"Get rid of the pocket Flap Velcro, and give us back our buttons." The US Army did a recent study on the effectiveness of the hook and pile tape-the official designation for the space program invention that has made it possible for youngsters all over the world to delay learning the intricacies of shoe-tying-and that was the verdict. It's not nostalgia that caused the soldiers to desire the ancient fastening technology. Pockets loaded with whatever a soldier needs when he goes into battle strain the fuzzy closures, which sometimes come open at very inopportune times. Like many more complex devices, the dust and sand of the desert tend to clog the press and stick fasteners. Tests show that three buttons per pocket work better in the grime and mud, don't give-off a tell-tale "RRRRRIP" sound when opened, and cost tax-payers about a buck per uniform less to boot.I'm apt to do a STTA, when some news item gives the right stimulus, about sentimentally holding onto something from the past too long, after modern technology offers a better way.The point is: Nothing is either right or wrong, or better or worse, just because it is older or newer. Closures on combat uniforms ought to be judged on the basis of utility. Other issues or objects have their appropriate metric-being old or new is not it. If you love the patina that only comes from decades of use, or if you enjoy the smell of new, go for it, as long as something more important-like keeping a pocket secure--isn't involved. It's STTA