Where does the term Jarhead come from?
If you go to Boston and take a tour of the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides), the sailors who man the warship tell the tale of the origin of the term “jarhead.” According to the sailors, most of the Marines were quite a bit taller than the sailors on the ships. When they were below the decks, the ceiling of the areas was lower than most people would like. The sailors, being generally smaller and shorter, would walk around the lower decks without too much problem. The Marines were generally taller, and they would regularly run into the beams supporting the decks, hence the name “Jarhead.” Being an Air Force alum, I might question the integrity of Navy guys telling a story like that, but it sounds cool, so I accept it as gospel. The other possibility comes from my father, a fighter pilot for more than 32 years in the Air Force. He was told that the caps that the Marines wear in their dress uniforms and threaded and they are screwed onto the Marines heads (which are counter threaded becaus
