I'm posting this for a friend of mine who gave me "A LOT" of support while I was in Iraq.

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Guys:

As you may or may not know, my son, Jake is slated to be shipped out to Afghanistan in the very near future. The Army in its infinite wisdom has seen fit to give the guys the new vests - thank God - but somehow have not designed or allowed for enough ammo pockets, so the call is going out for anyone who has some old LBE/LCE type M16 ammo pouches that they can spare for the troops. If you have any that you can spare please send them to me and I will take care of forwarding to the boys. Thanks for your help on this.

H. J. Pries
Stanley, Lande & Hunter
900 U.S. Bank Center
201 W. Second St.
Davenport, IA 52801
E-mail: hpries@slhlaw.com
Web: www.slhlaw.com

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If you could pass this around the web to wherever you think it genuinely might do some good, I'd appreciate it. This man helped me quite a lot during my deployment in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq, and I'd like to help his son out if possible. Unfortunately, I have none of the magazine carriers he needs. If you do, and you can spare them, please help his son out by sending them to the address above.

Thank you so very much for your time and consideration.

Russ

I have a few extra and will pass them on to him. I know what it is like to not have what is needed in a combat zone and its not fun.

Russ, I dont have any extra LBE gear, but I'll check and see if our supply guy has had any fall off the back of the truck as of late.

However, if you'll forward them, I'll send him care packages from time to time. I've been lucky that my unit hasn't gone anywhere yet, but I know how much those packages mean to troops in the field

With this type of gear available anywhere on the net and mail order. Is this really an issue,or just somebody looking for a fuckin' hand out. US Cavalry has this shit on sale right now.



I've got extras I'll send,but I'm sure as shit not going to send them to a fuckin' attorney with a couple grand worth of website,that wants a free hand out,because he's to cheap. Post another address thats direct to people needing this equipment and not some fuckin' attorney.

Yes it is a problem, there is simply not enough gear to supply everyone with everything. From flashlights to web gear, and mags everything is in short supply.

It is so bad that the soldiers deploying through and from Ft Bliss are getting only 2 sets of DCU's instead of the normal 4. That may not seem like a big deal but combat ops tend to destroy uniforms pretty rapidly. Being a naked combatant cant be fun. Another huge shortage is Camel Backs and sunglasses. Give these guys a helping hand and make life a little better for them.

"getting only 2 sets of DCU's instead of the normal 4."

Wow, the 1st MarDiv packing list for OIF has only 2 sets of Digital Deserts and one set of Digital Woodlands on it, along with 2 sets of tan boots. So far we are only being promised one of each set of digitals and one pair of tan boots before we activate and may not get the rest issued, meaning we will have to pay for them out of pocket.

There seems to be a lot of bitching going on about not getting enough/proper gear, and I will admit that I have Marines who still do not have the MINIMUM issue of field gear. But, my take is that our WWII brothers lived and thrived on a lot less than we will ever consider having. Read Marshall's The Soldier's Load and The Mobility of a Nation; controlling how much our combat soldiers carry is a huge leadership issue.

Bob

I have deployed before and we have been "promised" that our shortages would be taken care of in country. I am sure you know for yourself what really happens after that. My point being that if they dont get the gear now before they deploy chances are they will never see it. And getting 2 sets of clothing to last an entire 12 month deployment is pretty hard to do. As far as purchasing desert gear, it is pretty tough to find around here. Personally I learned early on that Uncle Sam doesnt always issue what is needed and have purchased enough clothing and TA50 to cover whatever the deployment may call for. Almost any soldier with any time in has aquired a good amount of gear. And just because previous generations of soldiers have had to get by with next to nothing doesnt make it right. I believe in doing all I can do to make sure my soldiers have all they need and then some.

I agree, and up until 3 years ago I had plenty of gear... Then along came MOLLE (and to help make up shortages for lost gear among my platoon I gave away most of my old ALICE gear for gear exchange), tan boots (black boots are no longer authorized starting this October), and digital cammies (1st MarDiv is not allowing OIF-2 units to bring old style 3-color desert uniforms because we have to look different from the Army). So we are stuck trying to buy gear that is simply not in the surplus system yet, boots that are currently being made by nobody (change of contracts) and uniforms that only one company makes (they must have the little EGA's in them, not the Tru-Spec knock-offs) and everybody is trying to get. Go figure...

My comment on WWII stands though. In 1991 I learned how easy it was to live out of an ALICE pack (that had a poncho liner, 3 chows, and my CPOG in it most of the time), my helmet, flak and LBE, and half a seabag (the other half was needed for my sleeping bag). The OTHER SEABAG of gear that went to Camp Lejeune with me got packed up and left behind. I just got done packing my gear IAW the 1st MarDiv list and I have about 1/3 of my seabag left yet, I even added 2 sets of civvies just in case I get to go on vacation. We Americans tend to take a lot more with us than we truly need, deciding what is needed and what is wanted is a leadership challenge.

Going back to the original issue of not having enough mag pouches... I would think the young troop has enough for 6 mags plus one in his rifle. I suggest he look in his MOLLE pack (if that is his issue ruck) there is a bandolier in there that will hold 6 more mags. If he doesn't have a MOLLE pack just grab a bandolier and throw it over his neck, it's worked in the past.

If you get over there, and to our young man on his way to Afghanistan, I wish you luck.

Bob

I've probably got a few stashed I will send out this weekend.

Gunny Bob.

Marshalls book is excellent, to bad most leaders today haven't read it. I spent a lot of my time in Airborne Recon and LRSD and the tendency to weigh soldiers down with to much gear is a constant problem. Every time I see those grunts carrying those huge rucks it makes my knees ache more than usual.

JD

Hi, Russ! Long time no see. You coming to drill someday soon, or are you going to burn your entire 90 days?

