What constitutes being "old school" in the military?

I bought my first gaberdine dress blues from an old-school-er (China sailor?) back in '69 that had very cool dragons embroidered on the inside of the back and cuffs. Made me feel like an old salt!

I believe Old School is a term that takes all branches of the military back in time to the last era. I am sure soldiers in WW1 heard tales of how Old School soldiers in the Spanish American war with Teddy Roosevelts Rough Riders fought battles. I joined in 1984 and every Sergeant I had always told me how they were old school in the Vietnam War and I respected the hell out of them. I served for over 20 years and saw my army go from the M151 Jeep to the Hummer, the field jacket to the Gore Tex jacket, the old steel pot to the kevlar, C-rats to MRE's, and on and on. I saw many changes and in the late 90's and early 2000's my solders were calling me old school because I had been in thru all the changes and the Gulf War. So it keeps going and will never end and I am glad of that. Not every soldier can or will stay in long enough to be old school but they can reflect back as a civilian and know they were serving at that time. If you live long enough or serve long enough you will be old school some day.

I went to basic in Oct 1968, we wore OD green fatigues with the blouse tucked in, broke starch every day and spit-shined our boots. For PT you took off your blouse folded it neatly and placed it on the ground in front of you. The run was done in your combat boots. (Train as you Fight). Even then, senior NCO's talked about "old school". I would therefore submit to you that old school is whatever came before or what your senior NCO experienced as a young enlisted soldier.

It would have been nice for nylon shorts or a banana suit. But we still did pt in bdu pants and combat boots back in my day

If you ever ran out of musket balls at the most inconvenient moment, dropped your packing rod in a puddle in the middle of a fire fight, spilt your musket balls during a storm at sea, ate moldy hardtack and washed it down with rum, bayonetted a wild English pig dog jumping onto the deck, caught 100 questionable diseases every time you pulled into port, got tired of citrus even though you thought it was ok once upon a time, saw a man flayed to death with a cat-o-nine tails, then you might be old school.

I'm not old school, but yeah, there you go.

Old school should be retired or getting ready to retire. The old school guard has changed.

Only if Luke Wilson (the Godfather) declares you as such. However, if Will Ferrell puts in a good word, Vince won't tell you to "earmuff" it.

Operating a retrans site from inside a M-151 MUTT on the side of a road in Korea

A sailor would say being on a ship that burned NSFO. Old school was having the drunk watch to help shipmates who had way to many to their bunk not a breathalyzer. Back when leadership was #1 not socially acceptable management style. Back when the smoking lamp was lit through out the ship (except where stuff could blow up)

It’s a generational thing. WW2 is old to Korea. Korea is old to Vietnam. Mid 70s through 1991 is the winning of the Cold War and Desert Storm is old to the War on Terror. It also ties to inform configurations. Pink and Greens and fatigues;to Greens, Khakis, and Jungle Fatigues; to BDUs, and Green class Bs, to ASU and ACU and back to Pink and Greens and what look a lot to the next generation BDU. General rule is anyone still serving over 40 may consider themself old Army