Jump Boots – the Airborne trademark
Distinctive as Airborne itself, so are the dark, glistening jump boots of a paratrooper. Troopers glory in their significance and only they know the secret pride when they glance down at their boots, polished like glass, and see in them the reflected valorous traditions of AIRBORNE _____ By: Cpl. Jim Ethridge
Jump boots belong to the paratroopers! They are as distinctive as the airborne itself. Others in the armed forces may wear them, but the dark glistening boots are the original trademark of the swaggering soldiers-of-the-sky.
At Fort Campbell, as with other installations were paratroopers are stationed, it is the jumpers’ delight to “fall out” each morning with starched fatigues, blocked hat and the mirrored footwear.
This is true of the 508th Airborne Regimental Combat team. The doughty Red Devils flash all the dash and verve that marked the paratroopers of yesterday. Very early paratroopers wore ordinary army shoes and some even used tennis shoes.
Then somebody devised a leather ankle-top boot with a big metal buckle across the top of the arch. but this proven impractical after several paratroopers came down looking like spiders trying to get the suspension line unhooked from the buckle.
Next came the boot called the Corcoran. The most beloved of the several brands of jump boots on the market. These are still the main choice of the airborne warriors.
Another popular, well-appearing boot is the Skymaster, which has the same thick sole and slash heel as the Corcoran, but it doesn’t quite have the snub, upturned hard toe of today’s famed boot.
An early fad was to replace the manufacturer’s eyelets with huge brass grommets. The grommets called for the nightly ritual of removing the 72-inch leather laces and running a blitz cloth through the big eyelets – all 48 of them!
Red Devils and other paratroopers alike take pride in this hallmark of distinction. They glory in its significance. They are proud soldiers when they glance down at their boots, polished like glass, and see reflected the valorous traditions of the Airborne!
This article and pictures below are from: “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper of the 11th Airborne Division Association, Matt Underwood, Editor
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Joseph Bettin – Milwaukee, WI; US Navy, corpsman, USS Jason
Walter Grisevich – Hartford, CT; USMC, WWII, PTO
Katheryn Hatch Klaveano – Woods Cross, UT; US Navy WAVE, WWII, flight orderly
Fernand “Bucko” Lambert – Artic Village, RI; US Army, Korea
Moises A, Navas – Germantown, MD; USMC, Iraq, Captain, 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Purple Heart, KIA
John E. Nichols – Springfield, VA; USMC; Cuba, Vietnam, Major (Ret. 44 y.)
Diego D. Pongo – Simi Valley, CA; USMC, Iraq, GSgt., 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, KIA
Wayne Smith Jr. – Fort Benning, GA; US Army, Korea, 11th Airborne Div. / Vietnam, adviser, Bronze Star, West Point alum ’49
Max von Sydow – Lund, SWE; Swedish Army, Quartermaster Corps / beloved actor
Ken Wright – Avalon Beach, AUS; RA Air Force, WWII, ETO, Flight Lt., Spitfire pilot
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Posted on March 12, 2020, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 11th airborne, 1940's, Airborne, Army, family history, History, Military, Military History, veterans, Vintage, WWII, WWII uniform. Bookmark the permalink. 115 Comments.
Though I was never a paratrooper, I wore them. They looked sharp, shined up incredibly. Today I wear the coyote brown boots because no black boots before or since measure up to the old paratrooper boots. I wish I still had mine from my Army days.
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I can well understand that, Steve. Thank you for coming by and giving this comment to us!!
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Great to read a post like this gp, an insignificant piece of tradition to many but a great piece of pride to the wearer, cheers.
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Yes it is. Some people think it’s all about medals, but personal accomplishment can mean a whole lot more!
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As MPs were were supposed to wear jump boots when we working garrison duty. The shined up nice, looked good, but I learned quickly they weren’t the best boot for prolonged walking. When he did the Nihamegan road march in Holland, I wore Hermann Survivors (we were allowed to in Germany). Everyone else wore jump boots. My feet was in good shape afterward compared to most of my team. One kid left a lot of blood in his boot. Even said, I was pretty sure I’d never walk again they hurt so much.
I guess the art of building a good jump boot has fallen by the wayside.
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They had to be strong for the Pacific, because especially on Leyte, the unusual mud would literally eat the boots.
