Tolt if you read those books agian you will also pick up on the fact that everyone has heard rumors about the marines being invisible.  they just don't believe it.  Less than 4% of americans ever serve in the military over half in my lovely branch.  if the same is true in the SF universes than that many planets with that many people a 100,000 people is not even a drop in the bucket.

Plus the Bases for different branches of service are on seperate planets.  Beside the navy who support the marines (ask David he will tell you) other branches have little contact with the marines.  Also the army has got to be so huge given the scope of the confederation, A lot of soldiers never would get to see marines in chameleons.  They would be seen in thier dress uniform or their utuilities but not the field chameleons.  So until a unit commander actually has to go to deployment with marines, or has a field excersice with them, all he has been is told about the uniforms. 

I can tell you all I want what it is like to fire my M249 SAW, but until you see it with your own eyes you can not truely grasp it.

Tolt, here is something that I had thought of as Armyblank had finished. I don't mean to sound condedending, but the thought did occur...

If the Marines are, for all intests and purposes, invisible, and a large segement of people think along the lines of "If I can't see it, it's not real," then what would you say to that? If people can't see them, then they won't believe that they are there, especially if the distribution of the Chameleons is kept hush-hush. Just look at the latest re-equipment (I forgot the term) that the Army and our dear Marines had not too long ago, what with thier new uniforms. I know that I am a rare person, because I can spot that camo (even on the Marines) anywhere.