I rec'd this from a Jarhead bud of mine.  Not sure if it has been posted here yet:  If so, my apologies.  It's from a USMC site but orginally written by an Army officer.  VERY good info for all of us.

Of special note:

1. Weapons lube in the sandpile

2. Effectiveness of the Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle:  [b][i]“My spotter positively identified a target at 1400 meters carrying an RPG on a water tower.  I engaged the target.  The top half of the torso fell forward out of the tower and the lower portion remained in the tower.”---325th PIR Sniper[/i][/b][shock]

3. Effectiveness of the different pieces of personal protection/body armor

4. Worthlessness of the M9 pistol

5. Our troops bought tons of "better" stuff on the open civilian market to take into battle such as boots, camel backs, tactical slings, sun glasses, knee pads, bore-sights, Sure-Fire lights, gloves, t-shirts (no shit!) etc.  (So...WHAT my friends is WRONG with this picture?...PLUS, I am VERY impressed with our soldiers knowledge of their warfighting craft!)

6. They liked the ACOG (I do too!)

7. The soldiers liked the USMC issue boots better than their issue stuff.

8. The soldiers liked the M4 over the M16A2

9. The soldiers used their own GPS systems

[url]http://www.2ndbn5thmar.com/oif/oifequipmentll.htm[/url]

Good job guys!

Our guys dont get paid enough as it is.  They shouldnt have to pay out of their own pocket for gear.  It is nice to hear the Armed forces are getting some of the things right, and I think its a great improvement and they should be commended for it.  But they still have some room to improve.  They need to get refunds from Camelback! But they didnt say if they were shot or dumped out of airplanes at 5,000ft.

I agree and would prefer to sell the stuff direct to the government when those chances arrise; but it is a tradion in the US Military going back hundreds of years that motivated professional soldiers buy articles of equipment that will make them peronsally more comfortable and more effective at their jobs. No matter how much the government buys, there will aways be something better that comes along that Joe Snuffy will adapt to his needs while in  uniform. How do you think I interested in what I do for a living now?

My analogy: Plumbing contractors should buy the best tools for their employees and Mr. Good Wrench should provide the best tools for all of the mechanics that work in the garage; but a really motivated professional in any occupation will always take the initiative to have his own set that is better than anything the 'boss' would pick out. That is the core definition of 'professional'. I am proud that we have young men and women in our military that are motivated and professional enough to seek ways to do things better, even if it comes directly from their own pockets. Any other nation can only wish for such citizens.

Heck, we should have a "groupbuy" for our guys. We could get the tshirts or something for them. I have a brand new extra surefire that I would love to give to a grunt.

Good read.

Thanks.