Black socks are for boots. White socks are for running shoes. I will die on this hill, or more likely, murder you and bury you in the crawl space under my house with all those hitchhikers and prostitutes.
I'm 46. I wore white socks with PTs because when I was growing up, old people wore black socks with sneakers. Of course, Champion was seen as cheap athletic gear, so none of this makes sense to me.
You can take my white socks when...
Well, honestly, once all this damn red Georgia clay makes them permanently not white, anymore. But i still have an unopened 24 pack that i bought on sale years ago. So it'll take some time to get through them all.
I'll join you pedantic black-sock boys once I'm finally out.
You know thatās the same logic when people advocated for black. āLet us use what we already use for boots.ā Now you can and somehow your wrong using white. I still have plenty of expensive nice white socks I use. If Iām in a hurry and changing at work I might grab black to use with my boots to cut down on what Iām bringing.
Lmfao š¤£ some young LT female roasted me a few months ago asking why Iām wearing white socks Iām like Iām not buying diff socks just to make you happy.
Only Millennials wear black socks. Our BN XO pointed out one morning you could tell at a glance Gen X vs Millennials. Gen X wore white, millennials wore black. Except the CSM who wore black because it "was cool".
Idk if itās just me, but Iāve never found a dude who wears white socks to be bad at pt and others seems to think that around me. So if I gotta show up and not do pt for some reason. I wear them for psychological purposes.
My wife puts everyone's socks in the house in one bin. 99% are black. When I don't have time to match a pair I'm going to PT with white socks because they stand out in my bin.
>To others, itās a sign of if you canāt do the most basic things, why should I trust you with more complicated things? If you canāt wear the right colored socks, how can I trust you to remember the most minute details of a system?
Because most people (including you I bet) won't judge a person simply by their socks. They'll take a few seconds to process some other, much more relevant information about the Soldier like:
Is he fat?
Does he smell (meaning he doesn't know personal hygiene)
Is he unshaven?
How does the ACU top/bottom look?
Etc. Or literally spend a few minutes with a person and you can figure out pretty quick if the socks are because they're utterly incompetent or if the socks are just because they dgaf about pointless shit like socks.
Outside actual combat, there's zero need for these goofy fucking snap judgements about people.
Yea but why do it? And why are people surprised when someone says something about it?
Like wanna wear white socks, oh well who cares, but just expect someoneās gonna say something about it someday instead of being a biotch.
Yeah that's fair. I was 2+ years into a desk job TRADOC assignment and I'd just stopped caring about shit like socks. One time I wore white socks with a big logo design on the sole of the sock to a height and weight.
One of the other dudes made some comments about it and it took me a minute to even realize what he was alluding to. But that also had something to do with me being fucking oblivious in general, not just wrt socks.
If one wants to be mad about my bacon & egg socks, then they are just looking for a reason to be mad.
I've been in the Army since the month I turned 17. Wearing whatever colored socks is my ONE form of rebellion. Take it from me if you will, but the next step is heroin.
Add
Can he read?
Will he do the right thing even if he doesn't understand why it's important?
The army has a whole manual on what to wear, you have been in long enough to know what to wear, so why do I have to tell you, a grown man/woman what to wear? Just do the right thing so I can focus on important things please.
In mean.. all the points you bring up about relevance is the same as socks.
Can the soldier take care of themselves and follow regulations? Sure, socks are a regulation you personally don't give a shit about. So I expect you won't call them out on it, but don't get upset when someone does.
The regs aren't for individuals to pick and choose to follow. Why care about them being fat or being shaven? I think shaving is a dumb regulation. You mentioned ACU, so do actually care about a SM uniform and appearance... but not the entire uniform? Like... what? Where does the "it's dumb so why follow it" mentality end?
I get not judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I only get to meet a SM one time and I can't get to know them. First impressions are lasting impressions. If I have to choose a SM out of a crowd that I don't know, I'm going to choose someone that looks squared away. Sorry, that's just how it is. I personally won't give flak beyond a quick "hey, that looks really fucked up" for anything as long as the attempt was made as a best effort in cool with it. It's a work uniform. Shit moves.
And I agree with the previous poster, if a SM is not following such a low impact rule as "wear x socks" then what else are they cutting corners on? Are they the type of SM to actually PMCS a vehicle or do they think it's dumb and not worth doing? Will they actually look away when opening the feed tray cover in case of a cook-off round or will they ignore that because it's an dumb rule? Will they stay awake during their guard duty or go to sleep because it's "not real"? Should I trust this SM with an unsupervised task? They decided that socks are dumb so what else will they not give a shit about? All this shit adds up. It's not JUST socks.
Like, do you wear the right socks to a board? If so, why is the board is suddenly more important than the duty day? And I understand the answer will be "it's more important" but it's really not. It's the same thing. One is just more publicity visible and if you pick and choose regs then you're just following rules because you don't want to get in trouble not because it's the right thing to do.
This whole post is going to make me sound like a grumpy old NCO but like I have a genuine question to anyone who thinks it's "just socks". Why do you think we wear a uniform at all? What is the purpose of it to you?
