thedrifter
02-06-07, 08:22 AM
Dress blues for recruits may lead to overall shortage
Uniforms to be added to seabags Oct. 1
By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : February 12, 2007
Marines who wait until the last minute to buy dress blues for this year’s birthday ball may be staring at some empty racks come October. That’s because of the commandant’s plan to issue dress blues to every incoming recruit, which is expected to take effect Oct. 1, according to a uniform board spokeswoman.
At that point, the rest of the Corps will be “looking at a back-order situation,” Mary Boyt said.
You know you’re going to the ball, so if you don’t want to be that one guy in alphas, you “shouldn’t wait” to buy your blues, she said. Accessories for the dress blue uniform such as the white belt for men and the white barracks cover for women will likely be in short supply as well, Boyt said.
The Corps has only one manufacturer for the enlisted dress blues coat — Crown Clothing Company of Vineland, N.J. Recently, the company has produced about 30,000 a year, but that number is subject to change based on the contract. When the Corps starts issuing them in boot camp, “we’re looking at 40,000 dress blue coats for recruits and reservists alone,” Boyt said. “You throw in the active-duty population, and that’s a lot of dress blues.”
Crown Clothing owner Howard Levin said he’s aiming to ramp up production 30 percent and that he’s already hired 10 more employees for the factory floor.
His company was cranking out almost 90,000 dress blue coats a year to meet the Corps’ needs from 1989 to 1991, he said.
He’s still got all the equipment he needs in house to bring production up to that level again, he said. He just needs to hire and train more people to use that equipment.
“Like the Marines are looking for a few good men, we’re looking for a few good sewing machine operators,” he said. “Our plan is to meet all the requirements we have to.”
Commandant Gen. James Conway’s decision to issue dress blues at boot camp was one of the first he made upon taking the Corps’ reins in November, said his spokesman, Lt. Col. T.V. Johnson.
“The commandant is concerned that sometimes a Marine is only in that uniform in his boot camp photo and when he’s laid to rest,” Johnson said, adding that boot camp pictures are taken with blues coats cut in the back like hospital gowns for picture purposes only.
The dress blue uniform is widely recognizable, which makes it an important recruiting tool for the Corps, Johnson said.
“The type of folks we’re looking to bring into the Corps might be motivated by looking at that uniform,” he said.
Corps officials plan to follow up the addition of dress blues to recruits’ initial issue with a four-year window for Marines already in the fleet to buy their own uniforms before possession becomes mandatory, Boyt said. The uniform costs $153 for men if purchased through Marine Corps Community Services. The female uniform is $98.60.
For enlisted Marines who’ve already bought their blues, the commandant’s initiative means an increase in the amount of money they get each year to maintain their uniforms, though the exact amount has not been announced, Boyt said.
Officers’ dress blues are made from a different material by a different manufacturer, and their availability will not be affected by the commandant’s decision, Boyt said.
Ellie
Uniforms to be added to seabags Oct. 1
By John Hoellwarth - Staff writer
Posted : February 12, 2007
Marines who wait until the last minute to buy dress blues for this year’s birthday ball may be staring at some empty racks come October. That’s because of the commandant’s plan to issue dress blues to every incoming recruit, which is expected to take effect Oct. 1, according to a uniform board spokeswoman.
At that point, the rest of the Corps will be “looking at a back-order situation,” Mary Boyt said.
You know you’re going to the ball, so if you don’t want to be that one guy in alphas, you “shouldn’t wait” to buy your blues, she said. Accessories for the dress blue uniform such as the white belt for men and the white barracks cover for women will likely be in short supply as well, Boyt said.
The Corps has only one manufacturer for the enlisted dress blues coat — Crown Clothing Company of Vineland, N.J. Recently, the company has produced about 30,000 a year, but that number is subject to change based on the contract. When the Corps starts issuing them in boot camp, “we’re looking at 40,000 dress blue coats for recruits and reservists alone,” Boyt said. “You throw in the active-duty population, and that’s a lot of dress blues.”
Crown Clothing owner Howard Levin said he’s aiming to ramp up production 30 percent and that he’s already hired 10 more employees for the factory floor.
His company was cranking out almost 90,000 dress blue coats a year to meet the Corps’ needs from 1989 to 1991, he said.
He’s still got all the equipment he needs in house to bring production up to that level again, he said. He just needs to hire and train more people to use that equipment.
“Like the Marines are looking for a few good men, we’re looking for a few good sewing machine operators,” he said. “Our plan is to meet all the requirements we have to.”
Commandant Gen. James Conway’s decision to issue dress blues at boot camp was one of the first he made upon taking the Corps’ reins in November, said his spokesman, Lt. Col. T.V. Johnson.
“The commandant is concerned that sometimes a Marine is only in that uniform in his boot camp photo and when he’s laid to rest,” Johnson said, adding that boot camp pictures are taken with blues coats cut in the back like hospital gowns for picture purposes only.
The dress blue uniform is widely recognizable, which makes it an important recruiting tool for the Corps, Johnson said.
“The type of folks we’re looking to bring into the Corps might be motivated by looking at that uniform,” he said.
Corps officials plan to follow up the addition of dress blues to recruits’ initial issue with a four-year window for Marines already in the fleet to buy their own uniforms before possession becomes mandatory, Boyt said. The uniform costs $153 for men if purchased through Marine Corps Community Services. The female uniform is $98.60.
For enlisted Marines who’ve already bought their blues, the commandant’s initiative means an increase in the amount of money they get each year to maintain their uniforms, though the exact amount has not been announced, Boyt said.
Officers’ dress blues are made from a different material by a different manufacturer, and their availability will not be affected by the commandant’s decision, Boyt said.
Ellie