Well, post some military pics.

[FalArAk]

3-7 Cav on the Autobahn REFORGER ‘84.

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The 3rd tank(APC) in the back, with the TOW might be me lol Somewhere in that convoy(or any of the other convoys) was a scared to death E-2 fresh from Benning freezing to death huddled in the back of an APC with a heater that didn't work

I remember thinking how cool it was to roll through towns and freeways in tanks.

 

[garandman]

The 3rd tank(APC) in the back, with the TOW might be me lol Somewhere in that convoy(or any of the other convoys) was a scared to death E-2 fresh from Benning freezing to death huddled in the back of an APC with a heater that didn't work

I remember thinking how cool it was to roll through towns and freeways in tanks.

M901. Slow as death… This was likely 3rd Platoon A Troop.

 

[cams]

D Day 1984. Bad news is we (3-7 Cav) were pretty far back. Good news is we were right next to Walter Cronkite, who was broadcasting from the top of a gun emplacement. We weren’t supposed to be there but LTC Shinseki talked to a guy from the Embassy and they relented.

We reconnoitered the route from our hotel through a bunch of villages: not easy in a giant German tour bus. So we got there before General Rogers

His speech was terrific. After the politicians left, some of us got to meet the Ranger Veterans.

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Shinseki should be hung by the neck until dead after what he did to The Regiment.

 

[Picton]

Shinseki should be hung by the neck until dead after what he did to The Regiment.

I got out while he was CoS.

NOBODY liked that beret move of his. Everyone saw it for what it was: trophy-generation horseshit.

 

[cams]

I got out while he was CoS.

NOBODY liked that beret move of his. Everyone saw it for what it was: trophy-generation horseshit.

That’s exactly right, I hold no animosity towards any of the troops, they had to follow 670-1.

Interestingly enough, very shortly before he made the order he was at a big gala event and was the only GO who had never earned a beret, so he gave himself one by giving it away to everyone. Just another shameful Clinton appointee.

 

[Picton]

That’s exactly right, I hold no animosity towards any of the troops, they had to follow 670-1.

Interestingly enough, very shortly before he made the order he was at a big gala event and was the only GO who had never earned a beret, so he gave himself one by giving it away to everyone. Just another shameful Clinton appointee.

Yes. I was in Division, so it didn’t affect my unit, but the guys there all said they’d feel like posers if they left division and put on a black beret. We had a million tabbed guys there, so they understood the significance

 

[cams]

Roger. I know this is the photo thread for good feelz, I don’t want to derail it too much with old anger issues, I just start shaking like a junkie anytime I hear Shinsekis name.


You can’t spell ‘Ranger’ without ‘anger’. Shinseiki is a f***ing dirty nasty leg. I’ll be in the corner.

 

[cams]

I found this a while back in a box. My old drivers license. It cracks me up that it’s all smudged because they still used typewriters, ballpoint pens and wet stamps. If you were lucky maybe some laminate so it didn’t get destroyed. lol

 

[Picton]

I found this a while back in a box. My old drivers license. It cracks me up that it’s all smudged because they still used typewriters, ballpoint pens and wet stamps. If you were lucky maybe some laminate so it didn’t get destroyed. lol

View attachment 761733View attachment 761734

I've got one of those lying around somewhere!

I got one for a HMMWV, a 2 1/2, and a FISTV when I was an E2 (I think? Maybe an E1) in the Guard. When I showed up at Ft Bragg as an O1, I was the envy of every other officer in the battalion because I was literally the only one who could sign out my own HMMWV.

Even the BC was miffed at me. I don't know why he didn't just order the BMT to qualify him, but I guess that sort of thing "wasn't done."

 

[PappyM3]

Shinseki should be hung by the neck until dead after what he did to The Regiment.

All the Rangers I have known since the early 2000s prefer the tan berets.

But everyone wearing a beret (regardless of color) is flipping ridiculous. It was a big relief when the Army switched back to patrol caps for non-airborne soldiers wearing ACUs. And I think with the new OD class As the black beret is done for, right?

 

[cams]

All the Rangers I have known since the early 2000s prefer the tan berets.

Well the number of Black and Tan Rangers was limited to the numbers already serving at the time of changeover and then the young Rangers made their own history with the tan.

Yes they’re silly looking French hats, made worse by the regular army having no idea how to shave them, shape them and wear them and no discipline or desire to learn outside of individual soldiers who held high standards for themselves.

At the end of the day we had earned them hard and long, and it was important to us because we knew how many were buried with their hands clutching that silly looking hat to their chest.

But everyone wearing a beret (regardless of color) is flipping ridiculous.

