thedrifter
07-03-04, 06:19 AM
07-01-2004
Guest Column: Survival Tips for Iraq
Editor’s Note: These are comments from a private security contractor in Iraq on how newcomers can survive in that still-hostile environment. The memo was first obtained by NavySEALs.com/BlackNET and Pure Pursuit.
We are a PSD (Private Security Detail) element that is currently conducting a much broader range of mission sets. If I were coming in June? I would bring at least four pair of lightweight boots, so you can swap them out frequently. It’s about a million times worse than August in Niland (California, north of El Centro). Fifteen pairs of socks. At least ten, NON COTTON t-shirts. Two pairs of sunglasses. Non-cotton skivvies, if you wear them. (Comment: cotton does not burn, it chars. Aviators and armored vehicle crewmen are required to wear cotton undergarments. Polyester and nylon, materials in “wicking” garments, melt at high temperature, vastly complicating treatment of burns.) Lots of foot powder. Sunscreen.
Now for serious stuff.
The AIMPOINT as issued is great, but it's a 3MOA (minutes of angle) glass at best. We are consistently making shots well beyond [deleted]. Last night I was slinging at a mortar crew about [deleted]. Luckily I had the PKM on them. My point is? Get an ACOG (ACOG, Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight by Trijicon). Best money is the TA31F. If you have access to the ordnance dept at (SEAL) Team 5 the NSN ACOG is good to go. You can buy one by email. I bought a shorty M4 and brought it with me. I wouldn’t come here without a short gun. I also have a 22” MK12 (Special Purpose Rifle based on M4) with a Leupold (scope). I use that for long-range stuff.
But at least bring an ACOG.
Bring your own body armor, including a Kevlar helmet. They are hard to come by. As I am writing this we have mortars coming in.
Bring some mosquito netting and a poncho liner for an urban hide. You will want to have a sniper in the hide covering your movements around the GC.
OPSEC is important.
Here’s some heavy stuff!
Here are my lessons learned after spending a year in Iraq as a contractor on conducting public and black side operations.
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment and running the roads of Iraq. Tactics, SOPs, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.
I am willing to speculate. I’m as well traveled in Iraq as anyone I’ve met. I’ve been just about everywhere between Kuwait and Iran, all points in between. And I’ve traveled every way possible.
I’ve gone in military convoy up armored hummers at 40 mph. I’ve run the Fallujah-Baghdad gauntlet in a 15 truck convoy, thin-skinned white F350s. I’ve rolled all over in blacked out (Mitsubishi) Pajeros (SUV) in local dress. Diplomatic convoys with armored Suburbans and helo cover.
I’ve done the whole hide the guns and smile a lot all the way to showing just about everyone the front sight post.
I’ve done 140 kmh up MSR Tampa and weaved through Sadr City at a near standstill.
I, like nearly everyone, have made mistakes and been lucky to be here writing this.
I think the most important and neglected aspect of survival in theater is training. Every day your crew should practice “actions on” (Emergency Action Drills). At least do it on a dry erase board. Actions upon anything and everything. What usually happens is we start going through the “what if's” and all the sudden every guy in the crew has a different idea of what should happen. After all we come from many different backgrounds. After about 30 minutes of that we all end up scratching our head debating which idea is best and say “Let’s get chow.” Decide on some fundamental concepts. And stick to them, but of course always remembering that the plan is just something to deviate from anyway.
As long as we all know the end goal and work towards it. For example, if the vehicle is stalled in the ambush, driver flicks it in neutral so the rear car can ram us out and we prepare to un-ass the vehicle on the opposite side of the contact.
So rehearse and practice. Which is easy to say because I am the first to admit that a knock on my hooch at 7 a.m. with “Hey, man, let’s rehearse this,” makes me grumble.
I’m sure we can all agree that debating your actions on is best done at the hooch rather than on the side of a road in Tikrit while your car is being remodeled by a PKM.
PMCS your vehicles all the time. Being broke down in Iraq is like a scene in a bad movie. Been there done that. Check tires, oil, fluid, etc. And don’t overdrive your car. My friend VC managed to put a Pajero upside down and backwards on (MSR) Tampa once because we pushed the cars past their control limits.
