What constitutes being "old school" in the military?

CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025 - Lensatic compass a security item? How about the Brunton ComPro M2 Pocket Transit Military Compass? It's on the internet for $299.00, I don't know what the Army paid for them but engineers, mortarmen, and surveyors had to be able to use them. They often failed MOS tests because the commanders never let these out of the supply room.

the M2 Artillery Compass wasn't the easiest thing in the world to use with 6400 mills to figure out.

CW3 Kevin Storm - especially when the CO and Supply Sergeant won't let them out of the supply cage, this was my experience in the Reserves and National Guard, as a Test Supervisor.

Do you remember the MOS Test & PRO-Pay .

Sorry to say bro, by now it's probably much worse that we can imagine. PC has hamstrung and gutted the Old Army. The Infantry was the only branch that managed to hold them off for awhile, but even now it must also endure the social engineering that comes with it. When it took a man to do a man's job, it got done or the man was replaced. Now it doesn't take a man to accomplish the same tasks as before, they just throw more social experimenters at it to get 'er done! I think the formula is two or more she-males to one man? I don't know, but I sure glad that I served before all that krap became a reality!

Was a WM in the late 80s early 90s and was called sweetheart, hon and darling more often then my rank, only tolerated from higher officers and senior NCOs, I knew they never meant any harm. So I just got use to it.

We did everything in fatigues and boots. Never heard of a PT uniform. It was either fatigues or your underwear. Nothing in between.

WO1 Tim Vaclav, I've just always thought it was rather strange to be at SFTG at Fort Bragg, and make my sixth jump...and nothing happened. Everyone always talks about getting ripped on their cherry jump. Not us.
Same thing happened when I finished infantry (11C) AIT at Fort Jackson on 20MAR70. There was no "turning blue" ceremony that everyone talks about. No one handed out blue infantry cords. They just put us on a bus headed to jump school at Fort Benning!
FYI, SGT Carl Blas.

I only saw Green Beret (aka Bronze Bruce) in 2009 out in Fayetteville, I do have pictures with Iron Mike in Bragg at original location, I heard Iron Mike was move.
After the 5th qualifying jump, as we turned in our chute, we all got on line and they pined on our Blood Wings on the DZ.

LTC Stephen C. - After AIT at Bragg, we were told that we can now wear the Blue Cord, but buy it yourself Cherry, and you better have it on for formation at 0600hrs. I was happy when told that day that I was now a PFC, then told to read the TM to become the FDC for the 81mm, because I graduated from high school. Lol

91A10 graduated in Feb 1989 - we had 16 modules that were handed out as we started them. My uncle (an firefighter instructor) gave me a copy of the EMT manual he used for the firefighting EMT classes.

91B20P - 1981

I had to take the EMT course and when I earned my EMT patch I couldn't wear it on my whites because the Army changed the rules about that. It still sits in an envelope with my worthless certificate. When I got out of the Army in 1982 I couldn't even get a job in a hospital with that EMT certification even though it was still valid and in the state where I was certified. Reason: We aren't hiring anybody from the military. I was even told by potential employers to remove my military service from my resume if I wanted to get a job. I refused to remove it. They wouldn't do that today.

I was an EMTNR before going in and taking the 91A10 AIT

KP 4 times and laundry detail in basic training at Ft Lost in the Woods. I was held over in basic with a few others because I was on a profile due to a messed up foot which prevented me from taking my final PT test. I tried to take it anyway but they wouldn't let me. In the end I think it worked out for the best. We had fun with the new trainee arrivals who kept saluting us enlisted graduates. We put the scare into them since we were in the same barracks.

Cleaning the grease trap on KP duty on tank hill at Fort Jackson circa 1976.

Navy said Mess Cook. Same job, different name.

SFC Rick Letcher - Fort Dix, 1955. Some things change slowly, if at all.

Great look for your dad. I loved the days back when we could roll up our sleeves like in your pic. I was a PFC with you in 1985, serving in West Germany.

Col, I enlisted in 1960, was in West Germany 61-64, Fort Benning GA, 11th Air Assault Div (Test) 64-65, Nam First Cavalry Division (Air Mobile) 3rd BDE, 65-66, DC 66-68, USA Okinawa 68-70, ROTC Duty University of Cincinnati 70-71, Korea Yung San 71-73, etsd 73, Re-enlisted 74 Fort Sam Huston TX 74-76, Fort Benning 76-78, Fort Sam Houston TX 78-80, Fort Knox 80-82, Fort Ben Harrison 82-86, Back to Korea TDY 90 days, the Back to Fort Benning 87-91, Paced on Terminal Leave 91 Records Misplaced and finally Retired in 2003. How is that for a carrerr, Oh and I had one major problem, I refused to be PC after 1982, and my SEER reflected that as well as having some really severe Medical Issues as well as being belated diagnosed with PTSD Combat related so I never made it past E7.

SFC Charles McVey Sr. - Oh and my being bounced from pillar to post was basically awaiting to be re-classified and placed on Terminal Leave and for some reason no-one wanted to get involved. I think I made more enemy's during that time frame then most can immagine.

When we rolled our sleeves in bdu's we had to roll them so the sleeve showed the sleeve right side out to the bottom of the roll.

Inverted crawl before and after chow in BCT. The kids today don't know what they missed. I remember if we used the G word (gun). That usually resulted in several hundred pushups or more inverted crawling.

Fire control computer with cams and gears

More points if it and the sight worked .Mine did, till I fired that first shell, LOL.

Had one shot off my M551 once. Pitter patter of a heavy machine gun hosing us down. It was working fine till then....Not so much afterward.

1SG Michael Bonnett - There is a Sheridan searchlight somewhere in this mess.