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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If you:
1. Wore strached kakhi's as your Class B Uniform
2. Qualified Annually on a M551 Sheridan or M60A1 Tank
3. Remember the Black Beret belong to the Armored Cavalry Regiments in Germany...and wore one.
4. Drank 2 beers with lunch while on duty and it was legal.
5. Had a Wall locker display hanging on the instide of your metal wall locker, which showed exactly where every item in it was to be placed, every button buttoned, Sleeping bag and shelter half was rolled sitting on top of the wallocker next to your steel pot. Underwear was "rolled" and in its proper place.
6. Stood in line every payday in Class A to get paid...in cash, but the pay officer.
Just a few that I hadn't seen yet!
Oh...The Memories!
1. Wore strached kakhi's as your Class B Uniform
2. Qualified Annually on a M551 Sheridan or M60A1 Tank
3. Remember the Black Beret belong to the Armored Cavalry Regiments in Germany...and wore one.
4. Drank 2 beers with lunch while on duty and it was legal.
5. Had a Wall locker display hanging on the instide of your metal wall locker, which showed exactly where every item in it was to be placed, every button buttoned, Sleeping bag and shelter half was rolled sitting on top of the wallocker next to your steel pot. Underwear was "rolled" and in its proper place.
6. Stood in line every payday in Class A to get paid...in cash, but the pay officer.
Just a few that I hadn't seen yet!
Oh...The Memories!
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SGM Willie Sanderson
Don't forget the baggie ass khaki Shorts as a summer uniform. I had to take 2 steps before my uniform moved. My 1SG said I was forbidden to fart because I was so skinny I would blow my hip bones off.
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If you had an actual "brown bag" MRE as apposed to the "tan bag".
If you did basic training before they integrated (gender).
If you did basic training before they integrated (gender).
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SSG Michael Love
They had meals called lrps, freeze dried rolled up meals with out the other stuff in them. What I really liked was the freeze dried grease on the meals. But the calories were there.
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Reading some of these posts brought back memories of things I have not thought about in years, like the "mickey mouse" boots, smoking in the offices, and who out there remembers the 2 beer limit at lunch (as long as you werent flying that afternoon)? Ahh, those were the good old days, even if I did get beat accross the head with a sawed off broom stick to help me remember. I liked the way my old seargents taught me back then, some of these young Soldiers today cant comprehend what it was like back then even as you try to tell them. How do you explain the smell of a duece and a half, or the way it whinned when you revved it up.
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SPC Tony Blanton
When I got to Fort Riley in '77 we had a beer vending machine in our day room. Those were the days, lol.
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Distinctive Company or Battalion PT Uniform
OD Green Fatigues,
What is a P38
C Rations
XM-16
Duece in a halfs
Gamma Goats
T-10 or Dash 1 Parachutes
Squad Bays in WWII Barracks
Comunity Latrine or Head
Area Guard
Down town Hayes Street Drinking Gin
Cherry Hangings
Pink Bellies
Blood Wings
Specalists 5, 6, and 7
Dragon Club
Run, Skip and Jump and rope climb was part of the PT Test
OD Green Fatigues,
What is a P38
C Rations
XM-16
Duece in a halfs
Gamma Goats
T-10 or Dash 1 Parachutes
Squad Bays in WWII Barracks
Comunity Latrine or Head
Area Guard
Down town Hayes Street Drinking Gin
Cherry Hangings
Pink Bellies
Blood Wings
Specalists 5, 6, and 7
Dragon Club
Run, Skip and Jump and rope climb was part of the PT Test
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SSG Michael Love
While at beautiful Fort Erwin, I walked over to the Mess section and asked if they had any p-38's, they said yes, About that time the Head Cook walked up and wanted what was up. They told him . The head cook said come on over to the tailor, and we all did. He opened the tailor and there were duffel bags of full of them the small and large p-38, the Head cook said help yourselves.I got what I could in my helmet. I had always been told, if you needed something go to the First cook . I still have a few p-38 left. One of my good days at NTC.
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SSG Selwyn Bodley, it's all relative. If a soldier entered the service before you, they're old school. To a soldier that came after you, you're old school.
For me, I was issued the 100% cotton olive drab (OD) fatigue uniform (Class C) when I arrived at the reception station and then headed off to BCT. They were starched at all times. Class Bs were the 100% starched cotton khaki uniform. For all PT, the uniform was fatigues and boots without the OD shirt. We shaved in steel pots and ate Meals, Combat Individual (MCI) in the field, which everyone called C-rations. We were billeted in the old WWII era white temporary barracks. I could go on and on about how old school I am.
