Jarheads It Is
by Duane Bowman
This month’s cartoon from Commander Duane is for our USMC comrades, which brings up the question of where the term “jarhead” originates. Google isn’t a lot of help, with all sorts of silly notions which attribute the origin to some aspects of the modem dress uniform, but if you really dig in to your history, the image shown here of the hat worn with the USMC uniform of the War of 1812 period tells you all you need to know! It appears the use of the term dates to that time and originated with sailors of that period. It may, in fact have been originally imported from the British Navy from whose Marines our own uniform of the time was adapted. The hat and high (leather, hence leathernecks) collar were designed to deflect cutless strikes in action. (Wouldn’t want our Marines losing their heads) Marines can and should wear that moniker with pride.
