Editorial: New appearance rules may hurt more than help

[unhappycamper]

Editorial: New appearance rules may hurt more than help

Marine Commandant James Conway is concerned about the way his Marines look.

This is not a new situation, and is not unique to Conway. Former Commandant Gen. James Jones changed the Corps’ T-shirts, camouflage utilities and boots.

But those changes were tactical and quality-of-life upgrades. With new duds, Marines would stand apart from the other services on the battlefield. The added elimination of boot polishing, dry cleaning bills and unnecessary ironing made the switch a win-win-win.

~snip~

Ultimately, this is all that matters. History does not recall whether the Marines who fought and died for their country had abs of steel. The question is, quite simply, did they get the job done?

Marines should look like Marines, and no one would argue against it. But these days, a Marine looks like a Marine when he is deployed from home for too long, away from his family and friends.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/community/opinion/marine_editorial_appearance_033108/