Publications: U.S. Marines in Battle : An-Najaf August 2004 irp.fas.org/doddir/usmc/an-najaf.pdf Battle for the City of the Dead: In the Shadow of the Golden Dome, Najaf, August 2004 by Dick Camp (Author) amzn.to/3uU8Fwt Check here for good deals on gear: linktr.ee/brent03315 Lists of books on small unit tactics: www.amazon.com/shop/brent0331 **This website sells a lot quality reproductions of vintage camouflage patterns**: onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1608
6:11 fun fact When he showed up on his boot drop to the battalion, they cut short his machine gun training, like the rest of 2/3 0331/0352 that went to CAAT B. We were already in Kuwait at camp Inchon three weeks away from War. Imagine showing up at the infantry school three weeks away from going into combat with no fleet training. They’re still fucking amazing in my books. W 1/4 CAAT B TOOTH
If any of you haven’t seen the USMC museum in Quantico, Virginia, you definitely need to go there someday before you die. I would dare say it’s one of the greatest museums showcasing the honor and bravery of our military, of which the Marines wonderfully exemplify.
Yes, in fact, their unit was near us during the invasion. If you watch my video with SgtMaj Archambault (USMC ret.) covering what we did during the push, he talks about them.
*Teenage Dirtbag firefight flashbacks kick in* but in all seriousness thank you for your service, hard work, and dedication to bringing us videos likes this. It’s crazy how most of us were children back during the early 2000’s. Watching many of our close relatives ship out to Iraq/Afghanistan. I had family KIA in Ramadi and Fallujah. You’re a walking history book man.
@@Brent0331excuse me, you mention wearing deuce gear on the outside of the interceptor. Would wearing it on the inside, and then putting the interceptor on top, be functional? Or should the deuce gear be external only?
@@thoughtlessroamerFLC is designed to wear over armor. I assume that it's taught without armor in BCT because not everyone will need armor. Do they teach differently in advanced training? Pardon . me, not a Marine and kind of old.
2004 Iraq was a vibe for sure. Thanks for sharing this. Weather you realize it or not this will prove to be of great historical value and is something to be treasured.
Thanks brother, I do realize it. I took my time making this video and didn't want to rush it. I probably spent a year plus acquiring very hard to find items for it. I just wanted to do justice for our Marines. S/F!
the early stages of the iraq war was peak coolness. something about that mix of modern stuff and cold war stuff thats just beautiful... then UCP came in and ruined everything
EPIC work SGT. MAJOR! OOH-freakin'-RAH! Your dedicated service and extended history lessons will not go unnoticed! The Beirut barracks bombing (my 9/11) turned me to service - our boot camp Marine Corps Drill Instructor was infantry there. I landed in the mid -80's Marine Air Wing (MCAS El Toro) but left years before Saddam invaded Kuwait. I did have service friends that were involved in the Gulf War. Your war pics are extraordinary - you were young and like too many - spent your youth in war. Glad you made it back - Semper Fi!
Maaaaan this takes me back, I was right at the end of the transitional period for the Army going from BDU to ACU ('05 to '08- OIF V), got a whole mess of that stuff still haha. By the way-- Spec-Ops Brand gear is still in business!!! Thanks for the epic overview vid brother!!!
@@Brent0331 Still do ;) I had one of their Rigger's Belts up until like a year or two ago when it finally crapped out lol, local tactical store/ gun store retails some of their stuff too, and their website is still active (while not a big catalog, all good stuff of course). You got me wanting to pull out all my old gear and doing a vid overviewing what I had at the time too hahaha, I don't have nearly that much stuff accrued but I've still got some of it that I had bought or got to keep.
Awesome video, Brent! That's a great idea. Wish I had an IOTV and an M68CCO, but you have all the little pocket stuffers as well. Maybe I'll do one for 11bs in 2009 in Baghdad.
10:02 -- Okay so, speaking as a civilian, it's really starting to piss me off how often the military is forcing you guys to buy your own mandatory uniforms 😡 Providing proper clothing for all battle environments and in all patterns FOR FREE is the least the USMC should be doing for your service!
@@brandonaddison1037 -- That's horseshit. Service men and women are not being paid enough as it is! You shouldn't be forced to buy your own uniforms 😡
Another great video that everyone can learn a lot from Brent. On a side note if SHTF ever in USA or NTX, I want to learn and will fight with him. He is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank Brent for keeping us, Americans safe and, being a BADASS MARINE.
Appreciate it brother, it very much did and I doubt this video will ever generate the amount of revenue that I put into it, but for the sake of history and our units legacy, I wanted to do it right.
Outstanding, Brent! We use to learn a lot more with all those explanations about the gear marines carried during that mission. Just like a documentary, piece by piece. Greetings from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇺🇸
What an amazing presentation. All of your long form gear and history videos have been excellent, but this one was probably my favorite. Hard to beat the details coming from someone who lived it- and kept so many of the original pieces! All of the reference photos were fantastic, and it was really neat getting to see the guys from interviews with warfighters all together and with their gear. I can definitely see how you probably ended up on a few gear rabbitholes trying to find all the necessary pieces, but you did an excellent job bringing it all together. This gear is a part of history, and thank you so much for sharing it, just as you've facilitated the sharing of the individual stories of the men who carried that gear.
I know the anguish, I got a bit nervous as well when I got to my new unit (I’m an 11B) and none of them had been forward, they learned quickly though. I was also in the Gulf War (101st ABN) and we got hit with Iraqi artillery but our counter battery fire took them out in 20 minutes.
Brother, could you believe a Captain talked sht behind my back about my usage of goggles over shades? I heard from another Marine that the CO was throwing a small fit over me using goggles. He had asked if I forgot my eye-pro, I said no, showing him the shades I had with me. He asked why, I told him I prefer goggles. And that was enough for him to go talking to others about me. And here I see a ton of combat Marines wearing goggles in the fight. Wow. As you said…Big on uniformity…
I’m a retired Army 11H/11B that was in the Gulf War and OIF 1.5 (19 May 03-7 Jul 04) and we were sent to FOB St. Michael’s (I was in 2-6 INF, 1st Armor DIV.) and relieved the Marine unit there, I believe it was 2-2 Marines, but not sure, apologies for my ignorance, it was a long time ago. FOB St. Michael’s was a bitch, hammered almost daily. We had to go rescue the police departments now and then in Sadr City and we tore up a guy with an RPG trying to sneak up on us as we were downloading my Bradley from the HETT, when he got too close the gunner climbed into the turret, switched on to battery power and cut the RPG guy in half with the 240C. My buddy got hit with 3 RPG rounds that day and none detonated, they’d always forget to pull out the safety pin tab from the round nose cap. The Iraqis were always high on some sort of drug and they did STUPID things that got them easily killed. The Bn didn’t lose anyone on that operation which was great but the next deployment in 05-06 wasn’t so good.
