When paratrooper boots were brand new, they were made from smooth, brown leather. Once again, authorized for wear with the Army Green Uniform.
You can get yours at Ranger Joe’s.
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Great. Here comes countless wasted hours of spit shining to impress the CSM
LOL! I have fond memories of our Drill Instructors screaming K I W I ! in our ears whenever they felt the shine wasn’t enough… Every last man had one set of boots that were highly polished and NEVER worn for their wall locker display, and every one of us spend a good chunk of the day before an major inspection shining their boots…..
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
It’s great that the soldiers will now have to maintain a brown pair and a black pair of jump boots.
Bob,
Why do you think soldiers (paratroopers mostly) will have to maintain both brown and black boots? OCP ACUs are worn with Tan 499 rough out boots only. And, since the issuing / purchase of the Army Green Uniform returns the Dress Blues to formal only status, there is no remaining uniform that requires black boots.
ThatGuy,
Jump boots are only worn with the dress uniform, which we all know is only worn occasionally. It is not an onerous task to shine a pair of boots for a ceremony – say a funeral for a fallen comrade. Nor does it need to be overly time consuming. If it takes “hours” to shine a pair of boots, I would suggest that someone is simply out of practice or does not know how to do it right.
TLB
Terry, you are correct and I freely admit I was wrong on the black boots with the blues. It’s what aviators call “interference,” a barrier to learning where an older or alternate piece of information is confused with the current issue.
I still think that the getting rid of that AG44 was a mistake, but that ship has sailed and I’ll be out before I’m required to own a set of the new Army Green Uniform, so I’m just griping on the internet, like people do.
Once the silicone tanned speed lace boots were introduced in the late 1980s, how many thousands of people ruined their functionality by not being permitted to follow the instructions on the card supplied with the new boots which told us to use a silicone-based polish… once they’d been polished so many times with regular wax polish, the wax displaced the silicone in the the leather and they would get completely soaking wet in regular dew fall just like the old leather boots.
I had a set for the field which I rarely touched up with silicone polish but I treated with liquid silicone boot dressing, and they actually would keep my feet much drier in wet weather for a much longer time.
It’s easy. Just use a Hershey bar.
Obsolete old boots for an anachronistic uniform.
Obsolete, yes, in terms of combat functionality. But this is to wear with a new service uniform. Previous service uniforms were worn with an even less functional pair of patent leather low quarter shoes. As far as “anachronistic uniforms”, service uniforms are, and always will be. They incorporate history and tradition, usually with no consideration of modern practicality or comfort. Just look at the ASU. Especially use the Marine dress blues as an example of that. What about the Navy “cracker jacks”? It is what it is. My outlook? Accept it. Wear it with pride. If you don’t want to, nobody is forcing you to enlist, or re-enlist.
Nothing could be farther from the truth!
I remember my first deployment to Afghanistan as a young lieutenant. As a good officer, I made sure to bring everything in the Army “clothing bag,” to include my Army Service Uniform. Once the RIP with the outgoing unit was complete, my commander came to me to let me know that I would be conducting my first KLE in Shiti Kalay.
The night before, I spent two hours polishing my jump boots and making sure my maroon beret was shaped perfectly. I spent another 25 minutes polishing my brass buttons and belt buckle (no expense spared!). With my National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon proudly below my basic parachutist badge, I commanded respect, and when I showed up for that KLE, those Aghans knew they weren’t dealing with another uncouth ROTC officer.
I’m pretty sure that’s why today the village of Shiti Kalay is still friendly towards the United States and our NATO allies!
Nice try at the false flag troll, bud. You really should go talk to a professional about your jealousy and low self-esteem issues, driving you to post something like this.
The Army of your grandfather had two service uniforms, two dress uniforms in both cases one for summer one for winter a woodland or OD. Polished army boots, Jungle boots and low quarters not the modern Bates that blow out and are built like sneakers in disguise but actual leather good year welted shoes. Today the combat boots are rough out suede just needing the daily brushing occasional cleaning and spraying.
If you ever worked a corporate job you have at least two suits and two pair of low quarters in your closet one the lighter more everyday suit perhaps tweed perhaps brown maybe khaki or a lighter grey the other a conservative Navy Or Charcoal. Again one pair will be lighter more fun maybe wing tips or brogues brown or perhaps a suede the other will be black oxfords with as little decoration as possible.
That’s the service and dress uniform the lighter less formal is day to day suit. The Dress is your power meeting suit the one you wear when it’s the big meeting the one that you wore to the job interview. The browns for with the everyday suit the black goes for formality. You never show up to a big meeting in overalls and work boots. They my be anarchistic but they have a function. They look better to those in charge than a hoodie, ripped jeans and flip flops.
found the leg that doesnt understand tradition
Obsolete, yes, in terms of combat functionality. But this is to wear with a new service uniform. Previous service uniforms were worn with an even less functional pair of patent leather low quarter shoes. As far as “anachronistic uniforms”, service uniforms are, and always will be. They incorporate history and tradition, usually with no consideration of modern practicality or comfort. Just look at the ASU. Especially use the Marine dress blues as an example of that. What about the Navy “cracker jacks”? It is what it is. My outlook? Accept it. Wear it with pride. If you don’t want to, nobody is forcing you to enlist, or re-enlist.
AMEN.
I think the brown jump boots look outstanding!!! Now, the old timers will speak of their black jump boots.
This is gonna be a windfall for all the little Asian ladies on yadkin road. Like 15% of the 82nd knows how to shine boots
I think 15% is optimistic.
But with respect to the “Yadkin Yobos,” you would think that sewing badges onto uniforms was a new thing; getting my ACUs badged was a “3rd time go” scenario.
Skills are perishable…
Bored soldiers are dangerous–no mobile,no computer
but let the boots shine and the soldiers are tamed
And the leather,think of all the killed animals who are now in service at duty..
real patriotic sacrifice and some kind of “memento mori”,if you like 😉
I guess everyone wants to be a big bad paratrooper until its time to spend 20 minutes shining a pair of boots you wear twice a year. I am absolutely amazed at the amount of resistance that American soldiers are putting up to an honest effort being put forth to actually look like American soldiers.
Anachronistic? Of course it’s anachronistic. That’s what symbols are for.
Still a waste of money…..
Don’t the Israeli paratroopers still wear brown leather jump boots? I’ve seen pictures of them in a deployed setting rocking these boots.
Corcoran jump boots were the most comfortable boots this old cold warrior wore, besides a properly worn in set of jungle boots. When the Corcoran Field Boot was introduced, I bought a pair and wore it almost exclusively. It would be awesome if Corcoran introduced a version of their field boot in brown.