I found this on the S2 Company's website - what a hoot! Slight modifications and comments by yours truely - my comments are in [ ]. Originally contributed by MSG Kevin Gainey. 8)

You are an Old Soldier if...

You know what GDP meant and still remember where your's was and how long it took to occupy.

You remember when we had tactical nukes and really planned to use them [not to mention what their model numbers were and how to assemble them].

You remember spending hours in MOPP4 and doing M256 kits.

You remember when the M8A1 Claymore and the M72A2 LAW were part of CTT.

You remember when ARTEPs were 36 hours and you had fun.

You remember when Carl Vouno was CG (8th ID(M)) and Max Thurman was head of recruiting command.

You know what Gamma Goats and Goers were and could fix an M151A2 to run off one prop shaft.

[You remember the M880 series trucks and what a relief it was to turn them and the Gamma Goats in and get the new CUCVs instead.]

You remember when the Israelis were bad asses and we all wanted to be like them.

You remember when Airland Battle was a new concept, and everyone religiously read 100-5.

You remember going to the Club at Graf, drinking, and watching Margaret perform.

You personally know Margaret.

You know the difference between the AN/VRC46, AN/VRC47, AN/PRC77 and AN/GRC160 and the requisite installation kits.

You know what a CEOI is and you can [still] encrypt grids [and use the transmission authentication system].

You remember when NTC was a new and cool concept.

You remember when it was real cool to go to SAMs or be an OC at NTC.

You remember when as a new LT/CPT you could go out and train your soldiers and not have an OC tell you how screwed up you were [your sergeants did this].

[You were trained on, and can still use (and may even still have), TFTs, GFTs, GSTs and the TI-59 calculator]

[You remember Freddy FADAC and when TACFIRE and BCS were introduced]

You remember BN Cdrs and 1SG's who were Vietnam Vets.

You remember Bn Cdrs who drank, swore and mentored their junior officers.

You remember Bn Cdrs who were ruthless about tactics, but didn't give a crap about admin BS.

You remember when 2LTs and CPLs demanded respect from PFCs and got it.

You can navigate at night without a GPS [or know how to use a paper map and a magnetic compass].

You can remember OPDs about Clausewitz (aka dead Karl) which usually ended with beer drinking at the O' club.

You can remember when lanes training was a neat concept.

You can remember when FM 25-101 was a new concept [or that it started as Battalion Training Management System and only later became ATMS].

You can remember when the defense budget was 7% of the GNP.

You can remember when the main battle area was the only fight.

You can remember when everyone's career track was 10 years in Germany with 1st Armored Division at Ansbach [or the 3rd AD at Freidberg, Butzbach or Kirchgoens].

You remember when the Soviet Union was a major super power instead (albeit the Russian Republic) of being a basket case for the IMF.

You could remember studying German concepts like mission tactics, and commander's intent and it was cool.

You could remember reading military history and it was in vogue, and going on staff rides because the Chief of Staff of the Army did it.

You could become a S3, XO, BN Cdr, or Bde Cdr without being Resident C&GSC graduate.

You could remember BN and BDE Cdr's who were proud of being "non-resident" C&GSC guys.

You could receive a couple of "2-blocks" and it would not force you to look for employment on the outside.

You did not worry about OERs as a lieutenant.

You remember when privates bragged about the challenge they got in basic training, and how tough their drill sergeants were.

You remember when Sensitivity training was something your wife did.

You remember when Values Cards meant credit cards.

You remember when officers did not need values cards because they practiced values everyday.

You remember when going to the Pentagon was not cool and did not help your career.

You remember when power point was what a private did on butcher paper taped up on a board with "hundred-mile-an-hour" tape.

You remember when you could say hooah, because the Chief of Staff of the Army said it.

You remember when being hardcore and a warrior was cherished.

You remember that going to ranger school was cool and not for career progression.

You remember that more than one company command was what studs did.

You could remember that going to Korea was like going to the field for twelve straight months, and only the hard-core guys extended.

You could remember when you could maneuver anywhere you wanted in Korea and it was not a big deal.

You could remember when "maneuver damage" was paid lip-service.

[You know what the term REFORGER means and actually deployed on one.]

You could remember when you could "Major" in ROTC.

[You remember when the Army Reserve had combat arms units (IN, AR, FA, ADA and Attack Aviation) instead of only combat support and service support units.]

[You remember when the Army Reserve and Army National Guard only spent 15 days a year on active duty instead of 365]

[You remember when the US Army Field Artillery had 4 calibers of cannon artillery, 2 different missle systems and no rockets]

[You remember when the Abrams, Bradley and MLRS were developed and replaced the M60A3, M113A2 and M110A2]

Good one.

Heard several different version of it before. (In Norwegian...)

OH Dude, If you are telling me that the Norwegian Army sent units to Graf and that you, or other Norwegian soldiers, remember Margaret too, I am going to totally loose it! Talk about your proverbial 6 Degrees of Separation! I clearly remember her, even after 16 years!

Originally Posted by Gunner13

OH Dude, If you are telling me that the Norwegian Army sent units to Graf and that you, or other Norwegian soldiers, remember Margaret too, I am going to totally loose it! Talk about your proverbial 6 Degrees of Separation! I clearly remeber her, even after 16 years!

Nope, I don't know what you are talking about, so we probably didn't....

I'm thinking you would have to be an old soldier or even a soldier to understand any of these jokes.

I don't know for sure about that Margaret, but I do know about Maggie's drawers on the firing range...

Acerbus: Nope, Margaret was a dancer who used to entertain the troops at the Officer and NCO clubs at Grafenwoeher - and many generations of soldiers will remember her very clearly. She was (is?) an astonishing performer - amazing what you could do without ever taking anything off.

diplomatic_means: You are probably right, much of that post can be considered an "inside joke" - utter nonsense to the uninitiated, but howling funny to those "in the know".

I think that this topic was getting way:
So I split the posts and put the rest in the military discussion forum, under "Israels Army....."

holy crap you could major in ROTC??? I WANT TO DO THAT!! stupid History major ()#$*#@&$&*(!@#()@*#)!...........

Redleg: Yeah, I do believe you are correct on your assessment (darned if I know how it happened - that guy Sherman 105 can sure post in a fast and furious way - can't he ). So thanks :!:

ckim715: What do you mean "...stupid History major...."? My own dear wife majored in History while earning her commission thru ROTC (and at a Jesuit run university too).

Studying history helps you appreciate how far we have come in the march of civilization and how difficult it has been - not to mention the major role that armed force (and old soldiers) have played in all of it. It is a completely honorable filed of study, unless the dark side of liberal/socialist idiocy seduces you (kind of hard to earn a living in some fields with though).