When I was about 10 years old I had my own set of fatigues which my parents had purchased for me at an army surplus store. In my quest to make it more authentic I wrote a letter to the U.S. Army asking for more information on their system of ranks and what clothing a soldier wore. They responded by sending me a booklet titled "Your Army 200 Years," published in 1975 on the 200th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army.