when I went into the Army in 1973, one day while at the rifle range the Drill Sargent announced that when we returned to the company area, we all had to rush into the barracks, put on our poplin shirt, black tie, Class A jacket, and our saucer cap, go to the latrine where the photographer had set up back by the showers, and get our picture taken. A couple days before graduation, we given the National Defense Service Medal and ribbon, and the packet of pictures. I think about $30 was docket from our pay for the pictures.
When I heard about the Rather controversy, I figured that was exactly how he had gotten the picture in uniform.
At Ft. Knox, in the summer of 1973, we were marched to one of the old WW2 buildings, like we lived in while in basic, were told to find a shirt, jacket, and hat that fit, put it on, with tie, and get our photograph taken. As you we got the packet at the end of basic and some amount was deducted from our pay for it. I still have the photo from the packet I gave my mother all those decades ago and she kept in a frame in her house.