Posted on Apr 17, 2015
What are the weirdest Army (or other branch) Traditions you know of?
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Do/ did you all have any interesting traditions in your unit? As a Forward Observer we used to make the new guys "Qualify" or "Koala fy" by straddling a tree upside down and either sing the Army song, or the 101st song. Also people who ETSed would throw their boots up on electric wires. What about you guys?
Tradition
Soldiers
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Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 45
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"Buying' your first salute. Once commissioned, an officer should buy the first salute received and is expected to earn every one after that. Traditionally, it's paid for with a Silver Dollar. I was promoted to WO inside a building, and a young Corporal shadowed me for a couple hours just to run out and be the first to salute me and get that dollar. Either he really respected me or he was flat broke...either way, I was humbled.
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SGT Ron Murphy
My oldest Daughter (now a Captain) bought her first salute from her younger Sister (then a E-4), while her Husband (my Son-in law, W-2) bought his from my oldest Son (then a SGT), who will be commissioned next year and will buy his from my youngest Son, a PFC (a E-4 by then). I was privileged to "pin" all of them.
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CWO2 Shelby DuBois
What a great legacy, Ron. No shortage of sea stories around your house, I'm sure. Congratulations all around!
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CW5 (Join to see)
Happened to my Dad in WWII. As a Private, he happened upon an OCS graduation. He didn't know of the tradition, didn't matter. He ended up with over $30, more than a month's pay.
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SSG Richard Hackwith
Double shots of Ratzeputz in Germany, especially back in the old days before the EU lowered the alcohol content.
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"Pinning on" of rank. When promoted, everyone basically beats the shit out of you one shoulder at a time... we decided to stop the tradition when one guy passed out when hit from both sides at once.
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SPC William Weedman
By the time I enlisted "blood rank" had been outlawed, officially so our 1SG & company commander simply wetted down our rank. In the winter though in Korea there is plenty of snow & ice around. So all troops who got promoted were pinned, placed in the front leaning rest and the company was dismissed with "They're all yours boys & girls, I'll come back to tell them to recover." For about 5 minutes the guys were pelted with snowballs, their covers were removed filled with snow and snow was shoved into their field jackets and blouses. I was glad I was promoted in September...
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CWO3 (Join to see)
So true. I still remember the pinning of Blood Stripes when you become an NCO'S of the Marines Corps. JAMES
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PO2 (Join to see)
And to think it started when the senior people in the department would sew on or tac the new rank onto a freshly promoted members uniform.
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SFC Charles Temm
Did the same, some units called it dogpiling...when I made SFC, my platoon did the tradition but I crawled out as they kept beating on whoever was on the bottom.
When I was a drill, trainees who had relatives in service knew about it and even after it was outlawed, still requested it as they viewed it as a worthy tradition.
When I was a drill, trainees who had relatives in service knew about it and even after it was outlawed, still requested it as they viewed it as a worthy tradition.
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