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My father, a military man, told me that the Army would supply the GIs with combat boots. When the boots would wear out, they soldiers would present them for rep
by skookumchuck 9y ago
My father, a military man, told me that the Army would supply the GIs with combat boots. When the boots would wear out, they soldiers would present them for replacement.
They had a high replacement rate. So they switched to a system where the GIs were given a clothing allowance to be spent on boots. What they didn't spend, they could keep.
The replacement rate for boots dropped in half.
- jschwartzi 9y agoHow did the rate of foot and ankle injury change after they instituted this policy?
- skookumchuck 9y agoNo change, and the boots were still presentable for inspection.
- kamaal 9y agoIt just means with this new policy people stop using combat boots for every day use. I remember our college had a policy of free boots and uniforms for NCC cadets. While the uniforms were passed on from batch to batch, boots weren't. Cadets presented boots totally worn out and often asked for replacements. What was happening? People were using boots for every day use hence far higher wear and tear. Anything offered for free is generally abused this way.
- skookumchuck 9y agoMy father got angry with me for scuffing my feet while walking - it would wear out the front of the shoe. So instead of buying me new shoes regularly, he said I had to pay for the shoes. I still wore the shoes every day, but I stopped scuffing. It's the same thing. I've often heard people say "it's a rental car, what do I care" while treating the car badly. Ex-rentals have poor resale value. The same goes for hotel rooms, free housing, etc.