Military traditions of the grunts

[Insidiator]

I was watching the film "letters from Iwo Zima" and I had a strange thought, watching the uniforms of the soldiers: When I served, there were traditions (not formal) that the soldiers held. For example, older soldiers would tie a knot at the back of their caps, counting the months they had served. It was informal and had to be hidden from the officers who didn't like the "desecration" of the uniform. Anyone that has served and knows of similar traditions? Another such tradition, e.g. was tearing the back of ones cap, the more you had served, the more torn the cap was. Not really important, just curiosity.

[AKM]

1. Iwo Zima?  Where is this?  Perhaps Iwo Jima?

 

2. Never served but I've done a lot of research on military matters.  You know, I assume, about the "short timer's" calendar from Vietnam?  Where they'd cross off each day as one day closer to their DEROS.  More than one put that calendar on their helmet.  Not much the brass could do about it later in the war when morale started slipping and discipline along with it.  Few brass wanted to get fragged, though some still managed to act in such ways that they did.

 

Swagger sticks were big with the brass.  Kinda a "been there" status symbol, I guess?  Not 100% sure on the meaning of such things, but I know the grunts hated that sort of thing.

 

There's a tradition(ish) at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland for the leadership course where the instructors put some object at the top of a spire, then grease the spire, and the cadets have to go get it.  The only way to do it is to form a human pyramid, the epitome of teamwork.  I believe they do that fairly early on to try to show them that as officers, they really can't get anything done without their men, and just how important teamwork is to achieving seemingly impossible tasks.

 

On completion of a USAF pilot's last combat flight (100 missions if flying up north, usually), he was greeted by either the crash truck or buddies with a bottle of champagne and "hosed down".  Obviously with reduced pressure on the truck's pump.

 

In some places, Con Thien (Vietnam), comes to mind, getting wounded was such a high probability that it became mandatory that after three wounds a marine was removed from the field, weather he wanted to be or not.  I can remember a reporter telling of a man there with a rather slight wound who was balling his eyes out.  Not because the wound hurt, but because it was his third and he'd be forced to leave his buddies.  Not really a tradition, either, but...