Old habits die hard.

[Hipshot]

Sorry all, I didn't notice this is an old thread. One to many homebrews.

[aintgotnun]

Originally Posted by Hipshot

Sorry all, I didn't notice this is an old thread. One to many homebrews.

Nothing wrong with hitting an old thread.

A homebrew sounds purty good right now.

[Willis]

Originally Posted by Hipshot

Sorry all, I didn't notice this is an old thread. One to many homebrews.

Thanks for reviving it...lots of good laughs.

I still do the gig line thing as well and also tug all the wrinkles out of the front of my shirt by pulling them to the back.

Don't wear a hat very often anymore but it still bugs me to no end to see people wearing hats indoors.

When going to the movies I still catch myself starting to stand up for the National Anthem.

If I'm out driving and notice that it's almost 5pm I still get the urge to stop my car for retreat.



THINGS I NO LONGER DO:

Tent camping (that's what RVs are for!)
PT (I guess that's why I'm so fat.)

[masonga]

still maintain the “gig line” on my shirt, belt buckle, and trousers
always start off walking with my left foot forward
still use 24 hour time
still use ddmonthyy for dates
still say sir to lots of people
Still shower and shave every day even when camping (I am not fully awake till I have shaved, no matter how long I have been out of bed)

Some of these stem from the fact that I retired from and immediately went to work as a civilian for the Navy, and still have a Captain to report to as a supervisor.

He wants me to call him Larry...no way, can't do it...best I can come up with is skipper, and even that feels way too informal to me. I still struggle with not saluting him when I see him for the first time each day (outside of course), even after 11 years!

Glad you bumped the old thread...I enjoyed it and missed it the first time!

[SaskCampers]

Spent 20 years in the Candian Forces Air Force and I am still working for them. I guess I am in the minority as about the only thing I still do is call offices sir or Mam. I get up at 4:30 every day but that has nothing to do with the military as I either worked straight days in a radar lab or shift work on the flight line or avionics hanger. I still miss the Air Force and actually working on fighters but that was days gone by..

[masonga]

Oh yeah...still roll my clothes when packing for a trip (my wife has broken me from that habit in my dresser drawers).

She does just lay out her clothes when we are packing and lets me fit it all in the suitcase - the benefit of living out of a 7inch deep "coffin locker" and one small hanging locker.

Also, "gear adrift" still makes me nuts (not at home of course - but in the trailer, before it moves everything must be secured for "sea").

[Bill U]

I scout the area I am camping in for two points of egress in an emergency if needed. I follow strict safety guidelines when shooting with family and friends. I salute the flag when the National Anthem is played. I think congress passed a law last year allowing former military to salute.

[dichayer]

I am a Navy Vet and also a member of The Elks. We have many programs for Veteran's. My favorite is a Vets breakfast where we serve all the usual including SOS to several hundred Veteran's and thier families. You can always tell where a Veteran's have been sitting because there is no mess left on the table. This is something that is a great habit left from the military that I like. The local politicals table looks like they want someone to clean up after them.
Dick

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Willis

When going to the movies I still catch myself starting to stand up for the National Anthem.

Unless I am sitting in a vehicle going down the road, I always stand for the National Anthem. Sometimes, that is all it takes to encourage everyone to stand.

[Willis]

Originally Posted by mtnguy

Unless I am sitting in a vehicle going down the road, I always stand for the National Anthem. Sometimes, that is all it takes to encourage everyone to stand.

I too stand when it plays, but in civilian theaters they don't play the National Anthem before every movie!

[EdJunior]

Interesting stuff...and good reading. Unlike many of you, I tried to distance myself from the military as much as I could. Didn't do much good though.

I get up at 0500, but it's to beat the traffic. As someone else mentioned, I worked too much shiftwork and other odd hours, including flying 14 hour missions that totally screwed up everything.

After I retired from the AF, I took on the philosophy "I can grow it, therefore I will". My hair is long (well, not nearly as long as I'd like, but I DO still have to work!), and I have a beard and mustache. As long as I'm able, I will continue to grow both!

No spit shine, no ties, I do still do the gig line (damn that's a hard one to break!).

I do stand at attention and either salute or hand over heart (depending on the venue).

And I do my date/time format in a variety of ways. Just before I retired (in 2000), the military changed the format to YYYYMMMDD. Really screwed me up. I tried to defy it, and managed to retire before it was too ingrained. So I mostly still use the old format.

Now, all that being said, I don't regret a single day I spent in the military (well, there was a rough spot or two), but I also don't regret getting out. Too much was changing, and I found I could just not keep up with it anymore. IT was time to go. I don't miss it, and am glad I did it. But I am a civilian now.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by Willis

I too stand when it plays, but in civilian theaters they don't play the National Anthem before every movie!

OK, gotcha. I now see what you meant. I was wondering about that at the movies.....haven't heard that for many, many years. Of course, I don't go to the movies much.

[Scratch]

Great thread!

Retired USAF since 1997 after 30 years:

Gig line: check
day/month/year: check
Zulu time: check
Shoes shined: check (but I wear flip flops & tennies more these days)
sir/ma'am: check
Up early: check (that way the wife has to make the bed)
Read military history books: check
Stand at attention for Old Glory: check
Daily exercise: check
Maintain military image/posture: check
Respect where respect is due: check
Short hair: check (but I do have some gray grizzle on my face these days)

CCL: check

[youroo]

I love the United States of America! I show the upmost respect for OUR Flag! I dont wear a hat inside a building,or eat a meal with a hat on. I open doors for people, I stop for Furneral processions. I wear a belt and shine my shoes. I made lifetime friends in the Army. I love my Wife! Youroo!!

