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Gear heads

Ramadi, Iraq — Dec. 20, 2005

There’s one thing I can truly relate to about Marines — they’re gear heads.

Since the war in Iraq has dragged on, and as more and more units rotate back for the second or third time, the troops have pretty much dialed in their gear. They have a good idea of what works and what doesn’t. And despite the Corps’ tradition of uniformity, the troops here are given a lot of leeway on what they can wear and how they can modify what they’ve got.

No, they’re not allowed to go commando and paint their rifles with desert tan spray paint — as many of them would like to do. But there’s a lot of aftermarket equipment being donned before a patrol these days, making some Marines look more like Rangers than devil dogs. And a lot of companies are clearly cashing in on “gear mania.”

There are Oakley desert boots that look more like running shoes than combat boots — and feel that way, some Marines report. The Converse combat boots are popular, too, but I keep giving some of the Marines who wear them grief. They look like moon boots. Big and clunky, they have a zipper on the side as well as full lace ups. The Marines who’ve got them swear by them. I’m not convinced.

Blackhawk, the military gear manufacturer, must be making a killing, too. Their holsters and chest rigs are in high demand. Many Marines report they’ve asked their wives and parents to send them this company’s stuff, but the stocks are depleted. Even troops in the combat zone have to wait for back orders.

Marines with Weapons Company just got a bunch of new Tactical Assault Gear-manufactured chest rigs as well. A pile of them sat on the floor of the hooch for about a day before they were snapped up by gear-hungry Marines. On patrol the next day, the grunts were feeling pretty snazzy.

“You should feel pretty high-speed wearing that chest rig,” one sergeant said.

“Oh, I do,” his vehicle commander replied, a grin spreading across his young face.

These guys also are very particular about gear fitting and modifications. During a slow Saturday out in back of the hooch, Staff Sgts. Jose Carrero and Tony Palzkill were debating how to best adjust Carrero’s H-harness. Carrero didn’t trust Palzkill to adjust it for him; Palzkill’s been known to play a few jokes at his colleagues’ expense, and Carrero thought he would succumb to the temptation this time, leaving him with an uncomfortable harness on patrol. Carrero wasn’t taking any chances, so he propped the harness up on a wooden “flak stand” and tried to adjust it himself.

But after Palzkill’s heckling throughout the entire process, Carrero relented, letting Palzkill move the suspension system around for a more comfortable spread. Carrero didn’t like it, but he had to trust his fellow staff noncommissioned officer.

This time at least, Palzkill didn’t succumb to the temptation, putting Carrero’s H-harness in order without any puckish pranks. But next time, another leatherneck may not be so lucky. It’s safest to make those modifications yourself.