| These are the guidelines issued by the Marines:  Only bring what you can carry. Marines are light infantry and you must be prepared to go foot-mobile carrying all of your equipment with you. in many instances, our units will ride mounted in tracked vehicles, helicopters or trucks, but be prepared to hike your own gear — so please pack lightly.
We will be wearing our nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) suits most of the time due to the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threat. Bring a set of gym shorts and a T-shirt to wear underneath since it can get rather hot while wearing the suits. Bring one other set of shirt/trousers to put in pack. (see below.) Please ensure you have at least (2) NBC-capable canteens (i.e. canteens that have tops that will mate with the M-40 series field protective mask so you can drink water while wearing the mask.) Marines at the tactical level have limited resources for power and communications. Media may use military generator power assets to recharge batteries on a not-to-interfere basis. The further you embed to the front lines, the fewer these resources become. We will work with you on this issue. Your sponsoring Marine unit will provide you meals ready to eat (MREs) and water. We operate in an austere environment. Be prepared to get and stay dirty for extended periods of time. Depending on where we are, you may or may not get to take a shower. We usually have water for daily washing/hygiene. Bring baby wipes and hand sanitizer. We recommend males shave every day. Your NBC mask will not get a good seal if you have a beard or facial hair growth. Without a good seal in a chemical or biological contaminated environment, you may suffer severe adverse effects or die. We strongly encourage you to purchase your own body armor (i.e. kevlar helmet and flak jacket). Smoking and flashlights are strictly prohibited at night. If the enemy can see you, they will kill you. Additionally, smoking or emitting light at night may jeopardize the lives of our Marines and sailors. Use of any sort of infrared (IR) camera emitting at night is strictly prohibited. If the enemy can see you with night vision goggles, they will kill you. Assume every incoming indirect fire barrage (artillery/mortar/rocket etc...) is a WMD attack. Immediately seek cover, and put on your NBC gear. The Marine units which you will be assigned to will not have access to the Internet. You are expected to provide your own satcom (satellite communications) or other means to communicate/file your stories/copy. We will work within our organic capabilities to assist you the best we can. Please keep in mind that the majority of our communications systems run on a military network that doesn't "talk" to the civilian Internet. Approval to transmit live from the battlefield rests with the battalion commander of the unit to which you are assigned. Hostile forces have the ability to "direction find" electronic emissions on the battlefield. When they triangulate that position, they usally fire on it with artillery. Media traveling with the 1st Marine Division will have restrictions placed upon the timing of the usage of communications equipment. We strongly recommend against the use of contact lenses for prescription eyeglass wearers in the field. They are hard to keep clean and it is inadvisable to use them with a M-40 field protective NBC mask. The M-40 field protective mask can be fitted with eyeglass inserts. If you are injured, you will be medivaced to the nearest military medical facility. Please ensure you have identification to assist us in the case you become unconscious. Procuring your own identification tags on the civilian market and marking them with your name, blood type and social security or passport number is advisable. We look forward to having you here at the 1st Marine Division. Our Marines are smart, eager and aggressive and looking forward to "adopting" you for this war. Keep your head down and semper fi. How to Pack Here is a list of recommended items strongly recommended to bring for living in the field:
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