This shirt gets its nickname because it was worn on the Gomer Pyle USMC TV program which first aired from 1964 to 1967, starring Jim Nabors in a spinoff from the Andy Griffith Show.

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Official Name

This shirt has two types based on the same cut but with different materials. One is made from Herringbone Twill, and the other one is from Sateen cloth.

As for the naming, it’s a wide-spread different name. But based on “Cataloging And Identification Guide For 20th Century Uniforms (Marine Corps Museum, 1987)” books, it’s stated that:

1. Herringbone Twill material.
Officially named as M1953 or P53 utility shirt.
(Kevin Lyes refer to this version as the P56 shirt).

UNIFORM SHIRT; USMC; M1954; (Rank); UTILITY; HBT;
Description
Loose fitting shirt of green to gray herringbone twill cotton cloth. Two rounded-bottom patch pockets with pointed flaps, one on each breast. This shirt was worn inside the trousers. No lower pockets, but with an inner “map” pocket on the left breast, secured by a single button. Covered button fly front. Flat or slightly domed, four-hole, brownish-green plastic buttons. Nearly all of these will have the wearer’s name stencilled, inked, embroidered, or on a name tape above the left breast pocket. This garment is officially referred to as the “M1953”.

2. Sage Green Sateen Cloth Material.
Officially named P1957 shirt, but widely known as P56 shirt instead (often referred to as P58 also, yes it’s confusing).

Description
Loose fitting shirt of green cotton sateen material. Two breast pockets, closed with flaps. 1954 (one riband) USMC insignia stencilled on the left breast pocket.

This Marines’ Cotton-Sateen Utility Uniform was unique to the Corps, and was obsolete by 1965, having been replaced by the Army’s OG107 utility uniform or P58 (1st pattern OG 107).

By the mid-1960s, P53 and P56 utility shirts had largely disappeared from routine stateside use as newer utility uniforms were introduced. However, they remained common among Marine units stationed overseas, particularly in Okinawa and during the early stages of the Vietnam War.

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Charateristic

The shirt featured two chest pockets with concealed buttons and an internal map pocket. The Marine’s characteristic ‘eagle, globe, and anchor’ stencil was applied on the left pocket.

1. Internal map pocket
   
   “Map pocket” as available in P44 USMC jacket.
2. EGA stamp
   
   (^ above are early version stamps with solid globe EGA, design from WWII era [as seen on P41 or p44 jacket])
   
   
   (^ Later version EGA stamps w/ open face globe, Post 1953)

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Name tape

This shirt often comes with embroidered name tape on WWII USMC “Chevron” Herringbone Twill backing.

The embroidered name tape was an affectation of the 3rd Marine Division (3MARDIV), who had them made up on Okinawa prior to embarkation for Vietnam.

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Epilogue

In Action

For the sake of consistency, I refer to

• The HBT version as the P53 Utility Shirt and,
• The sateen version as the P56 Utility Shirt.

This nomenclature also aligns well with the collector convention of referring to the first-pattern OG-107 utility shirt as the P58 shirt..

As always, collectors should be cautious of re-stamped EGA markings and non-period-correct patches.

Source:
1. USMF forum.
2. Kevin Lyes – Vietnam: US Uniforms in Colour Photographs.
3. The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) – webmaster.

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