You might be old-school if....

When I got to my USASOC unit in '97 our supply guys issued me green jungle boots. I was in AIT for 9 months and the big thing was the Corcoran jump boots that "all the Airborne guys wore". At jump school we had to wear leg boots. Then get to Bragg it was brush shined jungles. I never bought a pair of them Corcorans. :)

CHRIS
 
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I started out as a 13F FO. The CEOI was brutal, mine was as thick as a notebook! And Rick's!
I was an RTO in the 325. You could call ANY unit in Division with that CEOI. The bdu shirt breast pocket was bursting at the seams that thing was so thick.
 
I was issued two sets of cammies with the big slanted pockets and two set's of what we called santeen's . Had poly and wool Alpha's, poly for summer and wool for winter, along with the old horse blanket overcoat and a vinyl raincoat that wasn't worth a damn. We still learned how to spit shine our boots and shoes, and had to sand off the quartermaster on our brass in order to get it to shine. We shot M16A1's and 1911's and yes we had C-rat's too. All of my DI's were Vietnam Vet's.
 
I was issued two sets of cammies with the big slanted pockets and two set's of what we called santeen's . Had poly and wool Alpha's, poly for summer and wool for winter, along with the old horse blanket overcoat and a vinyl raincoat that wasn't worth a damn. We still learned how to spit shine our boots and shoes, and had to sand off the quartermaster on our brass in order to get it to shine. We shot M16A1's and 1911's and yes we had C-rat's too. All of my DI's were Vietnam Vet's.

I love the old school slant pocket ERDLs. As for C-rats...when I was a kid, in the mid-80s, my neighbor was a retired SF NCO (he was also a history teacher and became assistant principal at the HS). I was friends with his son, who was just younger than me. He had crates of C-rations, and some old LRRP rations. Since I did not have a father (died in 1977) he became a father-figure to me over the years, took me to Bragg several times to meet some "old timers" (GEN. Yarborough, Dick Meadows, COL. Howard, some other SF legends), saw the Gabriel demo a few times...I think he was trying to get me to enlist and go SF.

Anywho, when he was being the father-figure to me, he would break out some C-rats or LRRPs, and we'd sit out back just chatting over the meal, he, his son John, and me. I really enjoyed those times, and I grew to really like those rations.
 
Huey blasts from 3k just because...
...the PRC 77 with a KY57 VINSON and a CEOI on 55o cord around my neck, tucked into my og107 top and tied off through a button hole...and losing that was worse than a lost weapon.
...M16A1's and 1911's
....the real HAY STREET (Rick's Lounge, Rosies, The Seven Dwarfs...)
....The Flaming Mug
...Drinking Infantry grog from a bronzed jungle boot (1 bottle Jack, 1 six pack PBR, 1 bottle hot sauce, 1 canteen iodine water, a measure of sand, a bag of saline solution...)
...blood rank and wings was ritual and not hazing
Oh how I miss Ricks Lounge.
 
I saw this on another forum. You vets, add to it.

Examples:

You remember jungle boots with green sides

You had gen 1 BDUs with the elvis collar and "jungle green" colors

You had ALICE, and had never heard of MOLLE
My Mom might add a holster that wasn't designed for a lefty.
 
Last time I visited, Dad asked me to fetch some stuff down from the attic in the garage.
Up there was an old helmet. The very one he wore in combat in Korea with his name on it. I never knew he still had it.
It has a fair sized chunk in it and the cloth is torn. I asked him what happened right there?
He casually says, oh I dunno. Something hit me in the head.

You ever have one of those moments when your whole life and existence flashes before you? That was one for me. And it made my eyes water after I asked, when I saw Dad reflecting back on those times. I'm sure he hadn't thought about it in years, and I felt kinda bad for asking as his time in Korea was tough.

I'm a history guy and I love these old things. But the only old school thing I wanna keep, is Dad.
 
Of all the large pack iterations since ALICE, if I had a choice, I would still use an ALICE. I used to have a couple floating around; over the years they got missing.
 
11B OSUT at Ft. Benning in 2007. We still had ALICE packs and web gear, no camelbacks, woody cam IBAs. We did have M4s and not 16s though.

I got a camel back at AIT, but BCT was 2qt canteens that smelled like sh*t! Had the BDU IBA"s too lol I remember seeing people at AIT that were in basic with new rucks like WTF ARE THOSE!