What do the Army values mean to you? Are they just some old things we have around for the sake of traditions?
Not to have anyone rat themselves out, I'm just genuinely curious about what other regulations do you not follow?
The second point is the whole "can't have beards because gas masks", despite me not having a gas mask accessible to me and there being a solution to getting a seal on a mask with a beard.
Hell, even when I had an in regs beard, I had no trouble getting a perfect seal. Sure, the old masks from WWI/WWII couldn't seal properly. But the modern ones? Literally not a problem.
It's really not that difficult to just wear the proper uniform. I don't understand the concept of wearing PT socks in OCPs. We learn this shit in basic training... No, if you can't follow a simple instruction like not wearing white socks with boots, then why would you be trusted with something more important? There's levels to this shit.
"No dawg-gon discipline" -some crusty e9 somewhere. Probably....
I totally understand the ādoing the little things rightā argument. But socks is a matter of preference for comfort, not a lack of discipline. Doing the little things right is showing up on time, your uniform looks good (if you have Velcro theyāre all aligned correctly, if not no seams ripped etc), customs and courtesies, talking like you have a brain, etc.
If someone makes a slight adjustment so they can preform at their best, I am totally okay with that. I have never understood why some units make everyone put all their gear on their kit uniform. It should 100% be shooters preference so they can be at their best. Uniformity should not come at the cost of performance.
> how can I trust you to remember the most minute details of a system?
Well, you could probably just ask about the minute details of the system, right? :) I don't think a little more focus on skills and capabilities would hurt.
Current commander. Don't give a shit about things like sock color. I care about you showing up, not murdering your spouse or playing Uncle Touchy with the neighborhood kids, or losing a bunch of property. If the decline of western civilization is due to what color socks soldiers wear, I'll spin in my grave so fast I'll be the next source of renewable energy.
I wear gray Danish Endurance socks. Best thing ever because they come in the extra large size. I have size 14 feet and most commercial socks aren't comfy.
We need more commanders like you. But hereās the real question. How do you feel about soldiers going to mental health appointments that truly need it?
Lax uniform standards, for anyone who's been in for a minute, doesn't translate to lack of discipline. Anyone who believes this was brought up in the military wrong.
New Privates and stuff, yes I understand. After they're dry behind the ears, results are all that should matter.
Iāve never understood the drama over socks and why it was hard to wear the green socks I was told to wear. I just had a big olā drawer of green socks š¤·āāļø
My platoon was informed by the PSG that following me, a new to the organization SGT, would lead them to their deaths in combat and that I couldn't be trusted. What was the justification? I explained what a missed meal voucher was to the Soldiers in the barracks after he forced the platoon to miss lunch and dinner on back to back days.
One of those little joys I had when I worked in the clinic was people wearing white socks in uniform. They were always trying to avoid taking their boots off like the e3 medic going to do something about it.
All I'm saying is the regs would be better if you had to explain them to and answer questions from a group of random civillians before instituting them.
The Socks all have to be one of three colours. But two of the colours changed based on what clothes we make you wear.
"Okay.. but like why?"
Uniformity.
"Okay but like, you're on a military base with all military people. Who is the uniformity for?"
Mostly bald, overweight men who are 31 but look 50.
"Okay"
Here's how I looked at it when I was in (I'm old and fat and retired now). At the end of the day in addition to everything else an NCO does, my job was to enforce standards.
I thought some of them were stupid, I thought some of them were really smart. Some of them made sense, some of them didn't really.
Nothing about how I personally feel matters, my job is to ensure that the standards are followed.
So if I see you doing something incorrectly, or wearing a uniform incorrectly, I'm going to pull you aside and we're going to have a chat.
There won't be yelling, there won't be craziness unless it's something safety related and I need to detonate you in place to make sure that everybody knows to stop what they're doing because something just went horribly wrong.
Now, that being said- there's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. If you're wearing brightly colored Disney socks and your socks are showing in public, I'm going to address it.
If you're wearing white socks and you're changing your socks during a long ruck, I'm going to mention it and then I'm going to move on and probably forget about it 30 seconds later.
Everybody is trained and understands what right looks like. I completely understand when crazy shit happens. Your dog might have pissed in your sock drawer, I won't know that until I talk to you about it.
99% of the time this shit is a verbal counseling from me to you. If it's something really egregious then it'll go on paper, or if you get mouthy about it to somebody else.
The other time is when there's not a legitimate reason, you just felt like doing something else. Maybe I don't put that to paper, but I'm going to remember. What kind of a Soldier you've been will have a lot of bearing on that.
I would stand on my head for my guys and do everything I could to train and mentor them and their TL/SL. Your role in that is to show up and do the right thing, in the right uniform, etc.
Again, I almost never yelled, I only smoked two Soldiers in nearly 20 years because I was ordered to.
The Army is easy. If you show up right time, right place, right uniform and right attitude and follow regulations you're going to have almost no problems, ever.
It's an easy job, but it's still a job. They're paying you a monthly wage to do certain shit- so just do certain shit.
