Marine Fights To Wear Dress Blues At High School Graduation

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/04/marine-lance-cpol.html ^ | April 10, 2009

[Steelfish]

Marine fights to wear dress blues at high school graduation

April 10, 2009

Marine Pfc. Garrett Miles-McCarthy graduated from boot camp in San Diego only last month but he is already in his first battle: against his hometown school board.

The 18-year-old wants to wear his dress blues uniform at his high school graduation ceremony in El Paso, Texas. He finished his coursework in December and immediately shipped out to Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego.

School officials have said no, that all grads have to wear cap and gown, no exceptions. The mayor, a local congressman and others are backing Miles-McCarthy, who says wearing the uniform will show his pride in being a Marine and his support for his father, a career soldier bound for Iraq.

The school board will take up the red-hot issue Tuesday, the same day Miles-McCarthy is set to return to duty for advance training.

[genghis]

I hate those people
( no, not the fine marine, but the other ones.)

[Nipplemancer]

agreed. he’s just out of boot camp and hasn’t had a good dressing down. recruit training is is not the real marine corps world and he has yet to figure that out. i’m sure that once he gets to his next duty station for training and his officers and NCOs hear about this they’ll change his mind for him. as it is not a military ceremony nor will he be on duty he is not required to wear a uniform. he should be in civvies under the cap & gown that every other graduate will be wearing.

[xzins]

I agree with you. While I have great regard for the uniforms of all our services, even in the military itself, the organizer of the program prescribes the dress/uniform for the occasion.

As you report, the cap and gown is a temporary, traditional robe worn over the clothes one chooses for the day. A proud Marine could wear his uniform, and for the graduation portion of that ceremony don the educational robe. Afterwards, he’s free to remove the robe.

As you suggest, as soon as one variation in dress is permitted, these schools are bombarded by those who wish to dress in the weirdest ways.

[Lancey Howard]

Good post.

[A.A. Cunningham]

He should wear the dress blues under his cap and gown.

No can do. Violation of MCO P1020.34G to which PFC Garrett Miles-McCarthy is subject.

The uniform of the day, soldier(sic)

He's a Marine, not a soldier.

[GatorGirl]

I am married to a military man and respect them all very much, but this is a high school graduation and the graduates wear cap and gown.

He got to wear his dress blues at his Marine “graduation”; he can certainly wear the HS “uniform” at his HS graduation.

He should wear the cap and gown and don the uniform for his own party after the school ceremony is over.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Does the Corp(sic) teach Marines that they can do anything they want to do? Or do they have to follow the rules?(sic)

Corps

Wear the uniform under the gown like all the others!

Try and be consistent. First you ponder whether or not the Corps teaches Marines to follow the rules then you advocate that this one violate MCO P1020.34G.

You sound like Obowma.

[A.A. Cunningham]

This Marine has already worn the Dress Blues to one graduation ceremony which honored graduating recruits. That was uniform of that day.

Only if he was Honor Man of his platoon or series. Not every Marine graduates from Recruit Training wearing Dress Blue Bravos. You need to get your facts squared away and stop spreading bad gouge.

[A.A. Cunningham]

unless there is a uniform code that says you can't wear a grad gown over dress uniform.

There is, MCO P1020.34G.

[A.A. Cunningham]

A proud Marine could wear his uniform,

Not under the gown he can't.

[P-Marlowe]

You need to get your facts squared away and stop spreading bad gouge.

Thank you for the correction.