Posted on Jan 19, 2016
The Evolution Of The Combat Boot In The US Military
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U.S. military combat boots have come a long way.
Wars are fought and ultimately won by the troops who slog through grime and uneven ground to take the hill. One of the most important and easily overlooked pieces of equipment for that service member is the combat boot.
Injuries caused to frontline troops due to poor footwear has been recorded as far back as the 1700s, notes a Department of Defense report on cold-weather footwear. During World War I, the brutal cold coupled with the issued boot’s poor insulation led to countless bouts of trenchfoot among American soldiers and Marines.
Wars are fought and ultimately won by the troops who slog through grime and uneven ground to take the hill. One of the most important and easily overlooked pieces of equipment for that service member is the combat boot.
Injuries caused to frontline troops due to poor footwear has been recorded as far back as the 1700s, notes a Department of Defense report on cold-weather footwear. During World War I, the brutal cold coupled with the issued boot’s poor insulation led to countless bouts of trenchfoot among American soldiers and Marines.
The Evolution Of The Combat Boot In The US Military
Posted from taskandpurpose.comPosted in these groups: 
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Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 7
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A pair of boots can make the difference between a great mission and pure suck.
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Capt Lance Gallardo
As a Hunter out in the woods in all kinds of conditions, I could not agree with you more. Being wet and cold sucks, and can become life threatening, if hypothermia begins.
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In 2010-2012 I represented two elite Marine Reservists from an ANGLICO unit who had been in the Marine Corps Reserve for 7 and 4 years with seven combat deployments between them in both Iraq and Afghanistan. They had seen the Marine Corps go through several different types of combat boots, and they were both very impressed with the Marine Corps newest combat boot, the RAT GTX Boot by Danner. It is a $300 plus civilian purchase and has rave reviews on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Danner-Mens-Usmc-Temperate-Brown/dp/B006JUYDY4/ref=sr_1_4?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-4&nodeID=679255011&keywords=rat+boots
The Marine Corps has come to understand that next to a Marine's Rifle, the quality of their Combat Footwear is about their most important piece of gear. Having miserably gotten through TBS in the Winter rain and snow with freezing wt cold feet in WWII Era Leather Boots in 1990-91 (Sep 90 to Apr 91), I remember thinking to myself, this is the best the Elite Branch of Combat Service can do, when there are Gortex Boots already on the Civilian Market?
It took General Charles C. Krulak the 31st Commandant to finally break years of stupidly placing needless suffering over intelligent gear and issue Marines their first Danner Gortex Waterproof Boot - the Acadia. He also ordered the Marine Corps to revise and update all of the Marines 782 Deuce Gear, and we finally got rid of the canvass shelter haves, for high tech nylon dome tents, updated Sleeping Bags, along with many other innovations in personal field gear.
Gortex Pants and jackets were just filtering into the Marine Corps inventory, when I was at TBS in 1990, and the Student Lts were still being issued the Gumby Suits (PVC Rubber outerwear, like what fishermen wear).
The Marine Corps has come to understand that next to a Marine's Rifle, the quality of their Combat Footwear is about their most important piece of gear. Having miserably gotten through TBS in the Winter rain and snow with freezing wt cold feet in WWII Era Leather Boots in 1990-91 (Sep 90 to Apr 91), I remember thinking to myself, this is the best the Elite Branch of Combat Service can do, when there are Gortex Boots already on the Civilian Market?
It took General Charles C. Krulak the 31st Commandant to finally break years of stupidly placing needless suffering over intelligent gear and issue Marines their first Danner Gortex Waterproof Boot - the Acadia. He also ordered the Marine Corps to revise and update all of the Marines 782 Deuce Gear, and we finally got rid of the canvass shelter haves, for high tech nylon dome tents, updated Sleeping Bags, along with many other innovations in personal field gear.
Gortex Pants and jackets were just filtering into the Marine Corps inventory, when I was at TBS in 1990, and the Student Lts were still being issued the Gumby Suits (PVC Rubber outerwear, like what fishermen wear).
Amazon.com: Danner Men's USMCÂ Rat GTXÂ 8": Clothing
Amazon.com: Danner Men's USMCÂ Rat GTXÂ 8": Clothing
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Capt Lance Gallardo
S/Sgt Marcial- You probably remember the Gumby Suits, when you were in the Marines in the 80s, , Huh?
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I'm a fan of the present army issue boot, EXCEPT for the fact that the untreated leather results in soldiers having wet feet almost continually in a field environment. I'm know thats not an issue in a dry climate, a boot that soaks up the dew in the morning? I think the Army can do much better.
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