Current USMC Grunt Gear Issue

[awkwardninja]

I'm getting involuntarily recalled from the IRR in a month and a half and was wondering if there are any USMC 03's that are still in or just got out in the past year that could tell me what the current gear issue is. I see a lot of drop pouches in recent pics of Marines in Afghanistan. Is this issued or should I buy my own if I want one? Same with collapsible stocks for 16's with m203 launchers. I've been told I'll be doing prewar buildup immediately followed by shipping out with no leave, so I need to buy what I want before I show up and see what unit I'm with. Any additional gear you suggest I might want to get? I've never deployed before, not sure if I'm going to Iraq or Afghanistan. Thanks.

[Billyd]

Please proceed to the New Members Forum and provide an introduction. This courtesy is so that we may know who we are speaking with. Also, please fill out your profile for the same reason. You are also more likely to receive a useful answer to your questions.

[grunt0311]

Wish I could help, but I'm not currently in a grunt unit. Mid-May I will be though, if you don't have an answer by then I should be able to help

[awkwardninja]

The post says it all. I'm a Marine 0311 who has never deployed and is being involuntarily recalled from the IRR. Anything else I would not feel comfortable posting on the internet. I am looking only for replies from other USMC 03s who got out within the past year or are still in the Corps. No offense if you do not fit this description, but you are not qualified to answer my question if you are not a Marine which goes without saying, you are not qualified to answer my question if you are not a grunt because things are very different for grunts and POGs, and you are not qualified to answer my question if you got out more than a year ago because the gear issue is constantly evolving in the Corps. If someone does fit in the category described, I would greatly appreciate any advice you have for me. Thank you.

[HairyEyeball]

Sonny, you just blew any credibility you may have had. I spent four years in my Marine Corps on active duty - half of that in a combat zone - and another two in reserve before you were a gleam in your daddy's eye. My primary MOS was in the 6200 series, but there wasn't an 03 we hauled - into combat on his feet or out of it on his back - who'd use the word 'pogue' (as the old song goes, "Don't write naughty words on walls if you can't spell") to my face, and even without the time I spent in the bush with them, damned few who'd use it behind my back.

You may - and I have my doubts - have squeaked through Boot and SOI, but you have no idea of the concept 'Marine'. At this point, any real Marine I know would class you about one RCH above John Murtha, and that's iffy at best. It's put up or shut up time, boot.

[Des]

When you say Drop pouch, do you mean a dump pouch attached to belt/rig, or do you mean a drop-leg carrier pouch?

From personal experience, dump pouches are good as long as they are attached to your belt or to your rig.

If you mean a drop-leg pouch, I personally avoid at all costs.

a) If you're humping a lot, they tend to chafe your legs.

b) If you stuff them with too much weight, they tend to move around a lot if you leave them too loose, or you tighten the leg-straps, either of which brings you back to point a.

c) if you're vehicle mounted, when in and getting out of carriers, they tend to snag on just about everything.

Of course, I'm neither a Marine or an infanteer, I'm only a field Signalman currently serving my second tour of duty in Afghanistan. So take it for what it's worth.

[Ben Shotalot]

Originally Posted by HairyEyeball

.......who'd use the word 'pogue' (as the old song goes, "Don't write naughty words on walls if you can't spell")......

HE - I have seen POG written in place of "Piece Of Garbage". Take it for what it's worth.

"awkwardninja" - Okay Awkward, why don't you do this; stop worrying about what gear you think you may or may not get, and put your own house in order before you deploy. You'll get what you get when you process through the system.

[Billyd]

Originally Posted by awkwardninja

The post says it all. I'm a Marine 0311 who has never deployed and is being involuntarily recalled from the IRR. Anything else I would not feel comfortable posting on the internet. I am looking only for replies from other USMC 03s who got out within the past year or are still in the Corps. No offense if you do not fit this description, but you are not qualified to answer my question if you are not a Marine which goes without saying, you are not qualified to answer my question if you are not a grunt because things are very different for grunts and POGs, and you are not qualified to answer my question if you got out more than a year ago because the gear issue is constantly evolving in the Corps. If someone does fit in the category described, I would greatly appreciate any advice you have for me. Thank you.

Wow, you sure do know how to piss off the general membership here, now don't you? Now, if you wish to try and re-establish any credibility what so ever, I HIGHLY suggest that you comply with my first response to you.

You have stepped in the Lion's Den and the Lion's here do tend to bite those that get pissy on their second post. Like I stated above, fill out your profile and post an introduction in the proper place, and you might actually get a usefull response to your queries.

BTW, when you get off the bus at whatever training facility you are directed to, I would suggest that you close your pie hole when the guy with the stripes opens his.

[awkwardninja]

Billy - not a lot of bite over the internet, just bark. Des - thanks for the advice, I did mean a dump pouch. Ben - don't criticize someone for trying to be prepared for war. You're in the army so you don't realize the Marine Corps has poor funding and does not issue good gear. Just like my buddies who went to Iraq in 2004 and bought armor plates that weren't issued to them, I'd like to purchase equipment that will help me if it's not going to be issued. Example: a collapsible butt stock that will help me get around corners unseen in a MOUT environment and allow me to put the stock in my shoulder while in a vehicle. Standard issue in the Army for a while now, wasn't issued in the Marine Corps when I got out 2 years ago. Hairy - pogue and POG are used interchangeably in today's Marine Corps. The latter is an acronym for Personnel Other than Grunt. There are a lot of POGs here for a forum entitled "Grunt Forum." As I mentioned before, you cannot answer my questions completely or correctly if you're an airmen, a POG or a senior citizen. Des was able to give me advice on a piece of gear but cannot tell me if I'll be issued it because he's not a Marine. That does not mean I'm trying to piss him off, that's just a fact. If you're offended someone calls you a flyboy, you should have joined the Marine Corps. If you're offended someone calls you POG you should have been a grunt. Fortunately I have found a forum on a more credible site instead of this one which has a following of has beens and wannabees.

[Ben Shotalot]

Originally Posted by awkwardninja

Ben - don't criticize someone for trying to be prepared for war. You're in the army so you don't realize the Marine Corps has poor funding and does not issue good gear.

I made Gunny in the Corps and had 14 years under my belt. I hit the yellow foot prints in 1981. I've been a ground pounder. Look at my sig-line and you'll know where I went. I'm on active duty.

Originally Posted by awkwardninja

Fortunately I have found a forum on a more credible site instead of this one which has a following of has beens and wannabees.

I am far from a "has been" or "wannabe" - I am not. I venture into this forum to give advice, which is what I thought I was doing. You'll get the gear that you'll get, it is what it is... It is best to use your time square away business at home as you won't have to much time to handle it once you get mobilized. Take that advice to the bank.

Lastly, you are closer to a "has been" or "wanna be" as it seems you got out and don't know what gear is out there, but you "wanted to be" a Marine still and stayed in the IRR...... Or was IRR part of your original contract?

Have fun at the other site. I hope you don't go to the one I frequent. You'll be an embarrassment.