I had that absolute same Spec Ops recon wrap in three color desert that I bought in the PX for OIF2. I wore it on our convoy from Kuwait to Balad and wore it over my face as we passed through the black pouring smoke from the refineries that smelled like burning tires. I still have that thing somewhere and to this day if I smell it I can still smell that burning tire smell of the refineries in it.
Thanks for the epic "Junk on the Bunk". Did you know the Corps had a Boot Repair Unit at Camp Pendleton Main Side staffed by Marines in the '60s? They were deployable but we were issued Jungle Boots and replaced when they blew out. I wish 1st MarDiv had given us a handbook in RVN. Maybe that was a lesson learned. We were taught a two-person casualty drag...grab the man by the two underarms and drag. Thanks for sharing. Great job.
I've been in the army for 10 years, but my father was a contracted KBR medic, he was at the battle of Najaf. I don't even ask him about it, every time he says Najaf, it carrys weight. Now I know why. Much respect for the older GWOT gen, from a younger Gwot vet
As a U.S. Army Infantryman from the early 80s we were never taught the use of force. Now as a Police officer I was first taught the use of force in the Police academy in 1989. 😌
Yup, its crazy how a young Infantryman can be expected to transition from closing with and destroying an enemy, to essentially functioning as a Policemen.
Cool collection of the gear and uniforms You were issued and had chance to keep them. The "dogtags" in the left boot are still a thing- I saw at least one marine sgt. having them tucked in the boot in 2023. in exercises. Thanks for the video.
We supposedly picked it up from you guys, which I thought was plausible because Schofield and KBay being so close. A couple of guys started doing it because the Marines do it it’s smart. It started to matriculate out until the CO came out with them in his boots so everyone did. We took it a step further though: both boots got it because of the IED threat. Gotta be able to identify missing pieces. I think it was a weird deployment thing that happens where guys accept the mortality. The same kind of thing happened with our roster numbers getting written on everything by guys. I remember it being very quickly removed once we got home. The other way we do this is the Airborne side wears their dog tags around their belt in the back pocket and ID card in torso. Top and bottom. It’s a safety hazard while jumping also. Kirkuk 04.
Thank you for your service Mr.brent !!! This movie is the bible for Iraq War reenactors around the world. It was the most valuable two hours of my life. No USMC, No KOREA. God bless you!!!!
Thanks Brent you brought back a lot of memories about the transition of infantry gear both the Marine and Army Infantry. Of course I was in the Army as an Infantryman and as a Paratrooper. In combat you will learn what you will carry as a basic load for combat. During pre-deployment training we as a platoon would watch Blackhawk Down many times and into theatre specific training in Kuwait for a month before going to Iraq back in 2006. Very funny was many of our company NCOs had no clue to include my CO and 1SG to include my PSG. My PSG had only been to Desert Storm and didn't get shot at, his infantry battalion in the 1st Cavalry division rolled into Iraq and the war was over and got his CIB Combat Infantrymans Badge. I was in the Panama Invasion with my Airborne Infantry battalion, for a week it was more like a live fire exercise with real life targets shooting back at us. It was more like a "Wack a Mole" looking for someone who shot at us and shooting and maneuvering on the PDF as the moles. Iraq changed very much as new soldiers and post Cold War NCOs and Officers with not very relevant combat experience as myself had to lead young soldiers into combat. From my perspective Panama was a live fire exercise for future conflicts to create more tactics and improve infantry equipment for combat. By 2006 the equipment has improved but the Army Combat Uniform pattern sucked. It was hot and you stood out like a "Turd in a Punchbowl". The equipment and NVGs like the PVS-14 was an improvement over the PVS-7 and the PEQ-2 was better than the PEQ-4. Yes thank you for bringing back memories in my life that I cherish because I lived through it and lost none of my soldiers leading them. I am also haunted by bad decisions made by my senior leaders which were very incompetent but I was lucky to have good soldiers I have trained during pre-deployment and taught them skills to survive from my own personal experience to get out of bad situations and live. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, I have always known that the Marines were much more strict with uniforms and equipment than the Army. 👍👍💪💪
That editing and storytelling on the intro was amazing. Along with your action sequences in other videos, I would totally watch a brent0331 war movie. Thank you!
I can't hear about Najaf or the Mahdi Army without remembering the Blackwater video of Travis Haley and his guys up on the rooftop sniping away at those dudes. There was also nearly constant coverage of the battle on Fox and CNN during that time. It is hard to believe this was all nearly 20 years ago.
Thank you for your service Salute My Best friend Yadir Reynoso was KIA he was Marin 1/4 aswell killed August 5 2004 in Iraq been trying to find any video footage or pics of him and came across this im getting closer
It's hard to believe it's been 20 years already , my buddy just got back from his USMC reunion! He was over in the First Battle of Fallujah, and was listed MIA ... he'd gotten to go do some cool work , those two weeks with TF626. He told me, "Dave thanks to you I got to go with them "Army Guys" and do what they do, they even treated me like I was one of them, and being with them saved my life in combat!" Definitely Divine Intervention ✨️ My buddy went into a USAF recruiting office wearing his original green polartech and there was a Marine recruiting officer there, who tried taking his green polartech from him... Asking him where'd you get that? My buddy said it was issued to me... This guy thought my buddy was just some young kid there to enlist in the Airforce, and didn't believe he'd actually earned his green polartech... my buddy brought back a brown USMC polartech for me, and gave it to me as a special gift of appreciation, said he would of gotten me a green one, but only a few Marines got those. I've still got my brown one , and its still a treasured item I cherish 20 years later!❤
This is so cool. One of my favorite periods of Marine gear. I can also tell you from experience that a lot of it is the same nowadays. Polypro, fleece, belts, boots, even the gortex is the same (just now in MARPAT camo). Thanks so much for your hard work on this!
Blast from the past I had the interceptor with Alice deuce gear. I was trailer plt and had two saw pouches with mags in them. I had an Alice 203 vest god I’m old. Good stuff bro.
I joined the Corps 2017, I have the utmost respect for men who did the fighting in that gear. Hot, uncomfortable, and barely increasing survivability. The gear we have today is much better at increasing survivability and comfort. And even from when I joined, is changing drastically.
Thanks for telling me. Do you happen to know about when they are going to be back and folding their colors? I'm trying to plan a battle of Najaf reunion and either having it when the battle took place 20 years ago or being there for the 1/4 decommissioning ceremony would be ideal.
Has the Military ever considered wearing Pants that have removable Zip off legs above the knee so you can remove that part during the hottest part of the day and zip it on if it gets cold at night?
Thank you for showing the gear that was used prior. Its really interesting to see, just one example: the EGA had to be ironed onto certain articles of clothing at one point, I had no idea.
