First Gulf War hat wear

[coolcav20]

I'm starting this topic on the hats worn by U.S. soldiers and Marines in the First Gulf War (1990-1991). I know there was a variety of hats in the DBDU pattern worn, some that were commercial. Here are the ones I know of:

 

Boonie

Utility Cap (with and without the EGA)

Patrol Cap

Baseball style cap

 

How widely were some of these worn? I know that the boonie was the most popular but what about the others. Any help would be appreciated or pictures.

[doyler]

I have a USMC cover in the choclate chip pattern.These were not government contract or issue as far as I know.They were private purchase and sold in surplus stores and supply catalogs.Have seen them worn but to what extent Im not sure or how much they were tolerated.Maybe Bill(USMCRECON) can add his thoughts as I believe he was in country at the time.

[craig_pickrall]

This is the standard issue hat for the chocolate chip pattern uniform. It includes the hat in camo and the nekerchief in tan. Note that it has a foliage band on the hat as you will see many of the desert version that does not have this band. You will also see the neckerchief in a CC camo pattern too. I'm not sure if that is issue.

 

[67Rally]

I have a USMC cover in the choclate chip pattern.These were not government contract or issue as far as I know.They were private purchase and sold in surplus stores and supply catalogs.Have seen them worn but to what extent Im not sure or how much they were tolerated.Maybe Bill(USMCRECON) can add his thoughts as I believe he was in country at the time.

 

If you're referring to the 8-point cover in choc-chip, my Somalia vet USMC buddy said they wore that and the boonie there (in '92-'93). Did the USMC start getting them made/issued from contract after Desert Storm?

[taucco]

I'm starting this topic on the hats worn by U.S. soldiers and Marines in the First Gulf War (1990-1991). I know there was a variety of hats in the DBDU pattern worn, some that were commercial. Here are the ones I know of:

 

Boonie

Utility Cap (with and without the EGA)

Patrol Cap

Baseball style cap

 

How widely were some of these worn? I know that the boonie was the most popular but what about the others. Any help would be appreciated or pictures.

 

as you said, boonies were the most popular, followed by patrol caps, but i still have to see a DBDU patrol cap wich isn't commercial, even some veterans told they were issued (commercial ones). Patrol caps are less often seen because i think they were procured later. As of now i still have to see a photo a dbdu patrol cap before the war.

Baseball caps were worn by Saudi soldiers.

8 point covers were worn by Marines, as forum member USMCRECON told. I have a photo of a Navy soldier wearing it, but i didn't found usaf SP photos.

I will have to dig deeper, but right now i found those:

troops enjoying a Bob Hope show

i didn't recognize what this usaf SP is wearing: either a commercial patrol cap in tan or a very early DCU one (if they existed)

look at the man behind Schwarzkopf wearing a utility cap (the man with glasses and a colt carbine is supposedly a Delta Force soldier.)

Another one. (the men wearing civilian clothes are as above, the rightmost man is armed with a colt carbine equipped with a swedish Aimpoint 2000 sight)

Saudi soldiers wearing DBDU ball caps.

i find this one interesting, because the saudi man is wearing something that looks like an m65 field jacket in DBDU and desert boots. There are still an open debate if the earliest models of US desert boots had drain holes or if they were foreign items. Looking at the high resolution version they sure looks identical to the ones MattD found along an amazing set of 1972 dated desert uniform.

 

Craig, judging from what's written on the fact sheet the scarf should be tan, not camouflaged. Closest thing i can think of is the current issue brown desert scarf.

[Sjef]

This is the standard issue hat for the chocolate chip pattern uniform. It includes the hat in camo and the nekerchief in tan. Note that it has a foliage band on the hat as you will see many of the desert version that does not have this band. You will also see the neckerchief in a CC camo pattern too. I'm not sure if that is issue.

 

 

That's interesting!

Most of the Desert Storm boonies indeed lack the foliage loops. In fact I have never seen the model you posted. This one looks similar to the earlier ERDL boonies with a wider brim (although the crown on this one looks higher). The '6 color desert' models without the loops have a short brim just like the BDU and '3 color desert' boonie hats.

Do you know the date of this photograph?

[VirtualMariner]

If you're referring to the 8-point cover in choc-chip, my Somalia vet USMC buddy said they wore that and the boonie there (in '92-'93). Did the USMC start getting them made/issued from contract after Desert Storm?

 

By far, the boonie was the most common cover worn by the 4th MEB during the Gulf War, so I assume that's what they were issued. Some of the Marines did wear the desert pattern 8 point cover, but I actually recall more Navy than Marines wearning them (such as Beachmasters, EOD, etc.). I don't know if they were issued, or not, either. Just my observations/recollections.