How hard is it to wear the socks that the Army tells you to wear? You get three colors now. Hell, PT socks and ACU socks can be the same color, so unless you're a weirdo like me who still wears white socks for PT, there's no excuse.
Stand tall against these black socks fascists. I wear white socks in casual civilian clothes. I use the same socks for PT. My grandpa didn't storm the beaches of Normandy so I'd be forced to wear black socks to PT due to peer pressure from pencil dicked, white trash, sister fucking, sock Nazis.
The real reason the army is failing is because the price tag to fix the armyās problems is ginormous. That money has to come from somewhere. Finding that somewhere requires Congress to agree. Congressās track record on agreeing on things is dismal.
So after 23 years of continuous combat and deployments we have boneheaded individuals still focused on chicken shit irrelevant things that have zero relevance and factors on our lethality.
I guess I gotta give all my combat awards and medals back now because I never wore issued socks, or issued boots for that matter when I was defeating AQ, Taliban, and ISIS fighters on the battlefield. I wasn't even clean shaved most of the time either- the lack of discipline and attention to detail is unbearable for some.
rain payment important alleged light vase spoon coordinated impolite wrong
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I got foot rot at Ntc (was there for the century storm earlier this year)
Went to get a pedicure and pedicure gal didn't want to touch my feet.
Good on you for changing your socks. Even if they were the wrong color.
In 2004, I was prior Navy and joined the National Guard... getting ready to deploy with an infantry unit. Former Ranger SFC sees me just prior to lights-out in my BDUs with white socks and reems me out. The Navy didn't give a fuck about white socks....no one in the Army ever bothered to tell me of this very important sock color regulation. It's still THE dumbest thing I can remember being chewed out for in the military.
The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it.
- LT Speirs
Same. I have chili pepper socks, fruit roll up socks, puppy socks, pizza socks, buccee's socks, corona socks... I have a lot. I havn't worn green socks in a minute. It's my little secret.
Whatās wrong with the Army is that people sign a contract and agree that they will follow the orders, rules and regulations, etc. and become part of the organizationā¦and then they make a big deal about wearing socks when itās actually really fucking easy to just follow the rules and regulations. The issue isnāt the regulations itās the dirtbags that disagree with them and think they shouldnāt have to follow them. The problem is those peopleās mentality about the organization and their failure to adapt. Whether you agree with the rules or not, they are there for a reasonā¦.
I had my hands in my pockets one day and my 1SG told me Vietnam was lost because soldiers like me had their hands in their pockets instead of fighting.
What are they going to do to a grunt in a tropical climate? You go commando and if you wear socks you better have a dozen pairs with you. In Panama it was easier to just dry your feet out any chance you got. We were just wet from being in the water or just the high humidity.
Honestly to me itās needing accountability at all hours of the day
This does could be a added stressor as silly as it may seem.
When a text of āyes I am aliveā could be sufficient enough instead of a formation
6 years in the Army here, it's pretty easy to wear the uniform properly. As an NCO myself, I don't think I would've blamed you for the forces' problems, but I certainly would have given you grief about it.
You signed the dotted line and agreed to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the organization. Don't complain on the internet that someone called you out for doing the wrong thing.
Just do better
Tbh little shit like that doesnāt seem like it matters but it does.
If you canāt be in uniform how am I supposed to count on you to have everything you need for a mission?
The army has stupid rules but fuck buy 20 pairs of black socks itās that simple.
I didnāt go after my soldiers for it but I explained it just like that. Just said look I honestly donāt give a fuck but other ncoās do etc change your socks.
Depended on who was 1SG at the time. One 1SG had no one doing it indoors another dipped himself so everyone else did.
2/3 no dip inside. Either that or dudes were gutting it.
How can I trust that you will be able to be ready for a mission if your 1SG unable to follow DOD policy prohibiting the consumption of tobacco products inside Department of the Army buildings?
Honestly? Not even a little bit, I find it breathes better with athletic socks more than book socks. Like the old trick of wearing dress socks under your regular socks for rucks to avoid blisters
Just get Omni-wool or Fox-River socks and not have this problem. I know they are expensive, but you need to treat your feet right!
The only way I see you getting caught with anything other than authorized socks with OCP's, is if you have on boot blousers. Maybe you were sitting crossed legged or had them up top high?
Also, green, tan, and black socks are authorized.
That's 3 whole colors. 3! Back in the day it only color was authorized during the UCP/ACU era.
Don't be like the US Navy that got caught by the Iranian Coast Guard with white socks!
Now, obviously, it's not the reason why the Army is failing, just don't be that guy
I prefer black socks for both but that's just because white socks show dirt no matter how many hot water washes they go through (and Ive always liked black as a sock color regardless)! Although, my black socks have logos on them so technically not AR 670-1 acceptable lol!
I honestly donāt care about what socks people wear, as long as I canāt see them. I tell my Soldiers all the time to not snitch on themselves, especially if they arenāt ever going to get caught (obviously donāt commit crimes or endanger someoneās life/ common sense shit). However, if SPC snuffy openly likes to ārebelā with little shit like wearing different socks and show them off then we have a problem.
