Gear. It seems the military either skimped on gear or didn’t supply the proper gear at all. I was stunned by how lacking his gear was. He is going for a year, yet, he was missing so much. He had his helmet not show up, second pair of boots were gone, poncho liner made it but no poncho, his pack was in bad enough shape as to be useless, SERE kit was missing, some but not all cold weather gear was present, no first aid kit, etc. He was told, “Well, try to get what you need when you get there.” We all know how that’s going to go.
WOW!!!
I will be at his yellow ribbon ceremony this saturday....is there a list they can give me of what he shouuld have? and a list of places to get what he is missing???
For many different reasons, gear can end up just plain lost (I won't bore or terrify you with the details). There are Central Issue Facilities in-theater. Just a memo from the commander and a trip with an NCO is all it takes (assuming they have the right sizes, of course).