Of course it is. It’s retarded. Going a bit further into that and because Shinseki wanted the transition scheduled for the army birthday, gay, a large portion of the contracts for making them was granted to communist China. No joke.

Billions of dollars paid to them for fuzzy hats that were just going to be given away. How many AK’s did Shinseki purchase for them with that money while they walked away laughing at the US. It went against anything allowed in US uniform regs AFAIK, but even back then some faggot dem general wanted them made so f*** it the Chinese will make them for us faster.

It was a big relief when the Army switched back to patrol caps for non-airborne soldiers wearing ACUs. And I think with the new OD class As the black beret is done for, right?

I don’t know, I stopped paying attention some time ago. Are they back to OD’s now or is that what they call the new “Pinks”? Like the old WW2 ones.

 

[Picton]

I don’t know, I stopped paying attention some time ago. Are they back to OD’s now or is that what they call the new “Pinks”? Like the old WW2 ones.

They're on pinks now, but I think the Big Army is not wearing berets anymore. I'm really not sure, though. Lately, I've been seeing Army soldiers wearing their service caps WWII-bomber style, with no stiffener and the crown all pulled down. It looks like ass in 2023.



It still irks me to see pics of '00s-era soldiers wearing the black beret in a shapeless, unshaved lump. It's painfully obvious that nobody was ready to teach the Big Army how to wear them properly. Again, the fast roll-out probably had a lot to do with that, but it's also true that at that time, there weren't a whole lot of folks apart from Regiment and the Bragg people who had the first clue how to wear berets at all.

I can picture some sergeant major in, say, Hawaii with a box of brand new berets and nobody in the battalion who'd ever worn one, searching up instructions on dial-up internet to figure out how to do it. And finding nothing.

 

[PappyM3]

…

I don’t know, I stopped paying attention some time ago. Are they back to OD’s now or is that what they call the new “Pinks”? Like the old WW2 ones.

Yeah, they look sharp. Much better than the old pickle suit. Non-airborne wear garrison caps or bus driver hats.





Having 19th century influenced dress blues and WWII inlfuenced service greens just plain works. USMC knew what they were doing there.

 

[PappyM3]

They're on pinks now, but I think the Big Army is not wearing berets anymore. I'm really not sure, though. Lately, I've been seeing Army soldiers wearing their service caps WWII-bomber style, with no stiffener and the crown all pulled down. It looks like ass in 2023.

View attachment 761750

It still irks me to see pics of '00s-era soldiers wearing the black beret in a shapeless, unshaved lump. It's painfully obvious that nobody was ready to teach the Big Army how to wear them properly. Again, the fast roll-out probably had a lot to do with that, but it's also true that at that time, there weren't a whole lot of folks apart from Regiment and the Bragg people who had the first clue how to wear berets at all.

I can picture some sergeant major in, say, Hawaii with a box of brand new berets and nobody in the battalion who'd ever worn one, searching up instructions on dial-up internet to figure out how to do it. And finding nothing.

Man, the floppiness of those caps is bad. The uniform works pretty good with garrison caps.

I think the last vestige of the black beret may be with the dress blues when not proscribed to wear the bus driver cap. Not entirely sure as I haven’t kept up in 670-1 since changing teams.

Years ago they mostly ditched the black beret with OCP ACUs. I think they could still be proscribed for ceremonies, but everyone I knew just did PCs if they weren’t wearing a real beret.

 

[Picton]

Yeah, they look sharp. Much better than the old pickle suit. Non-airborne wear garrison caps or bus driver hats.

View attachment 761751



Having 19th century influenced dress blues and WWII inlfuenced service greens just plain works. USMC knew what they were doing there.

Couldn't agree more: the pinks are awesome.

The one thing I would do, if I ran the universe, is change the Class B from blue pants/white shirt, to khaki everything. Like, make the pinks (and not the blues) the basis for the Class B.

 

[cams]

They're on pinks now, but I think the Big Army is not wearing berets anymore. I'm really not sure, though. Lately, I've been seeing Army soldiers wearing their service caps WWII-bomber style, with no stiffener and the crown all pulled down. It looks like ass in 2023.

View attachment 761750

It still irks me to see pics of '00s-era soldiers wearing the black beret in a shapeless, unshaved lump. It's painfully obvious that nobody was ready to teach the Big Army how to wear them properly. Again, the fast roll-out probably had a lot to do with that, but it's also true that at that time, there weren't a whole lot of folks apart from Regiment and the Bragg people who had the first clue how to wear berets at all.

I can picture some sergeant major in, say, Hawaii with a box of brand new berets and nobody in the battalion who'd ever worn one, searching up instructions on dial-up internet to figure out how to do it. And finding nothing.

I agree 100% with all of this.

