US Army Recruiting Pictures

[gwb123]

And of course, after a weekend on the town, everyone was in a really good mood for PT on Monday morning!

 

One might note that PT gear has much improved since then.

[gwb123]

And my goodness, but tanks were so clean in Germany! Both in the city and the woods...

[gwb123]

But to be fair, the same brochure did so show some honest photos of the day to day..

[gwb123]

As noted before, some of these brochures captured some of the odd camo schemes of the period.

 

And gear as well... note the fur lined jacket and the ERDL (used for a brief period by recon units in the 8th ID).

[gwb123]

Aviation always sells...nothing like flying an attack helicopter along the border.

 

The subtle inclusion of the female SP/4 is a hook for interesting women who were seeking a technical career. Notice how she is working as an equal to her male counterpart. This was a strong message in the 1970's.

[gwb123]

In case no one got the message...can't you just hear the jingle?

 

 

[439th Signal Battalion]

In case no one got the message...can't you just hear the jingle?

 

 

 

I think I will watch the movie, "Stripes" with Bill Murray and SGT Hulka this evening.

 

[patches]

 

I think I will watch the movie, "Stripes" with Bill Murray and SGT Hulka this evening.

 

 

This movie came out in the early summer of 1981 when I was home on leave from Hood and on my way to Wainwright, didn't see it then. I did see it when it first came up to the Theater in Fairbanks, I think it was the only theater in the city? on Airport Way it was. Anyway, I do believe this was around late August, if not very early September, a funny little movie, enjoyable, seen it for what it was, a service Comedy, also seen it as one would think, on a Friday evening (Party Night Hehe).

 

I was suprised to see my Platoon Leader in the lobby afterwards, me and my other platoon buddies said hello Sir, like the movie? he said hello back, and YESSS it was great, makes you want to go out an enlist all over again doesn't it? a good egg he was) there with two or three other of Battalion Officers with him, mostly young Platoon Leaders like him, plus a couple of the Battalion's Staff Officers were there I regonized, maybe they picked up a few Training ideas from the movie

[Combat Diver]

 

Favorite by far however

 

 

CD

[Bill]

I was digging through more of my old stuff and came across this Recruiting Publication dated March 1971, I got this in 1977 when I enlisted.

Even though the war in Vietnam was still on as was the draft, the Army was gearing up for the all volunteer force.

Look at the guys getting their first haircut and how much they have left, 6 years later my first Army haircut left me nothing to comb.

 

This booklet is all B & W, due to the size I've posted it on my photobucket page in the album "the 8 week challenge" you can follow this link

http://s224.photobucket.com/user/wgravessr/library/The%208%20week%20challenge?sort=9&page=1

 

or the one at the bottom of this post, here is just the cover, follow link for the rest.

 

Bill

 

[firefighter]

Heres a recruiter that didn't lie.You don't like the Army, QUIT.

 

[gwb123]

I think I remember seeing "The 8 week challenge" when I was kid. You have to love the photo of the smiling drill instructor with the decorated officer standing behind him... they are there to "help you" become the soldier that you want to be!

 

I read Patches account of the first time he watched "Stripes".

 

I remember being on a field trip with our ROTC unit (familiarization tour was the formal name, and the one that justified the funding)... the day was over and the party was underway. I remember walking into a side room and our Major, who was the lead cadre for the detachment, was watching M*A*S*H on TV. That rather shocked me as he was a bit of a straight arrow. During the commercial, he confirmed that he never missed an episode. Not knowing any better I asked him if it was anything at all like the real Army. He looked at me and said, "Gil, more than you will ever know."

 

Years later, during and after my sort career, I remembered those words, and truer words were never spoken.

[patches]

 

Here's a 1975 ad for the National Guard, a Tank in Your Driveway. Too bad we can't see the shoulder patches (if they are any) for a unit ID or the bumber codes (as we see the one GI is standing in front of where it would be).

 

 

439 all your off forum hosted photos have been deleted (Any way to re-post? they were important to the overall topic, not to mention great period stuff.

[patches]

Wow I just ran it to this, just now.

 

As mentioned, I seen the STRIPES movie up in Alaska in 81 right, so when this came on the screen at the end of the movie, you should of heard the loud laughing and applause .

 

 

[patches]

A 1980 ad (Base pay for E-1 in 1980 was the 480.80 bucks a month as mentioned in ad) Also Note that the Be All You Can Be was not in use at this time.

