History of the Eight Pointed Cover

[squeeze]

The quadrafoil was .... the quadrafoil story is true...

QUATREFOIL
you wear it... you should at least know how to pronounce it and spell it

 

[gaijin6423]

As we started interacting with some of the older militaries (from Europe) stories were made up to back up why they were on our uniforms...

Probably to shut those damn PFCs up.

 

[jamnww]

QUATREFOIL
you wear it... you should at least know how to pronounce it and spell it

thanks, i will be sure to double check my spelling...

 

[Deputym9]

You know, I could probably bust out some BS on this (it was my major, after all), but that's all it would be. After 10yrs, I don't think I've ever even heard a BS answer for this one. There are lots of answers to questions like this that Marines use (Why do NCOs and Officers wear the bloodstripe; Why don't Officers have Cuba on their EGA; etc, etc, etc) that are basically answers one would give to a PFC who asks too many damn questions. Hey, it shuts them up, right?

Personally, though, I'd venture to say because it looks better than that crap the Army wears. Execept for those badass cavalry hats some of the helo pilots wear, because they're just plain cool.

At the Start of World War II Marine Corps Wore the piss cutter as a soft cover for their utility uniform. At some point early in the war marines obtained the US Army‘s HBT (Herringbone twill) Mechanics hat.( later referred to in the Army as the “KP cover”). It had a short bill and eight pleated points. The Marines took the cover and modified it slightly by rotating the crown approximately 5° so that the flat area was facing front which allow them to attach the EGA. Later the EGA was stenciled on. From there the cover continued to evolve Gradually over the years into what it is today. The Army continued to wear its version of the hat on into the Korean War where it was given an extended visor, and in some cases on into the early days of Vietnam. There are still photos of Army personnel in Vietnam wearing it even though it had since been replaced by the “patrol cap” and “baseball cap”. So in short, the original “8 point cover” was in a way the Army’s contribution to the USMC’s illustrious history….wear it well.

 

[Griz882]

I'd heard from several people that the addition of the bloodstripe was basically a mistake. The army started ordering blue trousers with red stripes on them because it was fashionable at the time, and the Marine Corps got a shipment by mistake. It wasn't enough to give everyone pants with stripes, so they came up with the whole Officers and NCOs thing, blaming it on the Mexican-American War. Any truth to that, o' wise sage of knowledge?

While I certainly do believe in the realities of supply fuck ups, I rather doubt this is true. Marines have had red seam “welts” in their trousers from the start, they just kept getting bigger, however, the Marines had no artillery until the 20th century. In the army, colors have meaning attached directly to branch, or specialty. Red is for artillery, a different red for Engineers, light blue for infantry, yellow for cavalry and so on.

 

[nittany03]

 

[jmcquate]

It was done to fuck with Marines. The Corps made us measure, starch, and iron our covers, it's to keep the Corps pissed off.

 

[Renegade One]

So cool that ADM Slew McCain adopted it for his "war hat".