What constitutes being "old school" in the military?

I was transitional. I enlisted in the old school Army in 1988. Then Communism went belly up. Trust me, I was there. F#@king great time to be in Germany. Then the Army began retooling. When I got out in 1992 it was the beginning on the new school Army.

In my case, when I saw a picture of my unit in the Infantry museum at Ft. Benning

Ok. To best answer your question, in my humble opinion, is usually within a 20 year gap. I retired in 2000. At that time, we still had “boots and brass” in other words, we still had to shine our boots, with boot polish, a rag, a hand buffer, a little bit of water and a whole lot of alcohol. My son went in around 2011/2012, and they no longer had polishable boots. The uniform had changed, the weaponry gear had changed. Bear in mind, when I was in, I remember humping the pig and carrying a 45. They replaced the pig with the SAW. I friggin hated that thing. You couldn’t walk your rounds into your target, couldn’t see your rounds impacting. Don’t get me started on the 9 mil. I’ve seen guys shot with a 45, down they go. I’ve seen guys shot multiple times with a 9 mil and the are still standing. I guess I had the same feelings when my old school Vietnam educators had when they traded the M14 for the Mattel M16.

How about running all day in green fatigues! That also includes BLACK boots! M-16 by AC SPARK PLUG CORP.

Weekly rooms inspections
In rank inspiration
TA-50 inspection
Back to the green bdu and black boots
Training, Task condition and standard rehearsal
Rooms inspections (with and without warning)
Monthly counseling
Monthly NCODP
SQT for a 1000 promotion system

If, when you were promoted to E-5, the 1SG or CSM invited you into his office for a drink of conac and a cigar he kept in his office.

Me. I am old school

If you know what "By The Book" means, and you know that crap doesn't work most of the time.

Holding to old expectations. I refused to attend the wedding of a classmate that my wife and I were very close with while students. I was a former E-6 now O-2. She, an O-1 married her platoon sergeant.

As a young Marine I recall becoming "fed up" with the constant use of the term "Old Corps" I had been a member of SCA and had some photos of a battle in full armor I posted them on a message board in my squadron that unless your 782 gear looked like this don't be talking about "old corps" - Master guns was not amused