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My gosh. I knew uniforms were a point of pride, and of course I’ve heard of “spit shines,” but it never had occurred to me that even boots can have a history. This was fascinating, and it brought to mind one tiny connection I have with military gear: my black patent leather Mary Janes were almost as shiny as their boots!
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See, you can relate to to what they felt!
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Thank you for sharing the history of jump boots
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My pleasure!
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Reblogged this on depolreablesunite.
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Thank you, Rick!
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I have never liked polishing shoes, G! And “removing the 72-inch leather laces and running a blitz cloth through the big eyelets – all 48 of them!” made me so nervous I had to go drink a beer. 🙂 –Curt
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If you have not recovered – get another beer and repeat….. 🙂
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Laughing! 🙂
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Thank you for the lesson in footwear, GP. May you be safe through this virus crisis. Perhaps the country will actually find a reason to unite.
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After reading so much about other countries (thanks to the internet) all these years, it still amazes me how divided we are.
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Thanks for sharing.
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I appreciate your visit, Mark.
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Those look like sturdy boots, and good for protecting ankles!
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That they are! Well engineered. Thanks, Lavinia!
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Hey GP! A short note between two laughter attacks.
Now , over the last two years we got bombed by TV airings about DJT’s ancestors, family, businesses, and much more of the “bad guy”!. Lol Now our Bavarian radio station “B5aktuell” is airing about social issues of citizens in the USA. This all sounds a little bit more like the well known propaganda done by former USSR stations. I always thought German (s officials) and the USA are “best friends”. Lol Have a wonderful weekend! Michael
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You’d think, wouldn’t you? But then again, our Pres. wants other NATO countries to pay their fair share – and you know what happens when money comes between friends!!
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Lol – But its not the only problem. As i see here myself, there is a very different culture, and way of life. Here in my opinion one dont want to get the people here living this life too, its contraproductive to neofeudalism.
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I see.
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😉
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How proud they were! That must have been some nightly chore. I know men who still spit shine their shoes every night after serving in the military.
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Hygiene and neatness are ingrained in our military and many retain those habits. Thanks for coming, Bev!
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Because the divisional staff had morphed into a gaggle of fat bodies, and I’m speaking now of the senior officers, mostly field grade, with the senior enlisted men following that poor example, the CG ordered the headquarters commandant to devise a mandatory physical training program that incorporated individual as well as unit exercises. The latter involved a series of field marches beginning with just a few miles, eventually working up to a 50-mile march. This would be accomplished, the CG ordered, regardless of rank or position.
The least happy individual during the entire program was none other than the chief of staff of the division headquarters, a colonel, formerly an artillery officer, who believed that his position and time in service entitled him to his own personal jeep. The CG soon squared his sense of entitlement away, but that didn’t curtail his loud complaining about the worthless USMC field boots or the blisters he incurred, which in my view didn’t do much for inspiring junior officers of the enlisted men. Everyone had blisters on their feet, including the CG.
In any case, on the day preceding the 25-mile march, this colonel called down to the sickbay and requested that a corpsman report to him in his office and explain to him how he might avoid getting those damn foot blisters. So, the petty officer informed the colonel that he should powder his feet, slip on a pair of dress socks, and then on top of those, a pair of field socks. This would reduce the friction of foot movement inside his boots. The doc also suggested that he change his socks regularly since wet socks made blisters more likely. Finally, the corpsman told him that if he should feel the burn of a developing blister, he could apply blister pads, which were normally available at the corner pharmacy.
That evening, the chief of staff purchased blister pads on the way home after work. In fact, the colonel bought every package of blister pad that the pharmacy had on the shelf, and sometime before muster the next morning, completely covered his feet in these blister pads. He not only wrapped his feet in them, but he also cut out sections of the pads to wrap around his toes—and to make sure that they stayed in place, he wrapped his feet in surgical adhesive tape.
Of course, with all this additional material, along with two pairs of socks, his feet no longer fit inside his boots. Discarding the field socks, his feet were still too snug, so he discarded the dress socks, too. But he did apply liberal doses of foot powder inside his boots. Seemingly, with feet wrapped in blister pads and adhesive, his feet felt “just right” inside his boots. The battalion stepped off promptly at 0630.
