What You Did With Old Military Uniform?

My old uniform I ...

  • Still have it in the closet

    Votes: 66 60.6%
  • Did some scrapbook thing

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Did some wall display thing

    Votes: 1 0.9%
  • Donated it

    Votes: 14 12.8%
  • Burned it

    Votes: 5 4.6%
  • Buried it at sea

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • Other

    Votes: 31 28.4%

  • Total voters
    109

loopstick

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
Hey gang - I've always had this fantasy of shuffling down Main Street in the Memorial Day Parade in my old uniform. I lost 30 pounds and can easily lose another 10 or 15. But I just found out that if you're not an ex-lifer you can only wear your uniform for a short period of travel etc. after you get discharged and leave your last duty station. Oh well.

So what did you do? I'm gonna do something with the sleeve that has the rating on it and stick on the other ribbons, pins, tags, medal (GC - though I avoided a Captain's Mast only cuz I was short and they wanted me to re-up) and make a modest wall display. And remove the brass buttons and burn the rest.
 
I'm doing my dad's too. Unfortunately other than LTJG sleeve stripes there ain't much to keep. Maybe my brother's got his ribbons, etc. I did save the metal badge from his cap. I took the one off mine and noticed behind it was some old masking tape that had the name, recruit company, and SN of this guy who was always getting into trouble. Don't know how I ended up with his cap. Maybe a mixup during evening locker inspection when things can end up all over the floor.
 
The uniform that I was wearing the day that I was discharged was doused with lighter fluid and burned after removing my stripes etc. The rest went into my B4 bag where they stayed the last 33 years, until a couple of months ago when I gave some of them to my now full grown kids.

I can still fit in them, haven't gained that much weight since then, a steady 72kg/159lbs nowadays, about 150lbs back then.

Cheers,
James
 
Wore the utilities and boots until they deteriorated. Think I still have a partially moth-eaten dress shirt, soft garrison cap, and duffel bag. My pop kept his WWII winter dark green uniform with cap and campaign ribbons hanging in the closet until at least the '90s. Apparently, they disappeared sometime before his death in 2001 :dunno:

My dad and I both served in USMC.
 
Hey gang - I've always had this fantasy of shuffling down Main Street in the Memorial Day Parade in my old uniform. I lost 30 pounds and can easily lose another 10 or 15. But I just found out that if you're not an ex-lifer you can only wear your uniform for a short period of travel etc. after you get discharged and leave your last duty station. Oh well.

So what did you do? I'm gonna do something with the sleeve that has the rating on it and stick on the other ribbons, pins, tags, medal (GC - though I avoided a Captain's Mast only cuz I was short and they wanted me to re-up) and make a modest wall display. And remove the brass buttons and burn the rest.
Good Thread topic. I was 4F, very near sighted... but grew up on Army bases around the US and the world. My dad was career, I have a few things of his, my brother has most of his stuff, including the Purple Heart, beside his own from Viet Nam, my brother takes good care of it, and I thank him for it. I seldom mention it except on occasion to keep alive the living memory he represents of that generation, so often and too easily underestimated, but my father was WW II, was at D-Day for the invasion, up through Europe till VE day. Upon discharge in 1965 the quarter master issued complete uniform, ect., should there be a call up... we still have it in the closet along side a few other pieces from back then, including a piece of hardware of the type he carried. I consider it part of our heritage.
 
The ones that I had when I retired are still in boxes in the basement. Never kept the ones I had when I was younger .. got rid of them around military bases .. donated to military thrift store if memory serves me well.

My favorite uniform I wore .. was the USAF Space Command Jump suits. Comfortable duty uniform.
 
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...My favorite uniform I wore .. was the USAF Space Command Jump suits. Comfortable duty uniform.

Hmn. I'd have to guess that they weren't made of Nomex then. Flight suits were were usually cold or hot & sticky sweaty.

Cheers,
James
 
We have a set of WW I (yes one!) marine dress blues that belonged to my wife's grandfather. From the uniform, I can see he was small, and from the family stories, I can tell he was a tough old bird. It's protected in a garment bag in a closet, not sure what exactly to with it beyond that.
 
I don't know what my Dad did with most of his Navy stuff, but his pea coat I have. Cleaned it up, removed the rank, replaced the buttons and good to go. Makes a good formal coat and is easy to get on over a suit.
 
I got back from Vietnam and was discharged from the Army at the same time. The Army forced those of us who were getting out to be fitted with a class a uniform and not the jungle fatigues. They made us wait for about 15 hours before getting out. When I got to San Francisco International, I went to a bathroom and changed in a t-shirt and jeans (this was early Feb.) and stuffed everything into the duffle bag and dropped it into a trash can. I wanted nothing to do with anything that reminded me of the time spent in the service.
 
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To all who have served in the US Armed Services and other country’s military, drafted or volunteered. Thank you. While in the airdale Navy, I had served alongside the Brits, Aussies, Japanese, Singapore, and French airmen. Some of the most coolest and interesting people I have ever met. And great liberty memories too. I still have my dress blues and whites, with ribbons and medals. Still should fit 22 years later too. Same weight. And my 2 cruise books. Everything else is gone. Wish I had kept my P-coat tho, but no need for it in the AZ desert.
 
former us army 12b engineer "97-"03" with the 131st out of ft lost in the woods.

i've got my bdu's field boots in my closet, an dog tags around the coat hanger wrapped in the stuff you get from the cleaners.

dd-214 , and other paperwork is stored in a fireproof safe/

on display is an unopened 97 breakfast mre/ scrambled eggs meal pack.
 
About it for me, except for a few cruise books. Everything else ended up in a dumpster same day of discharge.

chicago-pics.jpg
 
About it for me, except for a few cruise books. Everything else ended up in a dumpster same day of discharge.

chicago-pics.jpg
Hey that's really cool. I got the ET2 badge and the good conduct, and a sharpshooter ribbon. Looks like you got the Vietnam Era (?) and that cool thing that looks like a sprocket. I don't remember the lightening bolts rating - we had one Electrician's Mate on board but all I remember is that he was crabby.
 
Hey that's really cool. I got the ET2 badge and the good conduct, and a sharpshooter ribbon. Looks like you got the Vietnam Era (?) and that cool thing that looks like a sprocket. I don't remember the lightening bolts rating - we had one Electrician's Mate on board but all I remember is that he was crabby.

The lightning bolts were for old school radioman. Actually started out as a CT (communications tech) but the specialty changed over time and split into radioman and ET. I always told folk that radiomen could break stuff, and ETs could fix it, but I could do both but I was better at breaking it ... and I'd like to think I was pretty good at making ETs crabby - maybe even went out of my way to do so - back in the day. <G>

PS ... the sprocket thing was the "in country" Vietnamese version of the US service medal. The shield patch was for the USS Chicago designating a nuclear payload and delivery systems ... we weren't allowed to wear that off boat, as it was supposed to be kind of a secret that we could turn the entire area to glass. The four stars designated that we carried Commander Cruiser Destroyer Fleet Pacific on board, something the admiral preferred we also keep to ourselves. If anybody asked, the stars were for the four incarnations of Chicago in the Navy, and the atom/missle simply referred to the advanced electronic systems on board ... shhhhhhhh ... it's a secret! ;-}
 
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