A good friend of mine 11 yrs my senior went through AF boot in about '54 and said his first issued shoes were brown. Guess they spent hours removing the finish and were given black dye to comply with issue regs. The uniforms of that day did peg the suck meter.
Guess it could have been worse. Can you imagine running around the flight line wearing... bell bottoms?
The uniforms of that day did peg the suck meter. 
