Load Out

[mpdranger10]

A bit of advice from the overseas gods, if you please. Without getting into OPSEC issues, what sort of gear/kit is best for overseas TDYs? I'm mainly wondering if there is a standard "A" bag/"B" bag that most guys take or is it something you just make up as you go along? I'm anticipating a 3-6 month jump to an exotic locale and want to be reasonably prepared. I am aware that there are some issues with weapons and other assorted toys, depending on the agency and the country, but I'd definitely NOT want any answers relating to that here. Side note: I've deployed before as military, but never as an 1811. Any advice is appreciated, but if anyone has any poop on customs deployments, that would be especially welcome.

[bars2badge]

Go with the pelican cases. Very sturdy and reliable for travels to interesting places.

[Sandles2Sidearm]

Sent you a PM

[Dog Off Leash]

A note on OPSEC: None of the following is a violation of OPSEC/COMSEC. This is just stuff that I learned to bring with me as a military member, and stuff that my civilian pals going over there on contracts have suggested. What your individual unit/department/whatever issues is for you to know - not us. Take what applies to you from this list and leave what doesn't.

Gear:

I'm not sure what kind of armor you've got or your company/dept. will be issuing you out, but make sure you've got good armor and a good carrier.

Paraclete & Diamondback Tactical (google 'em) both have good armor with carriers that will accept various pouches. Completely modular, so you can change your set-up as situation dictates. Oh - ALWAYS WEAR YOUR ARMOR!!!! LEAVE THE PLATES IN THE ARMOR!!!! Folks have died for not doing it. Nuff said.

One could assume you'll be using some type of AR system - Ar-15, M4, etc. Get yourself some quality magazines with the magpul self-leveling followers, and you're good to go. If you're bringing your weapon with you, Pelican cases are the heat. If you need reccomended optics/mounts, shoot me a PM and I'll try to help you out.

Set yourself up a good blow-out kit. Not a band-aid box, but a good first aid kit with dressings, bandages, Quick-Clot, etc. Attach this to your first line gear and carry it with you EVERYWHERE. Designate it by either using permanant marker or stitch a patch on to the pouch. Know how to use this in the event of an injury.

Glasses/goggles: If you wear glasses, bring at least 3 pairs. Find a good sturdy crush-proof case for 'em. Carry one extra set on your gear, another in your bags. Getting replacements while overseas can suck. As for goggles, bring a good pair with you. Contacts are a No-No! Desert sand + contacts = misery.

Gloves: Issued military style flight gloves or Hatch Shorty Operators

Night Vision. If you're not going to have access (and I don't want to know if you will or not, you make that call) bring yourself a set of NVG's. Either the PVS-14's or the AN/PVS-7B's. Photocopy the reciepts, laminate the copies, and stick them with your important information.

Knee pads: bring a good pair.

Water: ALWAYS carry water on you, even if it's readily available. Camelbaks are your friend.

Flashlight: Bring at the least one good Surefire and spare batteries. Better yet, bring two.

Tactical holster for your sidearm. Go with the Safariland 6004 series, especially if you've got a dedicated light for your pistol.

Hat: Don't forget a good hat. Keep that bright sun off your face!

Knife: get a good-quality folder, and carry it with you. You don't have to be Rambo, but don't head to the 'box with a 30 dollar pocket knife either.

Clothing: The 5.11 tactical pants are great, if you're not going to have a dedicated uniform.

Boots. Make sure they're comphy and will hold up. Color don't matter - they'll be sand colored by the end of a few days.

Mindset

Prepare yourself mentally. You're about to enter a war zone. Remember that ALWAYS.

If you don't have some serious training under your belt on how to use your weapons to the fullest extent - GET SOME. You don't need to be a high-speed/low drag SWAT operator or Navy SEAL, but don't go over there without some advanced training on the AR/M4 series of weapons at the least.

If you've got a military base around you and can get some familiarization with the heavier weapons (SAW, M60/M240, M2, etc), then go for it - even if you can't get live fire in with these weapons, get the familiarization training. You never know when this may come in handy.

I'll post more as the thoughts come to me.

Good luck, stay safe.
Phil

[bars2badge]

Phil, just read your list. Very thorough. Thanks.

