Veterans: Does your uniform still hang in your closet?

[dave peifer]

i got out in 1974,still have my dress greens and one set of fatigues.and yes i have a dream where i get a letter stating "i still owe the army 1 year on my enlistment,and to report"..........but it never says report where

[gwb123]

Where indeed? There were a number of US Army officers who thought they had left the service but then received call up letters during Desert Storm. It all had to do with the technicalities of how they had or in fact had not resigned their commissions. It was quite the surprise for a lot of them. Not sure how these stories ended.

[willysmb44]

Where indeed? There were a number of US Army officers who thought they had left the service but then received call up letters during Desert Storm. It all had to do with the technicalities of how they had or in fact had not resigned their commissions. It was quite the surprise for a lot of them. Not sure how these stories ended.

 

Same thing happened a few years ago as well. A guy I knew at OBC got recalled, over 4 years since he last hung up his BDUs and he was sure he'd resigned.

Soliders on IRR had been lied to, being told that IRR doesn't exist anymore, I heard that plenty of times from various people in uniform. I responded to each by saying, "Well, when I get orders, then I'll believe that, but you're nuts if you think I'm going to sign up for a reserve unit just because you think I must!"

I think reserve soliders were lied to as well, being reassured that there was no IRR anymore. Total BS. That said, a few years back there was a massive recall for one day of all IRR soldiers in the region to JBLM (Ft Lewis), I have no idea what happened to them.

I got orders for a physical in 2005, and I got a permanent no-running profile (repetitive stress fractures was the primary reason i got out as nobody would take me off running nearly long enough for them to heal) and my 8 years ran out in 2006, when I put in to resign my commission. Got the official paperwork just to be sure and recently had my name checked with a recruiter just to be sure I wasn't on some sort of secret recall list somewhere.

[Brig]

 

Same thing happened a few years ago as well. A guy I knew at OBC got recalled, over 4 years since he last hung up his BDUs and he was sure he'd resigned.

Soliders on IRR had been lied to, being told that IRR doesn't exist anymore, I heard that plenty of times from various people in uniform. I responded to each by saying, "Well, when I get orders, then I'll believe that, but you're nuts if you think I'm going to sign up for a reserve unit just because you think I must!"

I think reserve soliders were lied to as well, being reassured that there was no IRR anymore. Total BS. That said, a few years back there was a massive recall for one day of all IRR soldiers in the region to JBLM (Ft Lewis), I have no idea what happened to them.

I got orders for a physical in 2005, and I got a permanent no-running profile (repetitive stress fractures was the primary reason i got out as nobody would take me off running nearly long enough for them to heal) and my 8 years ran out in 2006, when I put in to resign my commission. Got the official paperwork just to be sure and recently had my name checked with a recruiter just to be sure I wasn't on some sort of secret recall list somewhere.

The Corps has never lied to us, they're sure to tell you there's an IRR quite often. There was a large recall in 2008 of IRR NCO's...problem was the vetting process was seriously flawed, and we ended up with a lot of guys reactivated for a year who were medically unfit to deploy, and were plugged into division slots as police sergeants and the such and it did little to alleviate our need for NCO's in deploying units.

[sigsaye]

Interesting subject. Since I retired 15 years ago, my rate has been abolished and every ship I ever served on has been decommissioned.

[willysmb44]

It's funny to me, I feel like Jimmy Stewart in the movie, "Strategic Air Command" when he mentions that his uniform is the wrong color. I have some BDUs and one set of ACUs still in the closet.

My nephew just pinned on the gold bar of obedience and even he's gotta deal with ACUs going out in the next couple of years.

[1SG_1st_Cav]

I retired in 1980 at the ripe old age of 37 years and three months old. In 1981, I got a letter from the Department of the Army informing me that I was now in the Retiree Recall Program [RRP], and pre-assigned to Ft Sill, OK. I was to contact them every six months and answer a series of questions regarding my location, and other intrusive information. My orders contained a requirement that I would be retained in the RRP until I was 60 years old.

