Veterans: Does your uniform still hang in your closet?

[RedLegGI]

My Class A hangs in my closet while my ACUs and other stuff I brought home remain in duffle bags.

[Proud Kraut]

Good question, Gil. Some more years for me to serve but I already thought about your question. My thoughts were:

Will I wear them again after retirement? No!

Are they of any specific monetary or collectible value? No!

Will my kids be interested in these uniforms eventually? Nah!!!!

Result: I'll keep them nevertheless!

[m151mp]

when i came home from vietnam i still had a few months to go at ft ord, so i got a complete stateside issue. when i got out, it all went away, except, to this very day, i have one set of jungle fatigues hanging in the closet that have only been worn for a couple of days. i came home with a color party to retire the brigade's colors at ft benning, and they issued new jungles to all of us so we would look half way decent. it has all the in country made stuff on it, and there's no way i could fit into it, because i came home at about 150 pounds. i still won't part with it, even my wife wants it after i'm gone. i do wear the bush hat on veterans day.

[bakchos215]

Only been retired for 4 years but yes I have 4 sets of ABUs, 4 sets of blues, my Service Dress Coat, and 4 flight suits still in the closet. My wife thinks I'm just lazy but I cant bring myself to box them up.

[rclay49]

Any person who is a proud veteran keeps their uniforms. I keep mine in a tine locker that I bought while in was in Afghanistan. I want to pass it down to my son. I kept all my uniforms, boots, and misc. things from that country in there

[rd12]

I've been out a little over 5 years; my Class A's are still hanging in a garment bag in my closet. Money was always tight in my "Army" days so I wore the sh*t out of my BDUs/DCUs/ACUs. I added badges, swapped patches, and mended tears. Now, I wish I'd set some uniforms aside so I had a uniform from each duty station/deployment. I also wish I hadn't sold most of my uniforms/TA-50 to a surplus store in Junction City Kansas after I separated! None of my stuff I kept is very unique/collectible - I was Leg Infantry, but it means the world to me. Surprisingly, and this is probably the Infantry in me, I kept all my boots!

[Manchu Warrior]

I've been out a little over 5 years; my Class A's are still hanging in a garment bag in my closet. Money was always tight in my "Army" days so I wore the sh*t out of my BDUs/DCUs/ACUs. I added badges, swapped patches, and mended tears. Now, I wish I'd set some uniforms aside so I had a uniform from each duty station/deployment. I also wish I hadn't sold most of my uniforms/TA-50 to a surplus store in Junction City Kansas after I separated! None of my stuff I kept is very unique/collectible - I was Leg Infantry, but it means the world to me. Surprisingly, and this is probably the Infantry in me, I kept all my boots!

 

So I am not weird because I also have all my boots. I have at least eight pairs that were issued to me and never worn. I also have my ratty boots from basic training and my ratty desert boots from my deployment to the sand box.

 

[rd12]

 

So I am not weird because I also have all my boots. I have at least eight pairs that were issued to me and never worn. I also have my ratty boots from basic training and my ratty desert boots from my deployment to the sand box.

 

 

Based on your Avatar I'd say some of those boots have a little "Manchu Mile" time! I was Light Infantry so we WALKED everywhere. On a forced march nothing matters like good boots! And once you find the right pair you never give them up.

[Manchu Warrior]

 

Based on your Avatar I'd say some of those boots have a little "Manchu Mile" time! I was Light Infantry so we WALKED everywhere. On a forced march nothing matters like good boots! And once you find the right pair you never give them up.

 

I was an 11M and I was a BFV crew-member so I did not spend as much time on the ground as the dismounts, I always kind of felt sorry for them. With that said, I had the pleasure of doing two "Manchu Miles" through the mountains of Korea. One when it was freezing cold and the other one when it was blistering hot. I am not sure witch one was worse but, I believe it was the cold one. Because you would sweat so profusely and then stop and freeze and kind of lock up. And it was real hard to get moving again. I will also have to admit that those Korean mountains were some true a--kickers. But, I am happy to report that I finished both and from that day forward I proudly wore my Manchu belt buckle.

 

[Jeff Ashenfelter]

When I left the service in 1978 I had a hard time readjusting to civilian life. There were times that I had to run outside to get a breath of fresh air and try to get rid of the lump in my throat. Thought about reenlisting for awhile but never did. I eventually realized that what I was missing was not the service but all of my buddies that I served with. Not only that but the army almost killed me 3 times!

I gave away most of my berets and jungle fatiques as many of my civilian friends thought they were cool. Kept my class A's a few sets of jungles and a pair of jump boots and jungle boots.

I enjoyed reading about my fellow vets accounts of their separation's in this thread, however I am starting to feel that old lump in my throat again! Jeff

[Brig]

 

So I am not weird because I also have all my boots. I have at least eight pairs that were issued to me and never worn. I also have my ratty boots from basic training and my ratty desert boots from my deployment to the sand box.

 

I have every set of boots I've ever owned in the last 10 years still in the garage...great for yard and auto work

[shrapneldude]

Oddly enough, the only pair of boots I have that ever really held up were the pair of Army deserts they gave me at Landstuhl Medical to replace my ICB's that were filthy with blood and dirt and had the soles coming off. I still wear them hiking sometimes. All the Marine Corps boots fell apart fairly rapidly.

