USMC Markings

When I removed the existing volunteer fire department red paint from my truck prior to repainting it in the correct USMC lusterless forest green paint used on Korean Era trucks, I sanded the truck down in order to determine what markings where on it.  I also took notes on the markings that are on my parts truck since it is also a Marine rig.

Since I found both the Vietnam and Korean era markings, both are shown on this page.

Some pictures of the markings on a friend's USMC truck and some of the other modification present on USMC trucks may be found on the modifications page.  I both ordered stencils and paint mask from Rick Larson at Military Stencils and was given a stencil by a friend to use in putting the markings back on my truck.  The stenciling page shows the materials and process used.

My marking notes:
On the '53 (the runner)

Vietnam era (semi-gloss yellow stencils semi gloss forest green truck)

Hood numbers are in 2" high letters
USMC 201137
Passenger side: U in USMC is 3" from left edge of hood, 7 is 5.5" from hood latch catch in hood.
Driver side: U in USMC is 7.25" from hood latch catch in hood, 7 is 5" from hood edge
Top of the letters/numbers is located right at the curve from the hood top to hood side... numbers are biased to top edge of hood side.
Note that it is "USMC" not "U.S.M.C."
Tailgate: Same as hood, but squeezed in on the center raised panel at the bottom of the tailgate.

Tire pressures are in 1" tall letters
TP - 40
Located on flat vertical face of rear fenders, on the 45 degree edge of the front fenders at the 12 o'clock position directly above the axle, centered vertically on the "vertical face" of the fenders

Under hood caution in 1" tall letters
SECURE HOOD IN RAISED POSITION
WITH HOOK BEFORE SERVICING ENGINE
The text is center justified (both rows of type) with the S in SECURE located over the I in WITH, the E in BEFORE is centered on the horn bracket with the closet edge of the letter 3.5 inches from the closest edge of the bracket.

Fuel filler caution in 0.5" tall letters
CONTENTS MAY BE UNDER
PRESSURE OPEN SLOWLY
P in PRESSURE is located under the C in CONTENTS, the Y in SLOWLY is located under the R in UNDER.
U in PRESSURE is located 1" over the center of the gas cap (measured from the gas cap, not the top of the filler neck where it passes through the bed side)

Dash caution in 0.25" tall letters
INSTALL DRAIN PLUG
BEFORE FORDING
B in BEFORE is located under the N in INSTALL, the G in FORDING is located under the U in PLUG.
Text is centered on defroster vent knock out in dash

Note:
On my '53, the driver, I had both the Vietnam era (as described above)
and the Korean era markings. On my '54, the parts truck, I only had
Korean era markings.

Korean era (lusterless yellow stencils on lusterless forest green truck)

Hood numbers are in 3" high letters
USMC 201137
Driver side: U in USMC is 6" from hood edge, 7 is 11" from hood edge
Bottom of the letters/numbers is located 0.5" from the bottom of the hood side.
Note that it is "USMC" not "U.S.M.C."
Tailgate: Same as hood, but squeezed in on the center raised panel at the bottom of the tailgate.

All other markings are in the same locations, but are 50% taller.
Note that the size change causes the front tire pressure markings to roll over onto the flat of the fender.

It should be noted as well that unit markings are not generally put on USMC vehicles. The vehicles that do tend to have markings are exceptions, and the unit markings tend to be logos instead of alphanumeric markings such as those used by other branches of the military.

A POC for USMC vehicle markings and other questions is Mr. Ken Smith-Christmas at the Museums Branch located at Quantico, Virginia (703-784-2606).

A couple of quotes from folks who responded when I first started trying to figure out what to paint and how to mark the truck...

"I'm FAR from being an expert on USMC markings; however, I'll share what little I do know. Apparently the USMC doesn't go in for marking their vehicles the same way the Army does. According to a 4 page pamphlet I bought from Portrayal Press, "During World War II in combat theaters, most USMC vehicles had no markings at all." .... "Postwar regulations call for the
letters "USMC" (no periods) and a series of numerals for identification.   These letters and numerals are to be on one line, whenever practicable.

A Marine M37 3/4 ton would have the hood markings and also on the tailgate.

Tactical Markings. Most were simple geometric designs for identification of the Marine Divisions; ie. A diamond on its side "<>" for the 3rd Division; a semicircle flat on bottom for 4th Division and a square for the 5th Division.  I've also seen a rectangle with an added semicircle on the bottom center of the rectangle with a large 6 in the middle - suppose it's a 6th
Division.

Hope this is of some help to you, Tom Campbell,"




"Took me a little longer to find the book than I thought, but.... It is Dec 63 revision of Oct 62 manual. The M-37 is shown in Figure 9, page B-8, it has registration # in single line along each side of hood proceeded by USMC, and in single line near top of tailgate with the USMC beginning near the left edge and the # ending near right edge with large gap between USMC and
beginning of #. No periods in USMC (USMC not U.S.M.C.)

Same manual, Section 4004.1 says, "Registration markings shall be uniformly applied, using letters and numerals 2, 3, 4, or 5 inches in height. The use of the largest size practicable in the available space will be the determining factor in choosing letter and numeral dimensions."

Section 4006.3 authorizes locally procured self adhesive decals for this, and section 4006.2 specifies that if markings are painted on with stencils, spaces should neatly filled to provide unbroken lines."

There are no stars anywhere.

There are no other markings specified. If it helps the Mighty Mites that I have seen in original markings have unit markings in diamonds on sides.  Also, if it helps, per same manual above, on jeeps the registration # is applied to rear bumperettes. No markings of any kind are specified on any front bumper areas.

Hope this helps,
David Doyle


The engineer units stationed in North Carolina after WW II are still there - the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division and the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Force Service Support Group. They can be contacted at (910)451-3669 and (910)451-5703 respectively. Marine Corps units do not typically carry a lot of historical background in their files, most of that is sent in the Headquarters Marine Corps' History and Museums Division. A POC there would be Mr. Ken Smith-Christmas at the Museums Branch located at Quantico, Virginia. He can be reached at (703)784-2606.
That is where they do some restoration of vehicles for display. I hope this is of some help to you.

R. S. Rayfield, Jr.
Maj USMC (Ret)"

"This is your truck and my suggestion is mark it like you want to. Trucks were traded between units so often that I have seen tech books that say the unit markings should be done with paint that gasoline will remove. I have my two M37's and all other vehicles I have marked for 194 cbteng. Remember we are in the this for the fun of it.

KEEP EM ROLLING
Everette Doyle"

Some pictures of the markings on my truck and on a friend's USMC truck along with some of the other modification present on USMC trucks may be found on the modifications page.  I both ordered stencils and paint mask from Rick Larson at Military Stencils and was given a stencil by a friend to use in putting the markings back on my truck.  The stenciling page shows the materials and process used.

Color information:

USMC Lusterless Forest Green - 34052

USMC Semi-Gloss Forest Green - 24052
The numbers from Federal Standard 595B catalog for USMC yellow are:
Yellow Matt Finish - 33538 (use with Korean era Lusterless Forest Green)
Yellow Semi-gloss - 23538 (use with Vietnam era Semi-Gloss Forest Green)
Old Caterpillar Yellow is the nearest known civvy colour to USMC yellow, being only a few parts-per-million different.

Home