If you ever looked out at the Euphrates and saw green speedboats with .50 cals and Mk.19s, that was me and my unit, Small Craft Co. At this time, one of our platoons was based in Iskandyriah and supporting the efforts in Najaf, interdicting reinforcements and supplies the enemy liked to transport down the river. We also provided blocking support, fire support, and infil and exfil support to SOF and Marine line units.
Hey Kevin, You miss spoke about 60 cal. There is no 60 cal in the U.S. Military. I believe you meant to say M-60 / 7.62 I Was an Air Force Security Police in the 80's I was certified with the M16, CM 203 grenade launcher, M60 machine gun,.38 caliber Smith & Wesson combat masterpiece, and lastly the stinger missile system.
Thank you!! I do living history/re-enactment and i'm in the middle of collecting stuff for USMC 1991-2003, all that is very informative and helps in searching stuff!
" it's been 20 years ago, I don't remember." Shit boy, wait'll you get to be my age: "20 years ago? I remember it like it was yesterday. 24 hours ago? Hell, I don't know I've slept since then." Seriously though, your reference to tourniquets, I went through EMT & Paramedic schools in the mid-80's and we were taught tq's were a last resort & NEVER loosen once applied. The basic reasoning was this: if the bleeding was that bad or the limb so mangled that there was no other way to control bleeding, the limb was a goner anyway. Loosening it just caused bleeding to resume, further reducing the patient's chances of survival. You were sacrificing limb for life.
I was 1/4 back in 1987/89, 1/9 then 1/7 and 6th engineers. Thanks to a bad marriage, I got out and ended up in ARNG for 12 more years. I did run into 1/4 while in Iraq in 03/04. I tell ya_I miss the Marines my entire time in the arng.I tried going back in many times. In fact,after my 04 deployment, I tried pulling A card. I did serve twice before with Gen Mattis back when he was Maj Mattis and LtCol. But, it was too late and prior service enlistment were not available as every badass Marine wanted to go to war.😁 But advise for any Marine reading. If your wife is giving you stress to get out or get divorced, just send her packing. Why? She's probably made up.her mind for divorce she just wants you to leave cause she knows you love it. Love the channel cause I love all the little changes, but glad to see overall things stay the same in the Marines.✌👍
The kevlars changed again in 2006/2007. The harness and sweat band were replaced with foam pads that were velcro'd in. Sometimes the pads were too much so you could add/remove them so the kevlar fit your head better. I had the old version in 2006 and new version in 2007 and preferred the new version with the foam pads.
What a trip down memory lane. I was with Fox Co. 2nd Battalion 24th Marines, a reserve unit out of Chicago. We were in country from September '04 until March of '05 in Muhmudiyah, Lutifiyah and Yusifiya RIPing 2/2 - the same place that the battalion from the 101st Airborne committed all those atrocities not long after we were RIPed by the Army. We were also in Camp Horno for our workup training from June to September of '04. We all got new gear issued to us during the first week or two of our workups. All our old A2s were replaced with A4s except the 203s. All us riflemen got ACOGs. Even I had one as a SAW gunner. All our 7Bs were replaced with 14s. All of our deuce gear was still tri-color woodlands but we all were required to have MARPAT uniforms, even those of us that joined prior to those being standard issue. All the old Kevlar helments were swapped for the new light weight ones. Guys were getting high speed soles put onto their boots in various patterns like a sawtooth pattern. Some, not all, still went with a jungle style desert boot. I remember getting the APE armor kits half way through our deployment, getting knee pads issued, and sewing IR tags on our sleeve pockets and helmet covers. We all went out to Oceanside to get all that Blackhawk and Spec-Ops stuff. Some of it worked great, others were garbage. We had laminated cards for calling in CASEVACs, CAS, and calls for fire in our left sleeve pocket. We had a turniquette and a bandage in our right sleeve pocket in addition to our IFAKs. In our butt packs we had additional rations, a survival kit (homemade with waterproof matches or a magnesium stick, lint, fishing hooks, 550 cord, signal mirror and some other stuff). IFAKS went on our left side. NVGs on our right. I rocked the nomex flight gloves too because you could get the hot weather ones and the cold weather ones. I hated those glove inserts. They were always too big, got stretched out, and they always got wet and stayed wet. I remember having to have 2 camel baks, one zipped tied to the other, when we first got in country but that eased off once the weather cooled. It rained on us for 3 weeks straight in November and the temperature was in the high 30s and low 40s. On one patrol we stopped to talk to an elder for maybe a half hour and I was so cold I could barely stand up because my knees locked in place. I had to be helped up and walked very gingerly and slowly until the blood started flowing again and my knees warmed up and loosened up. After the rain all that water stayed around till late January so there were huge mud puddles everywhere. You'd step into one and sink up to you knees and you could barely get out. One cool thing was the changing of technology. A few guys had the Gen 1 iPod though they had problems when they didn't buy the AA battery back up system and they couldn't charge them. Some of the more tech savvy guys brought their laptops with them but they became paperweights when they couldn't charge them. My company was away from the main FOB for the majority of the deployment so we didn't have access to diesel generators until the last couple months. The one or two we did have were strictly for our comm gear and the CO's laptop. Almost everyone had a digital camera that could also record video and used AA batteries so there was no shortage of pictures and video. Almost everyone spent a fortune on the UnderArmor shirts and Oakley sunglasses and goggles - on top of the fortunes they spent at the Blackhawk and Spec-Ops stores. And yes - 2-3 months into our deployment we were told we couldn't wear the UnderArmor shirts, and shirts of similar sweat wicking material, because the high heat from IEDs were melting the fabric onto victims skin making injuries worse or causing injuries where there shouldn't have been. The only way to get it off was to take a surgical grade cheese grater and go to town until you've hit fresh flesh.
this helped me so much with my Iraq 2004 Airsoft Impression, also if you cant find and desert MARPAT helmet covers for your LWH in smaller sizes check out your local surplus stores
The cemetery fight is something I think about regularly. Recognized the pics at 4:15 from the raid on the college. 81's! Thanks for posting this video. Love your channel. Whatever it takes!
Brent though I never went to the frontline, I do however understand the affinity and sentimental importance of this to you. I thank you for allowing your followers a personal look into your life, service, and passion! Im also amazed at HOW you got this stuff hahahah! Dont ask, dont tell lmao!
Man I remember in 2003 when this all started and my dad told me that this war is gonna be long. That it’ll be long enough for me to get some. I thought he was lying or just talking. I was in the 3rd grade. When I graduated in 2012 at 18. I left home and joined the Army infantry. I remember watching RUclips clips with my cousin and brother saying we can’t wait to get in the shit. Back when RUclips was legit.
