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thedrifter
10-04-07, 09:13 AM
Marines rake in loot at expo
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2007 5:34:29 EDT

At the end of the day, it’s all about the stuff.

Heading to their car after attending the Modern Day Marine Expo in Quantico, Va., two members of The Basic School staff rifled through their bags to see what they’d picked up.

“Without a doubt, he’s won,” one Marine said about his colleague.

“Yeah, I got a holster,” quipped the other Marine.

“Well, we both got helmet pads,” pointed out the first Marine.

The two enlisted personnel from TBS — who didn’t want to see their names in print — said they really would have liked flashlights, especially the key-chain size light that sends out an SOS signal, turns off with the push of a thumb and switches between bright and dim.

That would be the LRI/Photon LED Micro-light.

“I could see that being really useful,” said the Marine with the holster.

Elsewhere, leathernecks filled up their free Marine Corps League tote bags with magazines, posters, autographed photos of R. Lee Ermey and gear.

Sgt. Vincent Bonczyk, 28, and Sgt. Josh Horn, 24, also assigned to The Basic School, scored polyurethane magazines for their M16s.

“Well, they are lighter than metal and a lot quieter. We’ll definitely try them out,” Bonczyk said.

Bonczyk and Horn also competed at the CamelBak display, doing sit-ups and scaling a climbing wall to try for the day’s best time.

“They told us the ROTC kids were over here beating us, so we had to come over. Can’t have kids beating Marines,” Horn said.

Among the easiest items to acquire at the expo were boot socks. Vendors were distributing wicking socks, cold-weather socks — even toe socks made from silver thread.

“These socks are made for the human foot,” said Injinji company president Joaquin Romay, pointing to the toes of his socks. “These are made for a cow,” he added, gesturing at a tube sock.

Romay says the toes dissipate heat and help the socks stay put. The silver material, made by a company called X-Static, transfers heat through the entire body of the sock, he added.

“It also neutralizes odor because the silver reacts with the ammonia that is excreted by the skin. If you’re a Marine who hasn’t changed his socks for three days, that’s important,” Romay said.

Some coveted items just wouldn’t fit in a goodie bag. And even if they did, they would have exceeded the $20 gift limit.

Gunnery Sgt. Jawara James, assigned to the Marine Corps Institute, had his eye on a MillenWorks light utility vehicle, with its streamlined body, ample cargo space and center-dashboard steering wheel.

“It’s just leaps and bounds beyond what we have now. And it’s cool,” he said.

Ellie

thedrifter
10-04-07, 09:13 AM
Modern Day Marine Expo ends today
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2007 5:32:52 EDT

It’s become tough to see it all in a day.

With more than 400 vendors hawking everything from LED flashlights and comfy socks to up-armored Humvees and amphibious assault vehicles, the Modern Day Marine Expo in Quantico, Va., is nearly double the size it was just five years ago.

Which means Marines have to exercise time-management skills if they want to climb through every Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle on display, fire a few rounds in Laser Shot Inc.’s modular shoothouse or scale a climbing wall for a CamelBak.

“There’s a huge leap forward in technology and intelligence systems over the last time I was here. The sheer number of vendors out here is amazing,” said Lt. Col. Brian Fitzpatrick, an intelligence officer assigned to Marine Corps headquarters.

The 27th-annual event holds the usual staples for any well-equipped Marine, including weapons, ammunition, cartridges, armor, sleeping bags, tents and communications gear.

But it also features big-ticket items that Marines seem to be chomping at the bit to acquire.

At one space, BAE Systems showed off an MK44 30mm automatic cannon mounted on an amphibious assault vehicle. At another tent, the same corporation demonstrated its “Remote Guardian” defensive weapon for the V-22 Osprey.

“I am excited and encouraged by this,” said Master Sgt. Martin Reyes, maintenance control chief for Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, speaking about the weapons system. “The aircraft is awesome, and this will make it that much better.”

The Marine Corps has not committed to purchasing the turreted system, which is designed to be belly-mounted on the aircraft.

In fact, Remote Guardian has not been tested onboard the V-22.

But a spokesman for BAE Systems said the system, which was built with feedback from V-22 crew chiefs, maintenance personnel and pilots, could fill a requirement raised in the fiscal 2008 defense supplemental spending bill “It really comes down to the needs of the Marine Corps. We could deploy behind the squadron if the service wanted it,” said Clark Freise, vice president of defense avionics for BAE Systems.

