As of April 23 the requirement to wear a reflective belt or vest at all times while running, walking or bicycling, has been amended: belts or vests are only required during the hours of 4 p.m. through 8 a.m. and during periods of reduced visibility (rain, fog, snow) aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Base Chief of Staff Col. Allen Broughton said the change came about based on comments from the tenant activity commanders and after consultation with the Base Safety Office, who collectively felt that the belts are not necessary during full daylight. Base Commander Col. David Maxwell signed Marine Corps Installations National Capital Region — Marine Corps Base Quantico Base Order 1020.1H (change 2), which governs uniform regulations, on the 23rd, solidifying the long-awaited change.
"I think it’s awesome, and we took advantage of it the very first day," said Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Harris, retention chief for Reserve Continuation and Transition. "However, the signs out on the roads haven’t been changed yet; and we were the only ones out there without belts."
According to Broughton the signs will be changed shortly. He said when he went out for a physical training session on April 29, it appeared that many people had gotten the word and were not wearing the belts or vests.
Though the belts and vests weigh only ounces, some Marines object to the discomfort and inconvenience. While Harris said he personally used one of the elastic belts that are stretchy and softer to the touch, he also said, "I know the Marines that use the hard plastic ones find them bothersome. Also, sometimes they’d be deterred from running because they forgot them at home, and they wouldn’t want to get in trouble, so Marines were missing PT."
The revised order announced another change as well: when unit formation runs consist of four or more members, all members must be dressed in military PT gear. The requirement only extends to runs, not all physical training or sporting events. As stated in paragraph 2 on page 10, "Civilian PT gear may be worn while playing organized sports for PT, which will not require running in formation, examples are softball, football, etc."
Finally, while not a change from the previous order, the new order reiterates, multiple times, that shirts must be worn for all PT activities with the exception of swimming, when the swimmer is within the immediate vicinity of a pool. The shirt rule applies to both men and women, and as stated twice on the final page of the order, "Wearing a sports bra as an outer garment is prohibited."