 

Still have my cammies on a gear tree in the collection, along with some other stuff, but I gave away a few items to a few forum members and family and friends. That said, somewhere in my collection, just about everything I was ever issued in the Marine Corps is buried amid the much older and cooler and more historically significant USMC stuff I've gathered up since.

[bellasilva]

I thought it was interesting towards the end of "With The Old Breed" when Eugene Sledge wrote about his most prized possession being his jacket he wore in combat on Peleliu and Okinawa, and how it was finally at peace.

 

Neat thread. I wasn't in very long at all but I have 1 set of BDUs and my Belleville boots I wore through basic and a few more odds and ends

[willysmb44]

I have 2 sets of my BDUs, all my web gear and my ruck (I bought all my stuff, never used the issue stuff), my Goretex jacket, my Class As and my Dress Blues. They're right next to my Dad's issued USAF 'bush jacket' from the 1950s and my brother's ICBM 'crew blue' uniform in a closet in the toy room.

Would seem silly to collect other people's uniforms but not keep my own.

[Cadillac15]

My dress greens and about 10 pairs of ACUs are in a zipped up bag underneath my bed. I really wish there was an excuse for me to wear my dress greens again, haha. My old BDU's, I have no idea what happened to them. I think they are packed up in the attic somewhere.

[Manchu Warrior]

I have every set of boots I've ever owned in the last 10 years still in the garage...great for yard and auto work

I always say whats a story with out pictures? Well, I don't really say that but I was bored with nothing to do so I figured why not. And there a story behind each set of boots. The desert boots with no strings in them are from when my active duty unit was supposed to rotate through NTC and we never made it. They didn't ask for the boots back and they actually issued me another pair when my unit deployed to the Middle East a few months later. The other pair of desert boots were issued to me for the ride home from the desert. I wore them from Camp Doha to Ramstein to Hunter Army Air Field and on the bus back to Ft Stewart for about a total of four days. The black jungle boots were issued to me when my NG unit went to Florida for our two weeks. I asked myself, "why mess up a brand new pair of jungle boots?" So, I just wore my old leg boots. The other pairs of leg boots were issued to me while in the NG. The Matterhorn boots were issued to me when my NG unit was attached to the USAF Security Forces at Andrews. I told them that there really was nothing wrong with the Winter boots that the Army had issued me while I was in Korea, see other photo. They insisted that I take them so I did and I never wore them.

 

[patches]

My Class As winter weight only, fully bagded for the 4/9th Inf, with C-Cap and 9th inf DI, two of my BDU caps one with subdued Spec 4 rank, first issues dated 1981, and a pair of Jump boots soles platformed at Hood, and both my Sage Green Raincoat and overcoat, the raincoat has the Gold coloured Spec 4 ranks on them still is all I got left

 

Oh also now that I,m thinking, two 12th Cav DIs and the citation ribbons, a double mount PUC and VUC both with multiple Oak Leaf devices for when I was in the 2/12th Cav, and one full color 1st Cav patch removed from one of my Class As after I got up to Alaska, and one 172nd Inf Bde patch stripped from my other now long discarded Class A light weight after I got home.

[Manchu Warrior]

From L to R in the picture. My original desert boots, a pair of very ugly green jungle boots I purchased off base in Korea. My jump boots that I saved for all Class A inspections because they were easy to polish. And my faithful old winter boots that were issued to me many moons ago in Korea.

I also have my sons boots. The pair out of box were his Basic Training boots at Lackland and the other pair were from when he was done his tech schools. He thought that the boots were to nasty to be on his feet when he showed up at his first duty station. What can I say he was a little bit more squared away than I was.

 

[Manchu Warrior]

The bottoms of my original desert boots and six months in the middle of a desert can be hard on ones sole.

 

[shrapneldude]

The bottoms of my original desert boots and six months in the middle of a desert can be hard on ones sole.

jf boots 008.JPG

 

 

THESE ONES! The Army guys gave me a pair of these and they're the only pair of boots I was ever issued that didn't fall apart on me! Soles wore out similar to yours -- more so at the heels because I walk stupid, but that is a solid boot right there! haha!

[Brig]

 

THESE ONES! The Army guys gave me a pair of these and they're the only pair of boots I was ever issued that didn't fall apart on me! Soles wore out similar to yours -- more so at the heels because I walk stupid, but that is a solid boot right there! haha!

I got a pair from C-TEP prior to my first deployment...those soles were tall!! Kind of felt like a member of KISS...loved them, but alas, never saw them in circulation in the Marine Corps again!

[Manchu Warrior]

 

THESE ONES! The Army guys gave me a pair of these and they're the only pair of boots I was ever issued that didn't fall apart on me! Soles wore out similar to yours -- more so at the heels because I walk stupid, but that is a solid boot right there! haha!

Here is a better view of the ones from the ride home. And Brig is right because I am only 67" tall and they made me feel taller. Well with me any little bit helps. The other pair that were suppose to be for NTC are dated 1991 and they are slightly different. I also thought that the Army wore the black leg boots during Desert Storm. So, I guess they are the early version of the desert boot??

 

[Brig]

I think my treads were even higher than that...I'll have to dig them out, but not sure how much of the treads I wore down. I wore them into my second pump, as well

[Cadillac15]

I still have a pair of boots that are blood stained. I can't bring myself to throw them out.

[gunbunnyB/3/75FA]

my dress greens are still in a garment bag in my closet, still have a couple of my bdu's, in there too,(they aint gonna fit tho)lol! still have my ruck, and my boots.