I joined the army in 07 and got a lot of the transitional pieces of gear. Woodland and dcu pouches and snivel gear. I did have one of the gortex tops with the EGA on the tag lol. So I don’t think there’s any difference lol
The only thing I kept was my boonie. I wore it until it was a rag. I should still have kept it. I had a wool pashtun hat that the pash gave me but they said it made me look arab. I gave it to a guy that wore it a long time.
I told you Shia Islam was going ti be a major player in the world now look buddy idk if you remember but I was commenting on a live post like 3 years ago and you told me Shia Islam didn’t have anything to do with it I think you’ll were talking about players on the global stage my niqab Shia Islam is just getting started
What a great video. You always seem to produce excellent content, but this one I can tell was a lot more work and you were obviously passionate about it. Awesome job man! As an Air Force guy here, the equipment machine gun teams have to pack blew my mind… RESPECT! 100%. I always look forward to to seeing more videos drop from your channel, I can’t count the time I’ve went back and rewatched watched some of your stuff. Thank you for all your hard work. Aloha 🤙🏽
@Brent0331 Also… thanks for answering my question on your live regarding ACOG’s mounted on an A2. I have an old Colt preban CAR15 I’ve been thinking of throwing my TA31 on. I currently have a Primary Arms SLx 1x micro prism mounted on it. It mounts perfectly in the handle just like the ACOG’s do. I really like it as I have astigmatism, super nice and crisp. Anyway.. just wanted to say thanks. Aloha from the Big Island 🤙🏽
48:57 I’ve read posts from other veterans that said they hated it, generally because it was uncomfortable and got in the way of shouldering a rifle. Is this true, or is it just people having different preferences for mobility vs protection?
Me and a few friends got an airsoft group goin on in which we do 2nd battle of fallujah kits. If you had any insights towards that aspect of things, and info about it would be super appreciated.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was an 0331 with 1/5 Weapons Co. in April 2004 so we were fighting in Fallujah while you guys were down south. The discman with 7 second anti-skip was a must! A Playboy magazine fit perfect in the back pocket of the interceptor vests, don’t ask how I know. We had a few guys with Aimpoint red dots in addition to iron sights and Acogs. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, but even we were young once. In a world gone soft stay hard! Make Peace or Die!
Brent, I was there (Army) in early Nov 2004 til September of 2005.; One of the business, I believe was tactical tailor, had a some fastex "s clips" that had a 1" side release buckle to assist in keeping the IBA closed. I had to have one. The recon wrap was great. I also experienced the premature wear on aviator gloves. I found the Blue water brand to be far more durable. I also deployed w a PASGT, due to shortages. I ended up buying an RBR helmet.
I ran into my little brother in Iraq. He was kitted out, I had khakis and polo from the Leesburg VA outlet mall, a belt kit and AK. His squad looked at me like "who the f is this tard"
Thank you. Is interesting for me the fact that the butt pack it does not have suspension or some kind of attachment with D rings to the suspenders like the older types. Do you think was good that or no?
Love your gear videos. I've been collecting marine corps gear myself. Just got the molle ii pack. With your 20 years of service, which was your favorite pack. Semper fi
@@zanefischer1984 I have a beautiful family & I'm getting it done! I strongly feel a reunion is needed in the near future. I’m happy you are doing well brother! Hopefully our paths cross again soon.
A few of us Marines went to supply and got the 6 color Chocolste chip cammies with the flak covers before the 2003 invasion I still got my chocolate chips All of the older desert storm guys rocked the 6 color cammies in 2003.
Publications:
U.S. Marines in Battle : An-Najaf August 2004
irp.fas.org/doddir/usmc/an-najaf.pdf
Battle for the City of the Dead: In the Shadow of the Golden Dome, Najaf, August 2004
by Dick Camp (Author)
amzn.to/3uU8Fwt
Check here for good deals on gear: linktr.ee/brent03315
Lists of books on small unit tactics: www.amazon.com/shop/brent0331
**This website sells a lot quality reproductions of vintage camouflage patterns**:
onlinemilitaria.net/shopaff.asp?affid=1608
man, i was born in 04, joined the army last year
6:11 fun fact When he showed up on his boot drop to the battalion, they cut short his machine gun training, like the rest of 2/3 0331/0352 that went to CAAT B. We were already in Kuwait at camp Inchon three weeks away from War.
Imagine showing up at the infantry school three weeks away from going into combat with no fleet training. They’re still fucking amazing in my books.
W 1/4 CAAT B TOOTH
If any of you haven’t seen the USMC museum in Quantico, Virginia, you definitely need to go there someday before you die. I would dare say it’s one of the greatest museums showcasing the honor and bravery of our military, of which the Marines wonderfully exemplify.
Huh, and here I thought your last name was 0331?
Same lolol who woulda thought our boy was a big ol rock eater?
It’s binary for machine gunner stupid…. JP JP
This channel is dope
Appreciate it.
The same uniforms worn by the marines in Generation Kill
Yes, in fact, their unit was near us during the invasion. If you watch my video with SgtMaj Archambault (USMC ret.) covering what we did during the push, he talks about them.
*Teenage Dirtbag firefight flashbacks kick in* but in all seriousness thank you for your service, hard work, and dedication to bringing us videos likes this. It’s crazy how most of us were children back during the early 2000’s. Watching many of our close relatives ship out to Iraq/Afghanistan. I had family KIA in Ramadi and Fallujah. You’re a walking history book man.
Thanks brother.
@@Brent0331 thank you
@@Brent0331excuse me, you mention wearing deuce gear on the outside of the interceptor. Would wearing it on the inside, and then putting the interceptor on top, be functional? Or should the deuce gear be external only?
@@BiggityBoggity8095he’s talking about the FLC, I don’t think wearing the armor over it would work very well
@@thoughtlessroamerFLC is designed to wear over armor. I assume that it's taught without armor in BCT because not everyone will need armor. Do they teach differently in advanced training? Pardon . me, not a Marine and kind of old.
2004 Iraq was a vibe for sure. Thanks for sharing this. Weather you realize it or not this will prove to be of great historical value and is something to be treasured.
Thanks brother, I do realize it. I took my time making this video and didn't want to rush it. I probably spent a year plus acquiring very hard to find items for it. I just wanted to do justice for our Marines. S/F!
Yea this is top notch for sure
The photos of the gunship layin waste was awesome thanks man. Nothing beats seeing these old photos. Thanks man
Yup, I'm good friends with one of the guys who was flying CAS for us in one of those snakes too. Great dude and a patriot!
the early stages of the iraq war was peak coolness. something about that mix of modern stuff and cold war stuff thats just beautiful... then UCP came in and ruined everything
I don't know why but I like ucp
@@poodabear-1 ☹️
That was a trip down memory lane brother. Thank you for taking the time to put this together
-Alpha company 1/4
Semper Fi brother!
