120mm USMC Captain Desert Storm - Verlinden - DONE!!! Page 4

Norm, his D-Boys entourage, and a few other SF types, had access to British or Saudi all tan desert boots in 1991. 

ODA 525 prior to insertion into Iraq on a strategic reconnaissance road watch op in Feb 1991.

Pawel

It could be though, that a real life Captain like this started his military career in the last years of Vietnam, right?

1973 to 1991 being 18 years, our putative O-3 would have to be a "mustang"--prior enlisted and advance through the ranks by way of an officer accesion program(MESEP, OCS, PLC, etc.)

A Marine O-3 will be pretty salty, at least 4 years' experience, potentially a Company commander, or a Battalion (or Regiment) staff officer.

That Verlinden color image is terrible, too--chocolate chips are very tan, to nearly a yellow ocher or sand sort of base.  The green components are a mix of sage to near schwartzgrun sort of color.  The images further along are better references.

Now, the boots almost certainly need to be green & black jungle boots--the desert boots were not readily available until around 1992--well after the "100 days."

Hi Pawel;

      I forgot to say he looks better than I did after my last tour.Yes, As a "Gunny" I did have the Brush! I only went a month after transfer from the Navy and got my permission for the brush. It was a short " Handle-Bar " in the Navy. Our ship's Captain allowed them as long as they were shorter than His. He was a Holdover from Korea and the waning Days of W.W.2 and a "Mustanger" to boot.

 A " Mustanger" was an officer who worked his way up through the ranks to the Bridge of His own ship. He, Commander Turner, also did it from the Engine Room! So, He had a soft spot for any " B " or " M " division sailors and "Petty Officers"

The USMC does allow mustaches, from their grooming standards:

• A mustache may be worn after recruit training, but the face must be clean shaven daily. The mustache will be neatly trimmed and must be contained within imaginary vertical lines from the corners of the mouth and the margin area of the upper lip. The individual length of a mustache hair fully extended must not exceed 1/2 inch.

Good luck to you!  Feel free to join the 30th Anniversary Gulf War GB with this, if you want to.  Either way I will be following this one!

Eaglecash867, TB - thanks a lot for the info. I think I may leave the moustache, I'll just tone it down a bit.

John - thanks a lot for the photos, they sure help a lot. I also sent you the e-mail.

Thanks again and have a nice day

Paweł

Uh Oh!

 That last photo, looks to much like General Swartzkopf. Now for your information there were a lot of Marines with Mustaches.It's just not done in anything requiring The typical P.R. Marine Photo-You Know Dress Uniform and at Attention type stuff. We got hammering dirty,wet and scuzzy. Still, some Officers gave us permission to wear a brush. "Not Extreme ," You Hear!!"? Sir! Yes Sir!"" Thank You, Sir"

Not sure how clear this will come across - if you give me an email I'll send the pic to you - page 79 out of Verlinden Productions Modeling Magazine Volume 2 Number 3

I did this Verlinden stinger gunner years ago and the paintjob isn't that bad.  Get a good reference and take your time

Captain Brian Chontosh had a mustache in Iraq, I think that was in 2004.  You can find video from CNN with him in it.

Hello!

I have googled for images of USMC officers and I had a hard time finding one with a moustache - so I think I'm going to correct that on the figure.

What do you say - how probable would it be to have the captain have a moustache?

Have a nice day

Paweł