Cots, laundry, other logistics vital for troops

The News Tribune - Tacoma, WA ^ | December 7th, 2003 | Michael Gilbert

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Stryker Brigade Combat Team Tactical Studies Group (Chairborne)

[Cannoneer No. 4]

ping

[R. Scott]

McKenney got a contractor out to service the 84 Port-A-Johns now on the camp, and he said there's another 220 or so on the way.

What happened to cut off steel drums and kerosene?

1st Sgt. Dan Stroud bartered with some engineers: five cases of coffee and a player to be named later for enough plywood to build a quick deck for the floor of his 20-person tent. He's got some Christmas lights, too, and pretty soon the place will be downright cheery.

Yes! Coffee still works! But, FIVE CASES? Talk about inflation.

[SLB]

I guess I am getting old. We never had plywood floors, we had old pallets, we slept under culvert halves that had two layers of sandbags before we could go to bed, we used old powder containers with a few holes in the end and then half buried for urinals, shower buckets (Australian showers) and mamma san to do laundry or we did it our selves. The pride and joy was when PA&E (Pacific Architects and Engineers) built us a six hole latrine on skids. The first sergeant made sure it was the first item loaded for any move we made. The medic was in charge of the daily burning as part of field sanitation.

Is it my imagination or is the deployed military getting soft and spending a whole lot of cash that is not necessary?

[FreedomPoster]

I bet you had to walk 5 miles in the snow, uphill both ways, to get to school, too. ;-)

[SLB]

I bet you had to walk 5 miles in the snow, uphill both ways, to get to school, too.

Actually it was about 1 1/2 miles and downhill going, but uphill on the way back. School buses in town were not heard of. We moved from our farm in 1959, I was 9, and my sisters and I walked it each day. I sure missed the bus.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Stryker brigade troops learn how to survive ambushes

[31R1O]

I agree. We waited in Falluja for 2 months for the chem toilets that never arrived. Hell at one point we were happy to get burn out sh!tters with doors.

[Old Sarge]

I just LOVE all the little bits in this one! Thanks for the PING, guys. Let's play, "Stop The Tape!" in a good light, for once:

1st Sgt. Dan Stroud bartered with some engineers: five cases of coffee and a player to be named later for enough plywood to build a quick deck for the floor of his 20-person tent. He's got some Christmas lights, too, and pretty soon the place will be downright cheery.

Ah, the NCO back-channel supply route. How many times have we used it, fellas?

he's working on getting a post exchange set up in the next few days so soldiers can restock on critical personal supplies such as Mountain Dew and Copenhagen chewing tobacco.

"Critical supplies"? These are as vital to the war effort as fuel! Has anyone else been in a formation, where the tobacco chewers are in the front rank to keep the dust down?

Some soldiers removed the doors from the wooden outhouses - they're not really needed, since they've also got the plastic Port-A-Johns - until an officer caught them and ordered them to put the doors back.

Bad Call, Lieutenant...

The brigade is getting help from Army National Guardsmen and reservists from Mississippi, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Wisconsin, as well as an active-duty artillery battalion that's been here since July.

Take note, Folks: there's more of us in the pipeline. Big Army screams, and here we come.

Yeah, SLB, I agree it sounds plush, but remember. This is a brigade setup; with all the attached troops, it's a small division. Guaranteed, the conditions down at company and even battalion, aren't so posh. A good NCO chain will get the line units rotated into the brigade areas for stuff like this, but the conditions for most of the troops will be tough for a while.

[Cacophonous]

I guess I am getting old. We never had plywood floors, we had old pallets, we slept under culvert halves that had two layers of sandbags before we could go to bed, we used old powder containers with a few holes in the end and then half buried for urinals, shower buckets (Australian showers) and mamma san to do laundry or we did it our selves. The pride and joy was when PA&E (Pacific Architects and Engineers) built us a six hole latrine on skids. The first sergeant made sure it was the first item loaded for any move we made. The medic was in charge of the daily burning as part of field sanitation.

The difference between an Army on a wartime mission and one on an occupying mission.

[patton]

I have dug a lot of foxholes, but I have never rigged one with lights...talk about an Improved Fighting Position...

[Matthew James]

"Is it my imagination or is the deployed military getting soft and spending a whole lot of cash that is not necessary?"

It's not your imagination. Many officers confuse "taking care of soldiers" with coddling soldiers. You don't normally see this in combat arms units, but the various support units are rampant with it.

[verity]

These folks did not have to fight their way in. I guess things cannot be too bad.

[Valin]

When I was in the ROK we went from 30 man flights(security and LE) to 125 man security, 40 man LE flights in two weeks. The Air Force set up a tent city for the new guys, problem was no heat, just sleeping bags(now remember this is Korea in Feb!), not to mention running out of cold weather gear. We started hot bunking, the 1sgt. have a hissy fit about this. Fortunately the NCOIC and a couple of other senior NCOs had a "chat" with him end of problem. Some of these guys got sent up from the PI, or deverted from Nam, we started sharing cold weather gear and making latenight "inspections" of the supply warehouse.(Amazing what you can find at 2:00 in the morning)

[Criminal Number 18F]

What happened to cut off steel drums and kerosene?

Women in the Army happened to steel drums and burning ****. Women in the Army happened to the whole process that once was "going to the field."

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[Travis McGee]

Speaking of Copenhagen "dip" I've heard that soldiers are asked what it is, and they tell Iraqis it's American candy. The Iraqis eat a large sample and throw up. "Damn, these Americans are some tough bastards! They LIKE that s#!t."

[Old Sarge]

Ba-HAHAAA!! Now, THAT'S funny!

[Travis McGee]

Can you picture that? "Don't mess with the Americans! Their women will shoot you, and their men eat poison like candy!"

[Squantos]

Winnebagos for everybody !!

Stay Safe !

[dts32041]

I have one think to say about this Brigade, bunch of Blanking wimps.

COS is correct when the warrior ethos needs to be reinstated.