 

I was aboard ship in the Amphibious Task Force, so when aboard ship, you'd see guys wearing woodland as often as desert patterns. Even ashore, though, some units would be in woodland pattern. Until we deployed that August, there wasn't a high demand for desert camo and many, if not most, units left the States with what they had. Once in theater, the new uniforms started catching up and started getting worn more often. Throughout the entire Desert Shield/Desert Storm conflict, you would always see some woodland items being used with desert uniforms. I don't recall ever seeing soft covers being mixed and matched, but I know you definitely saw mixed matched helmets; ie. a woodland uniform with a desert helmet or vice versa.

[coolcav20]

So what you guys are saying is the baseball cap is worn by the Saudi's, the Utility Cover worn by Marines, the Patrol Cap worn by Army and the Boonie worn by all branches?

[craig_pickrall]

Craig, judging from what's written on the fact sheet the scarf should be tan, not camouflaged. Closest thing i can think of is the current issue brown desert scarf.

 

 

Re-read what I wrote. I said it was in tan but you can also find it in camo as a variation. There is also a larger ground cover made in desert camo that is often seen refered to as a sniper cover. The neckerchief and ground cover are made of the same material.

[craig_pickrall]

That's interesting!

Most of the Desert Storm boonies indeed lack the foliage loops. In fact I have never seen the model you posted. This one looks similar to the earlier ERDL boonies with a wider brim (although the crown on this one looks higher). The '6 color desert' models without the loops have a short brim just like the BDU and '3 color desert' boonie hats.

Do you know the date of this photograph?

 

 

This is a little guess work but refering to the DC uniform it is 1973, the helmet cover is 1979 and applying that same date code to the hat it would be 1971 which makes it very early and possibly experimental. See the Additional Remarks at the bottom the the 2nd sheet. It has 40-71.

[VirtualMariner]

So what you guys are saying is the baseball cap is worn by the Saudi's, the Utility Cover worn by Marines, the Patrol Cap worn by Army and the Boonie worn by all branches?

 

In a nutshell, I guess that's sort of what we've said, but not completely and it's probably an oversimplification. The one part of your statement that I easily agree with is that the boonie was worn by all branches.

[bravo_2_zero]

i find this one interesting, because the saudi man is wearing something that looks like an m65 field jacket in DBDU and desert boots. There are still an open debate if the earliest models of US desert boots had drain holes or if they were foreign items. Looking at the high resolution version they sure looks identical to the ones MattD found along an amazing set of 1972 dated desert uniform.

 

Craig, judging from what's written on the fact sheet the scarf should be tan, not camouflaged. Closest thing i can think of is the current issue brown desert scarf.

 

 

The saudi is wearing a Mk4 British made NBC or MOPP suit. They are same as the current British issue but only have one chest pocket apposed to two like the British. I know as these were sold off on the surplus market here just after the gulf war. The camo print is a crude copy of the choc chips.

 

Sales link

http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/clothi...mical-suit.html

[VirtualMariner]

Most of the Desert Storm boonies indeed lack the foliage loops. In fact I have never seen the model you posted.

 

I don't recall any with the foliage loops, either. Checked back through photos and didn't see any at all.

[coolcav20]

In a nutshell, I guess that's sort of what we've said, but not completely and it's probably an oversimplification. The one part of your statement that I easily agree with is that the boonie was worn by all branches.

 

Alright thanks, Nick

[Sjef]

This is a little guess work but refering to the DC uniform it is 1973, the helmet cover is 1979 and applying that same date code to the hat it would be 1971 which makes it very early and possibly experimental. See the Additional Remarks at the bottom the the 2nd sheet. It has 40-71.

 

That early!

Well than it makes perfect sense that the pattern of the hat is similar to that of the ERDL boonie hat. If I am not mistaken the Vietnam era OD boonie hats also had the smaller loops with the more refined nylon weave.

Thanks for the info! :thumbsup:

[VirtualMariner]

The pictures are B&W and scanned from my cruise book, so I apologize for the quality. However, they help illustrate the topic at hand and they're not pictures you're likley to see elsewhere.

 

The first photo is of Marines from the 4th MEB Command Element. Note they are wearing woodland camo. During the war, the only time I recall seeing an enlisted Marine wearing an 8 point cover was in woodland camo. In desert camo, it was typically the boonie cap. The other photo is of the Commandant of the Marine Corp, Gen. Gray. He's not wearing a cover, obviously, but it illustrates the extent to which woodland was being worn.

[VirtualMariner]

Here's one of Schwartzkoff coming across our flight deck. He's the only one wearing a cover, because it's not typically required aboard ship. Incidentally, he's probably the first one I saw in person wearing desert boots. Another point here is that of the Army and Marines, it was generally senior officers that I recall not wearing a boonie. One exception is the other photo here of MajGen. Jenkins (USMC) wearing a boonie. He also, more commonly, wore an 8 point cover, wheter in woodland or desert cammies.

[m1ashooter]

Every type of cover was worn because the GI in the field will wear what he can get. I remember every picture I saw of the Marines in the desert they had bush hats on. The USAF wore what they took with them. Some USAF units had specific mobility taskings for that AO and hence had the desert uniforms in their mobility kits. Others units were ad hoc deployments and took what they had.

