If you\u2019re a civilian, the word \u201cjarhead\u201d may conjure up the gory image of a person\u2019s noggin encapsulated in a cylindrical glass container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if you\u2019re a U.S. Marine, you know the term as a loving moniker. What you might not realize, however, is where that nickname originated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe term first appeared as early as World War II and referred to Marines\u2019 appearance wearing their dress blue uniforms,\u201d according to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. \u201cThe high collar on the uniform and the Marines\u2019 head popping out of the top resembled a Mason Jar.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time, it was intended to be an insult, but much like today\u2019s stereotype of crayon eating, the Marines chose to own it as their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince World War II, the term has been applied more widely to Marine Corps recruits with their \u2018squared head\u2019 appearance because of the close-cropped haircuts,\u201d the museum archive added. \u201cSome Marines refer to the \u2018high and tight\u2019 haircut as a \u2018Jarhead cut.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So synonymous has the term become with Marine Corps service that author Anthony Swofford, who served during the Gulf War, gave the name to his 2003 memoir. That book then served as the basis for the 2005 movie \u201cJarhead,\u201d starring Jake Gyllenhaal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the jarhead moniker has \u201cbecome a source of pride for all Marines.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Being a Jarhead is a source of pride for Marines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":64122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":73,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,23,73,12,25,13,70],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3305],"class_list":["post-31749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-military-culture","category-news","category-newsletters","category-off-duty","category-your-army"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"YDO57VKWOZEATMDRRQGPLKBXCI","arc_canonical_url":"\/off-duty\/military-culture\/2023\/11\/07\/how-marines-got-the-nickname-jarheads\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n