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TheCrustyBosun

I wore the following DCU’s while serving as a boatswains mate with US Coast Guard Port Security Unit 307. I was serving my second enlistment on active duty when I was “selected and directed” to augment the crew of PSU 307 in July 2003. I trained with them at their station in Saint Petersburg, FL and at Camp Blanding in pre-deployment preparations. We received mobilization orders in January of 2004 to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. We departed MacDill AFB on on 03FEB04 in two USAF C-5’s and one C-17 and arrived two days later in Kuwait City after a layover in Moron, Spain. PSU 307 relieved PSU 308 upon arrival. We were bounced back and forth between camps Patriot at Kuwait Naval Base and Spearhead at Shuaiba Port.  I was a boatcrewman and coxswain on the 25’ Boston Whaler Transportable Port Security Boats (TBSB). We served as a part of Naval Coastal Warfare Group 1 Forward (NCWG-1), Detachment 6 along with Navy Harbor Defence Command 111 (HDC-111), MIUWU 103, and MIUWU 104. In December of 2004, we completed our deployment and returned home. 

 

I was issued three sets of DCU’s and used them for the duration of the deployment.  Two blouses have theater applied Arabic embroidery above the name tapes. The unit patches are stateside standard issue. An order came down later prohibiting the Arabic embroidery which kept me from getting all three blouses done. My third blouse carries a theater made unit patch as we ran out of issued ones. Our standard cover was the DCU eight-point upon which I applied my BM anchors. 

 

My boots..... 

We were originally issued a pair of cheap, piece of crap desert boots. One of our Chief’s and several of our shipmates were former Marines. They told us the day before we shipped out, that the PX had the USMC boots by Belleville and if we cared anything about our feet, we should buy a pair and ditch the issued crap. So, a bunch of us raided the MacDill PX for boots. Now, these boots have the USMC EGA on the heels. I only had one instance where a Marine questioned why we “were wearing their boots”.  I told him that they were way better than anything we were issued and we appreciated them. He took it as a compliment and proceeded to ask us what everyone else had- “What the hell is the Coast Guard doing here?” 

 

Also pictured are my helmet cover, my theater made boat section patch, challenge coins, literature, and a Zippo from the deployment. There’s also a photo of me from S&S during that deployment. Enjoy!

 

ps. Bob Hudson’s post on page 83 of this thread contains a photo of Chief Rich Schefano. CHASEUSA11B posted photos of a DCU blouse with the name Bahde (pronounced “body”) on page 80. Schefano, Bahde, and I all served together in Kuwait with PSU 307 in 2004. Small world. 

 

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I love those USCG DCUs, PaulR was instrumental in providing some very rare Coast Guard DCUs to Chapter 14 our our book "Desert Uniforms, Patches, and Insignia of the US Armed Forces".  Including his DCU above and VADM Neffenger's DCU.

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TheCrustyBosun
1 hour ago, ehrentitle said:

I love those USCG DCUs, PaulR was instrumental in providing some very rare Coast Guard DCUs to Chapter 14 our our book "Desert Uniforms, Patches, and Insignia of the US Armed Forces".  Including his DCU above and VADM Neffenger's DCU.

I’ve been through the entire thread and have been pleasantly surprised to see so much representation by the USCG. Seeing a blouse that one of my shipmates wore was cool too. 

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The Coast Guard is our smallest armed service, and with around 42K active and 7K reservists there are not many USCG DDUs out there, and patched DCUs are even more difficult to find. Especially for the tiny Coat Guard RAID (Redeployment Assistance and Inspection Detachment) teams which conducted container inspections in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

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  • 3 months later...

This is me in the Sinai in 1987 as part of the MultiNational Force and Observers (MFO). We wore the chocolate chips with the giant collars and the flap inside the top part of the back of the jacket.

 

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Pictures of the uniform I'm wearing in the above picture. The last picture is the burnt orange beret we wore as part of the MFO. It needs a good cleaning.

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  • 7 months later...
On 1/29/2021 at 12:54 PM, ejr13 said:

Pictures of the uniform I'm wearing in the above picture. The last picture is the burnt orange beret we wore as part of the MFO. It needs a good cleaning.

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On 1/29/2021 at 11:48 AM, ejr13 said:

This is me in the Sinai in 1987 as part of the MultiNational Force and Observers (MFO). We wore the chocolate chips with the giant collars and the flap inside the top part of the back of the jacket.

 

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   I remember when you came back. Not you personally of course, but I grew up in Seaside and my dad was retired so we'd shop at the PX and commissary a lot. I remember when ya'll got back and seeing around post for a while until everyone was switched back to woodlands. I think I saw a company marching to the parade field so possibly some sort of welcome home ceremony.

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  • 3 months later...
Thunderbird collector

This is one of my dcu's in the NFS category of my collection. Has a theater made 4th ID patch that I believe is of Turkish origin. A wonderful example overall.PSX_20211227_083656.jpg.983bd3f8a9f970fd3c123645d21f5385.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 month later...

Early Air Force, pink shaded, DCU’s. Looks like standard SSgt stripes with theater made name tapes, AMC patch and AFSC tab. 

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  • 1 month later...
FT.Monmouth1943

Here’s an Army DCU and an AF grouping I picked up recently. The 31st Chemical BDE has a theater made CAB, and two of the AF DCUs have theater made name tapes.

 

- Jakob 

 

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FT.Monmouth1943
On 5/30/2022 at 2:23 PM, ehrentitle said:

Great DCUs!  Did you know that there is a FB Group focused on all things DCU related?  http://www.facebook.com/groups/DesertUniform

Yes! I’m actually a member of that group. I just posted a signed R Lee Ermey top I got from a ragmill and a desert MARPAT shirt with theater made tapes in that group recently.

 

- Jakob

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  • 7 months later...

Here's my newest desert coat, a 6-color DBDU. This has a US Army nametape, 10th Mtn SSI ans US flag. They were sewn on but threads not trimmed. It has never had a name tape sewn on and appears unworn. I think it may have been issued but never used. Could have also come out of CIF facility patched up like this. This is what was worn by 10th Mtn in Somalia. Any thoughts appreciated.

 

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  • 3 months later...
mysteriousoozlefinch

Longtime woodland BDU collector, picked up this DCU today.  US Navy Supply Corps Commander with surface warfare supply corps insignia.  As an aside, it is also a Permethrin-treated garment.  Tag is hard to read but seems to have be UNICOR made at FCI Greenville, IL.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Here's a cool early DCU coat from 1991 I got this week. It has an oversized Elvis collar and 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia. 20230512_190053.jpg.5251faf4476c8b257dcff548c6ff8805.jpg20230512_190517.jpg.3911a163d8ad14719aee95f1bd1b1db8.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
mysteriousoozlefinch

2003 UNICOR Greenville.  Washington State Area Command on the left shoulder with Specialist collar rank.  I suspect it was worn by a member of the 1161st Transportation Company during their deployment in 2003-2004, but don't have any confirmation of that.

 

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This is my latest DCU purchase. An early contract shirt (1990) - note the yoke and tightening tabs. The badges are the type as made by a tailor shop near MacDill Air Force Base. The Ranger tab is non-standard as desert specific patches weren't authorized until 1998 which also explains the green 3rd Army SSI.

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