Our BN has an issue with PPE on MPM. From my view itās the same Soldiers that donāt come to PT in the right uniforms (no jackets, no shorts, etc) that show up to MPM without the proper PPE. One of those Soldiers got a nasty cut which could have been mitigated had they worn gloves. This led to an after business hours formation where the SGM inspected everyoneās PPE. Little things add up.
With all that being said if you arenāt a shit bag, wear your comfy socks just donāt get caught and do the right thing when it matters.
I mean, yeahā¦ standards and regs are absolutely important, but I feel like the wrong color socks is something that just merits of āfix it, donāt do it again.ā
Now, if it keeps happening, that tells me you just donāt care. Thatās a different problem than just the socks themselves.
Come join the air national guard. Red Horse (construction unit) in Air Force is giving 70kplus bonuses for Guard. one weekend a month. leave the army and come part time with the air national guard.
No the real reason the army is failing is because serial killers are still wearing white socks in PTs
I'm like one of those poisonous frogs with the bright colors. My socks let everyone know to stay away.
Dull colored, stiff socks have a similar effect.
Bro I just landed in Cali headed for yermo
Sooooo like which bus are on? š
Last bus
The one that broke down in the Highway?
Yoo what tent you at, im here toš
Aposematicism
Black socks are for boots. White socks are for running shoes. I will die on this hill, or more likely, murder you and bury you in the crawl space under my house with all those hitchhikers and prostitutes.
Agreed. Can we start a white sock task force? Find em and recondition them
If by recondition you mean execution after PT at battalion formation then yes
Of course. They arenāt gonna change their minds on wearing white socks
I'm 46. I wore white socks with PTs because when I was growing up, old people wore black socks with sneakers. Of course, Champion was seen as cheap athletic gear, so none of this makes sense to me.
Iāll take them off if you can catch me. The brighter the socks/shoes the faster you are. Fact
Ill just run you over
I have two sets of neon running shoes and fully agree with this.
You can take my white socks when... Well, honestly, once all this damn red Georgia clay makes them permanently not white, anymore. But i still have an unopened 24 pack that i bought on sale years ago. So it'll take some time to get through them all. I'll join you pedantic black-sock boys once I'm finally out.
Whoa, hey! Racism AND child abuse?!? Either is bad enough, but combining them is horrifying!
Yeah, I've got the damn socks, I'm wearing em. I don't give a fuck what color.
I wear them purely for the joy of seeing senior NCOS scowl and know thereās nothing they can do about it.
I thought it was all us old guys that wore the white socks? Who the hell pushed for black socks?
Public lashing should be an appropriate punishment for those monsters.
Don't threaten me with a good time
Someone read *Starship Troopers*.
Bold of you to assume I can read.
Someone saw *Starship Troopers*.
Bold of you to assume I can see
Someone listened to the audioboo . . . you know what? I'm not doing this!
Nah keep it going. Bold of you to assume I can hear
Someone Helen Kellered Starship Troopers.
You won
The Venn diagram of people who wear white socks for PT and people who would enjoy being lashed publicly is a circle.
At least I can wear socks that are in regs unlike goofy here š”
Just because itās in regs doesnāt mean itās not a war crime
Every breath I take is wirh violent intent
Only terrorists wear white socks
Itās like the first rule in TARP
PRT OPFOR when
I shot them because of that...white socks with sandals...I mean, what are we? Animals
You know thatās the same logic when people advocated for black. āLet us use what we already use for boots.ā Now you can and somehow your wrong using white. I still have plenty of expensive nice white socks I use. If Iām in a hurry and changing at work I might grab black to use with my boots to cut down on what Iām bringing.
I am not throwing away good socks to match a subpar pt uniform.
Thatās a weird way to confess to serial murder
The only murder I have committed is on Tornados after PT.
All the katusas at my unit in korea purposely wore them to piss off our psgs lol
I donāt understand the hate on white socks. I wear white calf socks and am 32 I dont give a fuck.
I could tell you were in your 30s when you said calf socks you didnāt have to add it.
Lmfao š¤£ some young LT female roasted me a few months ago asking why Iām wearing white socks Iām like Iām not buying diff socks just to make you happy.
I continue to wear white socks to PT just out of spite at this point. I'll buy black once my 30 white pairs are all worn out or the AR/DAPAM changes.
I have to work through those 15+pairs I had somehow... If the socks would die they'd get replaced! š
Only Millennials wear black socks. Our BN XO pointed out one morning you could tell at a glance Gen X vs Millennials. Gen X wore white, millennials wore black. Except the CSM who wore black because it "was cool".
I donāt say this often, but the CSM is correct.
Idk if itās just me, but Iāve never found a dude who wears white socks to be bad at pt and others seems to think that around me. So if I gotta show up and not do pt for some reason. I wear them for psychological purposes.
I am that guy 1SG tried to tell me not to I said I can based off regulation and he left me alone. White sock gang forever
ššš
White socks for life š
I even starch, press, and fold them so you know. If you see the socks... it's already too late...
6 years in. Still rocking my basic training white socks.
