My uncle got me some new 'Nam style jungle boots at the px at Fort Worth JSB, and he told me that back in Vietnam, they used to issue guys steel sole boots, that had a sole reinforced with a steel plate, as punji stick d-fence. Is this true, it sounds logical, but I can't figure out how a steel plate in the sole would work. My uncle is kind of a BS'er, plus he wasn't even in Vietnam, much less the Infantry, much less combat, but he was in USAF at the time.
This Site Might Help You. RE: Steel sole combat boots? My uncle got me some new 'Nam style jungle boots at the px at Fort Worth JSB, and he told me that back in Vietnam, they used to issue guys steel sole boots, that had a sole reinforced with a steel plate, as punji stick d-fence. Is this true, it sounds logical, but I can't figure out how a...
The steel plate in the boot was about 5 cm long and 2 cm wide, it was located in the midsection of the boot sole but did not cover the heel. Prolonged wear, the humidity and soakings eventually caused the steel piece to break out of the mounding in the inside of the boot and cause blisters.
The issue of steel soled boots in Vietnam did actually happen. The steel plate is in the mid-sole, to prevent punji sticks (or other sharp objects) from penetrating the boot if you stepped down on them. These bamboo or metal spikes - often coated with human excrement - were placed in shallow (camouflaged) pits dug in the ground or sometimes under water at places where you'd ford a stream. Quite apart from the physical injury from stepping on one, there was a high risk of serious infection from what they were coated with. Originally the steel plate was issued as an insole to go inside but that give the soldiers blisters, so later the boots were manufactured with it as part of the sole. Steel toe-cap boots containing a mid-sole plate are sold today for use by builders and construction workers who have a similar risk of stepping on nails, screws, glass, etc.
