Vintage Military - Part 49

Veterans Day

Today is Veterans Day, originally called Armistice Day.  World War I ended 105 years ago on Nov. 11, 1918 with an armistice, or cease-fire, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  Today we take a moment to honor all the veterans who served our country.

There are still a lot of Vietnam veterans around who remember what that war was like.  Above, from a 1967 photo set called "The Cavalry Moves Out in Vietnam" by LIFE photographer Co Rentmeester, we see a jury-rigged shower.

In another 1967 photo, the same arrangement, this time attached to the barrel of the tank, serves SP4 Craig Mills of the 11th Cavalry during Operation Junction City. 

Soldiers fool around for the camera in 1968.

This is called "Laundry Day, Vietnam" by photographer Steve Curtis in 1968.

Those bucket showers seem ubiquitous.  Here's a Signal Corps video of a guy in the 25th Infantry Division taking a bucket shower.  You had to be quick, before the water ran out.

However, Vietnam being a jungle, there were alternatives.  This 1970 photo shows a guy taking a waterfall shower near Khe Sanh.

From Vietnam we jump two decades to the Gulf War.  This photo by Peter Turnley shows soldiers showering at base camp in Saudi Arabia in 1990 as forces built up for the invasion of Iraq.

We end by jumping back to World War I, whose armistice gave us Veterans Day.  I recently found this photo, described as "naked soldiers in World War I, France."  But unlike other photos of naked soldiers, what this incredible photo documents is a bit more than just guys relaxing or showering.  It really shouldn't surprise us.  Our toys have changed in 105 years, but men are still the same.