The great black boot debate....how long does it take?

SFC Cornelius Walsh — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 07:49:12 -0500

I've seen quite a few folks posting on various uniform threads that say that it takes "hours" nightly to get black boots polished. While I have definitely spent quite a few hours getting some Corcorans' shined up for wear with my class A's, it's never taken me more than 15-20 minutes to shine up standard combat or 5-10 to shine up some jungle boots. While I understand that getting a good shine on a brand new pair, or a set right back from the field might take a while, weekly, garrison boots should rarely ever take more than 20 minutes to get a good looking finish on them. So - am I the only one that thinks taking that much time is a bit much?

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Feb 20 at 2014 7:54 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Thu, 20 Feb 2014 07:54:37 -0500

I do not think taking 20 minutes a day is not a waste of time. We should take pride in what we look like as well as in job performance.

Response by CW2 Stephen Pate made Mar 9 at 2014 2:52 PM

CW2 Stephen Pate — Sun, 09 Mar 2014 14:52:21 -0400

I completely agree SSG C. 15-20 minutes tops on weekly garrison boots, and maybe an hour or two on some new ones or a pair coming out of the field. And before anyone gets on me about it, yes, I had different sets of boots for different environments. Both were serviceable and both were equally shined, but I had the garrison boots ready for day one back from the field while doing recovery from the FTX/STT.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Mar 10 at 2014 10:35 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 22:35:36 -0400

Personally, I would rather do extra PT during those 20 minutes or spend an extra 20 minutes helping/mentoring Soldiers. <div><br></div><div>I respect those who want to bring back the black boots... though there are lots of ways to express one's professionalism.</div>

Response by SPC Charles Brown made Mar 31 at 2014 11:39 PM

SPC Charles Brown — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 23:39:28 -0400

I am with you. It never took me more than 15 to 20 minutes to shine any pair of boots or low quarters I owned. Anything longer than that would, in my opinion ruin the shine I had already gotten.

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Apr 1 at 2014 9:21 AM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:21:41 -0400

I always done mine the night before duty. I had 3 pair. Being at FT Campbell in the late 80's early 90's, I had 2 pair of leg boots, a pair of Jungles and my jump boots. The boots only took 5 min to polish and then maybe 5 mins on the toe and heel. Now once the jump boots had been done the first time then all you had to do was the toes and heels. Low quarter they sucked always took me about 30 min or so to do them. But with the Jump boots I think I wore them in basic only and till I bought my jumps! easy peezy. The uniforms where easy to. Spray bottle and some liquid stary and spay it down let it dry and then re-iron it.

Response by SGT Christopher Camacho made Apr 1 at 2014 9:47 AM

SGT Christopher Camacho — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:47:05 -0400

Something that seems a bit much to you, might equate to the level of dedication they decide to afford a certain task. I don't think you should judge the person for wanting to put in 'hours' on shining their boots; just as I don't think any should judge you for wanting to put in 15-20 minutes per night.

Throw in individual techniques -- maybe you know how to get that great shine in 15-20 minutes that takes the other hours -- personal preference for time put in, and even routine, and no one will ever take the same amount of time to accomplish the same mission. I remember my dad would take a couple hours on Sunday evenings to shine his boots while also watching the Sunday evening line up of news. He wasn't necessarily actively shining boots the entire time of those 'hours,' but it took 'hours' nonetheless.

Response by SSG(P) Auston Terry made Aug 31 at 2014 11:04 AM

SSG(P) Auston Terry — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 11:04:09 -0400

Once you lay the base down it takes maybe 10 minutes. Jump Boots are way easier to keep glassed than standard issue boots. I always used Lincoln wax because if you used heat and water to shine them on Sunday you only had to use a brush to keep them shined all week.

Response by MAJ Bill Maynard made Jun 6 at 2015 5:06 PM

MAJ Bill Maynard — Sat, 06 Jun 2015 17:06:26 -0400

I thanked the Lord the day I no longer had to shine my boots to be a combat soldier. Shiny boots are great for parades.... that's about it. That time can be spent on something more constructive or enjoyable.