Sadly I have no surviving uniform articles. When I got to Vietnam I cut the sleeves off all my shirts and cut the pants legs above the knee. The heat was crippling. I knew I was getting out when my time there was up.
Sometimes things don't go as planned. When I came home we were supposed to get paid the next day and then be released. But as it turned out the dispersing officer had a nervous breakdown it we were forced to stay in a transient barracks for two weeks. One day a gung ho OOD announced that we were having a personnel inspection the next morning. I tried to explain that I was out and had no uniforms. He told me I had better **** a uniform for the inspection or "else".
The good news: I managed to borrow a uniform from another guy in my outfit.
The bad news: He was 6'1" tall. I'm 5'5".
I had the pants legs rolled up to the crotch and the shirt sleeves rolled up to the shoulder. civilian shoes. No cover. The OOD was beside himself. trembling and screaming and blowing spit in my face. When he paused to take a breath and get himself together I told him that it was the best I could do and if he didn't like it....tough noogies. He just shook his head and stomped off. The rest of the guys were all biting their tongues trying not to laugh.
I did get home with a great Marine Corps field jacket w/liner. I loved that thing and wore it until it was nothing but rag. it lasted over 40 years.
