9 comment(s):

• Myself and Wikipedia are at a loss in defining Coloframs. ?
  
  

  By  Unknown, at 2/10/2005 11:09:00 AM  

• leather shoes with a permanent shine - corofram is the brand name. They are mostly worn by Chairborne forces that think spending 5 minutes to shine your shoes is just too much effort.
  
  

  By  Anonymous, at 2/10/2005 11:38:00 AM  

• Like Kleenex is to facial tissues, Corofram is a brand name often used to denote a product category, in this case reflective vinyl shoes made to look like high gloss polished patent leather shoes.
  
  It is perhaps so obvious a statement as to be bordering on the obtuse to say that an army travels on its feet. Inspecting the footwear of the soldiery is just as important as making sure their weapons are in good working order. Requiring the soldiers to smear a mixture of lampblack and beeswax or carnauba on their boots to preserve the leather and keep it water tight has long been of a universal rule. Polishing your boots to a high gloss also long ago moved from utility into the stylistic fetishism of military inspection regime. In some circles, coroframs were the next step.
  
  In one organization I was a part of, you could not get pass inspection with a rating of "outstanding" without wearing coroframs. That was just the rules. One guy I knew actually had the inspector ask him if his shoes were leather or coroframs. They were shined to such a high gloss that the inspector couldn't tell. When he said they were leather he got a "pass" on his inspection. No outstanding means no promotion means no increase in pay and decrease in crap duties like picking up trash. My feet are more sensitive to heat and humidity than is average. Once I had to stand at attention for over an hour, on black top, in the sun in those stupid shoes causing my feet to swell and actually bleed. I think the military would keep a lot more talented people if they could move past more of that brand of idiocy.
  
  SD
  
  

  By  Scott in Washington, at 2/10/2005 11:51:00 AM  

• Sometimes I still feel naked without a hat on outside. I'll catch myself, and then realize I'm not in uniform.
  
  

  By  Kasmira, at 2/10/2005 11:54:00 AM  

• When I go past a mirror I still catch myself making sure my gig line is square and I still cut the bottom o of my sideburns even with the bottom of the tragus. I've been out for seven years now, so I suspect this will remain a life-long behavior pattern.
  
  

  By  Scott in Washington, at 2/10/2005 01:10:00 PM  

• Ever notice how scott just like to throw out BIG FAT IRRITATING Words, to confuse the reader. YEAH, TRY LIVING WITH HIM!
  
  

  By  Anonymous, at 2/11/2005 10:22:00 AM  

• Quote "Polishing your boots to a high gloss also long ago moved from utility into the stylistic fetishism of military inspection regime. In some circles, coroframs were the next step."
  
  Not quite true in my assesment. I've worn black leather footwear for most of my adult life and I can assure you of one thing - leather deteriorates much more quickly if it doesn't have a protective coating. Case in point: My original set of navy issue boondockers (round toe chukka style work boots) lasted me for 2.5 years. I wore them and polished them pretty much every day. After a while the sole started to go smooth and the lining started to come apart but the outside looked really good, almost brand new. I finally was issued a new pair and gave my originals a burial at sea somewhere between Hawaii and San Diego. I wear black leather boots in my current job (8 times a month) and shine them about once every two months, if I'm bored. I've gone through 6 pairs in 8 years with one tenth the total wear time.
  
  Fanatisism over Utility? I think not. Having a layer of wax on the shoes definately does serve a practical purpose. It is true that coriframs caught on big becuase they meant the wearer didn't have to devote as much time to the maintenace of their footwear, but it didn't change the physical properties of cow leather.
  
  I'd also like to point out that I like soup.
  
  SD1
  
  

  By  Anonymous, at 2/13/2005 02:59:00 PM  

• I like soup too! What a coincidence!
  
  Don't get me wrong. Lining up the troops to check that they are putting a good seal on their boots and keeping their uniforms in good shape is a very good idea.
  
  An example of the "fetishistic" behavior I was referring to would be the chairborne ranger who went to jump school many years ago and is therefore authorized to wear jump boots who comes to his office job every day in low quarters but on inspection day takes the mirror polished jump boots he keeps wrapped in diaper cloths out and hand carries them to the inspection field before gingerly putting them on and mincing over to his spot in line, careful not to flex the toes and thereby getting a faint crease in the shine. Thats just silly.
  
  

  By  Scott in Washington, at 2/15/2005 09:34:00 AM  

• I always check my gigline too.
  My bed also always has 45's on the corners and I will sit there and retie my shoes if they aren't inboard over outboard.
  
  

  By  mikofthewat, at 8/06/2008 09:23:00 AM  

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