[MikeD]

A little less tactically-oriented, but here's a few things to think about for general overseas travel:

As far as water goes, always have a purifier of some sort available...at least iodine tablets (or just an eyedropper bottle full of clorine bleach, which is IMHO better than iodine and doesn't taste bad) if not a filter or filter/chemical combo purifier. Local water can be dodgy.

Matches are good to have, a lighter is better, but you can't legally bring a lighter on the flight.

Personal comfort items like a sleep mask (keep it from your flight) and maybe an inflatable pillow, and earplugs can make you money if you're sleeping in odd places at odd times.

Space blanket is a necessary addition to the medical kit, but is useful for many things, so have a few...nothing wrong with using and saving one for comfort if you have a few to spare and you're in a crappy place for sleeping.

Depending on your sleeping arrangements, a thermarest camping mattress can be a godsend and they pack down nicely. Likewise, civilian sleeping bags can be incredibly light and packable, esp. the kind that are adequate for sleeping indoors, unlike the military modular system...they make even the light green bag look like a heavy, bulky, inefficient monster.

Battery-powered travel alarm clock and a digital watch alarm. I have a cheapo $30 Casio that does all world time zones, which is nice...many nicer G-Shock models under $100 do this as well.

Battery-powered mini-shaver is a nice asset as well.

A plastic bag with some laundry soap can be a huge help and doesn't take up much room.

And if you're not into MP3 players yet, get one with a large memory...it's a great comfort item and will give you a nice soundtrack for those off-hours. Don't ever forget a camera, either, even if it's just a few disposables.

MD

ed: underarmor/polypro-type synthetic shirts and bottoms can be useful, too, under normal clothes, helping you get more wear out of them with less washing.

[Browning]

Lots of good info guys -- thanks. I don't mean to hijack the thread but had a couple questions. I have an opportunity to head over there in contract capacity for a private sector firm. I won't be involved in security or other "operations" of that type of nature but am curious if anyone has recent experience over there. My obvious concerns are safety, threat of civil war, etc. I have some contacts there now but communications security is a problem so we haven't been able to discuss too many specifics. While I realize it IS a war zone and threats are everywhere, I would like some reassurance that working over there is not a suicide mission. I'd be working primarily in the Green Zone and will be armed and armored so at least I'm not defenseless. I'd like any opinions/ feedback those with some recent experience might be able to offer. Thanks.

[bars2badge]

I'd be working primarily in the Green Zone and will be armed and armored so at least I'm not defenseless. I'd like any opinions/ feedback those with some recent experience might be able to offer. Thanks.

Working inside the Green Zone is the best deal in Iraq. The security is very tight (far from perfect) and your primary threat is from indirect fire (mortars and rockets) rather than suicide bombers, IED's and as&$#&*'s with large knives. It's by no means Manhattan, but the insurgents have been largely unsuccessful with launching attacks inside of it. My honest opinion was life there is not bad. Only one successful bombing that I know of (Green Zone cafe last summer). This thread offers real good info on what to bring. Best of luck.

[HawkDrvr]

Granted it has been awhile since I was there...but here's a reminder...it only takes one mortar to ruin your day and until they build a cage over the zone your at risk. The security was also tight around a certain chow hall in Mosul right before it was blown up. When I was there we came under repetitive mortar and rocket attacks. Not to mention everything you go through to get there and get out. FOBs to the north are still coming under daily mortar attacks. Is it a suicide mission...no; but make sure you educate yourself on the risks before you head over there preferably by talking to folks in your company who are in the exact location you will be going to...not saying this is your driving factor either but the money isn't always worth it.

I've lost some of my soldiers and contractors who worked over there with us. Is it getting better...I believe so but do not kid yourself if you think you'll be safe just by working in the Green Zone.

If you take the opportunity best of luck. The odds are in your favor statistically but after I have spent time there I have turned down several opportunities to go back even though the money was very tempting..on the flip side I have friends who have gone back. I think it all depends on what you see when your there as to your take on whether or not it is worth going back voluntairly.

All the best.

