Does any one know how to spit shine boots any more or is it lost on todays ARMY?

SPC Jeffrey Reese — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:39:48 -0500

with all of the Desert boots and equipment does any one still know how or are they still required to Highly shine duty boots anymore. Back in the day it was a thing of pride to have the best looking boots. To know the tricks to get the glass finish using polish and cotton balls to make your boots look good, and Have your uniform look crisp, is that all lost to time?

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2016 9:46 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:46:05 -0500

I can put that real beauty mirror in my black leathers. I wasn't in while black boots were still apart of the uniform but as I'm a man it's a skill we all should know. Nothing looks better than a good shined dress shoes.

Response by SPC Anne Miller made Feb 12 at 2016 9:51 PM

SPC Anne Miller — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:51:25 -0500

I always wore black leather.

Response by SPC Anne Miller made Feb 12 at 2016 9:53 PM

SPC Anne Miller — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:53:05 -0500

Even tampons sometimes

Response by SPC James Dollins made Feb 12 at 2016 9:56 PM

SPC James Dollins — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 21:56:22 -0500

I can still glass a pair of boots w/ the best of them! Haven't done it in a LONG while! It's like riding a bike, once you learn, you can never forget it!

Response by SPC Jerry Lee made Feb 12 at 2016 11:28 PM

SPC Jerry Lee — Fri, 12 Feb 2016 23:28:07 -0500

I still do

Response by SPC Kevin Boothby made Feb 13 at 2016 1:27 AM

SPC Kevin Boothby — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 01:27:58 -0500

Brother the boots are tan leather now, there would be no reason to shine them as they are not meant to be shiny. The class A uniform requires shiny shoes, however. You also can't put creases in the ACU or OCP uniform either. They are supposed to look crisp, but without creases (this isn't the 80's brother). However, I have seen many uniforms that are out of regulation and nobody says anything to them. I'm not sure why.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 13 at 2016 2:48 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 14:48:49 -0500

It's a dying art, just like rolling sleeves.

Response by SPC Christopher Perrien made Feb 13 at 2016 9:53 PM

SPC Christopher Perrien — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 21:53:58 -0500

The quality of the boots and the leather was getting questionable when I got out the real army in 1989. What we had and we were combat arms (tanker) was a good brush shine on tanker or the jungle boot for day to day, another pair of Corc's or tanker spit shined and future for guard mount, and then an old pair on Jungle (the best) for the field.

Now in Germany before the Cold war ended , it was a matter of pride for me to wear spit shined boot while hitting the field. Nothing like that first time jumping off into the Hofenfels muds while wearing glass. it was also neat for the loader on Tank Tabke VIII to wear split shined boots. Back then the spent casing from a 105mm would bounce out and melt a spot of shined boots. You could tell how well a tank crew did by the loader's boot. If his boots were missed up , you know they did bad, becuase alot of casing hit his boots. If they did good , the melted spots of the shine would be less. If you really knew the skill, you could almost count the mely spots on a loaders boots and figure out their table score. Old times long ago. We were "stract".

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 14 at 2016 10:24 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 10:24:17 -0500

I actually found my basic boots the other day (kept them for nostalgia) they were in bad shape. Spent an hour on one getting it looking nice. I'll probably spend this weekend on the other.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 15 at 2016 11:17 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 11:17:50 -0500

When I joined we still had black boots, but the Windex low quarters. After the switch to desert boots I bought a pair of the old dress shoes just so I could keep polishing. I also shine my black Bates side-zips that I use in my side job as a stagehand.

Response by SPC Christopher Perrien made Feb 15 at 2016 12:45 PM

SPC Christopher Perrien — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 12:45:22 -0500

It will change back once the military figures out there is more to the world than the Middle East and Afghanistan and that the "War on Terror " is a fake war.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 16 at 2016 4:03 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 04:03:05 -0500

I remember many hours of shining boots, lighting the KIWI on fire to liquify the wax and water and brushing brushing brushing...and we did have contests who can shave in their reflection but that was 20+ years ago

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 17 at 2016 10:01 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 22:01:17 -0500

No 8 don't but I will ss t this I still clean the boots we have now it doesn't take long but looks way better

Response by SPC Wade Griffiths made Feb 25 at 2016 6:31 AM

SPC Wade Griffiths — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 06:31:27 -0500

I never got the point of spending hours with my boots just to make them look pretty on occasion. No matter how good my boots looked, I'd get asked if I used a candy bar wrapper to shine them. So eventually speding time with my boots became the Army's standard 'brush shine'. I'm not gonna sit shinning boots from 18:00 - 20:00, and then go buff the frigin' hallway from 20:00 till 22:00 hrs, with PT being the next day!! (Fuck that shit!!!)

Response by SPC Greg Andle made Mar 14 at 2016 10:02 AM

SPC Greg Andle — Mon, 14 Mar 2016 10:02:58 -0400

I always wore jungle boots (black or green), and only wore my jump boots in class A or special formations... but no matter what I wore, they were spitshined, BDU's were always clean and starched (82nd said wash and wear, but I dare anyone to go to formation w/o being pressed and starched). It was a matter of pride... looking good, something we all did in the 82nd...unlike a lot of the legs i saw around Ft. Bragg, with hershey bar boots and cook white BDU's

Response by SPC Terry Martin made Apr 10 at 2016 5:58 PM

SPC Terry Martin — Sun, 10 Apr 2016 17:58:17 -0400

The Desert boots are practical in the desert or combat, but are not for dress.

Response by SPC Eddie Espejo made Oct 3 at 2016 4:09 PM

SPC Eddie Espejo — Mon, 03 Oct 2016 16:09:49 -0400

i thi k its a lost art now for new recruits. in basic my class was the last to do it and wear green BDUs. starching might be gone too. being a battalion commanders driver for a 3yrs ive gotten good at shining and starching my uniform.i always looked squared away.