 

As a result, I held on to my Class A uniform and my Dress Blues. I have worn them over the years to certain events on Veterans Day, Memorial Day,

and Military Balls for St Barbara's Day celebrations. I also wore my uniform to funerals for friends that I served with in Vietnam, and to Veterans Day events at my granddaughters grade school at her request, and the request of her teacher.

 

Fast forward to 2011, 7 years after I retired from DoD. I was asked to join a committee with the goal of establishing Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans. We put together a Veterans Advisory Board with mostly Vietnam Veterans including our Chairman who is a USMC Navy Cross awardee named Sam L. Felton, Jr., and our facility is named Valor Home Lorain County [Ohio]. At that point in time the VA estimated there were 120,000 homeless Vets on the streets of our cities every night. We did receive a grant from the VA for $468,000 to help pay for 65% of the project. The other 35% must come from the local population in the forms of grants, donations, fund raisers, and an allowance for sweat equity from volunteers. Now 3 1/2 years later we are finally close to opening a 30-bed unit to house 30 male vets. Last October I was asked to be a guest speaker at a Veterans Appreciation Luncheon at Lorain County Community College to present our project to 300 attendees, mostly veterans and local dignitaries. I wore my uniform [and it still fits after 34 Years] as a sign of appreciation for the service rendered by the veterans in the audience. The attached picture is of me in my uniform making my presentation to the assembled audience. You can take the man out of the Army, but you cannot take the Army out of the man! Vets helping Vets. Danny

[Hatz50228]

 

Still looking good Top!

[sigsaye]

My uncle retired from the Navy in 1960 as a Chief Cook, and became a Cop, retiring from that 30 years later. My father retired from the Navy in 1967 as a First Class Electricians Mate and became a Restauranteur for the next 40 years. I retired 15 years ago, went to work for State Department, then went into restaurants with my father and now farm. All of us refer to ourselves as Sailors when some one asks what we do. When we are around other Sailors, we talk Navy and ships. Guys that left the Navy in 1945 fall right into the conversations.

[mvmhm]

My dress blues with all the ribbons, badgers, etc. still hangs in the closet....I've got a plastic tub with a couple sets of BDUs, lightweight blues, some of my Honor Guard stuff (beret, ropes, belts), and a number of my desert uniforms...couple pair of boots maybe. I still wear my desert parka in the winter. Wish I had kept my earlier stuff but I wasn't thinking that far ahead!

 

 

Mark sends

[Dave]

Figured I'd photograph my personal uniforms in the garage...here they are...the "big box" with all my service dress and formal uniforms (aka the "Navy Uniforms" box) and my NWU box. The only reason the NWUs were separate was because I wore them when I was discharged, and the other box was already packed...

 

 

[ASMIC2971]

Dave,

 

That picture of the box labeled "completely random military items" cracked me up!

 

My uniforms are still in the closet and they still fit well, I should point out I am still in, however I believe my ASU pants need to be let out. I had them tailored upon my return from the desert and now the desserts are catching up.

[USMCRECON]

I still have both sets of my Marine greens from the late 60s along with most of my khakis (still starched and on the hnagers) and trops; all in perfectly preserved condition. I trashed my barracks cover the day I was discharged and my overcoat got trashed by moths while hanging in a closet in the back room at my mother's house. I have My Air Force blues (both the older true uniform blues and the later "bus driver" blues). I have a couple pairs of the old woodland BDUs and "a ton" of Desert BDUs (both chocolate chip and coffee stain variants) in a foot locker in storage. Sadly, my old Marine uniforms all seem to have shrunk from long storage as they no longer fit me.

[CNY Militaria]

I keep one footlocker of my items from my service. It is kind of a "what would I want to find in a vintage military grouping" type collection. Uniforms with insignia, patches ACU's and OCPs, some gear, extra insignia, photos, bring backs, etc.