1/4 was the most shit hot infantry unit on the planet, at that moment in time. The best!
EPIC work SGT. MAJOR! OOH-freakin'-RAH! Your dedicated service and extended history lessons will not go unnoticed! The Beirut barracks bombing (my 9/11) turned me to service - our boot camp Marine Corps Drill Instructor was infantry there. I landed in the mid -80's Marine Air Wing (MCAS El Toro) but left years before Saddam invaded Kuwait. I did have service friends that were involved in the Gulf War. Your war pics are extraordinary - you were young and like too many - spent your youth in war. Glad you made it back - Semper Fi!
Semper Fi my brother.
Maaaaan this takes me back, I was right at the end of the transitional period for the Army going from BDU to ACU ('05 to '08- OIF V), got a whole mess of that stuff still haha.
By the way-- Spec-Ops Brand gear is still in business!!!
Thanks for the epic overview vid brother!!!
We'll that's good to hear, they made great gear.
@@Brent0331 Still do ;) I had one of their Rigger's Belts up until like a year or two ago when it finally crapped out lol, local tactical store/ gun store retails some of their stuff too, and their website is still active (while not a big catalog, all good stuff of course).
You got me wanting to pull out all my old gear and doing a vid overviewing what I had at the time too hahaha, I don't have nearly that much stuff accrued but I've still got some of it that I had bought or got to keep.
@@Brent0331I've got Spec Ops that's over 20 years old.
Awesome video, Brent! That's a great idea. Wish I had an IOTV and an M68CCO, but you have all the little pocket stuffers as well. Maybe I'll do one for 11bs in 2009 in Baghdad.
Awesome Mike, I'm sure folks would love to see it.
10:02 -- Okay so, speaking as a civilian, it's really starting to piss me off how often the military is forcing you guys to buy your own mandatory uniforms 😡
Providing proper clothing for all battle environments and in all patterns FOR FREE is the least the USMC should be doing for your service!
The military has been doing this for years now. It's not just the Marines.
I had to buy and maintain my own uniform while in the Army IRR.
@@brandonaddison1037 -- That's horseshit. Service men and women are not being paid enough as it is! You shouldn't be forced to buy your own uniforms 😡
Awesome video, I love to learn how Early GWOT Guys like you ran their gear. Semper Fi
Thanks for watching and commenting.
GWOT
@@Chevelle602 I know just misspelled like a sped
Another great video that everyone can learn a lot from Brent. On a side note if SHTF ever in USA or NTX, I want to learn and will fight with him. He is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thank Brent for keeping us, Americans safe and, being a BADASS MARINE.
My brother went to Iraq. He was 0311 basic infantry. Thanks for sharing
👊 Thanks for watching.
we had Cassette Walk Man in 75-78
Wow, well done. It must have taken a lot of time to produce and edit this video. Very much appreciated!
Appreciate it brother, it very much did and I doubt this video will ever generate the amount of revenue that I put into it, but for the sake of history and our units legacy, I wanted to do it right.
Outstanding, Brent! We use to learn a lot more with all those explanations about the gear marines carried during that mission. Just like a documentary, piece by piece.
Greetings from Brazil! 🇧🇷🇺🇸
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What an amazing presentation. All of your long form gear and history videos have been excellent, but this one was probably my favorite. Hard to beat the details coming from someone who lived it- and kept so many of the original pieces! All of the reference photos were fantastic, and it was really neat getting to see the guys from interviews with warfighters all together and with their gear. I can definitely see how you probably ended up on a few gear rabbitholes trying to find all the necessary pieces, but you did an excellent job bringing it all together. This gear is a part of history, and thank you so much for sharing it, just as you've facilitated the sharing of the individual stories of the men who carried that gear.
Appreciate it brother.
I know the anguish, I got a bit nervous as well when I got to my new unit (I’m an 11B) and none of them had been forward, they learned quickly though. I was also in the Gulf War (101st ABN) and we got hit with Iraqi artillery but our counter battery fire took them out in 20 minutes.
Brother, could you believe a Captain talked sht behind my back about my usage of goggles over shades? I heard from another Marine that the CO was throwing a small fit over me using goggles. He had asked if I forgot my eye-pro, I said no, showing him the shades I had with me. He asked why, I told him I prefer goggles. And that was enough for him to go talking to others about me. And here I see a ton of combat Marines wearing goggles in the fight. Wow. As you said…Big on uniformity…
I’m a retired Army 11H/11B that was in the Gulf War and OIF 1.5 (19 May 03-7 Jul 04) and we were sent to FOB St. Michael’s (I was in 2-6 INF, 1st Armor DIV.) and relieved the Marine unit there, I believe it was 2-2 Marines, but not sure, apologies for my ignorance, it was a long time ago. FOB St. Michael’s was a bitch, hammered almost daily. We had to go rescue the police departments now and then in Sadr City and we tore up a guy with an RPG trying to sneak up on us as we were downloading my Bradley from the HETT, when he got too close the gunner climbed into the turret, switched on to battery power and cut the RPG guy in half with the 240C. My buddy got hit with 3 RPG rounds that day and none detonated, they’d always forget to pull out the safety pin tab from the round nose cap. The Iraqis were always high on some sort of drug and they did STUPID things that got them easily killed. The Bn didn’t lose anyone on that operation which was great but the next deployment in 05-06 wasn’t so good.
Thanks for watching and commenting brother.
I had that absolute same Spec Ops recon wrap in three color desert that I bought in the PX for OIF2. I wore it on our convoy from Kuwait to Balad and wore it over my face as we passed through the black pouring smoke from the refineries that smelled like burning tires. I still have that thing somewhere and to this day if I smell it I can still smell that burning tire smell of the refineries in it.
Thanks for the epic "Junk on the Bunk". Did you know the Corps had a Boot Repair Unit at Camp Pendleton Main Side staffed by Marines in the '60s? They were deployable but we were issued Jungle Boots and replaced when they blew out. I wish 1st MarDiv had given us a handbook in RVN. Maybe that was a lesson learned. We were taught a two-person casualty drag...grab the man by the two underarms and drag. Thanks for sharing. Great job.
Thanks for sharing brother, S/F!
I've been in the army for 10 years, but my father was a contracted KBR medic, he was at the battle of Najaf. I don't even ask him about it, every time he says Najaf, it carrys weight. Now I know why. Much respect for the older GWOT gen, from a younger Gwot vet
Appreciate it brother, S/F
Watched history channel about Marines and their exploit circa 2004 as a kid and here I am a Lance Coolie
2 hours of USMC goodness
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Good afternoon, please tell me which generation of Gore-tex jacket and pants, 1 or 2?
Thanks Brent. Excellent content as always. Appreciate you going through and showing us what you brought home. Thank you sir.