Every IC (independent contractor) you meet will tell you he is a great driver. Just because you drive fast and haven’ hit anything yet doesn’t mean you’re a good tactical driver. Go to BSR or some other school. If you haven't been to BSR (basic safety refresher), let the guy who has drive. Conduct driver training. Get the best guy to teach everyone else. OJT.
Practice changing tires. There are a couple guys reading this email right now who know exactly what I am talking about. Realizing you’ve packed 300 pounds of gear on top of the spare while on the side of a road in Ramadi is a self-loathing I’d like not to replicate. Make sure you have a tow strap in every vehicle. Loop it through the rear bumper so it’s already attached. When you swing in front of the busted car and they hook up you can be gone in 60 seconds or vice versa.
Get a good jack, it’s worth the money. Make sure everyone knows where all the tow, change, repair gear is in every vehicle. Practice it.
In the glove box keep your stay behinds. A fragmentation grenade, a smoke grenade and a CN grenade. The rule is. NEVER TOUCH THE PIN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE GRENADE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW! Hit a bump and it drops on the roadside. Minimal drama. Inside the car? Party foul.
Using CN and Smoke. If you’re caught in traffic and you have a bad feeling about a car behind you, toss the smoke. Most motorists will stop or at least give you a lot of space. It works and it’s harmless. Be judicious about using CN and never while in tight traffic. Watching that cloud blow towards your car faster than you can drive is not fun. CN is rough stuff and I only would use it on those rare situations where it just has to be done. And the frag? Well we all know when those need to be used.
Put a rubber band or a Ranger Band on your sling so it doesn’t get caught on stuff while getting out of the car.
Always do a proper route plan (strip map). Common sense here. And another note, we are always trying to be sneakier and more clever than everyone else. Avoiding MSRs and roads frequented by convoys as they are frequent targets. Well before taking a road you see on a map that isn’t used by the Army. Go see the G-2, ask them why. It may be for good reason.
Think about fuel consumption. Plan your stops for fuel and food. Always carry a gas can, just in case. Track your fuel consumption and do the math. Carry enough fuel.
Always have spare batteries for the GPS, Always have a map and compass just like when we were E1s. Do a map study and make sure everyone in the crew knows the route plan.
Carry as big a gun as you can. Keep it clean. Keep it hot.
CARRY LOTS OF AMMO. On April 4th I went through 14 mags and NEVER would have thought that a possibility before then. Carry more ammo, stage spare mags EVERYWHERE. Like the freakin’ Easter Bunny.
I will never not wear a helmet again. If there is a Kevlar helmet, it’s going on my head. A dude standing right next to all of us on the roof was dropped from a headshot. Spend the money get a good MICH (Modular Integrated Communications Helmet) or the like. The more comfortable and low profile the more likely it is you'll wear it. WEAR A HELMET. Seeing a friend get blasted in the head was a SOP-changing experience for ALL of us here. Wear your armor. Period.
If you sleep in a trailer or hootch, know where the nearest bunker is. Trying to find it at 4 a.m. while scared (deleted) isn’t the answer. And yes, everyone runs for the bunker. The Delta dude who is always giving the evil eye will probably be the first one there followed immediately after by a SEAL in flip-flops. 120 mm. mortars make us all very humble.
Shoot a lot. Keep training. If you’re company get more ammo. MAKE THEM. Dry fire. Practice mag changes. Focus on cheek weld and front site. The basics win every time.
The three guys shot on the roof here were all either changing mags while standing or weren’t moving to different firing positions frequently (all were regular military and not contractors). They were doing standard Army range (deleted). And got dropped for it.
In the movie We Were Soldiers, Sam Elliot’s character, Sergeant Major Basil Plumly said, “If I need one there will be plenty laying around” in regards to rifles. He was right. During one firefight, a buddy was on a SAW and I had an M-203. There were weapons strewn about the roof by wounded and those who elected to not play on the two-way range. By the end of week two here we all had our choice in weapons. We fired RPK, AK47, PKM, MK-19, M-249, M-203, M-4, Dragunov, and M-60 at bad guys between the eight of us. That was unreal.
Which brings me onto this. Train on all weapons. If you don’t have access at least read the FM or TM on them. You never know when you’re out of 5.56 and someone will hand you a PKM. Get familiar with them.
continued..........