[Jim McCauley]

Not retired yet but with over 30 years of service there are uniforms everywhere in this house! I sold my jungle fatigues in a garage sale in 1998 and have regretted it since.

[treesuit]

When I left the Marine Corps in 1998, I got rid of all my cammies but kept my Dress Blues and all my other dress uniforms. Kept my black and green jungle boots but tossed my black leather boots.

 

Got to the Army National Guard, got more BDU’s kept those have them packed away somewhere. Still have my Dress Green’s, and will probably keep my dress blues.

 

Also kept my chocolate chips camo’s from 1991, DCU’s from 2004 and will probably get rid of my ACU’s, not so sure about my MultiCam’s. Still have the original pair of desert boots from 2005, I just keep getting them re-soled, and there still holding up. Though, unfortunately, I will have to get new boots while I’m in the Reserves to go with the newer Multicam’s, so I’m sure if the old desert boots will go into the footlocker.

 

Still have a lot of gear leftover from the National Guard that I brought back from Iraq.

[Salvage Sailor]

Nope, not hanging in the closet.

 

Still in the seabags and flight bags, just like I left them almost 40 years ago. Blues, Whites, Greens, stupid Doorman uniforms, Johnny Cash shirts, dungarees, some utilities, coats, jackets, even my raincoat which I never needed or wore. I may have everything except my original gloves and watch cap. I wore out all of my boondockers and tossed them which in hindsight I wish I hadn't.

 

 

[Wharfmaster]

I'm way past the half Century mark and still have my old Boy Scout uniform. Sad. Probably a collector's item.

 

 

 

Wharf

[McDermut99]

I know for a fact that my Dad still has his dress uniform and a set of desert BDUs from his last deployment hanging in his closet. Even though it has been about ten years since he retired, he firmly believes in the BSA motto, "Be Prepared"!

[gwb123]

There is always that weird thought in the back of your head that somehow you are going to be called back.

 

The phone hasn't rung lately.

[willysmb44]

There is always that weird thought in the back of your head that somehow you are going to be called back.

 

I feel that, too. For years after I punched out, I used to get letters from a Civilian Affairs unit out of California, asking me to reinstate my commission as they needed officers. They must have really needed people as I assume they were sending these to every former officer on the West coast. Haven't gotten one of those letters in a very long time. I must admit, as annoying as they were, in an odd way I liked getting them.

I confirmed a few years ago I could pretty much pick up exactly where I left off with the Army if I wanted to. I have no idea if that's still the case, but there were a few fleeting moments where I temporarily lost my mind and pondered doing exactly that.

 

[pmanton]

I was a med-evac case out of Nam so I still had jungle fatigues when I finally hit CONUS. Sadly I used them for working on cars and such and they're pretty sad. I did keep my dress blues after retirement but they were stolen in a burglary. I do have my shoulder boards and the dress blue hat band with my branch colors in my display case with my medals.

Paul

Salome, AZ

[collectsmedals]

I served U.S. Navy from 1977 to 1983. I will have my original issue double breasted jacket and combination cap, as well as a set of dress blue and dress white "cracker jack" style uniforms that i purchased when the uniform style changed. In addition to my dress uniforms I have a couple sets of my work uniforms and a great deck jacket stenciled CVAN-68 on the back.

 

I also have my father's Ike Jacket from his service with the 509 PIR in World War 2.

[Fly USMC]

...................... Sadly, my old Marine uniforms all seem to have shrunk from long storage as they no longer fit me.

 

That's Funny, Mine have shrunk after only a year and a half of sitting. time to dust off the PT Program

[hardheaded]

Still have my dress greens, field jacket, and some fatigue shirts. My wife had my dress greens cleaned around 5-10 years ago and while she had them out of the closet I decided to try one on to see how small it was. My forearm got stuck in the sleeve That's what happens after 30+ years of cheese burgers and free weights.