An old marine was telling me about a particularly humorous (imo) debate that was (according to him) something of a 'big deal' when he was serving. Apparently, there was a very heated, divisive, ongoing struggle within the upper echelons of the Corp as to whether it was permitted for Marines to use their pockets to warm their hands when their duties required them to stand for long periods in the cold. The 'pro' argument was that 'A marine with cold hands and warm pockets is not adapting.' The 'anti' argument was that marines dont stand around with their hands in their pockets. My question is: was this just old marine embelishment, or was this actually a big deal?
It is a big deal. And in the Corps, it is never acceptable except for s**tbirds* to put your hands in your pockets when in uniform. No more than it is to kick back your cover, or use an umbrella in uniform. And you will find this amongst all levels, with only the lowest quality saying it is allowed. Unlike say the Army, the Corps takes such things very seriously. If it is cold, you wear gloves. They issue them to us for a reason. Leather gloves with the wool liners are actually quite warm.
