Posted on 01/04/2006 4:45:07 PM PST by SandRat
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 4, 2006) -- Just like the training they receive, Marines are equipped with the gear they need to accomplish their missions.
In addition to the standard issue, however, many Marines seek out and purchase their own gear as a way to make their job easier and gain the edge.
With constant rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan in support of the Global War on Terrorism, many Marines have come to learn what gear works best, both issued and paid for out of pocket.
Marines throughout the Corps recently commented on the gear they rely on to help them accomplish their missions.
INFANTRY
The infantryman is the man on the ground fighting insurgents on the urban battlefields of Iraq and in the mountains of Afghanistan. His gear list is large, but what he requires is necessary.
Lance Cpl. Scott D. Wilson, a rifleman with 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, and a veteran to the fighting in Iraq, explains what a grunt’s gear list should look like.
“What the Marine Corps issues us is good,” explained the 21-year-old from Elkhart, Ind., but there are other things that prove useful, he said.
His unit returned from Fallujah, Iraq in April, where they conducted numerous combat missions. Wilson and many of his comrades relied on gear they purchased to aid them in the operations.
Wilson said infantrymen would be aided by:
-Surefire Flashlights, which cost between $40 and $100 and mount on the M-16A4, are useful for clearing dark rooms because they allow the Marine to shine light in the same direction as he points his weapon.
-Three-point slings “are 10 times better than the regular sling because it allows the Marine to maneuver the weapon more freely,” Wilson said.
-Drop holsters, which cost between $40 and $80 and secure pistols better
than the standard issue holster.
-Aim point laser sights, which cost between $200 and $500 and mount atop the M-16A4 and promote “pinpoint accuracy.”
-Black Hawk and Tactical Assault Gear brand load barring vests, which
cost between $80 and $300 and have multiple magazine and grenade pouches. “They hold more ammo and fit better.”
-Personal knives “fit almost anywhere and are good for easy access, compared to the issued bayonet that’s long and bulky.”
Thanks for this list. I'll check with a young soldier I know being deployed and see if he wants/needs some of this stuff. Maybe Santa has left a thing or two behind for him...
With Pace, a Marine, being CoJC you'd think they'd have an advocate in getting the Pentagon to procure this stuff for the troops - instead of relying on standard issue gear (or going out-of-pocket).
I would take the Eotech over Aimpoint any day.
And, you would think the military would get rid of "head up their @$$ officers" that strut through quarters doing inspections, and insisting the soldiers get rid of anything that isn't military issue..
But, in 9 years of military service, I never saw a single one of these @$$*&((%$ gotten rid of..
In 1969 during ITR, I asked my company gunny if we could take personal gear/weapons to RVN. An emphatic no was the answer.
I wanted to take a Smith & wesson Model 19 as a sidearm.
Man, was I a rookie!
Semper Fi,
I was an infantry officer on active duty for four years. I never made my troops get rid of anything that worked for them or for the platoon. I myself discovered that I suffer from poor circulation in my feet. My first purchase upon hitting my duty station at Fort Lewis Washinton state was a pair of Chippewa Minus 40 insulated boots. Back in 1981 they cost me $150 and worth every dime. I walked literally hundreds of miles in them. Gor-Tex was just coming onto the scene and we bought a lot of that stuff. Fort Lewis is one of the rainiest posts in the nation. If I could get my commission back and deploy to the sand box (I already tried) I'd buy everything I could to either make me more comfortable or more lethal.
You do not deny however, that such officers did, indeed, exist..
DID exist? You mean DO exist! Hell yes! I have known many. The problem is that they're so good at chickenS*** ticket punching they tend to be political and successful and rise to the rank of general! The army is full of 'em. Sure you can spot them when they're lieutenants if they're bad enough, but usually when they hit the magic oak leaves of major is when they reach full strength. 'Course by that time, they're usually not much of a direct threat to the troops. By that time they're usually concentrating on cutting the throats of the officers who serve beneath them...the captains and LT's. You know, the funny thing is that I have rarely seen them in the branches that usually wind up being the trigger pullers. Your experience may be different, but I have seen them most often in the Combat Support or Combat Service Support branches. I saw damn few in the infantry, except of course in the rank of major or above. If they could have a cup of hot coffee and be nice and warm and DRY they were always quick to scream NONREGULATION.... get rid of it!
I am a huge fan of surefire lights, and own six different models.
If anyone wants to get one for a soldier, you can pick one up in any number of outdoor catalogs, like cabelas, and bass pro shops. They are also sold in many police supply stores, survival gear shops, and there are many websites that sell them.
These websites include www.1sks.com , www.tadgear.com and of course, www.surefire.com
Suitable, easy to operate, and affordable surefires for soldiers include the G-2, 6-P, G2-Z combat light and my favorite, the E2D Defender.
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