Period uniform question

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WC Matt
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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 2nd, 2011, 7:50 am

Something to point out here. (this isn't directed at Ralph, just an observasion) If you weren't stationed in RVN or another tropical environment, you would not be wearing Jungle fatiques! We had troops stationed all over the world at the time with a large contingent in Europe. Guys stationed 'State side or over in Europe would have been wearing the OG107s w/ black lace up combat boots.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by rickf » July 2nd, 2011, 8:29 am

Good point, I guess all we ever think about for that time period is Vietnam. We never give credit to guys stationed everywhere else at that time.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by 199th mp » July 2nd, 2011, 8:36 am

wc matt is quite right, with one exception--when i spent my last 7 months in uniform at ft ord, we were allowed to wear our issue jungle boots with our stateside fatigues.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by rickf » July 2nd, 2011, 8:54 am

I wish I could find a few pairs of the ORIGINAL jungle boots. I found one pair but I will only wear them for events. I remember even wearing them in the snow in NJ for years. They were geat for hopping cars in the snow. :roll: You southern guys wouldn't know about that. :lol: :lol:

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 2nd, 2011, 10:20 am

rickf wrote:I wish I could find a few pairs of the ORIGINAL jungle boots. I found one pair but I will only wear them for events. I remember even wearing them in the snow in NJ for years. They were geat for hopping cars in the snow. :roll: You southern guys wouldn't know about that. :lol: :lol:

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These guys sell Jungle boots. http://www.omahas.com/index.php?cPath=5_33 and so do these guys; http://www.mooremilitaria.com/prod02.htm

I never realized you were a car hop. Thought you'd want a pair of roller skates for that.... :P :lol: .
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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 2nd, 2011, 10:47 am

199th mp wrote:wc matt is quite right, with one exception--when i spent my last 7 months in uniform at ft ord, we were allowed to wear our issue jungle boots with our stateside fatigues.
My first employer was in the Army from 1965-1968, stationed in Arizona. A story he told me was that he was acting duty NCO (was an E5) and was expecting in a new transfer to arrive(an E6). The "new guy" just arrived back from RVN wearing his Jungle fatiques & jungle boots. Even though the Vietnam war was pretty hot by then, my boss had never seen a uniform like that. He promtly told the new arrival " Soldier, I don't know what you're wearing but you'd better go change into a US Army uniform."

A friend of mine was in the ANG (well still is) back in the 90s and they were still issued the M1951 wool uniforms (to be worn under the BDUs).
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Last edited by WC Matt on July 14th, 2011, 7:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 2nd, 2011, 11:00 am

rickf wrote:Good point, I guess all we ever think about for that time period is Vietnam. We never give credit to guys stationed everywhere else at that time.

Rick
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I don't believe I have to tell you this (obvious statement of the year award) but for the guys over in RVN there were only two places that mattered. RVN & "the world" back home. I thought I'd mention the other duty stations because there would have been real differences in not only uniforms, but how the MVs would have been painted, marked & maintained ( Berlin Birgade actually waxed their vehicles-tanks & all).

I once ran into a collector at Aberdeen some years ago. He had his GPW done up in Korean War livery. When I asked why not WWII? He replied "because everyone does their jeep up like something from Normandy and these vehicles also saw service during Korea." I thought that was different and actually liked his jeep just a little bit more as a result.
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My apollolgies if I stepped on any toes or "sploke out of turn" on my top statement- I never served in RVN.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by Francis Marion » July 3rd, 2011, 12:21 am

The Jungle Fatigues were worn stateside. I don't know when they would have been first worn there but I know that they were part of many unit issues until '89 or '90.
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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 3rd, 2011, 9:47 am

Francis Marion wrote:The Jungle Fatigues were worn stateside. I don't know when they would have been first worn there but I know that they were part of many unit issues until '89 or '90.
That was later on FM and usually by ABN units and the like. Most straight leg units wore the OG107s until the arrival of the BDUs in the early 80s. I think the USMC went with the ERDL pattern jungle fatiques as standard issue during the 70s but am not 100% on that.

It was around the time you mentioned (1989/90) that the Army finally phased out anything solid OD from inventory. The solid green "jungle fatiques" could no longer be worn inside the continental United States after that date. Remember outside of Ft.Bragg? All of the surplus shops were overloaded with the stuff. You could pick up a set (top & bottem) of jungle fatiques for under $20.00 at the time.
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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by moose53 » July 3rd, 2011, 9:54 am

I switched from OG107's to BDU's about 1988.... Air Force was probably one of the last to do it.... A lot of the guys were unhappy about the change too!

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by WC Matt » July 3rd, 2011, 10:08 am

moose53 wrote:I switched from OG107's to BDU's about 1988.... Air Force was probably one of the last to do it.... A lot of the guys were unhappy about the change too!

Jim
A friend of mine went in (USAF) around 1990 and he was issued an OD M65 field jacket. So yeah, the pickle suits were still in service long after the BDUs came out. It wasn't too long after he was in that he had to turn in that OD M65 for a woodland camo one. The M65 that was the only solid OD item he was issued, everything else was woodland camo.
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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by 199th mp » July 3rd, 2011, 4:33 pm

this has sparked a long forgotten memory--when we returned the colors to benning, we were there for a few days getting orders for our next duty station, and getting a re-issue of stateside uniforms. so in the meantime, we were left to wander around in our jungle fatigues, and kill time. i can only assume that at the time the ranger trainees must have been wearing the same jungles, because one of the young kids on the base stopped us, asking, with wide eyes
"are you guys rangers?" to which we said no, we were just back from vietnam. he then looked at us and said, i swear to god, " well if you ain't rangers, you ain't s**t". this kid was probably 10 or 11 at the time.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by rickf » July 3rd, 2011, 6:52 pm

I'd rather have that than the reception most got.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by 199th mp » July 3rd, 2011, 8:21 pm

that was my reception on post---later i flew from atlanta to san francisco, where it was considerably less pleasant.

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Re: Period uniform question

Unread post by Francis Marion » July 4th, 2011, 1:55 pm

I think this is the only photo I have of me in Jungle Fatigues. Spring of 88.
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