The Modern Day Marine Expo in Quantico, Va., has become one of the largest U.S. trade shows for military gear. Its location gives companies a chance to showcase their newest products before the Corps’ top planners and troops.

Vendor Lee Davis, a captain in the Kentucky Army National Guard, showed two Marines a 500-pound Frag 5 door for up-armored Humvees, and the system that helps troops open and close the heavyweight portal.

“The first thing Marines always want to see is our door,” Davis said, pointing to a battered, shattered section of a Humvee that had been the target of an improvised explosive device in Baghdad earlier this year.

“This is much better than what we had when I was over there,” he said. Davis deployed to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006.

Drawing big crowds were the Young Marines booth, with celebrity spokesman R. Lee Ermey, and the ever-popular Taser table, where Marines queued for the chance to receive the shock of a lifetime.

Sgt. Chris Hamann, 25, assigned to Defense Mapping School at Fort Belvoir, Va., stood stoically for nearly 10 seconds while a company representative tased him.

“That was my entire purpose for being here. It’s why I came,” he said. “You have one life to live, and you never know what you are capable of until you try it.”

Modern Day Marine continues Thursday on Lejeune Field at Marine Corps Base Quantico. The expo floor is open from 10 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

Ellie

thedrifter
10-04-07, 09:43 AM
QUANTICO EXPO LATEST MILITARY GEAR ON DISPLAY Show has everything from socks to scopes
October 4, 2007 12:35 am

By PAMELA GOULD

If staring down the barrel of a high-powered rifle is disconcerting, the Modern Day Marine Military Expo isn't the place for you.

At Quantico Marine Corps Base this week, roughly 400 companies have set up booths to display the latest warfare equipment for Marines.

Some companies already have their products in the field and are looking for input from their users. Others are hoping to attract the attention of decision-makers.

Thus, expo visitors could come face-to-face with a rifle barrel as a gunnery sergeant looks through a high-powered scope, or hear the rat-a-tat of one being fired in a simulated drill.

BAE Systems brought several items of protective gear developed with input from Marines at Quantico.

Among them was a "head-borne integrated system" that combined goggles, a face-and-jaw protector, and rail systems that can hold night-vision goggles, cameras or tracking devices.

Another looked like the leg protectors worn by baseball catchers--but was built to withstand far more force than a fastball.

Companies came from near and far for the 27th annual expo, which started Tuesday and ends today. BAE has an office as close as North Stafford, whereas firearms specialist FN Herstal is based in Belgium.

The military is so serious about one enemy--the improvised explosive device--that entry was restricted for the area where companies displayed their latest ideas for defeating this terrorist tool.
Fitness and function

Not every expo booth dealt with life-and-death issues.

Marines enjoyed the novelty of slipping into a "storm chamber" to check out a lightweight waterproof jacket and flexible gloves designed by the makers of Gore-Tex.

They were also intrigued by toe socks designed by San Diego-based Injinji that were pitched as a way to prevent blisters, eliminate odor and wick away wetness from sweaty feet.

Currently, 250 Marines out of Camp Pendleton are testing the footwear, said CEO Joaquin Romay.

"It makes sense. It makes a lot of sense," said Sgt. A.J. Shanks, who has done his own sock research, trying to find a pair that doesn't lose its elasticity.

Gunnery Sgt. David Adamson saw the wisdom of focusing on the part of his body that always takes a beating.

"Wherever you go, you gotta walk and you always have your load on you. This ought to work," he said.

And then there was the Fitness Anywhere station.

There, a fit former Navy SEAL demonstrated a suspension trainer that can be used anywhere.

Essentially, it's a heavy-duty nylon strap with two handles that can be attached to anything strong enough to support a Marine's weight--such as an armored vehicle.

In the desert, Marines can do a variety of exercises that give their core muscles a workout and keep them in fighting condition.

Sales rep Joe Martin said the Marines have bought 1,500 of the training devices and more are onboard ships, subs and Coast Guard cutters.

Sgt. Phillip Stephenson said he used one attached to a truck while in Iraq in 2005-06, and said it works.

"The name itself, Fitness Anywhere, fits," he said.
Pamela Gould: 540/735-1972
Email: pgould@freelancestar.com

Ellie