 

 

 

 

Troops of an unknown Infantry color guard detail with branch scarf is seen in prominence .

 

[seanmc1114]

I am not aware of any Airborne element assigned/attached to the 197th Inf Bde. The picture of the "Airborne troops" running from the opened parachutes are probably stand-ins from the Brigade for the photo shoot. There was an element of the 1/29th Inf called Bravo Rangers whose mission was to provide OPFOR for the Ranger School but I don't think they were Airborne. (Ranger in name only).

 

In 1981 the 197th Bde was deploying to NTC and they needed jumpers so the Air Force could get mission training and pay for the flight. Since the Pathfinder Committee was on cycle break they took all of us Pathfinder instructors and put two jumpers per plane and we jumped into the NTC. Great jump and then they took us to Las Vegas that night and we flew out commercial in the morning back to Benning. AND we got TDY pay ... whata boondoggle!

 

Interesting note on the Ranger Training pictures. The Ranger with the mustache was in Alaska with me in the early 70s. I believe his name was Hagle (I may be wrong but it's been over 40 years). He graduated Honor Graduate in AIT and was promoted to SP/4. Then he graduated Honor Graduate from Airborne School and was promoted to SGT. Then he got Honor Graduate from Ranger School and made Staff Sergeant and was assigned as an Instuctor. He was an E6 in Alaska.

 

BEAR

I recently ran across these photos which are actually a screenshot from a film of LBJ's visit to Fort Benning in November 1967. The captain is definitely wearing an AIRBORNE tab over his 197th patch. Another forum member has suggested that Company E 21st Infantry may have been a LRRP unit assigned to the brigade. It's hard to make out his DUI and oddly it looks like he's not wearing his rank on his epaullette.

 

The DUI could be for the 21st Infantry Regiment but I think it looks more like the 29th.

 

 

[patches]

I recently ran across these photos which are actually a screenshot from a film of LBJ's visit to Fort Benning in November 1967. The captain is definitely wearing an AIRBORNE tab over his 197th patch. Another forum member has suggested that Company E 21st Infantry may have been a LRRP unit assigned to the brigade. It's hard to make out his DUI and oddly it looks like he's not wearing his rank on his epaullette.

 

The DUI could be for the 21st Infantry Regiment but I think it looks more like the 29th.

 

 

It might be his Cpt Bars???

[seanmc1114]

It might be his Cpt Bars???

Could be. They are definitely in the wrong place for his rank but the right place for a DUI. And it does resemble the DUI for the 29th Infantry. Still, I can't imagine an officer escorting the President of the United States without the proper rank on his uniform.

 

As to the tab, it looks like AIRBORNE, but it could also be HONOR GUARD.

[patches]

Could be. They are definitely in the wrong place for his rank but the right place for a DUI. And it does resemble the DUI for the 29th Infantry. Still, I can't imagine an officer escorting the President of the United States without the proper rank on his uniform.

 

As to the tab, it looks like AIRBORNE, but it could also be HONOR GUARD.

Yeah a very curious one for sure Sean.

[seanmc1114]

Could be. They are definitely in the wrong place for his rank but the right place for a DUI. And it does resemble the DUI for the 29th Infantry. Still, I can't imagine an officer escorting the President of the United States without the proper rank on his uniform.

 

As to the tab, it looks like AIRBORNE, but it could also be HONOR GUARD.

 

Yeah a very curious one for sure Sean.

Okay, not to beat a dead horse, but I looked back at the video the earlier pictures came from, and first found a shot of the captain from the other side clearly showing his rank insignia on his eppaulettes. Second, another shot of the group he was standing in front of in formation clearly shows that they are an honor guard, so I'm thinking the blue tab above his 197th SSI says HONOR GUARD and not AIRBORNE.

[Chap15]

[Chap15]

[patches]

Recruitment ad for the MPs 1975.

 

[atb]

I spent 1976 to 1983 at what was called the Recruiting Support Center, Cameron Station, VA, designing graphics and exhibits. I well remember the treasure trove of archived images we had from our own work and that of the advertisement agencies doing recruiting material. The unit had been the Army Exhibit Unit before 1974 (if my memory is accurate), so there was material from the 1960's on up.

[patches]

Here's a larger crisper image of that August 1973 MOS Group photo from that booklet.