Ya you know like in some low B grade action movie how the actors wear berets? 16 ways to Sunday? Yes. Just like that.

 

[PappyM3]

Couldn't agree more: the pinks are awesome.

The one thing I would do, if I ran the universe, is change the Class B from blue pants/white shirt, to khaki everything. Like, make the pinks (and not the blues) the basis for the Class B.

The pinks can be worn as Class Bs.

 

[Picton]

The pinks can be worn as Class Bs.

Oh! Good!

All the Class B pics I've seen in recent years seem to have white shirts and blue trousers.



..which, to me, looks lame. Come to think of it, they're all wearing berets. So maybe that's outdated.

 

[centermass181]

I found this a while back in a box. My old drivers license. It cracks me up that it’s all smudged because they still used typewriters, ballpoint pens and wet stamps. If you were lucky maybe some laminate so it didn’t get destroyed. lol

View attachment 761733View attachment 761734

remember the Matrix style avoidance of the bus license. that was a detail you didnt want to get stuck on.

 

[cams]

remember the Matrix style avoidance of the bus license. that was a detail you didnt want to get stuck on.

I don’t actually, we had very few vehicles in my battalion and a bus was not one of them, although it would’ve been a welcome relief some days. lol

 

[Picton]

remember the Matrix style avoidance of the bus license. that was a detail you didnt want to get stuck on.

When I was in the Guard, we'd bus up to Camp Guernsey from the armory on Friday nights. Our detachment only had one soldier licensed to drive the Blue Bird, and he'd gotten his license when he'd been active duty. He used to bitch and moan that nobody else could drive that sucker, but I don't believe our battalion even had a trainer for it. Not that anyone else would have volunteered.

He got back at us by refusing to stop for dinner until we got to his favorite restaurant, which nobody else liked. He was a real character. Naturally, he was an E4.

 

[garandman]

Shinseki should be hung by the neck until dead after what he did to The Regiment.

He is very well aware of this opinion and remains a little bitter about it: spoke to him in September ‘22. Ironically some people only remember the ACOS who did a lot to transform the Army from Soviet Union-focused to more mobile and expeditionary, and greatly expanded the role and capabilities of USSOCOM, not for that expansion and upgrade, but for the color of their headgear. I was long out of the service.

The primary reasons for the decision were never publicized nor understood and the rollout poorly administered. The ENI versus INE dispute really got ridiculous.

Tankers in almost all armies wear black berets, Infantry, green, Paratroopers maroon. Tan is a far, far more distinctive color, and only worn in a few other armies and there only by special forces or mountain troops.

Brit Commandos started wearing berets in 1942 but WWI British tankers wore black berets patterned after tam o’shanters during WWI. The Brits have 15 colors of berets including five shades of green.

The Air Force has eight different beret colors and had been wearing them since 1979.

 

[garandman]

Having 19th century influenced dress blues and WWII inlfuenced service greens just plain works. USMC knew what they were doing there.

Only wore it four times, but as a cavalry officer it was cool to have the side strip and faded blue trousers of the old days.

At Fort Benning (now Fort Moore) in May, Cavalry Stetsons were everywhere. Back in the Dark Ages, we wore them only rarely.

 

[ddp335]

remember the Matrix style avoidance of the bus license. that was a detail you didnt want to get stuck on.

That still goes on

 

[ddp335]

 

[ddp335]

 

[Andy in NH]

My buddy Dave and I on a helo ride in 1997.

He has suffered greatly from his experiences in the war.

The Streets are Watching

Shattering the mythology of the hero cop, day by day

getcopsofftheblock.blogspot.com

I haven't heard from him in years and I'd like him to reach out to me at some point.

 

[rogersmithiii]

It must drive all of you crazy to see how woke idiots are destroying the armed forces of the US.

I’m convinced that the same a**h***s who spit on returning Vietnam vets are now in positions of power in our country, and making all of these horrible changes.

We do appreciate your sacrifice and service. It means a lot to those of us who have an understanding.

 

[Picton]

It must drive all of you crazy to see how woke idiots are destroying the armed forces of the US.

Speaking for myself? Not really. I served in the 1990s; when I enlisted, DADT was so new that the forms still had the attestation that you weren't gay, just lined out with a Sharpie. And all the vets back then were talking about how Clinton was destroying the military. I didn't see it in my unit; we just kept soldiering.

Everything goes in cycles. The military now is a thousand times better than it was in the 1970s, the late 1950s, or the 1930s. The institution itself has always been subject to changing social norms and political whims, but the soldiers will complete the mission.

Ten more years and everything will swing back the other way.

 

[Rockrivr1]

Makes me happy that I was in during the Reagan years. He was so pro military that we were a well equipped and supported.