Fourteen hours later the march was completed, and all hands were dismissed. Most of the men went home to attend to their feet —as did the chief of staff— but unhappily (for him) he wasn’t able to remove his boots. The heat produced by his feet had melted all that adhesive material and essentially glued his feet inside his boots. Somewhere in America, there is an emergency room physician telling the story about the moron colonel who had managed to glue his feet to his boots and how it took well over two hours to cut them off his feet, which were in remarkably good condition given the length of his walk that day.
This is why Marines were not allowed to wear Army jump boots. It would be a crime having to cut those wonderful looking boots off the feet of senior officers who should never have made it past first lieutenant.
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hahaha, terrific story, I love it!!
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👍🏻😀
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I like that you focus on one thing like these boots that would be lifesaving equipment in some situations.
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Thank you, Maria. Something most people don’t think about.
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Interesting point of pride, but I think I can understand that.
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Especially back then, it set them apart from all other soldiers and Marines.
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You don’t find that very often! History hiding where I would not even have suspected there was any history. I just thought boots were boots were boots. But clearly, they’re not, so a big thanks for sharing that with us.
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I appreciate you saying so, John!
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Man, I hated breaking in my boots – but once they were, they were like skin. 🙂
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I imagine it would be rather tough to break them in. I’ve heard a few methods. Don’t happen to still have them, do you, Chris?
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No, I’ve worn them out long ago….. I wish I had them resoled, but then breaking in a sole is often harder than the original body of the shoe. 😀
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🙂
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Hmmm! Maybe we should say, never criticize a man unless you’ve humped a mile in his jump boots!
I remember my Corcoran jump boots well. I also had a pair made by a Korean shoemaker when I was stationed at Camp Casey in South Korea. I believe they were made out of goat hide. I had that pair for a long time. They were comfortable boots!
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Aw, too bad you don’t still have them, I would have loved to see a photo of them. Thanks for adding your story though – always appreciated.
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Still remember how to spit shine boots. Don’t know if the current generation of troops is still taught this?
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To be honest with you – I don’t know.
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The current AF has a different type boot. I’m sure other service branches, do, as well. The leather appears suede-like.
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It sounds comfortable.
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Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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Thank you, John!
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You are very welcome.
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This post reminded me of Navy Seal who was a student of mine at the Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk. He had qualified as a Seal at the age of 51! He was medically discharged at age 59 after breaking his back in a parachuting accident. He was one tough old bird!
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🙂 So many of them are. You are so going to like Monday’s post – I can tell that from this comment!!
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I look forward to it!
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I just concluded some extensive research on my biological grandfather who was a doctor in teh Army Medical Corps in WWII, and I was looking for combat medicine information. There are TONS of really informative sites out there with scans of the old books and such, like this one: https://abmceducation.org/sites/default/files/activity/Gallagher-Army%20Talks.pdf If you’re interested, I can find the links where I located them all.
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I put that link in my favorite. The information would make excellent posts, don’t you think? If you would prefer to do that – just let me know and I’ll reblog you.
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Since our feet are comprised of so many bones, those jump boots must be so well-made to be comfortable and safe for the enormous force inflicted on them when the paratroopers land on the ground.
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You had to work at them to get them soft, and the support the provide is invaluable.
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Cool story, GP. Did you ever learn how to spit polish boots or shoes?
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Sure, Dad taught me – who else?
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Nobody better or more experienced. Corofram shoes make spit polishing unnecessary. There is an old joke that when the fleet goes out, the husbands leave their shoes next to the bed so that when the Marine boyfriends come over to visit the wives, they will polish shoes. (Certainly not speaking from experience….)
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🙂
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I wish my dad was alive to read this – as a WWII paratrooper, he would have LOVED it. I never saw his jump boots “in person” but noticed them in a newspaper article about him and a few of his fellow paratroopers on D Day.
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Pardon my memory if I’ve forgotten, but did you do a post on that about your father?
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No, I didn’t, But your question is urging me to do so. :-0
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I hope so!
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This was a fun story to read. Your dad must’ve been so proud looking down at his jump boots… as you are!
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He never failed to amaze me. The fact that he made the 11th A/B along with soldiers 10 years younger and thousands did NOT make it – was always the coup de gras.
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🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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I have my dad’s dog tags and somewhere around here is a bayonet tip.
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Oh, those are treasures. I sure hope you find the bayonet.
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Me too!