Guest Column: Survival Tips for Iraq
Editor’s Note: These are comments from a private security contractor in Iraq on how newcomers can survive in that still-hostile environment. The memo was first obtained by NavySEALs.com/BlackNET and Pure Pursuit.
We are a PSD (Private Security Detail) element that is currently conducting a much broader range of mission sets. If I were coming in June? I would bring at least four pair of lightweight boots, so you can swap them out frequently. It’s about a million times worse than August in Niland (California, north of El Centro). Fifteen pairs of socks. At least ten, NON COTTON t-shirts. Two pairs of sunglasses. Non-cotton skivvies, if you wear them. (Comment: cotton does not burn, it chars. Aviators and armored vehicle crewmen are required to wear cotton undergarments. Polyester and nylon, materials in “wicking” garments, melt at high temperature, vastly complicating treatment of burns.) Lots of foot powder. Sunscreen.
Now for serious stuff.
The AIMPOINT as issued is great, but it's a 3MOA (minutes of angle) glass at best. We are consistently making shots well beyond [deleted]. Last night I was slinging at a mortar crew about [deleted]. Luckily I had the PKM on them. My point is? Get an ACOG (ACOG, Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight by Trijicon). Best money is the TA31F. If you have access to the ordnance dept at (SEAL) Team 5 the NSN ACOG is good to go. You can buy one by email. I bought a shorty M4 and brought it with me. I wouldn’t come here without a short gun. I also have a 22” MK12 (Special Purpose Rifle based on M4) with a Leupold (scope). I use that for long-range stuff.
But at least bring an ACOG.
Bring your own body armor, including a Kevlar helmet. They are hard to come by. As I am writing this we have mortars coming in.
Bring some mosquito netting and a poncho liner for an urban hide. You will want to have a sniper in the hide covering your movements around the GC.
OPSEC is important.
Here’s some heavy stuff!
Here are my lessons learned after spending a year in Iraq as a contractor on conducting public and black side operations.
Yesterday a friend of mine who runs a small security company here in Iraq emailed me. He is standing up a protection detail and wanted my opinion on tactics and equipment and running the roads of Iraq. Tactics, SOPs, hard car or soft? I have been giving it some thought and here is where I am at.
I am willing to speculate. I’m as well traveled in Iraq as anyone I’ve met. I’ve been just about everywhere between Kuwait and Iran, all points in between. And I’ve traveled every way possible.
I’ve gone in military convoy up armored hummers at 40 mph. I’ve run the Fallujah-Baghdad gauntlet in a 15 truck convoy, thin-skinned white F350s. I’ve rolled all over in blacked out (Mitsubishi) Pajeros (SUV) in local dress. Diplomatic convoys with armored Suburbans and helo cover.
I’ve done the whole hide the guns and smile a lot all the way to showing just about everyone the front sight post.
I’ve done 140 kmh up MSR Tampa and weaved through Sadr City at a near standstill.
I, like nearly everyone, have made mistakes and been lucky to be here writing this.
I think the most important and neglected aspect of survival in theater is training. Every day your crew should practice “actions on” (Emergency Action Drills). At least do it on a dry erase board. Actions upon anything and everything. What usually happens is we start going through the “what if's” and all the sudden every guy in the crew has a different idea of what should happen. After all we come from many different backgrounds. After about 30 minutes of that we all end up scratching our head debating which idea is best and say “Let’s get chow.” Decide on some fundamental concepts. And stick to them, but of course always remembering that the plan is just something to deviate from anyway.
As long as we all know the end goal and work towards it. For example, if the vehicle is stalled in the ambush, driver flicks it in neutral so the rear car can ram us out and we prepare to un-ass the vehicle on the opposite side of the contact.
So rehearse and practice. Which is easy to say because I am the first to admit that a knock on my hooch at 7 a.m. with “Hey, man, let’s rehearse this,” makes me grumble.
I’m sure we can all agree that debating your actions on is best done at the hooch rather than on the side of a road in Tikrit while your car is being remodeled by a PKM.
PMCS your vehicles all the time. Being broke down in Iraq is like a scene in a bad movie. Been there done that. Check tires, oil, fluid, etc. And don’t overdrive your car. My friend VC managed to put a Pajero upside down and backwards on (MSR) Tampa once because we pushed the cars past their control limits.
