Pre Iraq checklist

[dikatry]

A couple of months ago I saw an article in the Marine times about things that you would want to bring with you to Iraq. No Im getting ready to go and I cant remember the month the story was written or how to find it. Does anyone here have it? If so could you post the items on here? thank you

[thedrifter]

At this time, I can not find, under the key words you gave....I do remember a list that was posted...

Will keep looking for you........


Ellie

[Osotogary]

I think it was about choice of weapon but I don't know if the thread was specific to Irag. I know that the M-60, Kabar knife and piano wire were a few of the weapons of choice mentioned.
Maybe there is a link there.

[MillRatUSMC]

http://www.mfr.usmc.mil/4thmardiv/23...HTML#Preparing

This page doesn't have specific equipment to take but it does have a lot of information on pre-deployment.

You could search Marine Times in their archives for that article...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

[Osotogary]

dikatry,
There was a thread titled "Which firearm would you take into battle?" right around april 2004...I believe. Good clues there.
Go into search.. I used piano wire.

[HardJedi]

hmmmmm I'd say take some "adult reading material" and lots of tobacco products, even if you don't use em. can always make alot of money off of the smoker and chewers! ( hey, might not be on any kind of official list, but even a serious question can use a humerous answer from time to time)

[dikatry]

I remember reading it. Some of the things were Bounce pads to put in you pockets and keep the flees away, and a portable hammock, and of course tobacco. But I can’t remember the rest of it. I read it sometime around March/ April while I was in Lejeune, but it was in a pile of Marine Times papers that was on someone’s desk so I don’t know when it was published.

[dikatry]

Found It!

1. Learn the language, culture

Knowing some basic phrases and how the Iraqis handle themselves on the
street might help save your hide. Knowing "left" from "right" in Arabic,
for example, could lower the tension at a crossroads checkpoint.

About 500 Marines with 1st Marine Division got a monthlong class on Arabic
language and customs, and most plan to share their knowledge with other
Marines. Also, the division has distributed a CD-ROM packet on "Basic
Arabic."

"That's one of the keys to success over there," said Master Gunnery Sgt.
Bennett Woods, division operations chief.

So is understanding Iraqi culture, said Sgt. Maj. Wayne Bell, the
division's senior enlisted Marine. Mosques are considered sacred ground,
for example, so Marines must approach them with caution. Iraqis "are very,
very sensitive when you go to their mosques," he added.

Local bookstores offer a variety of texts that can help you get up to
speed, including the popular "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding
Iraq."

Knowing the culture also means downplaying the fact that you're American.
So don't display the U.S. flag, Bell said.

"It shows you as a conqueror," he said. Not quite the Pentagon's intended
message.

2. Don't forget civilian clothes

Sounds odd, yes. But having a set of civvies in your seabag could save you
some cash, time and trouble.

Last year, Bell said, some injured Marines ordered home had to scramble to
find decent civilian clothing to travel from Kuwait.

"They ended up purchasing clothes in theater in order to get out," Woods
said. And the pickings were slim.

One other thing: You might end up traveling through foreign airports where
threats of terrorism are a daily reality, so avoid the wild Hawaiian shirts
and blue jeans that mark you as an American.

3. Invest in a solar shower

It shouldn't come as a surprise that summer in Iraq is hotter than a Nelly
concert. Sure, living conditions will be better this time around, since
many Marines will be on built-up bases with showers. But you still can't
beat having a solar shower around.

You can find one at a local camping store or at Wal-Mart. They usually
feature a bladder that holds several gallons of water and is heated by the
sun. Some include plastic curtains for privacy.

"You can hang it anywhere. It heats up in the day time, and at night time
you can have some warm water," said Gunnery Sgt. Claudia Lamantia, a combat
correspondent with I Marine Expeditionary Force. Solar showers retail for
$15 to $20. Just don't leave it out in the sun too long -- in the 100-plus
degree heat of Iraq, that water can get scalding hot.

4. Bring your 'medicine cabinet'

Your first-aid kit is good to go if you get wounded, but that's not quite
enough. Staff Sgt. Mike Friedman has a medical-kit design that's worth
stealing.

Friedman, a veteran of the 1991 Persian Gulf War who also deployed for
operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, is packing "the little
things that you just can't get."

For him, that means antacid tablets, cough drops, chewable Pepto-Bismol
tablets, NoDoz alertness-aid pills, and Imodium anti-diarrhea medicine.

Corpsmen pack a lot of this stuff, but they sometimes run out, or "you
might want some better stuff" than what they carry, Friedman explained.

So along with your first-aid kit, you should pack a personalized selection
of supplies and over-the-counter medicines that you think you might need.

Friedman is returning to Iraq in August with I MEF and said he'll
definitely have Imodium in his kit this time.

"People were getting dysentery left and right," Friedman said. "We didn't
take showers for, like, months. It was hard to wash your hands ... so the
virus spreads. We had people down for days."

5. Know your first aid

Most Marines know some basic combat first aid. But it's still not too late
to grab a corpsman to learn new techniques or refresh your memory about
some simple procedures that might prove useful.

Bell recalled the story of Capt. Jason Frei, an artillery battery commander
who lost his right hand when a rocket-propelled grenade exploded near him
during an ambush March 25 near Nasiriyah. Frei used a radio cord to stop
the blood flowing from a severed artery until corpsmen could treat him.

"We had taught that during the war, and it worked," Bell said.

6. Pack for emergencies

Staff Sgt. Roger Williams, now a School of Infantry instructor at Camp
Pendleton, Calif., never deploys without an emergency kit. In fact, he also
helped pack one for his wife, Sgt. Michelle Williams, before the motor
vehicle mechanic deployed last year with the 13th Marine Expeditionary
Unit.

Marines say a small backpack -- the MOLLE daypack is a good example -- can
be used as an "emergency kit" that you carry at all times.

What to pack? "Socks, food, something to keep warm and extra ammo," the
staff sergeant said.

Lamantia swears by a CamelBak bag, where she stashes extra ammunition and
snacks from Meals, Ready-to-Eat.

"That's the one thing that I carry everywhere," she said.

----------------------------------

The 'nice-to-haves'

If you've got extra room in your pack or seabag, here are a few
recommendations on gear you should bring, from Marine staff NCOs who have
been to Iraq, and from soldiers who are there now:

**A "drop holster" for the M9 pistol

**"Tactical" rifle sling

**Waterproof bags

**Cushioned helmet inserts

**Duct tape

**550 cord

**Small binoculars

**Extra socks

**Condoms (to cover your rifle barrel)

**Earplugs

**Cans of compressed air

**A full-size hammock

**A mini-hammock (to store your gear while in garrison)

**Waterproof matches

**A lighter

**Signal mirror

**First-aid bandages

**Fleece neck "gaiter"

**Sunglasses and safety glasses

**A good pair of gloves

**Extra boot laces and insoles

**Sturdy shower shoes

**Spray or gel deodorant (other types melt in the heat)

**Moleskin and corn pads

**Fly bait, ant and mouse traps

**"Pinch" lights

**Insect repellent

**"Bounce" dryer sheets (keep them in your pockets to keep insects away)

**Baking soda (put it in your boots at night to dry them out, or mix it
with water to make homemade toothpaste)

-- By Gina Cavallaro and Gidget Fuentes