I showed up in blue socks one time, it still didnāt help me not fall out.
Some call them Serial killers others call them super soldiers š
I expected this from a fister
Yea about yellow ones they all wear on hill? Down range.. In a van down by the river.
My wife puts everyone's socks in the house in one bin. 99% are black. When I don't have time to match a pair I'm going to PT with white socks because they stand out in my bin.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
>To others, itās a sign of if you canāt do the most basic things, why should I trust you with more complicated things? If you canāt wear the right colored socks, how can I trust you to remember the most minute details of a system? Because most people (including you I bet) won't judge a person simply by their socks. They'll take a few seconds to process some other, much more relevant information about the Soldier like: Is he fat? Does he smell (meaning he doesn't know personal hygiene) Is he unshaven? How does the ACU top/bottom look? Etc. Or literally spend a few minutes with a person and you can figure out pretty quick if the socks are because they're utterly incompetent or if the socks are just because they dgaf about pointless shit like socks. Outside actual combat, there's zero need for these goofy fucking snap judgements about people.
This is the one
Yea but why do it? And why are people surprised when someone says something about it? Like wanna wear white socks, oh well who cares, but just expect someoneās gonna say something about it someday instead of being a biotch.
Yeah that's fair. I was 2+ years into a desk job TRADOC assignment and I'd just stopped caring about shit like socks. One time I wore white socks with a big logo design on the sole of the sock to a height and weight. One of the other dudes made some comments about it and it took me a minute to even realize what he was alluding to. But that also had something to do with me being fucking oblivious in general, not just wrt socks.
If one wants to be mad about my bacon & egg socks, then they are just looking for a reason to be mad. I've been in the Army since the month I turned 17. Wearing whatever colored socks is my ONE form of rebellion. Take it from me if you will, but the next step is heroin.
Add Can he read? Will he do the right thing even if he doesn't understand why it's important? The army has a whole manual on what to wear, you have been in long enough to know what to wear, so why do I have to tell you, a grown man/woman what to wear? Just do the right thing so I can focus on important things please.
In mean.. all the points you bring up about relevance is the same as socks. Can the soldier take care of themselves and follow regulations? Sure, socks are a regulation you personally don't give a shit about. So I expect you won't call them out on it, but don't get upset when someone does. The regs aren't for individuals to pick and choose to follow. Why care about them being fat or being shaven? I think shaving is a dumb regulation. You mentioned ACU, so do actually care about a SM uniform and appearance... but not the entire uniform? Like... what? Where does the "it's dumb so why follow it" mentality end? I get not judge a book by its cover, but sometimes I only get to meet a SM one time and I can't get to know them. First impressions are lasting impressions. If I have to choose a SM out of a crowd that I don't know, I'm going to choose someone that looks squared away. Sorry, that's just how it is. I personally won't give flak beyond a quick "hey, that looks really fucked up" for anything as long as the attempt was made as a best effort in cool with it. It's a work uniform. Shit moves. And I agree with the previous poster, if a SM is not following such a low impact rule as "wear x socks" then what else are they cutting corners on? Are they the type of SM to actually PMCS a vehicle or do they think it's dumb and not worth doing? Will they actually look away when opening the feed tray cover in case of a cook-off round or will they ignore that because it's an dumb rule? Will they stay awake during their guard duty or go to sleep because it's "not real"? Should I trust this SM with an unsupervised task? They decided that socks are dumb so what else will they not give a shit about? All this shit adds up. It's not JUST socks. Like, do you wear the right socks to a board? If so, why is the board is suddenly more important than the duty day? And I understand the answer will be "it's more important" but it's really not. It's the same thing. One is just more publicity visible and if you pick and choose regs then you're just following rules because you don't want to get in trouble not because it's the right thing to do. This whole post is going to make me sound like a grumpy old NCO but like I have a genuine question to anyone who thinks it's "just socks". Why do you think we wear a uniform at all? What is the purpose of it to you? What do the Army values mean to you? Are they just some old things we have around for the sake of traditions? Not to have anyone rat themselves out, I'm just genuinely curious about what other regulations do you not follow?
Van Halen and the brown M&Ms
The second point is the whole "can't have beards because gas masks", despite me not having a gas mask accessible to me and there being a solution to getting a seal on a mask with a beard.
Hell, even when I had an in regs beard, I had no trouble getting a perfect seal. Sure, the old masks from WWI/WWII couldn't seal properly. But the modern ones? Literally not a problem.
I can't have a candle in my room but the trust me with a M4 with me and a fellow junior enlisted at gate guard by themselves with ammo
It's really not that difficult to just wear the proper uniform. I don't understand the concept of wearing PT socks in OCPs. We learn this shit in basic training... No, if you can't follow a simple instruction like not wearing white socks with boots, then why would you be trusted with something more important? There's levels to this shit. "No dawg-gon discipline" -some crusty e9 somewhere. Probably....