However, I have a good friend who was actually issued brown boots when he enlisted. He was billeted in the old white barracks also, but the heat was provided by coal fired furnaces. The term fire guard was quite real for those soldiers. He's old school to me.
It's all relative.
LTC Stephen F. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. SGT Mark Anderson
For me, I was issued the 100% cotton olive drab (OD) fatigue uniform (Class C) when I arrived at the reception station and then headed off to BCT. They were starched at all times. Class Bs were the 100% starched cotton khaki uniform. For all PT, the uniform was fatigues and boots without the OD shirt. We shaved in steel pots and ate Meals, Combat Individual (MCI) in the field, which everyone called C-rations. We were billeted in the old WWII era white temporary barracks. I could go on and on about how old school I am.
However, I have a good friend who was actually issued brown boots when he enlisted. He was billeted in the old white barracks also, but the heat was provided by coal fired furnaces. The term fire guard was quite real for those soldiers. He's old school to me.
It's all relative.
LTC Stephen F. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. SGT Mark Anderson
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
LTC Stephen C. Another friend of yours was issued Brown Boots with Buckles!
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CWO3 (Join to see)
CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 - Just saw this. We set a bunch of 35 footers the hard way and tossed a volleyball from tops at MCES in 78. I shed the belt and went full tilt shinny once I learned angles on gaffs. After that it's all gravy. My brothers were born in 52 and 54, so the CSM has TIS on most all of us here.
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SFC Ssg Sabin
MSG John Wirts - Yeah but that cold war turned 'hot' every now and then with many 'un-reported' incidents that could have easily taken us to the next level very quickly. One such incident on the East/West Border, FRG, 1976; my infantry squad was fired upon by a couple of East German Border Guards at a place on the fence called "The Fulda Gap". They were guarding some civilian prisoners who were working on the 'Anti-Vehicular Ditch' when we came along on the routine patrol of our side of the fence. What alerted them right away was the two German Shepherds they had and it spoked them so that one of them just squeezed the trigger enough on his AK to put a short burst into the air. They always carried with live ammo locked and loaded. We didn't. Good thing Sam didn't give us live ammo to carry as we may have had the beginnings of a shoot'in war for sure!
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MSG John Wirts
Yes and it left us open to losing our solders and of course our side would back down. What was interesting was that during the Cuban missile crisis, the Soviets deployed submarines with nuclear torpedoes, we did not discover this till the fall of the USSR.
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SGT Stefan Minor
I have to agree with this. I remember when the Coast Guard seen all the action with the drug runners and we were wondering why we didn't join them. Although I would say that being stationed stateside in peace time was pure hell!
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In my case I would say having to read TTY Tape at 50 Chars a Minute would probably make me "Old School:.
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CPT William Pearson
Learning the hard way is old school to me. Double checking red leg coverage, call signs, and The LZ to be picked up is old school been there when SNAFU happens!
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SSG Michael Love
Bo Diddly Bo Diddly where you been... Down in Columbus drinking gin...What you gonna do when when you get back..Sweat it all on the P.T. Track please make me rope man.
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PO1 Randy Morse
Being old school for me is seeing the boat I served on USS DANILE WEBSTER SSBN-626, now being used as a training unit for "baby" nukes to train on before going to the fleet.
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If you remember counseling sessions, or uniforms, BDU's and barracks that looked like these.
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SPC (Join to see)
That hallway looks like luxury compared to the WWII shacks I had to live in. We also had OD fatigues that I always referred to as a mechanic's uniform. I always looked skinnier than I was in those things. I was glad when the BDU's were finally issued because they weren't tucked in, but not as good as what they have now.
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SGT Daniel Petitt
What’s a counseling session? I don’t remember any counseling. I remember,you got a order & you did it. Nobody cared whether you liked it or not. Whether it offended you or not. I can’t even imagine going to the Top Shirt & saying that I think I need counseling. Lol
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SGT Daniel Petitt
I took basic at Ft Bliss & we had block walls. Then I went to Ft Ord for infantry AIT & they were wooden. I’d just like to add,that I think Ft Ord was an excellent infantry training center. When I went to Vietnam,there were very few surprises,except the live fire. I don’t think anything can prepare you for that.
Sgt Ronald Harris
Sgt Ronald Harris
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