Army issued running shoes?

[Mike11C11B]

Think about boots: Deployment to Afghanistan, do you want Army issued boots or your choice of hiking boot?
http://mobile.armytimes.com/article/201 ... /302160005

[RangerX]

Super retarded. The boots thing is not "quite" as complicated, but the number of variables that determine the best shoe for any particular runner is insane.

[rangertough]

Super retarded. The boots thing is not "quite" as complicated, but the number of variables that determine the best shoe for any particular runner is insane.

The whole idea of who would make the choice of "Proper" footwear is what scares me. Hint they're the hidebound a-holes that misinterpreted 21-20 for the last 20+ years.

Tough

[Baseplate]

I am just going to assume they will be issued to basic trainees. I ran cross country in high school I know all about running shoes and what is best for my feet and body. I got to basic with a pair of running shoes that had less than 100 miles on them maybe 3 weeks of light jogging. The drill sgt took one look at them and made me buy a new pair of shoes from the PX with my brand new 300 dollar allotment card.

[RangerX]

Allotment card?!? WTF is that?!?

I was on the other end of the spectrum. I was woefully ignorant of the importance of the shoe you run in, and more importantly that you really need to buy new ones regularly. If someone had "educated" me in OSUT about this, it might have saved me a lot of problems then (and now).

Seriously, I think I owned a total of 3 pairs throughout my enlistment.

[Baseplate]

Allotment card. I don't really know the actual name but you get a $300 advance of your first paycheck in the form of some type of card that resembles a debit card and you can use it at the PX-Shopette ect I guess the idea is for you to be able to buy items that you need to start basic.

[Lefty]

Running shoes? We didn't need or use no stinkin' running shoes. We ran everywhere in Jump School, SF, and RS in boots. Only difference in RS was they didn't have to be spit shined daily, or alternate overlaced/underlaced daily.
When I visited my son doing OSUT at Ft. Sill I was stunned to see all these kids in running shoes.
And don't even start on me about breaking starch daily.

[Jim]

Running shoes? We didn't need or use no stinkin' running shoes. We ran everywhere in Jump School, SF, and RS in boots. Only difference in RS was they didn't have to be spit shined daily, or alternate overlaced/underlaced daily.
When I visited my son doing OSUT at Ft. Sill I was stunned to see all these kids in running shoes.
And don't even start on me about breaking starch daily.

Karl, as usual we had the same experiences. But then we are both FOGs.

[Lefty]

You know, I still remember how breaking starch daily wore all the hair off my legs. When SF was first permitted to wear jungle fatigues stateside, we were amazed at the comfort level because you didn't have to tuck a starched blouse into your fatigue pants. It was also amazing how unstarched jungle fatigues made you look like an unmade bed. Those new fangled jungle boots were forbidden for jumps and jumpmasters would kick you off the manifest if you dared to try.
We used to say the Army designed those old cotton fatigues to make you uncomfortable in any weather, hot or cold, wet or dry.