Male Marines will no longer be forced to get soaked when there’s an umbrella handy.
For the first time in the more than 200-year history of the Corps, male Marines will be allowed to wield umbrellas while in uniform, according to CNN. Previously, only female Marines were permitted to carry out basic wetness-protection tactics.
Now, thanks to an update in uniform regulations, men in the Corps can join women in carrying a small “all black, plain, standard or collapsible umbrella … during inclement weather with the service and dress uniforms.” Umbrellas are still not permitted with camouflage uniforms.
And have no fear: Marines have retained the right to get soaked, as umbrella usage is optional. If Marines do opt to carry an umbrella, they’re required to hold it in their left hand so as to maintain the ability to properly salute.
Marines holding umbrellas is so rare that when two members of the Corps held umbrellas for President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan during a 2013 rain shower, it became a story. This was permitted because it came at the request of the President.
In addition to the new rules governing umbrellas, Marine women are now also permitted to wear small gold or silver stud earrings.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