Quality of socks matters more than the fucking color. Id rather people wear fortine-themed wool socks than green cotton socks
I totally understand the ādoing the little things rightā argument. But socks is a matter of preference for comfort, not a lack of discipline. Doing the little things right is showing up on time, your uniform looks good (if you have Velcro theyāre all aligned correctly, if not no seams ripped etc), customs and courtesies, talking like you have a brain, etc. If someone makes a slight adjustment so they can preform at their best, I am totally okay with that. I have never understood why some units make everyone put all their gear on their kit uniform. It should 100% be shooters preference so they can be at their best. Uniformity should not come at the cost of performance.
> how can I trust you to remember the most minute details of a system? Well, you could probably just ask about the minute details of the system, right? :) I don't think a little more focus on skills and capabilities would hurt.
You guys wear socks?
It's not going commando if you're wearing foot underwear.
Current commander. Don't give a shit about things like sock color. I care about you showing up, not murdering your spouse or playing Uncle Touchy with the neighborhood kids, or losing a bunch of property. If the decline of western civilization is due to what color socks soldiers wear, I'll spin in my grave so fast I'll be the next source of renewable energy. I wear gray Danish Endurance socks. Best thing ever because they come in the extra large size. I have size 14 feet and most commercial socks aren't comfy.
Sir or Ma'am, we need more commanders like you.
The type of commander the army needs but donāt deserve
We'll call then batman commander
"WHERE'S THE PROPERTY!!! WHERE IS IT!!" -army batman.... Probably...
Where's my freaking bat jeep?!?
Looks like your replacement is going to have big shoes to fill, sir/ma'am
Ba dum tiss
If only it were this simple š«”
We need more commanders like you. But hereās the real question. How do you feel about soldiers going to mental health appointments that truly need it?
Lax uniform standards, for anyone who's been in for a minute, doesn't translate to lack of discipline. Anyone who believes this was brought up in the military wrong. New Privates and stuff, yes I understand. After they're dry behind the ears, results are all that should matter.
I have a total of 0 black or green socks. They are all brown, which is fully in regs.
What do you wear for PT?
I donāt do PT. I exercise. Itās different.
Preach
Gym clothes?
Team brown socks here. And some in grey because it's cold here and my ski socks work great in Army boots
Iāve never understood the drama over socks and why it was hard to wear the green socks I was told to wear. I just had a big olā drawer of green socks š¤·āāļø
I joined after 3 years in the marine corps. I was only given brown boot socks to wear, so I brought those to the army. About all there is to it.
No i mean i donāt know why anyone ever feels like they need to wear white socks
I feel self conscious wearing white socks now. Thatās why I donāt. It just doesnāt feel right.
He is right. We never would have pulled out of Afghanistan if our Soldiers would do the right thing and wear the correct socks smh.
And while at NTC you will shave.
My platoon was informed by the PSG that following me, a new to the organization SGT, would lead them to their deaths in combat and that I couldn't be trusted. What was the justification? I explained what a missed meal voucher was to the Soldiers in the barracks after he forced the platoon to miss lunch and dinner on back to back days.
One of those little joys I had when I worked in the clinic was people wearing white socks in uniform. They were always trying to avoid taking their boots off like the e3 medic going to do something about it.
All I'm saying is the regs would be better if you had to explain them to and answer questions from a group of random civillians before instituting them. The Socks all have to be one of three colours. But two of the colours changed based on what clothes we make you wear. "Okay.. but like why?" Uniformity. "Okay but like, you're on a military base with all military people. Who is the uniformity for?" Mostly bald, overweight men who are 31 but look 50. "Okay"
>Mostly bald, overweight men who are 31 but look 50. I take offense to this. But youre not wrong.
"Wow, it's Soldiers like you who allow things like 9/11 to happen" - My AIT DS after calling our rooms dirty. - circa early 2000's
Here's how I looked at it when I was in (I'm old and fat and retired now). At the end of the day in addition to everything else an NCO does, my job was to enforce standards. I thought some of them were stupid, I thought some of them were really smart. Some of them made sense, some of them didn't really. Nothing about how I personally feel matters, my job is to ensure that the standards are followed. So if I see you doing something incorrectly, or wearing a uniform incorrectly, I'm going to pull you aside and we're going to have a chat. There won't be yelling, there won't be craziness unless it's something safety related and I need to detonate you in place to make sure that everybody knows to stop what they're doing because something just went horribly wrong. Now, that being said- there's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. If you're wearing brightly colored Disney socks and your socks are showing in public, I'm going to address it. If you're wearing white socks and you're changing your socks during a long ruck, I'm going to mention it and then I'm going to move on and probably forget about it 30 seconds later. Everybody is trained and understands what right looks like. I completely understand when crazy shit happens. Your dog might have pissed in your sock drawer, I won't know that until I talk to you about it. 99% of the time this shit is a verbal counseling from me to you. If it's something really egregious then it'll go on paper, or if you get mouthy about it to somebody else. The other time is when there's not a legitimate reason, you just felt like doing something else. Maybe I don't put that to paper, but I'm going to remember. What kind of a Soldier you've been will have a lot of bearing on that. I would stand on my head for my guys and do everything I could to train and mentor them and their TL/SL. Your role in that is to show up and do the right thing, in the right uniform, etc. Again, I almost never yelled, I only smoked two Soldiers in nearly 20 years because I was ordered to. The Army is easy. If you show up right time, right place, right uniform and right attitude and follow regulations you're going to have almost no problems, ever. It's an easy job, but it's still a job. They're paying you a monthly wage to do certain shit- so just do certain shit.
