As I flipped through the latest issue of Army Times the photo on page three caught my eye.  It features Army SSG Estrada supervising a Philippino SF soldier wielding a loaner US M-4A1 carbine.  Okay, M-4's are getting pretty common today - in fact the whole 25th ID now fields according to the scuttlebut - but what caught my eye was the suppressor.

That M-4 was wearing the usual RAS handguards, light system and dot sight; however it was also wearing a Vortex flash suppressor.  

I guess I just can't get over my previous existence as a common leg, but is it now common for our soldiers to outfit themselves according to their own wishes?  Is this just an SF thing or is this practice common throughout the entire Army today?  

Long gone are the days when my platoon sergeant threatened us with "If I catch it on ya and it ain't issued ya... I'ma gonna kick yer a$$!"  We didn't sport Hollywood looking camo pattern on our face (read: tiger stripes) and we didn't add or subtract anything from our issued weapon (okay, sure, we had to "tab" our mags, but that was all).

No flame, just asking [:)]

Garand_Shooter,

I guess things are changing.  Back in the "Reagan Army" we set up our LBE's according to unit SOP, carried all sensitive documents in our left chest pocket and humped what was issued.  Yes, we cut those stupid dividers out of the 30 round ammo pouches, but that was simply illegally "modifying" an issue item.  I guess things have changed.

I always took for granted the fact that SFer's had a lot of latitude in uniform, equipment and weaponry; but the whole accessorizing thing just caught me off gaurd.

Schnert