Vietnam Combat Boots

A Look at Vietnam Military Boots

Combat boots were not always around and have not always been used by the United States military.  In fact it was really not that long ago that the practice of using combat boots became essential.  There were some previous versions of the combat boot that were worn throughout battles in the past including those worn by the Roman soldiers.  However the modern combat boot first took off during the Vietnam War.  Vietnam combat boots were essentially the first modern combat boots that were made in a similar fashion as today’s combat boots.

During the 1960’s at the height of the Vietnam War the United States military began working to develop new boots that could be used by the soldiers who were stationed in Vietnam.  There were many special considerations that had to go into the development of the Vietnam combat boots.  The boots were made to be rugged.  At the time these boots were only available for the soldiers who were fighting in the war or training to fight in the war.  These boots were originally not available for civilians. 

Vietnam combat boots had to be able to withstand a variety of environmental elements.  Some of these were that the boots needed to be waterproof.  This was necessary as the soldiers were required to stand on their feet in swamp like jungle conditions while in battle.  Due to this there were a number of foot problems that occurred because of the soldiers having feet that were wet too often.  There was also a lot of rain in Vietnam which made for conditions to continuously be wet and overall for the feet to need protection from water. 

For Vietnam combat boots to be successful they also had to have a special layer adapted at being able to keep feet dry.  This means that there was an additional moisture protection against the feet’s own natural sweat.  This is due to the fact that Vietnam is not only wet but also very warm therefore the feet were often sweating.  Another addition to the boots was to make sure that the soles were rugged enough to not be penetrated.  There were a lot of plants in the jungle that could poke feet when walking through and this could cause a lot of problems for the soldier as well as some of the shrapnel that seemed to be around the soldiers much of the time. 

The different tactics in war that were deployed meant that the soldiers had to be more aware of their surrounds and able to react on a quick impulse.  This made it essential that the Vietnam combat boots be solid and capable of keeping the soldiers feet protected while still offering enough flexibility for the soldiers to be able to run and maneuver very quickly.  The addition of ankle supports and special materials made this possible.  The boots were made from materials that allowed for maximum movement while offering maximum protection from the outside elements.  These boots were developed with the soldiers in mind and were also made to be comfortable.  With the addition of cushioned socks the soldiers were actually quite comfortable while wearing the boots.