It started with an erroneous report by the New York Post and then story spun out of control as editors of national and international news outlets didn't do any fact checking and ran with the story:
President Obama was ordering all Marines to wear "girlie" Dan Daly covers.
Too bad none of it was true. Well, the Marine Corps was considering having Marines wear the Dan Daly covers, but the commander-in-chief had nothing to do with it. The story spread so quickly that the Marine Corps felt the obligation to post this statement out front on its official website:
"No change in Male Cover: The President in no way, shape or form directed the Marine Corps to change our uniform cover. We are looking for a new cover for our female Marines for one overriding reason: the former manufacturer went out of business. The Marine Corps has zero intention of changing the male cover."
“The surveys often contain photo illustrations that portray what a uniform article might look like when worn by a Marine,” Col. Todd S. Desgrosseilliers, Marine Corps Uniform Board president, said. “This is a very standard practice. While there was never any desire or intent to change the male Marine dress cover, the feedback we have received to maintain this iconic cover has been heard, loud and clear. "
Marine Corps Times broke the story on Oct. 21 when reporter James Sanborn first wrote about the survey issued to Marines by Marine Corps Systems Command that asked "whether the Corps should adopt universal unisex dress and service caps — either the current male frame cap with modifications or the Dan Daly cap, which had previously been identified as the replacement cap for the female ‘bucket' cover."
The New York Post then took the leap in saying the initiative was the president's even though there was no attribution in the article. Next thing you know, Sanborn's article is popping up on the Colbert Report.
The Dan Daly design is named after Marine Sgt. Major Daniel Joseph Daly, a two-time Medal of Honor recipient for heroism during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion in China and then for his actions against Haitian insurgents in 1915. It's a shame that "girlie" and Daly are sharing the same sentence.
Daly also received the Navy Cross for heroism during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I. During that battle, Daily is reported to have yelled the famous quote -- "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" to the men in his company prior to charging German positions.
So that's that for the Marine cover controversy. Now, the world waits for Obama to weigh in on the waist measurement for the Air Force PT test or the Navy's blueberry camouflage pattern.