Thanks for watching brother.
As a U.S. Army Infantryman from the early 80s we were never taught the use of force. Now as a Police officer I was first taught the use of force in the Police academy in 1989. 😌
Yup, its crazy how a young Infantryman can be expected to transition from closing with and destroying an enemy, to essentially functioning as a Policemen.
Roger that .....🤨
Cool collection of the gear and uniforms You were issued and had chance to keep them. The "dogtags" in the left boot are still a thing- I saw at least one marine sgt. having them tucked in the boot in 2023. in exercises. Thanks for the video.
Yup, it sure is, at least in the grunts. Thanks for watching and commenting.
We supposedly picked it up from you guys, which I thought was plausible because Schofield and KBay being so close. A couple of guys started doing it because the Marines do it it’s smart. It started to matriculate out until the CO came out with them in his boots so everyone did. We took it a step further though: both boots got it because of the IED threat. Gotta be able to identify missing pieces. I think it was a weird deployment thing that happens where guys accept the mortality. The same kind of thing happened with our roster numbers getting written on everything by guys. I remember it being very quickly removed once we got home. The other way we do this is the Airborne side wears their dog tags around their belt in the back pocket and ID card in torso. Top and bottom. It’s a safety hazard while jumping also.
Kirkuk 04.
Thank you for your service Mr.brent !!!
This movie is the bible for Iraq War reenactors around the world.
It was the most valuable two hours of my life.
No USMC, No KOREA.
God bless you!!!!
Appreciate it brother, thanks for watching and commenting.
Miss you Blackhorse Bravo 1/4 boys! I hope you are all well & Semper Fi! Get sum!!
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Outstanding presentation, Sergeant Major!
Appreciate it brother.
I live in Seward Alaska and I like to keep my fn M4 loaded with green tip for Bears.
Thanks Brent you brought back a lot of memories about the transition of infantry gear both the Marine and Army Infantry. Of course I was in the Army as an Infantryman and as a Paratrooper. In combat you will learn what you will carry as a basic load for combat. During pre-deployment training we as a platoon would watch Blackhawk Down many times and into theatre specific training in Kuwait for a month before going to Iraq back in 2006. Very funny was many of our company NCOs had no clue to include my CO and 1SG to include my PSG. My PSG had only been to Desert Storm and didn't get shot at, his infantry battalion in the 1st Cavalry division rolled into Iraq and the war was over and got his CIB Combat Infantrymans Badge. I was in the Panama Invasion with my Airborne Infantry battalion, for a week it was more like a live fire exercise with real life targets shooting back at us. It was more like a "Wack a Mole" looking for someone who shot at us and shooting and maneuvering on the PDF as the moles. Iraq changed very much as new soldiers and post Cold War NCOs and Officers with not very relevant combat experience as myself had to lead young soldiers into combat. From my perspective Panama was a live fire exercise for future conflicts to create more tactics and improve infantry equipment for combat. By 2006 the equipment has improved but the Army Combat Uniform pattern sucked. It was hot and you stood out like a "Turd in a Punchbowl". The equipment and NVGs like the PVS-14 was an improvement over the PVS-7 and the PEQ-2 was better than the PEQ-4. Yes thank you for bringing back memories in my life that I cherish because I lived through it and lost none of my soldiers leading them. I am also haunted by bad decisions made by my senior leaders which were very incompetent but I was lucky to have good soldiers I have trained during pre-deployment and taught them skills to survive from my own personal experience to get out of bad situations and live. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, I have always known that the Marines were much more strict with uniforms and equipment than the Army. 👍👍💪💪
Thanks for watching and commenting brother.
That editing and storytelling on the intro was amazing. Along with your action sequences in other videos, I would totally watch a brent0331 war movie. Thank you!
Appreciate it brother.
Spec Ops Brand is still around based outta Texas.
#DowncadaProductions
I can't hear about Najaf or the Mahdi Army without remembering the Blackwater video of Travis Haley and his guys up on the rooftop sniping away at those dudes. There was also nearly constant coverage of the battle on Fox and CNN during that time. It is hard to believe this was all nearly 20 years ago.
“High speed” and “you were the shiznit”. Proof you lived the era.
😂
I was a combat engineer with 1/4 in the 2003 deployment. We probably crossed paths at some point.
Thank you for your service Salute My Best friend Yadir Reynoso was KIA he was Marin 1/4 aswell killed August 5 2004 in Iraq been trying to find any video footage or pics of him and came across this im getting closer
I was in the transition from the old Olive Drab to the Jungle Camo back in the mid 70's.
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It's hard to believe it's been 20 years already , my buddy just got back from his USMC reunion! He was over in the First Battle of Fallujah, and was listed MIA ... he'd gotten to go do some cool work , those two weeks with TF626. He told me, "Dave thanks to you I got to go with them "Army Guys" and do what they do, they even treated me like I was one of them, and being with them saved my life in combat!" Definitely Divine Intervention ✨️
My buddy went into a USAF recruiting office wearing his original green polartech and there was a Marine recruiting officer there, who tried taking his green polartech from him... Asking him where'd you get that? My buddy said it was issued to me... This guy thought my buddy was just some young kid there to enlist in the Airforce, and didn't believe he'd actually earned his green polartech... my buddy brought back a brown USMC polartech for me, and gave it to me as a special gift of appreciation, said he would of gotten me a green one, but only a few Marines got those. I've still got my brown one , and its still a treasured item I cherish 20 years later!❤
Good stuff brother, thanks for watching and commenting.
It’s living history at its finest. Also, damn I feel old now.
Ha
This is so cool. One of my favorite periods of Marine gear. I can also tell you from experience that a lot of it is the same nowadays. Polypro, fleece, belts, boots, even the gortex is the same (just now in MARPAT camo). Thanks so much for your hard work on this!
Thanks for watching and commenting.
Rest in peace, Sgt Moses Rocha.
Blast from the past I had the interceptor with Alice deuce gear. I was trailer plt and had two saw pouches with mags in them. I had an Alice 203 vest god I’m old. Good stuff bro.
S/F Brother.
I joined the Corps 2017, I have the utmost respect for men who did the fighting in that gear. Hot, uncomfortable, and barely increasing survivability.
The gear we have today is much better at increasing survivability and comfort. And even from when I joined, is changing drastically.
Thanks for watching brother. S/F!
Awesomeness
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You guys were the shoulders on which I stood when entered the gates of Parris Island a decade later.
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Excellent content Brent……takes me back 3/7 Lima 2003 invasion, 2004 Husaybah. We fought em something fierce.
Did you know Cpl Kurth / GySgt “Red” and SSgt Ezel?
@@MountaintravelerEddieNo I did not know them.
S/F brother, same blood in the same mud.
