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?
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 1808
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I agree with all that has been stated. If you came in after 9-11, it's safe to say you know nothing about being old school EXCEPT what you have been told by us "Old School" veterans. As for the SP5 - SP7, those days were gone even when I came in 1991. This is everything I have seen or done since coming in: rode in a REAL deuce and a half know what a gamma goat used to be were transported in a cattle car,lived in WWII era barracks, thought the only definition of, "offensive" was "taking it to the commies" actually put 2 shelter halves together to make and sleep in a tent
pressed your duty uniform spit shined your boots ate MREs, boarded for promotion, walked the gauntlet when you got SGT, know what a SP5, SP6, and SP7 is, used a TA312 and took the TA-312 challenge...it was very shocking, remember soviet bloc nations were the bad guys. Miss those days.
pressed your duty uniform spit shined your boots ate MREs, boarded for promotion, walked the gauntlet when you got SGT, know what a SP5, SP6, and SP7 is, used a TA312 and took the TA-312 challenge...it was very shocking, remember soviet bloc nations were the bad guys. Miss those days.
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CPT William Jones
My basic training class would have 27 years in when you joined. I did the same things you did except never heard of gamma goat on active duty yet Qualified for rifle on Known distance range and knew what an offensive or two in RVN IE Tet offensive, Incursion into Cambodia. Maybe that is old army. My son told me they were studying. RVN in his college History. I told him that wasn't history but current events. He is now a reservist Major with about 27 months playing in the SEA sand boxes.
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Playfull answers aside,
I think that anyone who sticks with a previous ideal or thought, even after changes with time, tends to be the ones that use the "old school" phrase.
I am guilty of that whenever I refer to "NBC training" and when I get corrected to "you mean CBRN training, dontcha sarge?" I usually reply with a dismissive wave, "Ya ya, I'm old school".
I think that anyone who sticks with a previous ideal or thought, even after changes with time, tends to be the ones that use the "old school" phrase.
I am guilty of that whenever I refer to "NBC training" and when I get corrected to "you mean CBRN training, dontcha sarge?" I usually reply with a dismissive wave, "Ya ya, I'm old school".
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SPC Tony Blanton
I was in a small unit. We didn't have any NCOs that weren't already wearing at least two hats so I was volunteered to be our company's NBC NCO. I was the only E4 going to school with about 30 E5s and above. I sure did get a kick out of running the gas chamber though. While everyone else was on a two mile run, I was gearing up for an hour or more keeping the CS cloud as thick as possible.
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For me, being old school was being with our Viet Nam buddies before the non VN people came in and told us that we lost the war because we did not do the right things in Viet Nam. Then they proceeded to lots of other stuff that got a lot of folks killed - but at least they knew more than we did.
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Politically Correctness was not in when I was on active duty.. Back in my day you were told exactly what you were and no one cared about being the bad guy or hurt someone's feelings. Mission came first above all.
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SPC (Join to see)
Political Correctness gives me gas. I'm glad they didn't have PC then and this country would be better now if they didn't have it. People are too sensitive these days. They should ban PC in the military.
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I was in back 1961-66. That is old school in my book. Those older thasn me will disagree and thats their right. Moost anything over 50 years back.
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SFC Charles McVey Sr.
I enlisted at the young age of 17, needed parents signature, in 1960, by 1961 I was in West Germany doing Road Patrol in the Bavarian Alps in an M35 with no heater. How about those apples.
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In 78 I saw a plaque in window of shop on Okinawa. It had a shield, broadsword, fighting knife and mace on it. The caption read "Unless your war gear looks like this, don't talk to me about the Old Corps". No matter how old we get we can usually find someone that served before we were even born. Sadly they're dying every day.
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SGT Randall Smith
For my 8th birthday I got a uniform, cap, and boots with the strap across the top. It was just like my dad's uniform. My brother was 6 and got one just like it. Seems most of our friends got the same thing that year. We were stationed in Germany then. O'yea, the boots were brown. So were dad's and he wore the Ike jacket. That was 65 years ago.
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When an Auto-rifleman was issued the snap on bipod for the M16A1.
When some shithead put CS gas on Ardennes during morning PT runs.
Yellow was the color for APFT uniforms.
Not everybody had Kevlar Helmets yet.
The M249 SAW was the coolest thing you ever saw, until you were assigned it.
You had to use the CEOI with the PRC77 in order to transmit messages.
When the "Rainbow" bedspread was issues for your barracks bunk, and that was what you used, period.
Dumping all your DRF load at CLAC and overloading on ammo when prepping for Operation Urgent Fury
When some shithead put CS gas on Ardennes during morning PT runs.
Yellow was the color for APFT uniforms.
Not everybody had Kevlar Helmets yet.
The M249 SAW was the coolest thing you ever saw, until you were assigned it.
You had to use the CEOI with the PRC77 in order to transmit messages.
When the "Rainbow" bedspread was issues for your barracks bunk, and that was what you used, period.
Dumping all your DRF load at CLAC and overloading on ammo when prepping for Operation Urgent Fury
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Suspended Profile
Brown boots.
SrA Robert Adams
At Ft Polk they issued the rainbow bedspread but we could only fold it up at the end of the bunk..
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When the only working uniform for E-6 and below was dungarees and white hat, or a command ball cap.
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Didn't qualify with the M1911, but I did qualify with the M60, M14, and M16A1.
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LCDR Arthur Whittum
M1 and 1911. Then 15 years later, M16. As retiree, I have a Beretta to use as center fire weapon for competition. But haven't gotten to a match yet. That with a Colt .22 and a 1911. Now if I could just find some time on a weekend to go punch holes in paper!
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