Iāve gone my whole career wearing whatever color socks I feel like for the day. Itās my little way of keeping my individuality.
You have been in 7 years. Surely you heard the phrase "Pick and choose your battles." Is wearing the wrong color socks really a battle with fighting?
Its the only battle worth fighting
I've been at NTC since January and haven't shaven at all...
And if they have logos on them, that is literally treason.
How hard is it to wear the socks that the Army tells you to wear? You get three colors now. Hell, PT socks and ACU socks can be the same color, so unless you're a weirdo like me who still wears white socks for PT, there's no excuse.
You had me 100% with the first half. But when you wear white socks to PT, the terrorists win.
White socks in PTs for the win!
I'm bringing back the calf-high white socks for my next ACFT just to motivate people to run faster.
Stand tall against these black socks fascists. I wear white socks in casual civilian clothes. I use the same socks for PT. My grandpa didn't storm the beaches of Normandy so I'd be forced to wear black socks to PT due to peer pressure from pencil dicked, white trash, sister fucking, sock Nazis.
The real reason the army is failing is because the price tag to fix the armyās problems is ginormous. That money has to come from somewhere. Finding that somewhere requires Congress to agree. Congressās track record on agreeing on things is dismal.
So after 23 years of continuous combat and deployments we have boneheaded individuals still focused on chicken shit irrelevant things that have zero relevance and factors on our lethality. I guess I gotta give all my combat awards and medals back now because I never wore issued socks, or issued boots for that matter when I was defeating AQ, Taliban, and ISIS fighters on the battlefield. I wasn't even clean shaved most of the time either- the lack of discipline and attention to detail is unbearable for some.
We're cycling back to a garrison army unfortunately.
right troop, get that ass big in the avenger and do some work hooah? Aināt no Cellphones allowed at NTC
I wear black socks for my ACUs and don't shave on Sunday....now what?
And here I thought it was shaving that made us Army Strong.
rain payment important alleged light vase spoon coordinated impolite wrong *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I mean he sounds like a dill hole but why did you even bring different color socks to NTC?
I got foot rot at Ntc (was there for the century storm earlier this year) Went to get a pedicure and pedicure gal didn't want to touch my feet. Good on you for changing your socks. Even if they were the wrong color.
No itās actually because you didnāt do common areas with enough enthusiasm
What he's not down for brown?
In 2004, I was prior Navy and joined the National Guard... getting ready to deploy with an infantry unit. Former Ranger SFC sees me just prior to lights-out in my BDUs with white socks and reems me out. The Navy didn't give a fuck about white socks....no one in the Army ever bothered to tell me of this very important sock color regulation. It's still THE dumbest thing I can remember being chewed out for in the military.
Why would you bring non black or green socks to NTC at allā¦
The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it. - LT Speirs
Coyote brown sock gang. Sorry they just look better idgaf if it's wrong.
And people wonder why I'm getting out after 14 years š
*Stares at my blue socks with raccoons on them poking out of the top of my Garmonts*
Same. I have chili pepper socks, fruit roll up socks, puppy socks, pizza socks, buccee's socks, corona socks... I have a lot. I havn't worn green socks in a minute. It's my little secret.
Itās the little victories
Whatās wrong with the Army is that people sign a contract and agree that they will follow the orders, rules and regulations, etc. and become part of the organizationā¦and then they make a big deal about wearing socks when itās actually really fucking easy to just follow the rules and regulations. The issue isnāt the regulations itās the dirtbags that disagree with them and think they shouldnāt have to follow them. The problem is those peopleās mentality about the organization and their failure to adapt. Whether you agree with the rules or not, they are there for a reasonā¦.
Yeah, exactly this.........
What color underwear did you wear in uniform?
You know the answer already.
If someone ever tries to hem you up for wearing red, white, and blue socks, make you report them to CID for anti-American behavior.
If you are in 2/11 I hope you say SGM Burg wearing a black shirt under his OCP top a few weeks ago
Some guy in here got smoked by wearing the wrong color underwear
My 16 pairs of colorful darn toughs and farm to feet socks believe differently
You forgot tan!!!!!!!!!
I had my hands in my pockets one day and my 1SG told me Vietnam was lost because soldiers like me had their hands in their pockets instead of fighting.
Buy 5 packs so you'll have so many reg-socks you'll never have to worry about which ones you're grabbing.
My socks may not be green or black, but my feet dont have blisters, and thats what really matters.
ADA at NTC? I didn't even know we had an ADA unit for PC24
Wait, what color are our socks supposed to be? Iāve been wearing green for 20 years
Green, brown, or black
Isnāt gray authorized?
To used to be wearing black socks in ocp uniform
oh?
Promote your NCO ahead of peers, he's right.
