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From: eos!woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Question about wearing hat with sidearm
Message-ID: <11271@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 9 Nov 89 15:30:15 GMT
References: <11198@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
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From: eos!woody@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Wayne Wood)

In article <11198@cbnews.ATT.COM> wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales) writes:
>
>
>From: wales@CS.UCLA.EDU (Rich Wales)
>
>>From various reading (fiction and non-fiction), I've gathered that it's
>common in some (many?) military organizations to require that a soldier
>keep his hat or cap on whenever he is carrying a sidearm -- even in sit-
>uations (e.g., indoors) where taking off of the cap would be permitted
>or even expected.
>
>Not having any military experience myself, I am curious as to why such a
>rule would exist.  Is there some practical purpose (e.g., keeping hands
>free to use the weapon at a moment's notice)?  A symbolic purpose (e.g.,
>to remind the soldier, and others around him, that he's armed and thus
>can't "get comfortable")?  Or is it simply one of these "just so" rules
>whose logical basis, if there ever was any, was long ago forgotten?
>

when i was in the army, the cover always came off indoors.  but then we
saluted even when uncovered.

when i was in the marines, we always uncovered indoors unless we were on
duty, in which case we wore a pistol belt [although not necessarily the
pistol] and our cover.  even though we were not always armed, we were
considered "under arms" and thus were required to salute.

i don't know the exact cause for this behavior, but i believe it is traditional
as is much of the non-sensical bullshit in the military.  it serves to remind
the poor sod on duty that he is "official" and also the other people around
him that he is the local authority.  think of it as an elaborate policeman's
badge.

if i can dig out my Marine Corps Manual, i'll try to verify this or come up
with a better explanation.

BTW... SEMPER FI gentlemen, we're 214...

A TOAST:  to God, Corps, Country,  and our brothers THE ROYALS...





/***   woody   ****************************************************************
*** ...tongue tied and twisted, just an earth bound misfit, I...            ***
*** -- David Gilmour, Pink Floyd                                            ***
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