28 July 2021 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Information

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[BEAR]

You know you're an old veteran if you remember staying up late and spit shining your boots. When I was a jump instructor at Benning, I wore three pair of spit shined jump boots a day. One for PT, the next for morning training and the third for afternoon training, all spit shined to Airborne Department standards. Many a night I didn't get to bed before midnight and up by 05:00.
Oh yeah, I also had a pair of dress jump boots for special occasions but they remained in the closet covered in a soft cloth until needed.

BEAR

[Bob Seijas]

Ever use 5-day deodorant pads?

[BEAR]

No, never even heard of those or how they are used. I did my boots the way my father (27 year paratrooper) did his. Cotton rag (diaper preferred), Kiwi boot polish, water to start and spit to finish. The whole boot....not just heels and toes.
I would have said that I taught my son as my father taught me but that sorry puke wore hush puppies for boots.

BEAR

[Bob Seijas]

Cheaters shined their boots, then rubbed a 5-day deodorant pad on them. Whatever was in the pad imparted a gleaming mirror finish that looked like patent leather. Unfortunately, they turned purple in the rain

[BEAR]

Ha, ha, ha ,ha, yes, well deserved justice! The 'Bootblacks' (not a racial term)on Benning would shine the students boots for a charge and boots would have a high luster shine. The polish was a mix of regular boot polish and an acrylic floor polish. Looked great until they stood in the sun for any amount time. Then the boots turned a milky glaze and crack like plastic.
Oh I forgot one thing in the 'spit shine' ingredient above........... elbow grease, lots of elbow grease.

BEAR

[RCS]

My father had these boots (not his shoe size) there still new and dated 1962 which was the last year the "cap" over the front was manufacturedAttachment 118943Attachment 118942Attachment 118944

[browningautorifle]

I picked up a set of those at the PX in Ft Lewis in 1974, they must have made a huge stock of them...