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Early Issue Tri-Color DCU?


all-bull
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Hey guys,

I got this recently from another member. I have never seen another DCU like this (of course my uniform knowledge is very limited), but I did read that the first DCUs were made during Desert Storm, and there was a shipment en route to the Middle East when the conflict ended. I have pictured the differences I have seen compared to other BDUs. Could this be a early variation? Or what is it?

 

The tags first:

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Thank you very much! So would it be safe to say this was made around 91-93? And are these difficult to come by?

 

Yes, it is the first run of three colors DCUs.
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  • 5 months later...

Several years back I sent a 3-color BDU worn by an Indiana USAR Brigadier General in Desert Storm to BEAST. He was in logistics, so I suspect would have had access to the latest style of the time. Why not ask him to show it?

 

G

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The earliest DCU I have ever found was dated 1990. You have a very nice patched DCU BTW!!!! :thumbsup:

 

 

I have two pairs of '90-dated DCU trousers,also.

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I found the same jaket but dated 1990. On the collar, there re USMC rank without EAG on the top pocket, no maetapes. I would like to know if it,s correct or not. Thanks for your help.

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I'd like to provide a little bit of insight into the 3 color DCU uniforms and their use in Desert Shield/ Storm. I distinctly remember the first time that I ever saw three color DCU- it was on the cover of "The Cavalry Store" catalog that had been mailed to a buddy of mine. I remember distinctly that the catalog arrived in the mail AFTER the ground war had come to an end. I believe that I saw the catalog in March, 1991.

 

One of the supply units of the 89th ARCOM (these guys were out of Nebraska) ran the GS supply operations at Log Base Bravo and their supplies included DCU's. The very first 3 color camo that I saw at their supply point was after I ran into the catalog. The only uniform pieces that they had in three color camo were boonie hats. I brought a couple of them home, still sealed in their plastic bags of issue.

 

The first soldier that I saw wearing three color DCU's was a senior NCO that was wearing a 101st A/B combat patch. The 101st patch was locally made in tan and brown and the eagle's head was reversed for wear on the right shoulder. This NCO was working for the US Military Training Mission and the Sergeant told me that he had bought the uniform from the Cavalry Store. This would have been in April of 1991.

 

None of these uniforms were in the light-weight ripstop- all were printed on the poplin material that is commonly seen.

 

No, I do not claim to be the be all, end all authority on US military uniforms of Desert Storm, but I have been an active collector since age ten and every time I saw something different, I was on it like a bird dog on a covey of quail.

 

I don't doubt that three color DCUs were worn in Saudi Arabia during the Desert Storm period, but I would go out on a limb and say you would be very hard pressed to pfind photographic evidence of this type of camo being worn before the ceasefire.

 

My two cents,

Allan

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Thanks allan

I appreciated your help to give me more informations about this kind of uniform, thanks again

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One thing that I can add; I have a friend at work that was in Desert Storm. He told me that he was issued both the chocolate chip cookie DCUs and the three color camouflage together. I am pretty sure he told me that he got them when he was deployed in Theater. I was surprised to learn this because I had assumed that only the chocolate chip cookie DCU were issued. George

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Thanks George

Do you know if your friend have some photos of himself when he was deployed in theater. Thanks for your help

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I started to post a comment on this a couple days ago but my computer decided to do an uncommanded restart and I lost it before I could post it here.....might be OBE by now.

 

This looks to me to be the later 3-color "coffee stain" desert BDUs in rip-stop material. I seem to remember the first ones, of the issue variety, were made of the same cotton as the earlier 5-color "chocolate chip" pattern. During Operation DESERT STORM, I saw my first 3-color pattern and it was on the new gore-tex short parkas that SOCCENT got from "somewhere." Those had 3-color on one side and were reversible to night desert on the other. I did not see any 3-color desert BDUs, other than the aforementioned parka, anywhere during DESERT STORM.

 

The first issue of the coffee stain pattern was made of the same non rip-stop cotton as the older chocolate chip pattern. I don't remember the 3-color desert BDUs being available in the rip-stop before about late 1991 or early 1992; even then, they were hard to get and I only got mine during a deployment to the theater in the Spring of 1992. The first version of the rip-stops had the same adjustable waist-tabs as the regular BDUs. I believe the adjuster tabs were discontinued a couple years later.

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Mercenary25

The adjuster tabs were discontinued because soldiers find it uncomfortable to wear with body armors. It's what according to what I've read but I don't remember where the source is.

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  • 3 months later...

Here is 1990 version I picked up. It is the same as the jacket I posted in the first pics, but has the neck flap. Does anyone know why they made these flaps in the early versions of the 6 color AND 3 color, but then stopped after a few years of production?

post-2063-1279458053.jpg

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I picked these up in Georgia earlier this year. Named to the same soldier and with OD subdued insignia. One hard question to answer (at least for me), is how do you tell the difference between an ODS uniform and an Operation Northern Watch/Southern Watch or other post ODS desert uniforms? Of course other than the date of manufacture of the uniforms.

 

 

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