The CMC allows Marines to roll sleeves again.

2014-02-26T00:13:05-05:00

On March 9th in concurrence of the seasonal uniform change the Marines will once again roll sleeves. This is what the Marines have wanted ever since the policy was changed. Leadership does listen.

Response by SPC James Bailey made Feb 26 at 2014 12:15 AM

2014-02-26T00:15:19-05:00

if that could happen in all areas it could potentially somehow reduce heat casualties. I give that a thumbs up

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 12:42 AM

2014-02-26T00:42:31-05:00

This is one of those things that I couldnt understand when they changed. I do miss the ability to roll my sleeves, looked sharp.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 12:44 AM

2014-02-26T00:44:43-05:00

I remember in the BDUs we could do it. I wouldnt mind being able to do it in ACUs.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 12:56 AM

2014-02-26T00:56:11-05:00

I cant believe this is actually happening, I'm stoked! NCO's start teaching your boots how to roll!

Commandant Gen. James F. Amos: Corps is going sleeves up > Headquarters Marine Corps > News Article Display

Sergeants and Corporals, SgtMajor Barrett and I have now spoken to the majority of you about our efforts to "Reawaken the Soul of our Corps." Each time that we have talked with you, we come away wit...

Response by LTC John Czarnecki made Feb 26 at 2014 1:50 AM

2014-02-26T01:50:55-05:00

Rolling sleeves up when it's hot out is one of the prime indicators of the flight of common sense from the military's collective brain.

1977: Green fatigues... roll 'em up, men. It's hot out.

1982: OG107 Jungles... roll 'em up, men. It's hot out.

1986: BDUs... roll 'em up, men. It's hot out. BUT, you gotta roll 'em in this rediculous manner, because God forbid you show a streak of uncamo'd material in the roll, despite your arm being similarly uncamo'd. (The Corps figured this one out, to their credit)

2003: DCU... Don't roll 'em up at all, soldiers. It's 124* out, but we don't want you to get a sunburn. And Hadji might see you, too.

2004: ACU... Don't roll em up at all, servicemembers. Just because.

2009: Whatever this new Crye Multicam is being called: No change. We're stupid. And we bought the Navy blue cammies, too.

In 2003 I came onto the 101st HQ camp in Tikrit, IIRC. Might have been Mosul. Anyway, we'd been five days out in the boonies, doing my best imitation of Elmer Fudd, hunting bad guys, and I was pretty grubby. Walking down the sidewalk, three minutes outta my vehicle on friendly turf for a change, and I got accosted by a CSM who was purple with rage at the "indifferent and unprofessional attitude" I was displaying by my uniform. He was in creased DCUs and P-cap. I was in a boonie, DCU armor, grubby DCUs with the sleeves turned inward twice, up to mid forarm, no rank, no unit patches, subdued IR US flag, rifle and pistol. This CSM was insistant that I put on a P-cap, which I didn't have with me, that I have a full-color US flag on the sleeve, and that I unroll my sleeves ASAP, as what if other soldiers think it's OK to do similarly? I was nice, told him that I wasn't part of the 101st, was passing through, and would be out of his AO in the morning. He demanded to know my unit, that he would contact my CSM. Sure... gave him the info and moved out sharply. A week later I was back in Baghdad, and my CSM stopped me... "hey, what about that asshole at the 101? I feel very sorry for his soldiers who are toiling under the yoke of a clown such as that, who is concerned with uniforms in a friggin combat zone."

My .02 Kopecks worth is that we need a single garrison uniform for all branches of service. Something like the old green fatigues, that can be starched to satisfy the uniform Nazis. Then there should be a "combat uniform" for those who need it. Finance and mechanics don't get them issued. Neither do truck drivers or tankers. It's worn only in the field. Oh, the Navy gets their dungarees and blue shirts back, too. Cammies onboard ship is just retarded.

Response by SSG Oliver Mathews made Feb 26 at 2014 2:02 AM

2014-02-26T02:02:43-05:00

If you look on your left sleeve you will notice the Pen pockets... These are there to "prevent" you from doing it.
That being said the two reasons the Army doesnt roll Sleeves up are Bugs and Sun. In Iraq and Afghanistan you take pills to protect from Malaria... how do you help keep yourself safe in addition to the pills? expose as little skin as possible... Second.. how do you keep from getting Skin Cancer caused by multiple sun burns... show as little skin as possible.

Its the army realizing (after paying a hefty amount of money in medical Bills) that there is a way to prevent this from happening...

And as it went for looking sharp... Yea it did... but then again do did the highly shined black boots and the nicely pressed Uniforms.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2014 10:46 AM

2014-02-26T10:46:45-05:00

Sleeves up! Here's why the commandant reversed unpopular uniform policy

The Marine Corps' two-year-old 'sleeves down' policy ended with an announcement late Tuesday night on the Marines' official social media platforms. But a spokesman for the commandant, Gen.

Response by SFC Michael Hasbun made Feb 26 at 2014 10:48 AM

2014-02-26T10:48:48-05:00

I think a lot of new Marines who've never had to roll sleeves before will shortly be experiencing a case of "be careful what you wish for".

