Posted: 1/12/2007 7:02:04 PM EDT
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Ok heres a few more questions. I have alot of MOLLE Gear,(TT Mav, Lots of pouches, ETC. ETC.) will i be able to use this down the line if i am deployed, (Keep in Mind im going in on a ranger contract) Or will i be restricted to Issue gear? Im asking because i would like to know if i should give some of it away to my brother before i go in or if i should hold onto it. Also will i be able to have my firearms in on base houseing? or should i safely store them away? Thanks |
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Use of personal gear is strictly a unit commander's call. There are no regulations that tell you what you can and can't wear for field gear. A lot of the commercial stuff out there now have a NSN and can be ordered through the supply system, if you commander authorizes it. I've had good luck using high quality gear that looked like issue gear. Keeps anyone from even asking. What you'll find in the conventional Army for the most part is "everyone must dress the same" policies and leave little room for personalizing your gear. You can get away with a lot if you wear it like everyone else in your unit. I mean to say, the Army issues ACU molle but you can get away with Blackhawk ACU or other brand pouches if you wear them in the same location as your unit field uniform policy dictates. I wore a Eagle brand Enhanced LBV for about 10 years before anyone noticed. I had 2 issue LBV fail on me and one was in combat on a mission. The threads came out of the shoulder strap and was holding my rifle in one hand and my LBV in the other. Never let that happen again. Down range, commanders have been very forgiving on the gear as opposed to being anal in the field at home base. Always better to ask forgiveness than permission. |
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If you are married and live in on post housing, you will be allowed to store them there after you register them with the Provost Marshall's Office. If you are single, buy a quality, heavy, safe and store them in a self-storage unit off post. Then insure the piss out of them. Your unit commander may let you keep them in the arms room if you live in the barracks, but everywhere I've been the policy was, you had to return it the same day. Can't keep it in your room overnight. Here in lies the problem. You have to convince the armorer to work on a weekend, signing in and out your gun. When I was a 1SG, soldiers with POFs in the arms room, stored them there and never drew them out to shoot. Too much hassle. It is really cool having a gun range on post with no membership fees required and open all weekend long. Almost every post has a "public" shooting range for soldiers to use. |
That was a great piece of gear, and even the most "nothing better to do" SGM types never seemed to noticed it. The double layer mesh with zippers to use as pockets, the extra mag pouch capacity - ahh, yes. That was a big deal in the days of yore, before IBAs and all the resulting chaos of uniformity these past several years. Every once in a while someone would notice the drag handle on the back, though. |
| I loved the 8 mag capacity vs the 6 mag issue vest and I used the map pouches for everything to include maps. Perfect for smuggling things through customs (so I'm told). I'm retiring because I don't want to be one of those ate SGMs withe nothing to do but nit pick uniform issues. I can't in good conscience enforce rules I think are stupid and fly in the face of common sense. |
You must have missed lobotomy day at Biggs. |