Lets talk about combat boots going over the telephone wire…
Is it still a tradition for outgoing military veterans to throw their combat boots over the telephone wire right outside their military base? Or is this just from the Vietnam era when men were drafted into service? Perhaps this is just a legend, I don’t know.
I did it when I got out in 84. It was not really that common at Ft. Hood at the time; I’d say less than 20% of us did that at ETS.
It’s not all that common, but it’s not unheard of either, at least when I separated in '96 (at Ft. Hood, also). I don’t know the veracity, but I suspect that most of the boots we see up there were placed by a drunk soldier who wasn’t necessarily ETS’ing.
Me? I kept my boots. They’re expensive, comfortable, useful, and not something I just wanted to toss away.