 

I remember going to my local surplus store to buy some bush hats to send to my people that we sent down range on one of these ad hoc taskings.

 

Also I remember seeing Marines on the line wearing watch caps during the cold desert nights prior to the Storm kicking off.

[Sjef]

One thing that did strike me in the TV and news paper images back than, is that it appeared to be fashionable to wear your boonie a size smaller.

[VirtualMariner]

Two more...

One photo is of our Navy EOD team. Here they are wearing woodland pattern and you can clearly see the 8 point cover. These guys were some that I remember wearing the desert pattern 8 point cover, as well as desert boots, by the end of the war. I suspect they were private purchase that they had sent over. The EOD guys tended to do their own thing.

 

The other picture (you might recognize the president, but he's only a side note here) is mostly Marines. Look at the two guys on the far right of the photo and you'll see that one is wearing a boonie. You'll also notice they have their blouses tucked in. They're not Marines, they're Secret Service, so that's yet another group that could be seen sporting the desert pattern boonie...making it hands down the most popular head wear in theater.

[VirtualMariner]

Also I remember seeing Marines on the line wearing watch caps during the cold desert nights prior to the Storm kicking off.

 

I don't doubt it. Even at sea, you'd get some major temperature swings from day time to night time when it would get down right frigid. It didn't help much, either, that the smoke from the oil fires blotted out the sun in some areas.

[Fly USMC]

Here is a photo of LCpl Ruffini (me) circa 1990 - 91 (Either Saudi or southern Kuait / can't remember)

 

bought the "Cover" at Saigon Sam's surplus store in Jacksonville NC just prior to deploying to the gulf. These were not issue covers, but alot of guys bought them and wore them during Operation Desert Shield / Storm

 

S/F John

[tsakers85]

This is the standard issue hat for the chocolate chip pattern uniform. It includes the hat in camo and the nekerchief in tan. Note that it has a foliage band on the hat as you will see many of the desert version that does not have this band. You will also see the neckerchief in a CC camo pattern too. I'm not sure if that is issue.

 

 

I have a wide brimmed CC boonie with foliage band that my cousin bought me in theatre during Desert Storm. Unfortunately I don't have any photos presently.

[Allan H.]

So what you guys are saying is the baseball cap is worn by the Saudi's, the Utility Cover worn by Marines, the Patrol Cap worn by Army and the Boonie worn by all branches?

 

I can't really speak to the navy and marines as I didn't interact with them. I did have a bit of interaction with the USAF, but most of that was in the form of working with the FAC's that worked with the Special Forces. Here's what I recall about the army worn caps. I think I still have examples of all of these caps in my holdings though it may take a bit of time to get it all dug out.

 

The Saudi Arabian Army had a few different types of desert camo caps. You've seen the photos of the "baseball style" cap, but this cap was really more a copy of the old OD cotten fatigue cap that the US Army was wearing during the Vietnam period. The Sauids also had a cap cut in the same pattern as the US Army BDU "patrol cap" except that it didn't have the fold down ear covers.

 

I deployed to Saudi Arabia in November 1990 and we were all issued the boonie hat. None of these hats had the foliage band. Wear of the booonies was pretty much up to the individual. Some wore them with both sides tied up with the shoestring chinstrap, some wore the shoestring tucked up into the cap and allowed the brim to flop. I even saw boonies with one side pinned up Aussie style.

 

When we deployed, several of the officers tried to find a patrol cap in desert camo, but could not find anything like that around Ft. Riley. We were still trying to find them in Saudi. The first person in our unit that got one received his in a parcel that had shipped to Saudi Arabia from the Cavalry Store. I had a contact inthe USAF who gave me a desert camo baseball cap with tan mesh side and back panels. These baseball caps were authorized for wear by USAF troops, but I don't know that they were really supposed to be worn by army. I was pretty far north when I started wearing my baseball cap and nobody ever told me that I couldn't wear it. I managed to get a genuine Saudi Arabian "patrol cap" from one of the Saudi Captains that I worked with. After I started working as an advisor, all of the Saudi uniform items were easy for me to get.

 

The 1013th QM Company handled most of the uniform supply in the north. I knew all of the platoon leaders in the unit pretty well and I had asked them to grab a US made patrol style cap if they ever showed up in theater. The only thing they ever got that I recal lwas some 3 color "coffee stain" boonie caps just before I shipped back to CONUSin June 1991. IIRC, they also had coffee stain DCU jackets, but no trousers prior to my leaving and the unit was not allowed to issue any of the jackets until the trousers showed up. I do know that was after I left in June.

 

One last thing- the Saudi Army did issue a desert camo field jacket that was based on the M65 field jacket, though the Saudi uniforms were Korean made and did not mirror US quality. Also, the chocolate chip camo pattern that the Saudis wore was very similar to the US camo, but it wasn't the same. The senior Saudi officers did wear US made and issued camo uniforms.

 

Allan

[coolcav20]

Thanks for the stories and pictures guys!