@@Brent0331 Damn straight….Gunny Highway said it best!
its good to hear that you were able to find your helmet and goggles after they fell of that truck.
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Cool video! Semper Fi! 3/2 Kilo 02-06 (0351)
Semper Fi my brother.
Amazing intro, thanks for your service and fighting America’s enemies
Appreciate it brother.
I still have my bandana with the Bible verse written on it, it's very worn. I was surprised to see that you still have yours!
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I’m not sure if you’re tracking but 1/4 will be disbanding once we come back from deployment thought you should know
Thanks for telling me. Do you happen to know about when they are going to be back and folding their colors? I'm trying to plan a battle of Najaf reunion and either having it when the battle took place 20 years ago or being there for the 1/4 decommissioning ceremony would be ideal.
Why 1/4? Is it because the 4th marines are the bastard unit of the Corps?
The amount of Marines with Oakley M Frames is nuts lol
Has the Military ever considered wearing Pants that have removable Zip off legs above the knee so you can remove that part during the hottest part of the day and zip it on if it gets cold at night?
Thank you for the video. I am learning alot from your content.
Thanks for watching and commenting brother.
Thank you for showing the gear that was used prior. Its really interesting to see, just one example: the EGA had to be ironed onto certain articles of clothing at one point, I had no idea.
If you ever looked out at the Euphrates and saw green speedboats with .50 cals and Mk.19s, that was me and my unit, Small Craft Co.
At this time, one of our platoons was based in Iskandyriah and supporting the efforts in Najaf, interdicting reinforcements and supplies the enemy liked to transport down the river. We also provided blocking support, fire support, and infil and exfil support to SOF and Marine line units.
Appreciate it brother! S/F!
@@Brent0331 RAH!
Hey Kevin, You miss spoke about 60 cal. There is no 60 cal in the U.S. Military. I believe you meant to say M-60 / 7.62 I Was an Air Force Security Police in the 80's I was certified with the M16, CM 203 grenade launcher, M60 machine gun,.38 caliber Smith & Wesson combat masterpiece, and lastly the stinger missile system.
Marines don’t die….they live forever..🫡
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Thank you!! I do living history/re-enactment and i'm in the middle of collecting stuff for USMC 1991-2003, all that is very informative and helps in searching stuff!
" it's been 20 years ago, I don't remember."
Shit boy, wait'll you get to be my age:
"20 years ago? I remember it like it was yesterday. 24 hours ago? Hell, I don't know I've slept since then."
Seriously though, your reference to tourniquets, I went through EMT & Paramedic schools in the mid-80's and we were taught tq's were a last resort & NEVER loosen once applied.
The basic reasoning was this: if the bleeding was that bad or the limb so mangled that there was no other way to control bleeding, the limb was a goner anyway. Loosening it just caused bleeding to resume, further reducing the patient's chances of survival.
You were sacrificing limb for life.
I was 1/4 back in 1987/89, 1/9 then 1/7 and 6th engineers. Thanks to a bad marriage, I got out and ended up in ARNG for 12 more years. I did run into 1/4 while in Iraq in 03/04.
I tell ya_I miss the Marines my entire time in the arng.I tried going back in many times. In fact,after my 04 deployment, I tried pulling A card. I did serve twice before with Gen Mattis back when he was Maj Mattis and LtCol. But, it was too late and prior service enlistment were not available as every badass Marine wanted to go to war.😁
But advise for any Marine reading. If your wife is giving you stress to get out or get divorced, just send her packing. Why? She's probably made up.her mind for divorce she just wants you to leave cause she knows you love it.
Love the channel cause I love all the little changes, but glad to see overall things stay the same in the Marines.✌👍
The kevlars changed again in 2006/2007. The harness and sweat band were replaced with foam pads that were velcro'd in. Sometimes the pads were too much so you could add/remove them so the kevlar fit your head better. I had the old version in 2006 and new version in 2007 and preferred the new version with the foam pads.
What a trip down memory lane. I was with Fox Co. 2nd Battalion 24th Marines, a reserve unit out of Chicago. We were in country from September '04 until March of '05 in Muhmudiyah, Lutifiyah and Yusifiya RIPing 2/2 - the same place that the battalion from the 101st Airborne committed all those atrocities not long after we were RIPed by the Army. We were also in Camp Horno for our workup training from June to September of '04. We all got new gear issued to us during the first week or two of our workups. All our old A2s were replaced with A4s except the 203s. All us riflemen got ACOGs. Even I had one as a SAW gunner. All our 7Bs were replaced with 14s. All of our deuce gear was still tri-color woodlands but we all were required to have MARPAT uniforms, even those of us that joined prior to those being standard issue. All the old Kevlar helments were swapped for the new light weight ones. Guys were getting high speed soles put onto their boots in various patterns like a sawtooth pattern. Some, not all, still went with a jungle style desert boot. I remember getting the APE armor kits half way through our deployment, getting knee pads issued, and sewing IR tags on our sleeve pockets and helmet covers. We all went out to Oceanside to get all that Blackhawk and Spec-Ops stuff. Some of it worked great, others were garbage. We had laminated cards for calling in CASEVACs, CAS, and calls for fire in our left sleeve pocket. We had a turniquette and a bandage in our right sleeve pocket in addition to our IFAKs. In our butt packs we had additional rations, a survival kit (homemade with waterproof matches or a magnesium stick, lint, fishing hooks, 550 cord, signal mirror and some other stuff). IFAKS went on our left side. NVGs on our right. I rocked the nomex flight gloves too because you could get the hot weather ones and the cold weather ones. I hated those glove inserts. They were always too big, got stretched out, and they always got wet and stayed wet. I remember having to have 2 camel baks, one zipped tied to the other, when we first got in country but that eased off once the weather cooled. It rained on us for 3 weeks straight in November and the temperature was in the high 30s and low 40s. On one patrol we stopped to talk to an elder for maybe a half hour and I was so cold I could barely stand up because my knees locked in place. I had to be helped up and walked very gingerly and slowly until the blood started flowing again and my knees warmed up and loosened up. After the rain all that water stayed around till late January so there were huge mud puddles everywhere. You'd step into one and sink up to you knees and you could barely get out. One cool thing was the changing of technology. A few guys had the Gen 1 iPod though they had problems when they didn't buy the AA battery back up system and they couldn't charge them. Some of the more tech savvy guys brought their laptops with them but they became paperweights when they couldn't charge them. My company was away from the main FOB for the majority of the deployment so we didn't have access to diesel generators until the last couple months. The one or two we did have were strictly for our comm gear and the CO's laptop. Almost everyone had a digital camera that could also record video and used AA batteries so there was no shortage of pictures and video. Almost everyone spent a fortune on the UnderArmor shirts and Oakley sunglasses and goggles - on top of the fortunes they spent at the Blackhawk and Spec-Ops stores. And yes - 2-3 months into our deployment we were told we couldn't wear the UnderArmor shirts, and shirts of similar sweat wicking material, because the high heat from IEDs were melting the fabric onto victims skin making injuries worse or causing injuries where there shouldn't have been. The only way to get it off was to take a surgical grade cheese grater and go to town until you've hit fresh flesh.
