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We carried M84 Stun Hand Grenades. Carrying 7 of those seems ridiculous (besides, our entire Company was only authorized 12 - pet peeve). I'm guessing the flashbangs are smaller? Or is this guy...

I'm guessing these were the terms that seemed unclear. You can google the translations for photos.

SAPI = Small Arms Protective Insert
Basic Load = varies by weapon/unit; often shorthand for "7...

Army looks to lighten load for Soldiers in Afghanistan

When I was a cadet preparing for jump school, we were told that every morning we needed to do 10 pull-ups prior to the start of PT (true) and that if you could not perform 10 pull-ups with perfect...

That was the beauty of operating from a patrol base. I did travel to a FOB after being in theater for a few months and encountered what you speak of, but it didn't apply to patrols within our AOR. On...

1. No ID card because we had ID tags. The ID card is less durable, so if the ID tags are unreadable, then the ID card most likely will be as well. Besides, if things get that bad, the Army has our...

Regarding the list posted by Fitz...

The Iraq load differed as such...

For the worn items - we didn't carry the ID card or wear elbow pads; so long as each patrol element had a notepad, pen,...

I didn't realize it did. Did this occur in 2008, after I ETS'd? We frequently did this in 2005 during cordon and search operations conducted at night whenever we were able to infiltrate the objective...

I think we're largely in agreement and you raise a few more good points.


I recall getting a call one night when I was acting S-3 (in garrison) because our hand grenades were dropped off at the...

We may be neck and neck there. I don't have the exact dates. I took a shower in Kuwait in March 2003. My next was in June - at a car dealership in Baghdad. That was one funky uniform.


On most...

I don't think it's a matter of "getting soft" or forgetting anything. What takes more time?
a) Locating, procuring, filtering, and chlorinating water
b) Bringing water with you
Answer: depends on...

This thread seems to get more generalized with every post.

Humping 140 pounds everyday up 15,000-foot peaks for 12 months? I'd say something is wrong. And I think that was the issue that began...

Are we saying that more/proper training...
a) will reduce the need for so much gear because we won't need it to be effective
b) better physically condition Soldiers so that the weight is not an...

If combat were long periods of intense physical activity such as that engaged in on an obstacle/assault course, punctuated by brief periods of inactivity, then I think that performance on such a...

I remember a Pentagon briefing, several years ago, when the MOLLE gear was first being introduced and the latest ruck was being modeled. A spokesman on the podium said something to the effect of,...

I think that addresses the medical concerns, but not always the tactical ones. I understand some ODAs had good experiences with them. But I can't imagine that working well for the types of missions...

I think that where the weight is carried is very significant. Years of humping a 60 to 120 pound ALICE pack - before the advent of the interceptor or SAPIs - always sucked, no matter how much...

1. If we're talking about the weight carried on Soldiers' backs, then I agree that we need to find ways to reduce weight. Climbing around mountains with 85 pounds of gear on your torso, plus a full...

I think the usefulness of that observation is limited. If we kill 100 Taliban in one day, our adversaries don't lose much sleep. If we lose 5 Soldiers in one day, it imperils public support for the...

There is also the issue of agility. In our zeal to turn every Soldier into a walking fortress, I think some lose sight of the fact that our doctrine and tactics are about taking the fight to the...