The Grant Boys
All the war stories our parents told us — all the war movies and military-themed TV Shows we watched — would have meant nothing if it weren’t for the Grant Boys in Costa Mesa, CA.
Yes we had seen the war on the screens . . . but at the Grant Boys you got feel it — reach out and actually touch it.
*Don’t bother watching the above video. The Army/Navy Surplus Era - Circa ‘58-’62 only gets a brief mention at the 5:11 MARK- Unless you grew up in Southern Orange County, like I did.
Before there was Vietnam, before Dive School, and long before I ever put on a uniform, there was the Grant Boys.
To adults, it was an Army/Navy surplus store. To young boys like me, it was a gateway to adventure. The aisles were packed with canteens, web gear, field jackets, packs, and all the treasures left behind by an earlier generation of soldiers. It was also where I bought my Levi's, which somehow seemed to fit right in with the military gear and rugged atmosphere of the place.
We weren't thinking about war. We were thinking about the next battle in the woods, the next mission across a vacant lot, or the next backyard campaign. Looking back, those stores were part of a larger culture that quietly connected our generation to military service long before Uncle Sam ever came calling.
How many of you spent time in the Army/Navy Surplus stores?
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