To me it seems entirely possible that this fictional special forces unit would have uniform bits (the berets) seperate from the rest of the USMC. Also there is a bit of combat dialogue from friendly HECU characters where the character in question shouts 'Let's Go Marines!'ДЇrankly, I see no reason why the HECU can't NOT be a fictional unit (Perhaps Battalion or Regiment) within the USMC.ДЇirst, the HECU is a fictional unit, so there shouldn't be alot taken from the specifics of thier combat uniforms. It's the only branch of the US military explicity mentioned.

Most would not know the differences between US Army lingo and US Marine lingo.ДЄnd that is the primary source of the 'Marine' identity for the HECU. They don't need to for this, so I wouldn't pay much attention to those details. Now obviously the developers, both Valve and Gearbox, were not striving for total accuracy in depicting the US Military. It seems to me that the HECU is not a part of the military at all, that it is its own 'Branch' that draws its members out of other services including but not exclusivly the Marine corp and that everyone just assumes this cuss of opfor's bootcamp level alone.Д®verysingle official source I have found ether says the HECU or simply 'the military', does anyone have anything from Valve or gearbox that says otherwise they could show me please? Theres also the HECU's medics, marine units do not use medics they use coremen. The 82nd and 173rd wear red berets and the 75th (AKA the Army Rangers) wore black at the time half life 1 came out. Some of the HECU are seen wearing berets, big whoop could just be a lack of research on Valves part right?ДЄnd yet they are the berets that are specific to the U.S.

The only thing that says 'Marine' seems to be that corperal Sheprad just so happened to have been drafted from the Marine corp and that they fly in V-22's, which means nothing. Army's lingo, one page about murpheys law thats it, everything else is army soldier army soldeir etc. Its not in opfor's game manual, and the wording in that is almost entirly in the U.S. I cannot find any official source that states the HECU is a Marine unit, the only thing I have found that states that are wiki's and we all know how true those are, I have recently replayed the game (HL 1 and opfor) and simply do not recall anyone saying that. I have gotten into this debate alot as of late.

Black mesa source hecu