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Oh The Irony – MARPAT MCCUU Wins 2013 Millson Award

Even though Congress is telling the US military to get their act together regarding camouflage and combat uniforms, industry is recognizing the innovative Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (over 10 years on from its creation, mind you).

Established in 1979, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists’ Millson Award recognizes an outstanding invention’s merits and its impact on the US textile, fiber, polymer and medical industries.

For the very first time, the award went to a government team for “Counter surveillance camouflage patterns for a variety of military environments.”

Receiving the award earlier this year on behalf of the Government were Lt Col Gabriel Patricio (Ret), Infantry Combat Equipment program manager, known as PM ICE, at Marine Corps Systems Command and GySgt John Heisterman, chief instructor, Scout Sniper School, Training and Education Command, both at Quantico along with scientists Luisa C. DeMorais, Deidre Townes, and Anabela Dugas from the Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts.

In addition to the unique MARPAT camouflage, the AATC award committee also noted the MCCUU’s innovative layout as well as the incorporation of permethrin to fight insects.

www.aatcc.org/awards/Millson

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12 Responses to “Oh The Irony – MARPAT MCCUU Wins 2013 Millson Award”

  1. JBAR says:

    Well, you have to give it to them. Politics aside, they had their stuff together and took the most logical approach. The Army still had an opportunity to get something that worked and blew it.

  2. bulldog 76 says:

    but i thought marpat wasnt the answer

    • SSD says:

      It’s not, at least in 2013, but they certainly made some serious leaps forward. And, I think they were a lot smarter about how they went about it.

  3. bulldog says:

    Well done Col. Patricio. This is just one of the projects he fielded leveraging all assets at Natick and within MARCORSYSCOM. And well done AATCC. Without the US Government the textile industry would be a fraction of what it is today.

    • SSD says:

      With the help of the US Govt, it’s soon going to be a fraction of what it is today.

      • bulldog says:

        True now but what you can’t appreciate is that prior to Sept.11 and OEF and OIF the industry was ready to collapse. The Cryes, Massifs, ADS etc of the world were barely in infancy. Advancements in textile technology over the last 10 years are making textile companies, the few left, more competitive globally because simply put our guys and girls have the best stuff money can buy.

        • SSD says:

          I appreciate it. What shape do you think it’s in now? A little bit of consideration on the part of DoD could keep it healthy but instead it is taken for granted.

  4. chris says:

    jesus how hard is it and how much money needs to be spent?.
    No matter how much research you do a force will require two cam types, one for vegetation and one for desert operations. Neither of these will be perfect due to variables like shape,size,shadow,silhouette,shine and movement how ever one uniform for all theater’s will never work. All cam types used over the past 50 years will work in certain parts of the globe and fail in other, even ucp has it’s uses. As a member of a light infantry BN i can tell you its not the uniform that counts but how you negate the 5 sl*ts and a m*le (ssssm) that keep you concealed from sight!

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  7. Oscar Bumanglag says:

    It would be wise to look at the Canadian and Singaporean BDUs. I agree that the area of conflict will determine the type of camou.

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