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
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