Every IC (independent contractor) you meet will tell you he is a great driver. Just because you drive fast and haven’ hit anything yet doesn’t mean you’re a good tactical driver. Go to BSR or some other school. If you haven't been to BSR (basic safety refresher), let the guy who has drive. Conduct driver training. Get the best guy to teach everyone else. OJT.
Practice changing tires. There are a couple guys reading this email right now who know exactly what I am talking about. Realizing you’ve packed 300 pounds of gear on top of the spare while on the side of a road in Ramadi is a self-loathing I’d like not to replicate. Make sure you have a tow strap in every vehicle. Loop it through the rear bumper so it’s already attached. When you swing in front of the busted car and they hook up you can be gone in 60 seconds or vice versa.
Get a good jack, it’s worth the money. Make sure everyone knows where all the tow, change, repair gear is in every vehicle. Practice it.
In the glove box keep your stay behinds. A fragmentation grenade, a smoke grenade and a CN grenade. The rule is. NEVER TOUCH THE PIN UNLESS YOU HAVE THE GRENADE OUTSIDE THE WINDOW! Hit a bump and it drops on the roadside. Minimal drama. Inside the car? Party foul.
Using CN and Smoke. If you’re caught in traffic and you have a bad feeling about a car behind you, toss the smoke. Most motorists will stop or at least give you a lot of space. It works and it’s harmless. Be judicious about using CN and never while in tight traffic. Watching that cloud blow towards your car faster than you can drive is not fun. CN is rough stuff and I only would use it on those rare situations where it just has to be done. And the frag? Well we all know when those need to be used.
Put a rubber band or a Ranger Band on your sling so it doesn’t get caught on stuff while getting out of the car.
Always do a proper route plan (strip map). Common sense here. And another note, we are always trying to be sneakier and more clever than everyone else. Avoiding MSRs and roads frequented by convoys as they are frequent targets. Well before taking a road you see on a map that isn’t used by the Army. Go see the G-2, ask them why. It may be for good reason.
Think about fuel consumption. Plan your stops for fuel and food. Always carry a gas can, just in case. Track your fuel consumption and do the math. Carry enough fuel.
Always have spare batteries for the GPS, Always have a map and compass just like when we were E1s. Do a map study and make sure everyone in the crew knows the route plan.
Carry as big a gun as you can. Keep it clean. Keep it hot.
CARRY LOTS OF AMMO. On April 4th I went through 14 mags and NEVER would have thought that a possibility before then. Carry more ammo, stage spare mags EVERYWHERE. Like the freakin’ Easter Bunny.
I will never not wear a helmet again. If there is a Kevlar helmet, it’s going on my head. A dude standing right next to all of us on the roof was dropped from a headshot. Spend the money get a good MICH (Modular Integrated Communications Helmet) or the like. The more comfortable and low profile the more likely it is you'll wear it. WEAR A HELMET. Seeing a friend get blasted in the head was a SOP-changing experience for ALL of us here. Wear your armor. Period.
If you sleep in a trailer or hootch, know where the nearest bunker is. Trying to find it at 4 a.m. while scared (deleted) isn’t the answer. And yes, everyone runs for the bunker. The Delta dude who is always giving the evil eye will probably be the first one there followed immediately after by a SEAL in flip-flops. 120 mm. mortars make us all very humble.
Shoot a lot. Keep training. If you’re company get more ammo. MAKE THEM. Dry fire. Practice mag changes. Focus on cheek weld and front site. The basics win every time.
The three guys shot on the roof here were all either changing mags while standing or weren’t moving to different firing positions frequently (all were regular military and not contractors). They were doing standard Army range (deleted). And got dropped for it.
In the movie We Were Soldiers, Sam Elliot’s character, Sergeant Major Basil Plumly said, “If I need one there will be plenty laying around” in regards to rifles. He was right. During one firefight, a buddy was on a SAW and I had an M-203. There were weapons strewn about the roof by wounded and those who elected to not play on the two-way range. By the end of week two here we all had our choice in weapons. We fired RPK, AK47, PKM, MK-19, M-249, M-203, M-4, Dragunov, and M-60 at bad guys between the eight of us. That was unreal.
Which brings me onto this. Train on all weapons. If you don’t have access at least read the FM or TM on them. You never know when you’re out of 5.56 and someone will hand you a PKM. Get familiar with them.
continued..........