Task & Purpose reports that “wars are fought and ultimately won by the troops who slog through grime and uneven ground to take the hill. One of the most important and easily overlooked pieces of equipment for that service member is the combat boot.”  

“Injuries caused to frontline troops due to poor footwear has been recorded as far back as the 1700s, notes a Department of Defense report on cold-weather footwear. During World War I, the brutal cold coupled with the issued boot’s poor insulation led to countless bouts of trenchfoot among American soldiers and Marines.”  

“In some cases, injuries resulting from inadequate footwear were so debilitating that some World War I veterans continued to seek treatment for their feet, more than 30 years after the war ended in 1918. The damages caused by inferior footwear continued during the second World War II with foot-related injuries reported from every theater.”