Posted on Jul 1, 2014
What constitutes being "old school" in the military?
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I'm hearing/reading people saying "I'm old school, therefore..." So out of curiosity's sake, where is that ever-moving line?
Tradition
Humor
Memories
Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1808
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It's all arbitrary, it's just something that you did that was different from the guys that are boot to you. Like having to qualify on the range with iron sights at the range. Just don't be the old guy that complains because the new guys get to do something you didn't. If change makes a service member more effective great, and part of our job is to teach the younger guys some of the stuff they don't learn so that if the new method is impaired they can still navigate without GPS and have the basic skills to still be able to complete the mission.
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Smuggling Coors to the East coast then to Frankfurt for those that couldnt get it...Ya, 141's support the mission!! if you remember the 70's you werent there..LOL..
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CW2 (Join to see)
OMG... forgot all about that! A Holiday trip home from Keesler MS to CA could net the entire trips cost and then some.
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Cpl Gerald Hill
Weird just the opposite in USMC boot camp we had the M-14 in boot camp and the M-1 Grand in ITR Mar/64.
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if you ever carried And qualified with-and M-14
While on active duty , took a shower , utilizing
A steel pot, ever pull out house cleaning duty ,
Than you could be Old School,
While on active duty , took a shower , utilizing
A steel pot, ever pull out house cleaning duty ,
Than you could be Old School,
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Remember the different types of alerts in Germany and prayed that it was not a "praise the Lord and pass the ammo the Russians are on the way" alert after a holiday and half the company or Battalion is huno over.
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SPC Miles Blackman
CPT Earl George We had that happen to a company in our Battalion and it took them almost 48 hours to hand count all of the ammunition back into their arms room after a false alert because a 2LT on Battalion Staff Duty miss read the code on the alert, our CO knowing this 2LT went to Battalion and redid the alert code and stopped the rest of the Battalion for issuing live ammo out. Fortunately only one company out of six issued out ammo.
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I ate C rats left over from VN War, fired the M16A1, have NEVER worn a flack jacket, only worn the old steel pot helmet and only fired the old M1911 Colt .45 auto pistol. YES, I am “Old School”
PI
PI
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Cpl Gerald Hill
We were the first combat ground forces committed to RVN as the 9th MEB on 3/8/1965 Our BLT beach landing 4/10/1965 Red Beach 2 we wore flak jackets and something you haver seen or heard about we used to call them diapers, a flak covering for the lower half, it was awkward and added weight so it was the first thing that we managed to lose, the 2nd was the halizone tablets for the canteen because we filled them from the streams and would rather have Malaria than terrible tasting water
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Rode in and drove actual deuce and a half and in Thailand lived in trailers that had placards from Wheelis AFB.
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Being in the WWII barracks at Fort McCoy, where the building temperature was dictated by the amount of coal that was fed into the furnace. Plus, you had to have a literal fire guard day and night to ensure the fire didn't get too low or make sure the barracks didn't burn down.
Each sleeping bag was extreme cold weather issue, so it might be bitter cold without it but a furnace inside of it. Worse if the barracks temp was sky high.
And the latrines: six thrones, three on each side, facing each other, no barriers. We had Soldiers who would play cards while sitting on the thrones.
Then having to yell "Fire in the hole" before flushing, as a courtesy to the guys in the shower that were about to lose hot water for a few seconds.
Being out on a tank gunnery range in October, so old that we were downrange with a radio, running the tank silhouette back and forth on rails as dictated by the tower, using a gas-powered generator for power. And our vehicle was a jeep.
Immersion heaters in tents.
Each sleeping bag was extreme cold weather issue, so it might be bitter cold without it but a furnace inside of it. Worse if the barracks temp was sky high.
And the latrines: six thrones, three on each side, facing each other, no barriers. We had Soldiers who would play cards while sitting on the thrones.
Then having to yell "Fire in the hole" before flushing, as a courtesy to the guys in the shower that were about to lose hot water for a few seconds.
Being out on a tank gunnery range in October, so old that we were downrange with a radio, running the tank silhouette back and forth on rails as dictated by the tower, using a gas-powered generator for power. And our vehicle was a jeep.
Immersion heaters in tents.
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SFC Greg Bruorton
Your comments best relate to my own experiences at Forts Knox, Gordon, Bragg, and Ord. Also having to do PT as coal smoke covered the installation and our uniforms. We had a fireman called Sparky who loved his job so much he would gather select coals, place them lovingly in his white T-shirt pocket, and grin as he headed toward the furnace.
Are "Maggie's Drawers" still shown on poor range marksmanship?
(1960-1980)
Are "Maggie's Drawers" still shown on poor range marksmanship?
(1960-1980)
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LTC (Join to see)
I had to google that term. No, I never saw that. I enlisted in 1987, so it was before my time. We had the standard 25 meter zero target, then pop ups for qual. We did a KD range as part of BRM, but never got the red flag. I'll definitely ping the retired Senior NCOs via Facebook to ask them about it.
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CPT Earl George
I watched them burn down a WWII barracks at IGMR(Indiantown Gap Military Reservation), Annville Pa. in 1970. It took 3or 4 minutes I think.
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