Marines had noticed me employing my chin strap to keep the boonie on my head, and this actually became the topic of conversation—it seems that every other Marine tucks the chin strap into the cover or simply cuts it off prior to donning the said headgear.

I still elect to wear my boonie cover, as it is such a superlative item of protective headgear over the eight point cover. It was fairly distressing to me, though, to physically cut off the chin strap so I would not be tempted to employ it for its designed purpose. Me, a Marine of 24 years, disobeying one of the standing 11 General Orders (willful damage or destruction to government property) for the sake of tradition and uniformity. Sometimes, I guess, there is just nothing left to say.

Semper Fi, Jon G.