My unit got brand new M4's a few months before I went to Afghan in 2012, they sent us with the old m16A2's because they didnt want us to f*ck up the m4's lol... Only people in the Army in Afghanistan with M16's
 
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I went through basic at Ft. Leonard Wood in 75 and ended up at Bragg after jump school at Benning. We had all of the Nam era stuff, still wear the boony hats all summer, love those things. Ended up in the 618th (307th). Those pictures of Hay Street sure bring back some memory's especially the Prince Charles Motel.
 
You might be old-school if....You were taught to smear cammie paint around the edges of your Birth Control Glasses lens so they wouldn't glint at night...
 
Enlisted in 83', I would go to the clothing and sales on Bragg in 84' and buy a complete set of OG107s for $8 a pair! Retired in 08' but still run around combat zones with a M1911 (mine in 08' was made in 1916!), M14 and M79 if I can. My DD348 has M151 Jeep, M35 2.5 ton, M1009 CUCV, M561 Gama Goat, 72 pax Bus, M1065 Humvee, M1078 2.5 ton (Master Driver) M1A1 Tank, 35/60 hp outboard motors, MARPs and Razors on it.

CD
still downrange
 
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I saw this on another forum. You vets, add to it.

Examples:

You remember jungle boots with green sides

You had gen 1 BDUs with the elvis collar and "jungle green" colors

You had ALICE, and had never heard of MOLLE

LOL... Pretty sure the Elvis collar was Gen 2 or 3, I had the cool BDUs that didn't have them and the Cherries coming in got the Elvis collar... Just saying
 
....25-pack M2 grenades. mix-and-match fuses. good-to-go.
 
if you dove a double hose single stage regulator..........


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One of my major heart breaks was when the Army said we couldn't wear the Jungle Expert / School patch anymore.

Bastids.
 
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As I'm sure you know, that school went bye bye years ago. But the 25th started up their own course in Hawaii. Only soldiers from the 25th can attend. They issue a jungle expert tab, no banana boat patch.
 
ACOGs first got to SF in 95', don't think they got to basic within last 8 yrs or so. I had a M16A1 with irons in basic in 83'.


CD

My company in 2013, 3rd Bn, I Co, was the first company to learn the M16A4 with the ACOG/RCO. Didn't even see a rear sight until I hit SOI. I was making jokes about how young I am compared to you war dogs.
 
ACOGs first got to SF in 95', don't think they got to basic within last 8 yrs or so. I had a M16A1 with irons in basic in 83'.

We qual'd on irons. I didn't get my first RDS/ACOG until...2005? And since I had been issued the ACOG, the Aimpoint (my fave), and the EOTech.
 
So many of those places are gone now. I spent over 3 years in Karlsruhe & helped close the community down. Kinda sad to drive through the area now.
 
I was stationed in Vicenza, but we spent a lot of time in Germany. Great food, beer, and people. Beautiful country.
 
Was a different world, that's for sure. All trained up & spun up on Sov tactics & equipment, then the world changed. Started a Cold Warrior & retired during the Global War On Terror. Things definitely seemed to make more sense then, but maybe I was just ill informed. I dunno.

I visited Germany in '87 & was stationed there from Mar '91 - Sept '95 & Jun '04 - Jun '07. Went completely native ('87 visit was a family reunion.) & had a great time. Ended up a 3/3 (native born, high school graduate) rated German speaker. Even taught a course to a bunch of my Bundeswehr peers, auf Deutsch. Their PSYOP S-3 had been their LNO at Bragg & we were friends. When he found out I was at SOCEUR, he asked me to come up & teach his guys how to pack leaflet boxes (to throw outta choppers). Also meant a lot of jumps with their Fallschirmjaeger guys. We jumped with them on the regular & as one of the 3 fluent German speakers in the command (HQ Commandant & 1SG were the other two...), I was always tasked to liaise & translate.

Was definitely a change in vibe the second go 'round, tho. Less friendly, more suspicious. Had much more fun & shenanigans the first tour & much more mil to mil contact & travel. Had a blast in Romania tho, validating their SF & PSYOP teams prior to their deployment to the 'Stan. Their MoD invited us down & we were hosted by their 1st Special Operations Battalion command. Spent a hell of a night pub-crawling with their SF team sergeant (an old Ceausescu era LRRS guy), raising hell & pounding beers till the sun came up.
 
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