The United States Marine Corps Commandant’s Dress Cap is far and away the most expensive piece of headgear we carry here at The Salute Uniforms, and it only takes one close look to see the reason why: the intricately crafted ornamentation using lustrous gold bullion found on the crown’s braid band. The level of detail on the braid is truly breathtaking, and the length of the ornamentation easily exceeds the minimum of covering the “front half” of the braid band.
USMC regulations authorize this type or ornamentation only for the dress caps worn by current and past Commandants of the Marine Corps. The Commandant is also a de facto member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, however, and it appears that this position is also recognized with the extra gold ornamentation. In a photograph of USMC Commandant Michael Hagee, USMC General Peter Pace, and George Bush taken in 2006, Commandant Hagee and General Pace—serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time—are both wearing a Marine Corps Dress Cap with this eye-catching hatband.