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The original Marine uniform had a tight leather collar, thus Leathernecks. The Marines in the days of pirates, boarded ships and fought with sabers, the leather around there neck, was protective gear, a saber slash to neck a man could bleed out in seconds.

The phrase comes from the early days of the Marine Corps when enlisted men were given strips of leather to wear around their necks to keep them from slouching in uniform by forcing them to keep their head up.

They used to wear these leather neck protectors in combat to keep people from beheading them.

The Continental Marine Corps was commissioned on November 10, 1775, by the Continental Congress. In 1798, Marines were issued a collar of stiff black leather annually as part of their uniform. Measuring approximately 3.5 inches high and fastened at the back of the neck by metal clasps, the collars forced a haughty military bearing. According to the Marine Corps Association, "Legend and lore have it that the term "leatherneck" was derived from leather neckbands worn in the late 1700s to protect Marines from the slash of the cutlass."

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Q: Why are Marines sometimes called leathernecks?
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