I still haven't ordered my lower receiver, yet.

Peace.

I'm going to burn the entire 90 days, 120mm. Good to see you.



RMK, you've been on ignore since I learned how to ignore Carmelo. I'm sure whatever you posted was your usual vile commentary.



The rest of you with offers to help, the request is legitimate. I agree, though, our comrades in arms of earlier conflicts made do with a lot, lot less than what we have today.



If you want to send things to me, that's fine, I guess, but I'm just going to take it over to this kid's father anyway for him to send it. Whichever. The main thing is for the kid and his buddies to get the stuff.



For folks who are currently in OIF and don't even have the full basic load, I wish there was something I could do to help. I was able to buy a lot of things for myself, but I was working in a main headquarters and had access to the Internet. The vast majority of the meateaters do not have this luxury, so their immediate needs are rarely addressed immediately.



If you'd rather send me things for Jake (this man's son), PM me for an address and make sure you mark on whatever you send "For Jake." I'll take it from there. Otherwise, you can contact Mr. Pries for his own address. Either way, he'll be the one who gets the stuff to his son and his comrades. Mr. Pries helped me out while I was in Iraq and I thought I'd try to help his son out as best I could.



Thanks, folks.



Russ

Russ,

I've got 500+ 11B friends headed for Afghanistan(? depending on circumstances I'd imagine) in a couple of months. What exactly do the troops there think they are lacking? A little heads up might help.

Russ probably has some better ideas, but I wouldn't go back without good magazines. Most of the M16 magazines work okay, I guess, but I've seen too many bad magazine failures. The M9 magazines don't work at all, from my experience.

You never have enough socks, or gloves. Some kind soul sent me a pair of light tan leather work gloves, which worked better than black in that environment. The socks need to be all-cotton; my feet won't tolerate anything but white, 100% cotton socks in that heat.

It's been said before, but hard candies are a pain; unless you can find some that are chocolate flavored. Chocolate is my friend, and if your soldier doesn't like it, they can give to others. The problem is that chocolate doesn't travel, at all from May to October. Some chocolates are more durable than others.

Real mosquito netting is very small when packed tightly, and the army was issuing this fake crap that didn't work when Russ and I were there.

Swiss-Tech has a beautiful little cheap multi-tool that is a pliers, phillips and flat-head screwdriver.

Batteries. And don't forget replacement bulbs for mini-mag lites.

Flashlights. Little cheap, some even disposable flashlights. Sooner or later, everyone loses are breaks their flashlight. I gave away around 1000 flashlights over there, as my hometown promotional companies kept shipping them to me, and still people were coming up and begging for flashlights.

Female comfort items. Basic makeup, lotions, etc.. Someone else from this site sent me a box of women's magazines, makeup and health and beauty aids; I thought they had slipped a disk, but for about 30 seconds, a crowd of females descended upon my area and took every single one of those things.

Dry-lube!!!!!! I was using graphite, even though I know how badly graphite attacks the alloy receivers on our weapons, because that's what I had that worked. Any other kinds would be welcome as well.

120mm,



The Beretta mags don't work? News to me. Are the mags you're referring to contract purchases? Any particular makers? Of course those would be marked as they would be post-ban but do they have the makers' marks like the AR mags? CRS has struck on this one.



Socks, gloves, etc. are old news. I'm thinking of new (since Jan 2001) things that they might need, not stuff that soldiers have been needing in the field forever.



Dry lube is a good one to remind them of. I think their final check before deployment is at Polk. Given the weather down there they might not think of it.



I know what you mean by bad netting. Some nights everything seems to be on the inside with you instead of the outside!

Quite right, about the magazines. It was a major, major problem. I ordered Wolff springs for all my M9 magazines and for my M16 30-round magazines. I saw many, many failures with the M9 springs. It isn't that they wore out, they were just plain bad to begin with. The replacement spring for the M9 magazines, at Brownells, is 969-000-053 for the three-pack; for the 30-round M16 magazine, it is 969-609-060 (also for a three-pack).

Frankly, small screwdriver sets, hex wrenches (both English and metric), duct tape, nails, paper clips, CLOTHES PINS (!!!), and all kinds of things like this are needed. Multi-tools, such as from Gerber and Leatherman, are also damn handy.

If you forced me to pick just three things I'd want, it'd be toilet paper, wet wipes, and magazine springs.

Russ

I got my hands on some of the Militec last time I was over. I was very impressed. The key to it working was to apply like the instructions say. It isnt worth squat if it isnt done right. After a couple applications I never used any type of lube again and it was a breeze to keep clean. It worked especially well on the magazine springs and inside the mag bodies. The stuff is available through GSA and the NSN are listed on Militec's website.

I also carried a couple Bore Snakes. One for my M4 and one for my M9. They come in pretty handy. As someone else listed earlier a pair of lightweight tan leather gloves are awesome over there.

Some have asked for Jake's address. I just got back from Alaska and here it is. Sorry I didn't get it posted earlier.

From his Dad:

"Here�s Jake�s address � they ship June 1.



SGT Pries, Jacob J.

4003 GSU

HHC 168/Engineers

North Fort Hood, TX 76544"

These guys are pulling out soon. Anything you can send to them NOW, in the way of dry lube and "sprays" and such, they can take with them. Once overseas, getting any aerosols will be virtually impossible.

If you send anything, please make sure you include your return address so these guys and gals can write back to you. Most of them will. Please, don't be upset if you do NOT get letters, though. Lots of people aren't much for writing "paper" letters. That's true in the civilian world and it's true in the military. It does NOT mean, however, that things you send are unappreciated. Just believe, in your heart, that what you send will be appreciated by a soldier going in harm's way. That's really the best you can hope for.

Anyway... now you have an address, those of you who asked.

Take care.

Russ