[Browning]

Bars2badge and HawkDrvr I very much appreciate your insight into the environment over there. I currently have a buddy there that I'll be working with so I'm getting sitreps from him. Due to OpSec and communications I am unable to get all of the info but enough to know I'm not walking into scout camp. He describes the situation as bad and getting worse in the run-up to the election. Hopefully the election this weekend goes well. I am also helpful a good election will stack the odds against a civil war. That is one of the biggest "worst case" scenarios in my mind. I realize mortars, rockets, ieds, etc. are always a threat. To some degree I just have to leave that in God's hands as to whether those will impact me or not.

As an aside, my role there would be as Operations Manager and basically an "overhead" type position where I'll be responsible for reporting, logistics, acquisition, some business development, etc. Kind of a "jack of all trades" position to start. To start it will be cleaning up a lot of messes and getting the house in order so the ops guys can better do their jobs. I don't want to make this a crystal ball type question but do you think this type of position bodes well for the future either back here in the States or a future international position? Primarily, I don't want to take a postition that will put me there for a year or two only to have narrow options on my return or when I decide its time to move on to something else. Personally, I see a lot of positive but invite anyone with some knowledge/ perspective to play devil's advocate here.

Thanks again for a great thread and some very useful info.

[HawkDrvr]

As an aside, my role there would be as Operations Manager and basically an "overhead" type position where I'll be responsible for reporting, logistics, acquisition, some business development, etc. Kind of a "jack of all trades" position to start. To start it will be cleaning up a lot of messes and getting the house in order so the ops guys can better do their jobs. I don't want to make this a crystal ball type question but do you think this type of position bodes well for the future either back here in the States or a future international position? Primarily, I don't want to take a postition that will put me there for a year or two only to have narrow options on my return or when I decide its time to move on to something else. Personally, I see a lot of positive but invite anyone with some knowledge/ perspective to play devil's advocate here.

Thanks again for a great thread and some very useful info.

You have posed a very difficult question without knowing exactly what type of work you'll be doing...but from what you have provided...keep in mind if you excel in developing operations in 3rd world countries/combat zones then you might be setting yourself up to get more jobs in 3rd world countries/combat zones. However...you will most likely learn more in this job then any other you have done due to the difficulties you will face. Particuarly when it comes to doing more with less in time and resources not to mention the challenges of doing work in any foreign country. I would imagine the difficulties you will face will lead to excellent resume builders for future use and will most likely change your life forever just from having the experience of being there and seeing history as it happens. My perspective though is from having been there with the military doing very, very different types of operations then what you will most likely be doing.

There are many great things going on in Iraq right now and I look forward to seeing what happens in 5, 10, 15, 50 years from now.

Best of luck; enjoy the ride your about to embark on.
All the best.

[bars2badge]

If I gave the impression that the Green Zone is a "cake walk," my bad. My third day in country a Russian-made rocket impacted only 40 feet from where I was standing. Luckily there were no deaths just injuries. Unfortunately regularly the insurgents lob this stuff into the Green Zone, but luckily for the most part they miss. But, this is a part of the life there and YES it's a helluva lot safer inside the Green Zone than outside of it. Having traveled regularly OUTSIDE of the Green Zone, I'm well aware at how often the FOB's are hit (it's damn near impossible to catch two hours rack time without sprinting to a bunker) ...and each time, I thanked Dear God above that I made it safely back in the wire. The Green Zone is not Disneyland, but if you're working in Iraq, you won't find a better deal, especially if your job does not require you to travel.

[HawkDrvr]

The Green Zone is not Disneyland, but if you're working in Iraq, you won't find a better deal, especially if your job does not require you to travel.

Agree!

As for the mortars/rockets and running to the bunkers....we used to judge them 3 ways....1. you might hear them...they are close 2. it may shake your tent...take notice they are very close..maybe pull some more body armor over you (not sure how that one works now that everyone has trailers) 3. it shakes your cot.....crawl to your nearest sandbag wall!

As a quick side note...the Army "failed" to let us know when they moved 155mm self-propelled Paladins onto our FOB to act as counter battery...the first time those SHOOOOOOK our cots I think we all thought the world was ending...until we realized it was OUT going! It took a few seconds at 0400 to realize what was going on when your woken by a mix of explosions...thankfully the big ones were us shooting back!

[SigGuy552]

We all bought a s#*%load of wetwipes...those are the best.