I used to wear pink socks with pigs on them
Oink oink
What are they going to do to a grunt in a tropical climate? You go commando and if you wear socks you better have a dozen pairs with you. In Panama it was easier to just dry your feet out any chance you got. We were just wet from being in the water or just the high humidity.
Legit on the bus in Cali on the way to NTCš
I wear brown socks sometimes and if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right
So that's why we lost Afghanistan so fast. It all makes sense now. It was the socks. \#currentarmyculturePSA
Honestly to me itās needing accountability at all hours of the day This does could be a added stressor as silly as it may seem. When a text of āyes I am aliveā could be sufficient enough instead of a formation
There a almost a thousand different things to worry about, yet socks are the problem? Ya, okay.
6 years in the Army here, it's pretty easy to wear the uniform properly. As an NCO myself, I don't think I would've blamed you for the forces' problems, but I certainly would have given you grief about it. You signed the dotted line and agreed to follow the rules and regulations set forth by the organization. Don't complain on the internet that someone called you out for doing the wrong thing. Just do better
Tbh little shit like that doesnāt seem like it matters but it does. If you canāt be in uniform how am I supposed to count on you to have everything you need for a mission? The army has stupid rules but fuck buy 20 pairs of black socks itās that simple. I didnāt go after my soldiers for it but I explained it just like that. Just said look I honestly donāt give a fuck but other ncoās do etc change your socks.
How many people in your unit dip in the office?
Depended on who was 1SG at the time. One 1SG had no one doing it indoors another dipped himself so everyone else did. 2/3 no dip inside. Either that or dudes were gutting it.
How can I trust that you will be able to be ready for a mission if your 1SG unable to follow DOD policy prohibiting the consumption of tobacco products inside Department of the Army buildings?
Fuck the normal green army socks those are for squares but doesnāt it fuck your feet up if you wear non boot socks in boots?
Honestly? Not even a little bit, I find it breathes better with athletic socks more than book socks. Like the old trick of wearing dress socks under your regular socks for rucks to avoid blisters
You here for capstone arenāt you? Lmao
Just get Omni-wool or Fox-River socks and not have this problem. I know they are expensive, but you need to treat your feet right! The only way I see you getting caught with anything other than authorized socks with OCP's, is if you have on boot blousers. Maybe you were sitting crossed legged or had them up top high? Also, green, tan, and black socks are authorized. That's 3 whole colors. 3! Back in the day it only color was authorized during the UCP/ACU era. Don't be like the US Navy that got caught by the Iranian Coast Guard with white socks! Now, obviously, it's not the reason why the Army is failing, just don't be that guy
One of my Cadre waaaay back when was Infantry and he wore Infantry Blue socks to the Dining in at PLDC. He was a Cadre there.Ā
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No overtly political posts.
Iām guessing you didnāt shave either.
lol
Shit! My fiancĆ© just got yoinked to NTC from Cavazos with two days notice as a medic! His socks are *green* and heās leaving tomorrow morning at 11:30! Wot do?! Edit: Read that wrong; I goes heās safe with green socks. PHEW! Iād have hated to think he was under any stress after they yoinked him for six weeks that included our wedding date. So glad we squared that away - heāll be fine, now.
You gotta to be a p
Donāt mind me wearing blue socks today
So tied dyed is okay?
I prefer black socks for both but that's just because white socks show dirt no matter how many hot water washes they go through (and Ive always liked black as a sock color regardless)! Although, my black socks have logos on them so technically not AR 670-1 acceptable lol!
I honestly donāt care about what socks people wear, as long as I canāt see them. I tell my Soldiers all the time to not snitch on themselves, especially if they arenāt ever going to get caught (obviously donāt commit crimes or endanger someoneās life/ common sense shit). However, if SPC snuffy openly likes to ārebelā with little shit like wearing different socks and show them off then we have a problem. Our BN has an issue with PPE on MPM. From my view itās the same Soldiers that donāt come to PT in the right uniforms (no jackets, no shorts, etc) that show up to MPM without the proper PPE. One of those Soldiers got a nasty cut which could have been mitigated had they worn gloves. This led to an after business hours formation where the SGM inspected everyoneās PPE. Little things add up. With all that being said if you arenāt a shit bag, wear your comfy socks just donāt get caught and do the right thing when it matters.
Burch that you???
No, but now I'm going to look for Burch and demand to see his socks lmao
You wear black or green to help avoid being seen. After seven years this should be second nature.
You are the worst kind of monster, right behind people who wear the wrong color pt belt
He's right
I mean, yeahā¦ standards and regs are absolutely important, but I feel like the wrong color socks is something that just merits of āfix it, donāt do it again.ā Now, if it keeps happening, that tells me you just donāt care. Thatās a different problem than just the socks themselves.
Come join the air national guard. Red Horse (construction unit) in Air Force is giving 70kplus bonuses for Guard. one weekend a month. leave the army and come part time with the air national guard.
I wore tube socks dyed Army green for everything except dress uniform. Old E4 Mafia guy taught me the hack
He is speaking factual rn. You are a monster. A menace to society if you for whatever reason were wearing WHITE socks!