When I was a Marine, it took an hour to get the sleeves perfect (anything less and you were going to be destroyed), assuming you did it right the first time. It was "fold, iron, fold, iron, fold, try it on, adjust them, remove the coat, adjust the sleeve, iron and repeat until they were perfect". Then you tried them on for the last time and MAYBE you didn't have to start again.. I Hated rolling sleeves...LOL..

Oh, and hopefully you didnt get that top dirty and have to redo another set that night!

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 27 at 2014 6:48 AM

2014-02-27T06:48:24-05:00

Of all the things we should be concerned with teaching troops how to do is rolling a shirt sleeve that important?

Teach them to shoot, navigate, survive, etc... That will keep them alive.

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 28 at 2014 1:56 PM

2014-02-28T13:56:46-05:00

Terminal Lance - Terminal Lance “Rolled Up”

Rolling good sleeves is an art form. I happened to be pretty good at it, something that’s rare amongst 03-types. As I’m sure you may remember, a couple of years ago the Commandant randomly declared th...

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2014 1:14 PM

2014-03-08T13:14:32-05:00

Sun's Out, Gun's Out: How to Roll Your Sleeves

Sgt. Donell Bryant gives a period of instruction on how to make sure your sleeves are good to go. Produced by: Eric Moreno ----------------------------------...

Response by SFC Robert Trodahl made Mar 10 at 2014 12:52 PM

2014-03-10T12:52:51-04:00

I wish the Army would go back to it!

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made May 13 at 2014 6:22 PM

2014-05-13T18:22:38-04:00

Happy I am

Response by MSgt Keith Hebert made May 13 at 2014 7:15 PM

2014-05-13T19:15:59-04:00

That is one thing I always missed

Response by SSG V. Michelle Woods made May 13 at 2014 7:41 PM

2014-05-13T19:41:17-04:00

How happy am I about it?

You could say I'm pretty dang happy about it.

Response by MAJ Jim Woods made May 14 at 2014 12:56 PM

2014-05-14T12:56:25-04:00

Now if the ARMY would get smart!

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made May 15 at 2014 4:16 PM

2014-05-15T16:16:31-04:00

I ALWAYS got in trouble for having my sleeves rolled up.

Response by CMSgt James Nolan made May 31 at 2014 1:44 PM

2014-05-31T13:44:55-04:00

The gunny rolls were awesome. The hard part about the sleeves, was that it took so long to get them squared away (because I was damn sure not doing the gunny roll)

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 23 at 2014 3:56 PM

2014-08-23T15:56:09-04:00

Perhaps some day the Army leadership will also listen and do this. We speak allot about heat stroke and this is one simple initiative that could lower that risk.

Please don't site the "long sleeves protect the arms" argument. If we as an Army were truly concerned with "protection" primarily we would allow sunglasses to be worn to prevent cataracts and never had allowed berets to be worn in the sun but use our Boonies.

Medical Officer

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2015 7:57 PM

2015-01-20T19:57:28-05:00

If they really listened they would let us roll sleeves in woodlands also. I felt like a more squared away Marine with tight rolls, squared away boots and cover

Response by GySgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 25 at 2015 2:45 PM

2015-02-25T14:45:43-05:00

To my non-Marine brethren, to the Marines, the rolling of the sleeves was a "tradition," not just a seasonal uniform requirement. Any time we've had uniform changes, we questioned them. When I went to boot camp, I was issued the red shorts, yellow (gold) t-shirt and running shoes that has probably changed.

Back in the late 70s/early 80s, we wore white t-shirts under our woodland cammies (not BDUs or whatever people are now calling them) and starched our covers. The first thing we thought when the green t-shirt came out was that "they're trying to make us look like the Army."

We used to polish our brass and spit-shine our shoes and boots.

Right when I retired, the Corps changed from the black leather combat boot that we took a lot of pride in spit-shining to the brown-side out boots.

Marines lamented each change as an erosion of discipline and as a break in the lineage/heritage to former Marines.

Why the former Commandant set the unrolled sleeves policy is beyond me. But I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of very happy Jarheads now.

And Chesty can stop rolling in his grave!

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 26 at 2015 2:30 PM

2015-02-26T14:30:32-05:00

I served during the times of tight roll, 90-97, never knew sleeves down until I entered the new Army...yes I miss sleeves UP.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 8 at 2015 10:24 PM

2015-03-08T22:24:31-04:00

I wonder if the ARMY will have sleeves up option again with the new Uniform? I need to research that.

Of course I am in Alaska, we most likely will not be able to. :)

Response by Cpl Michael Strickler made Mar 8 at 2015 10:54 PM

2015-03-08T22:54:27-04:00

Pain in the @$$ to get them to roll up nice, but damn did it look good with them Superman arms...

I think I am gonna roll my dress shirts sleeves tomorrow in remembrance...

RIP my fire hair brothers with the sensitive skin.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 9 at 2015 10:47 AM

2015-03-09T10:47:45-04:00

Suns out, guns out!

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 9 at 2015 11:05 AM

2015-03-09T11:05:46-04:00

They announced on facebook Quantico is still sleeves down, because "winter" (it's still snowing here).

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 9 at 2015 1:43 PM

2015-03-09T13:43:53-04:00

Many sleeves will get cut off today because they got rolled too tight....

So much paperwork will get started today for tat's gotten over the winter as well...

So many Marines will be late because they couldn't get their sleeves rolled just right...