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VINTAGRAPH • WPA • WWII • YOU MEAN A WOMAN CAN OPEN IT?

George Merrill Woods, WWI Marine

George Merrill Woods in WWI uniform. He is the brother of James Harrison Woods who was posted on Shorpy previously. I think the uniform is Marines, but I remember my grandmother telling me he was in the Navy. He is over seas, I know not where. Many thanks to someone who could confirm the uniform? View full size.

George Merrill Woods in WWI uniform. He is the brother of James Harrison Woods who was posted on Shorpy previously. I think the uniform is Marines, but I remember my grandmother telling me he was in the Navy. He is over seas, I know not where. Many thanks to someone who could confirm the uniform? View full size.

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Always a few Marines with the Navy (and vice-versa)

There are always a few Marines on board ship with the Navy. As a young Marine Corps MP, in the late 1940s, my father spent as much time as he could on board ship, traveling throughout postwar Asia. Perhaps that is the story here. As already stated, there are always a few Navy with the Marines, too. The Marines do not have non-combat jobs (except for lawyers, for some reason), like the Air Force and Army do.

Uniform

I'd say that's a Marine uniform... that looks like the eagle, globe & anchor insignia on his hat. It's quite possible he was in the Navy. Marines don't have medical people, and traditionally a navy corpsman will go along with a Marine unit as the medic, and the field hospitals are attended by Navy doctors and nurses.

I'm retired Navy, and was a corpsman for several years with three tours as a field medic with the Marines. We wear their uniforms when we are attached to USMC units.

In the Navy and/or Marines

Back when Marines were often referred to as lowercase "marines," the service was often seen more as an adjunct or sister service to the Navy. My dad, who served in the Korean war attached to a Navy unit, always said he was with the Navy even though his cap had a Marines insignia like this man's.

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