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Paratroops here always liked the fact that they had distinctive boots, different helmets, and specialist assault weapons. Some of the many things that give extra esprit de corps to elite forces.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I must say, as cheated as the Pacific Forces were during a majority of the war, the paratroopers did get what they needed.
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Reblogged this on Dave Loves History.
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Thank you, Dave!!
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Ah memories. I remember watching my ex husband (he wasn’t a paratrooper though) polish his boots, buff them, heat them up with a cigarette lighter, reapply more polish, buff them again. He’d do this until he could see his reflection in them.
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And that sure does take a while! More power to him!
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Worn with Pride!
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Yes, they are!! Thanks for taking the time to read it, Don!
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I had no idea they were so different. I did wonder how paratroopers’ knees and legs could take the shock of landing. Good article, GP.
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They go hand in hand with knowing how to land too. 🙂 Thanks, Jacqui!
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I so enjoy reading your posts and Always learn something, thank you! 😊
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haha, I never thought there’d come a day when I taught anyone anything! Thanks!!
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😊!
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Super post, GP. Thank you.
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Thank you, John. Much appreciated!
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I knew that one! Not the whole history of the boots but something about them.
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I’ll bet you did, Priest.
I’ve been wondering, are you sorry some times that you left the military?
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No I´m not sorry I left, they kicked me out.
So was the medal of honor Dakota Mayer….
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They didn’t care for your ‘style’, eh?! 🙂
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They cared when they needed me, although it wasn´t a popular thing to phisically hit a Liutenant before a deployment, even then I got the support of the lower ranks and they deployed me. That was my style hitting a Liutenan and a woman to add injury to insult for not doing her job and I was seeing that after months of training with a seargent this lady was going to get us all killed. And also hated that the only reason “they” put her in charge of 20 people was only because she was a woman. And when I saw her making us doing some crazy and dangerous maneuvers where on of my guys got actually shot in the leg, the switched flipet and I punched the liutenant. Apart from that, I was a damn good soldier.
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It seems calling her out for what she was made you an even better soldier.
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I think it did, did raise the morale of the plattoon. 20 guys that is a Spanish platoon, so deblieted and better be aware of it.,
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Justifiable pride in an essential piece of kit
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The 11th Airborne were pretty upset when they had to hide all airborne paraphernalia and travel incognito – all that work to get the boots and insignia and then they had to hide it!!
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🙂
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I forget to say, in Germany jump boots are allocated at the right wing area, since they need to have better shoes. Lol
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Your military humor is priceless again, GP ! Lol
I remember polishing military boots wasnt one of my best skills, during service. 🙂
But it went better after i used for this oil made for weapons. 😉 Michael
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You improvised!! I’m proud of you! 🙂
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😉 What a shame (irony), DJT has closed the borders. How should our rich Germans now leave Germany???;-)
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Now they’re stuck with everyone else, eh?
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Oh, yes! Years ago i had a similar dream, were such evil come to Germany, but our officials had left the state. 😉 We will care for them here too, even we first have to care for the states money, they have in their luggage. Lol
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Oops! haha
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We will wait on. 🙂 I will be prepared.;-)
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Always an interesting read. What uniform was worn by the 11th in the Pacific : M1942 paratrooper uniform or HBT?
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It’s hard to say because due to the humid weather, unusual mud – their uniforms would basically fall apart at a much quicker rate than in Europe. Their uniforms were constantly having to be repaired and replaced. The picture here today is the perfect example of how the paratrooper would start out.
Thank you for staying in touch, Stefaan.
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Thats one kick in the ass!
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Well, the Sgt. always threatens to put his boot there…… 🙂
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HAHA!
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Details you never think about. So glad that Sandra Russell Lyons added her comment. Yes, treasures!
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Isn’t that wonderful that she still has them. I hope they stay in the family!
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When tightly laced they
provide ankle support when landing with a force of jumping off a 20 foot tall building.
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Good point, Lee. 🙂 That is, if you wish to jump off a 20-foot tall building!
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Sorry I’ve been MIA for quite awhile but life and health got in the way.
I love this article and still have my father’s jump boots and they are among my prized possessions. He always joked that he wanted to be buried in them but towards the end of life changed his mind and handed them to me along with many of his uniform items. I cherish them and though they have seen there better days, boys could they tell us a story or two.
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You are in possession of treasures! I’m actually jealous.
Never be sorry about taking care of life’s priorities – bloggers will always be around!
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