Unissued Desert Storm Six Color DBDU Jacket Size: Medium - Long #2

For your consideration is a Chocolate Chip Desert BDU (DBDU) jacket in size Medium/Long. It is in NOS, unissued condition. This jacket was never worn or had patches applied!

I was a kid when Desert Storm happened, and the "Chocolate Chips" captured my imagination. The pattern had a long history dating back to the early 1960's. Using the Mojave Desert as a template, it was developed for use in the Sinai should the U.S. get drawn into a war in support of Israel. The pattern and the uniform appear to have been standardized by the mid-1970's. There was evidence that it was in limited use at that time by units that anticipated a short notice deployment to the Middle East. Even though it was developed with a specific environment in mind, it was intended to be the U.S. Military's universal desert camouflage pattern. In time, it was adopted by militaries across the world, including many odd color variants that have nothing to do with the desert.

There remains some controversy about this pattern. Was it an effective camouflage? The answer is yes, and no. The Chocolate Chips were very effective for the complex desert environment for which it was designed and intended - notably the rocky, scrubby, craggy regions of the American Southwest and the Sinai. If you have the time, it is worth watching the video link below. The Chocolate Chip design was not favorable for the open sands of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. A conflict in that type of open desert was not anticipated, and the Chocolate Chips were not well received as a camouflage in an area without rocks and scrub brush. Complicating the matter was the U.S. Military's insistence in the early BDU era of making its uniforms out of heavyweight cotton/nylon twill. While much thought was put into how a uniform could address the vast swings in temperature that occur in the desert between day and night, the rugged twill fabric was simply too hot for the desert. It was said that GEN Schwarzkopf personally lobbied for an all cotton version to be issued, and it eventually was, but Desert Storm did not last long enough for it to see widespread use. These factors accelerated the research into and adoption of the Three Color Desert Camouflage Uniform which was adopted immediately after Desert Storm. So is it fair to call the Chocolate Chips a failure based on a ground war that lasted less than a week? I do not believe so. Outside of the open sands of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the Three Color Desert has its own problems as a camouflage. It is far too light colored for more complex desert terrain. Frequently soldiers conflate their fondness with a uniform style with the effectiveness of its camouflage. Three Color DCU's were immensely popular, partly because they were lightweight and not associated with garrison duty. Had the Chocolate Chips been issued in a more agreeable lightweight cotton ripstop, I'm sure that history's judgment of them would be different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUTIvWge0NM

Measurements:

Sleeve (Shoulder to Cuff): 27"
Chest (Armpit to Armpit): 25"
Length (Bottom of Collar to Hem): 32.5"