[jsilvius]

I was never a morning person so when I got out, the 0500 was the first thing to go... I'm still up around 0730, but so is most of the world. PT also died with 30 days to go.

I still do the gig line, I still spit shine my boots, I still stand at attention for the pledge and national anthem (to hell if it calls attention to me, I served the flag and all it represents). I still check for anyone down range and announce the range is hot before proceeding. I scout out the two fasts ways out of any location. I sit with my back to a wall facing doors so I know what is going on around me at all times (drive my wife nuts) I battle park the truck (also drive the DW crazy). I kept the high and tight, but grew a goatee (tired of the baby face comment, but I keep it short). I carry my boot knife and M9 in the truck and I PM everything. I use way to many acronyms. I use sir and ma'am to those of authority.

I fly "Old glory and my Army flag everywhere I go.

[Yukon Don]

I've been out for a long time but it's still a reflex action to remove my hat as I'm entering a bar, restaurant even a coffee shop.
When I was in the Canadian Army, we used to stamp to attention at the door of the mess and remove our headgear before we entered. I eventually had to suppress the stamping to attention part as it:
a) startled the heck out of people
b) caused people behind me to bump into me
c) made me seem very strange to civilians

Sir and Ma'am still come automatically.
As does standing up straight for the national anthem. Or the playing of the Last Post. Or the colours being marched past. Or...

We used to lace our boots in a specific way: left over right, left over right, left over right (reverse for the other boot) as opposed to left over right, right over left, etc. I still do this with my work boots for some strange reason.

And I still -mostly unconsciously -make a point of using only my left hand to carry things -even though it's been a very long time since I've had to worry about saluting someone.

Funny how that stuff gets ingrained into you very quickly and very very deeply.

I was just a 'cold warrior'. In my 6 years in, I never swapped rounds with anybody but I don't for a second regret having worn the uniform.

[jonnys_walkers]

I never served in the Armed Forces, but I grew up in the time when manners were taught. School teachers were called Mr. or Miss or Mrs. People you didn't know were addressed Sir or Ma’am. It was only polite to hold a door open for someone.
Unfortunately in today's society when you say Thanks Ma'am to someone much younger, they look at you like you have three eyes.
Take a walk through the halls of our schools and you will wonder how we got to this point.

[Taranwanderer]

Originally Posted by jsilvius

...I battle park the truck (also drive the DW crazy)...

For those of us who were not in the military (but somehow think we were in a previous life due to our penchant for routine and regimen,) please elaborate on what it means to "battle park the truck." It sounds like something I should be doing either with the Jeep or the TV...

[Rsgtivr6]

-As a submariner, we didn't have much of a "routine" so to speak. You shift to 18 hour days underway and rotate watches on 3 sections of 6 hours so the whole "up at a certain time thing never got engrained. I do find that I sleep best on 6 hours though, lol.

-I have caught myself checking my gig line on my work uniform, however I don't wear a belt often so one less thing to line up.

- Hated DDMMMYY when in, glad to give it up when out.

-Would prefer 24h time, but too much is set on 12h to make it worth keeping.

-I found it is not easy to shine Red Wing Worx steel toed work shoes, DC skater shoes, and flip flops...

-On the subs, we didn't use sir/ma'am much. You don't deal with officers a lot, and when you do its more informal in a small setting. If you call an enlisted "sir" you just get told "I work for a living! It's [Chief/EM1/etc] to you [EM2/EM3/Fireman]!" (only heard that in boot camp, though. If you don't learn after that, you probably should be ASMO'd to week 1)

-I do enjoy military history. Always did though, so don't find that odd after.

-I stand at attention, hand/hat over heart and always have (got used to it with pledge in school from 1-12th grade), so also not odd after service. However, I do get a little angry now at those who do not. I know it's their freedom not to do so, but I have a greater understanding for why it is still disrespectful.

-I do find that I still semi-march when I walk sometimes, I try to keep step with who I am walking with, and call cadence in my head sometimes.

-The biggest thing I still do that bugs even me is my phone etiquette. As a Nuke Electricians Mate, answering phones at the ships electrical plant control panel is pretty much your primary job on a daily basis. I still use phonetical spelling, use "Say again" if I missed something, and once even said "Belay my last" at a drive thru window... If I answer the phone with "Manuevering", I will seek psychiatric help...

-I still sleep on a 2'x6' rectangle at the edge of the queen size bed most nights. Partialy because my GF hogs most of the bed when I do sleep at the same time as her (work different shifts), but even find it the most comfortable when she is not there.

[Len & Cheri]

25 years Air Force and retired in 2006. Last 5 1/2 years as a Deployment Manager for a combat rescue unit. Lots of habits that are even harder to break being back in an active duty unit:

Short hair. Long hair bugs the crap out of me.
Use day, month, year.
Use military time.
Stand with hand over heart for National Anthem.
Still love this country and will defend it until I die.

I do wear shorts and polo shirt to work. No more uniforms for me I do have to wear steel toe shoes when operating the 10K forklift though.