Thanks for this video! Do you remember if your M16A4 had the FN CAGE code or "FNMI" mark on the barrel forward of the FSB?
this helped me so much with my Iraq 2004 Airsoft Impression, also if you cant find and desert MARPAT helmet covers for your LWH in smaller sizes check out your local surplus stores
What a great video.
The cemetery fight is something I think about regularly. Recognized the pics at 4:15 from the raid on the college. 81's! Thanks for posting this video. Love your channel. Whatever it takes!
Semper Fi brother!
Brent though I never went to the frontline, I do however understand the affinity and sentimental importance of this to you. I thank you for allowing your followers a personal look into your life, service, and passion! Im also amazed at HOW you got this stuff hahahah! Dont ask, dont tell lmao!
Ever here of a AN TVS-2 talk about big, yes the USMC used them mounted on a M2 .50 cal machine gun, i have one.... excellent video, thx. Matt
Was in federal building protecting the buildings since 1992 and still protecting them!!!
3/1 India 0331
Man I remember in 2003 when this all started and my dad told me that this war is gonna be long. That it’ll be long enough for me to get some. I thought he was lying or just talking. I was in the 3rd grade. When I graduated in 2012 at 18. I left home and joined the Army infantry. I remember watching RUclips clips with my cousin and brother saying we can’t wait to get in the shit. Back when RUclips was legit.
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What? You can’t wear silkies to pt anymore? What the fuck. OIF 03-04.
I joined the army in 07 and got a lot of the transitional pieces of gear. Woodland and dcu pouches and snivel gear. I did have one of the gortex tops with the EGA on the tag lol. So I don’t think there’s any difference lol
Was watching some archive footage and spotted a M249 with a Mars optic. Pretty cool.
The only thing I kept was my boonie. I wore it until it was a rag. I should still have kept it. I had a wool pashtun hat that the pash gave me but they said it made me look arab. I gave it to a guy that wore it a long time.
Excellent video, or I should say historical documentary! Incredible
Amazing intro! Great video!
Thanks brother!
I told you Shia Islam was going ti be a major player in the world now look buddy idk if you remember but I was commenting on a live post like 3 years ago and you told me Shia Islam didn’t have anything to do with it I think you’ll were talking about players on the global stage my niqab Shia Islam is just getting started
What a great video. You always seem to produce excellent content, but this one I can tell was a lot more work and you were obviously passionate about it. Awesome job man! As an Air Force guy here, the equipment machine gun teams have to pack blew my mind… RESPECT! 100%. I always look forward to to seeing more videos drop from your channel, I can’t count the time I’ve went back and rewatched watched some of your stuff. Thank you for all your hard work. Aloha 🤙🏽
@Brent0331 Also… thanks for answering my question on your live regarding ACOG’s mounted on an A2. I have an old Colt preban CAR15 I’ve been thinking of throwing my TA31 on. I currently have a Primary Arms SLx 1x micro prism mounted on it. It mounts perfectly in the handle just like the ACOG’s do. I really like it as I have astigmatism, super nice and crisp. Anyway.. just wanted to say thanks. Aloha from the Big Island 🤙🏽
@@EeZ3-808 Any time brother, thanks for the support!
48:57 I’ve read posts from other veterans that said they hated it, generally because it was uncomfortable and got in the way of shouldering a rifle. Is this true, or is it just people having different preferences for mobility vs protection?
Thanks for your service! Great information!
You unlocked the gold camo on that mag from kills I bet.
Ha, thanks
Me and a few friends got an airsoft group goin on in which we do 2nd battle of fallujah kits. If you had any insights towards that aspect of things, and info about it would be super appreciated.
I went through during the transition from marpat cammies to tan flight suits in Iraq. Then later deployed to Afghanistan with frog gear.
Did the Marines ever wear the Point-Blank vest with the grey molle webbing during this time frame?
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I was an 0331 with 1/5 Weapons Co. in April 2004 so we were fighting in Fallujah while you guys were down south. The discman with 7 second anti-skip was a must! A Playboy magazine fit perfect in the back pocket of the interceptor vests, don’t ask how I know. We had a few guys with Aimpoint red dots in addition to iron sights and Acogs. Hard to believe that was 20 years ago, but even we were young once. In a world gone soft stay hard! Make Peace or Die!
Damnit! If I would have thought about it I would have included a porn mag! Semper Fi brother.
Brent, I was there (Army) in early Nov 2004 til September of 2005.; One of the business, I believe was tactical tailor, had a some fastex "s clips" that had a 1" side release buckle to assist in keeping the IBA closed. I had to have one. The recon wrap was great. I also experienced the premature wear on aviator gloves. I found the Blue water brand to be far more durable. I also deployed w a PASGT, due to shortages. I ended up buying an RBR helmet.
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IBA is one of the cheapest body armors here in Poland. And effectively only modern relatively decent body armor without needing a special permit
I ran into my little brother in Iraq. He was kitted out, I had khakis and polo from the Leesburg VA outlet mall, a belt kit and AK. His squad looked at me like "who the f is this tard"
Ha
Thank you. Is interesting for me the fact that the butt pack it does not have suspension or some kind of attachment with D rings to the suspenders like the older types. Do you think was good that or no?
Keep up the quality content and Semper Fi
Thanks for watching and commenting. S/F!
Love your gear videos. I've been collecting marine corps gear myself. Just got the molle ii pack. With your 20 years of service, which was your favorite pack. Semper fi
Appreciate it man. ALICE pack and the current issue pack isn't bad, especially if you thrown an ALICE frame on it. IMO obviously.
Glad you did this bro good stuff. Rah!
Semper Fi Zane! It’s Comm Smitty. Hope all is well brother!
@smittysmitty481 Smitttyyy!!! What is up brotha!? Head above water on my end. How are things with you man?
@@zanefischer1984 I have a beautiful family & I'm getting it done! I strongly feel a reunion is needed in the near future. I’m happy you are doing well brother! Hopefully our paths cross again soon.
@@smittysmitty481hell yes bro. Been a minute!
@@smittysmitty481 53:16
A few of us Marines went to supply and got the 6 color Chocolste chip cammies with the flak covers before the 2003 invasion
I still got my chocolate chips
All of the older desert storm guys rocked the 6 color cammies in 2003.
I remember seeing a Seabee wearing 6 color desert in country immediately following the invasion. Thought it was cool to see that.