A USMC boonie that survived deployment

[Bob Hudson]

In the areas around Camp Pendleton it's quite easy to find Marine Corps MARPAT boonies at thrift stores. Most are quite new or show just a few signs of use, such as this one whose main problem is "pilling" on the sweatband:

 

 

 

This one - well it was rode hard and put up wet. It was in a trunkload of uniforms and gear I got yesterday from a Marine. This was worn during his last deployment and between the salt stains, corroded vents and frayed lining, the thrift stores would throw something like this in the trash.

 

[Bob Hudson]

When I first looked at this boonie I wondered how the brass got so corroded: it looks like something that was exposed to salt water. And if you look at the white salt stains you can see that the salt water was the Marine's sweat:

 

 

 

[Bob Hudson]

The boon is also sun-bleached to a much lighter shade than they other one.