Question for Iraq/Afghanistan vets

[Stamos]

My nephew just graduated from Paris Island (Recon and made sharp shooter). He gets ten days off then it's off the Camp Lejeune for more training. He is going to be deployed to Afghanistan after that.

My question is: What one item can I get him that isn't supplied by the military that will be of benefit to him while he is there? I can spend around 200-300 bucks.


Please, no stupid ass remarks about how you feel about the war or such.

Thanks

 

[AMCM Disco]

Guys we flew in-country carried a couple cases of silly string. Helps find trip wires while clearing houses, etc... oddly enough, tampons were issued by mistake to some guys, but turned into lifesavers for the stop of blood flow and swelling they do in bullet holes.

If he's got time and the inclination, Arabic language tools are a great help, everyone looks the same out there until they pull an RPG from under their cloaks!

 

[msggunny]

Good question. First what unit is he going to?

You said he had the recon option, when does he complete the indoc? If he just graduated from PISC he still has SOI and then the recon pipeline to complete.

Wait until he gets to his deploying unit, most of the units out there issue a lot of good stuff and the stuff they dont get he will ask for by name. The "old salts" will let him know what works and what doesnt, otherwise he will most likely be like every other young Devil Dog and want everything and then find out later and after a lot of spent money what actually works.

Otherwise you could invest in a good MP3 player for him, the kind that plays movies too.

 

[Stamos]

Thanks guys. I think I will wait a bit until he gets with his unit. The MP3 play idea sounds very good.

Yes, he is going recon. Being the young buck that he is, he is very gung-ho.

I am super proud of him for making it through Marine boot camp.

He had fell in with a bad group of kids and was heading down the wrong path. Luckily he saw the light and decided to get his shit together before it was too late. atriot:

 

[Eliot]

If he's got time and the inclination, Arabic language tools are a great help, everyone looks the same out there until they pull an RPG from under their cloaks!

Arabic won't be of too much use in the Stans though.

 

[Ballah06]

Arabic won't be of too much use in the Stans though.

Pashto or Dari if you going the language route, pm sent.

 

[Eliot]

Books... I know he's enlisted but it pays to know who your fighting and the people who live there.

The Bear Went Over The Mountain and The Other Side of the Mountain

Each book recounts the Afghan War of the 80s using anecdotes from participants. You get the Soviet and the Muj perspectives. Its useful tactical material.

Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia

Ahmed Rashid wrote the prescient Taliban and he remains the preeminent Pakistani journalist on anything AfPak.

I'd also suggest David Galulas - Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958 and Bernard Fall's Street Without Joy along with Hell in a Very Small Place. Something on Malaya might be useful as well.

 

[Devildog01]

Thanks guys. I think I will wait a bit until he gets with his unit. The MP3 play idea sounds very good.

Yes, he is going recon. Being the young buck that he is, he is very gung-ho.

I am super proud of him for making it through Marine boot camp.

He had fell in with a bad group of kids and was heading down the wrong path. Luckily he saw the light and decided to get his shit together before it was too late. atriot:

Good for him.The Marine Corps will definetly help you get your shit together.And an mp3 player and or ipod is a must.

 

[pschuler]

My cousin really likes his playstation portable for down time when he is overseas.

 

[WAAPMAN]

We loved portable DVD players, you can get those for under $100 , but that was before those Ipod movie players. We would pass around movies so there was always something to watch.

 

[p m]

A jacket (something like this).

During the first deployment, we bought ourselves these jackets, and everybody was asking how come we were issued those and others were not.

(disclaimer: I am not a IQ/A'stan vet).

 

[Ballah06]

A jacket (something like this).

During the first deployment, we bought ourselves these jackets, and everybody was asking how come we were issued those and others were not.

(disclaimer: I am not a IQ/A'stan vet).

Dude, hes in the Marine Corps, cant be wearing that stuff, although its niiiiice.

 

[chris snell]

Porn.

No, seriously.

 

[ArmyRover]

ok since I'm there currently,

A good small flashlight, doesn't have to be surefire etc. just something that can take a beating and uses standard size batteries. The key being it uses AA AAA we can't get our hands on the crazy battery sizes over here to easy. Some of them have a switch to use a red led built into the light those are handy sometimes.

MP3 video player is very good.

A good quality medium sized folding knife, or a good multi-tool. Both are exceptionally handy.

If he wears glasses a set of perscription, ballistic eye protection is awesome. I have a set of willey x's that have the foam seal to stop the sand from getting in with my perscription and the transitions lenses and standard lenses. Great when the sand starts kicking up as most of the shit the army gives you doesn't fit worth a shit when you wear glasses. Or it comes with inserts that make you crosseyed.

Here is what I have with my perscription
http://www.wileyx.com/EcommSuite/ProductDetail.aspx?ActivityCode=TACTICAL&SeriesCode=175&ProductLine=200,SG1&ItemCode=77

Tubes of super glue are handy to for sealing up cuts.

A net book so he can keep in contact with home to a larger quanity of the fobs have internet, you can pay to use or free in some cases. Keeping in touch with home is a great thing.

 

[p m]

Dude, hes in the Marine Corps, cant be wearing that stuff, although its niiiiice.

Because of the ACU pattern, or something else?

 

[ArmyRover]

ACU pattern would be the big thing. They wear a different style than we do.

Of course from the Marines I've run into over here they like us are issued those now.

 

[p m]

ACU pattern would be the big thing. They wear a different style than we do.

Of course from the Marines I've run into over here they like us are issued those now.

Reason I asked - RJoe's store near Ft.Benning seemed to have all sorts of camo patterns, including Marine.
Good that somebody finally caught up with the weather patterns there.

 

[msggunny]

Don't worry, he will get plenty of "snivel gear". Fleece that he cant wear because it shrink wraps its self to you when it gets hot (explosion fire hot) , Gore-Tex top and bottom, etc.

Don't buy him anything that he doesn't ask for, and if your not 100% on what it is ask. I know from experience.

Asked for some under armor shirts, dad sends me a black one with a mesh back for running. Cant wear it, we wear green.

Told my mom i hate Slim Jims. What does she send me? A gigantic tub of them.

Anyways.

The knife isn't a bad idea, but i have 3 Gerber Multi Tools from my deployments that you all (tax payers) bought for me.

 

[mjbrox]

Books... I know he's enlisted but it pays to know who your fighting and the people who live there.

The Bear Went Over The Mountain and The Other Side of the Mountain

Each book recounts the Afghan War of the 80s using anecdotes from participants. You get the Soviet and the Muj perspectives. Its useful tactical material.

Descent into Chaos: The U.S. and the Disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Central Asia

Ahmed Rashid wrote the prescient Taliban and he remains the preeminent Pakistani journalist on anything AfPak.

I'd also suggest David Galulas - Pacification in Algeria, 1956-1958 and Bernard Fall's Street Without Joy along with Hell in a Very Small Place. Something on Malaya might be useful as well.

get the audio version for that mp3 player

 

[vansdonk]

Powder!!! Couldn't get enough of it.