The Story About Obama Wanting Marines To Wear 'Girly' Hats Is Total B.S.
The Post writer, Jeane MacIntosh, writes of a "plan by President Obama to create a 'unisex' look for the Corps, officials are on the verge of swapping out the Marines' iconic caps - known as 'covers' - with a new version that some have derided as so 'girly' that they would make the French blush."
As a Marine veteran who knows how these changes actually happen, I can tell you the story is 100% B.S. The bottom line: The President doesn't involve himself in what troops happen to be wearing.
But just to make sure, I called Headquarters Marine Corps and a spokesperson confirmed that the process for making changes to Marine uniforms hasn't changed since I last left the service in 2010.
Every year, a board (made up of senior enlisted Marines) meets and goes over things that they may want to change with uniforms. In 2007 for example, the board made a change that outlawed "sleeve" tattoos - and I don't remember thinking that was all President George W. Bush's fault.
"The President in no way, shape, or form directed the Marine Corps to change our uniform cover. We're looking for a new cover for our female Marines for the primary reason that the former manufacturer went out of business," said Capt. Krebs, a spokesperson for the Marine Corps. "The Marine Corps has zero intention of changing the male cover."
If there's someone to blame about a change in a uniform, the buck would stop at Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos, who has the final say.
To clarify, I made sure to ask whether President Obama had suddenly joined the uniform board of the Marine Corps.
"Not that I know of, but that would certainly be newsworthy," Krebs said.
There's plenty of things to nitpick with the Obama administration, but this isn't even close to one of them.