The most essential piece of equipment when marching is shoes.
That's why the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) has the only cobbler employed by the U.S. government.
Paul Plaisance, a 12-year Army veteran who served in the 10th Mountain Division and 25th Infantry Division, is originally from Louisiana. Today, he works on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, where he hand makes customized soles for every pair of shoes The Old Guard walks in.
Entering his fifth year as The Old Guard's cobbler, Plaisance is proud to see his handiwork treading what many consider hallowed ground, as part of the uniform worn by Tomb Sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (TUS) in Arlington National Cemetery.
"All of my shoes are pretty much at every fallen Soldier's ceremony," said Plaisance. "I'm the only one who makes the shoes."
Those shoes also walk the halls of the Pentagon, and are worn by Soldiers who stand guard at the White House, he said.
Shoes fall into a few different categories. The average Soldier wears what Plaisance calls regimentals. Tomb Sentinels have their own type of shoe, and chaplains wear their own modified version.
Plaisance had been working with heavy equipment at Quantico, Va., before taking on the job as cobbler for The Old Guard; the former cobbler held the position for 25 years before she retired shortly before the last presidential inauguration.
"There was no one doing this at all, and there were 300 pairs of these that had to be built," said Plaisance. "Over sixty Tomb shoes."
From chaplains to the newest assigned private, Plaisance builds shoes from the ground up.
While Soldiers in other units wear rubber-soled Corfram shoes, Plaisance modifies the shoes extensively to create The Old Guard's specialized regimentals.
At the factory, a contractor adds pieces of oak and leather to the soles so tacks will stay in place.
Then, Plaisance adds steel, horseshoe-shaped "toe-taps."
Rectangular steel plates are drilled into to the instep of each heel.
"Every shoe is a little different," said Plaisance.
Before drilling, Plaisance has to modify each steel plate with a hammer so it sits flush on the side of the heel.
A larger, horseshoe-shaped piece of steel is tacked to the base of the heel. The tacks are small, and the process is awkward. Adding the base heel plates requires Plaisance to put the shoe on a stand, lift, pull the shoe toward him, and hammer the tacks into place.
The maneuver took a lot of practice to master.
Early on, Plaisance would often strike his fingers instead of the tack, he said.
Tomb shoes are even more labor intensive. While Plaisance can now modify a pair of regimentals in minutes, creating a pair of Tomb shoes is an arduous, 19-step process and takes a week.
The process must go perfectly, or the shoes can be ruined. A small knick from sanding the sole on the 18th step will cause that shoe to fail its final inspection, he said.
To meet the demand for regimentals and Tomb shoes, Plaisance maintains a large stock of custom materials, sourced locally from companies in Falls Church and Roanoke, Virginia.
"If we are low on that but have plenty of shoes, it doesn't really matter," said Plaisance. "It's like not having a complete uniform. You can have a blouse and pants but no hat or shoes, it takes everything to make everything work."
At his fastest, Plaisance said he can produce 25 pairs of regimentals in a day. In a single day, 50 pairs can walk out the door with a class of new Soldiers graduating the Regimental Orientation Program.
Despite the challenges to keep up with the demand, Plaisance receives a high amount of satisfaction from his job as the only cobbler in the U.S. Army.
"Every time you see a (member of The Old Guard) in uniform, my shoes are there," said Plaisance. "It gives me a good feeling."
Spc. Brandon Dyer is assigned to the 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Public Affairs Office. He can be reached at usarmy.jbmhh.mdw.mbx.tog-pao@mail.mil.
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