Journalist wear-tests “combat diaper” with Marines
April 11th, 2012 | Afghanistan Embedded journalism Gear Infantry Kajaki Marines | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marines (and journalists) in Afghanistan have a new piece of armor to protect their groins from blast injuries. (James J. Lee/Staff)
KAJAKI, Afghanistan – It’s time to make a confession: I’ve been wearing a diaper in combat.
Not because I can’t handle being in Afghanistan, mind you. Bad things can happen here, but you have to make peace with that before you step on the plane.
No, I’m wearing an armored “diaper” because it has become a requirement for many Marines in theater. When I asked Lt. Col. Kevin Trimble, commander of 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., about the new gear fielded to protect Marines’ groins from blast injuries, he issued the armor to photographer James Lee and I, too.
As you can see in the photograph above –- and yes, I decided to have fun modeling –- the most significant piece of the armor is worn on top of the pants. That’s “Tier 2” protection for blast injuries. It includes a thick, flexible pad wrapped in fabric that folds in between the legs over vital areas. The new ones issued have Marine pattern camouflage, but many of the infantrymen with 1/8 are wearing British camouflage because the Brits fielded the gear first and the Corps wanted to get the item in the field as quickly as possible.
A Marine – or a journalist, for that matter – puts the armor on by using loops to hang it from his belt around his backside. The item is then pulled forward around the bottom and clipped with a buckle and straps around each hip. Two Velcro straps on the front side are then looped around the belt near the zipper.
The item is issued with a “Tier 1” blast-resistant undergarment. It’s mostly polyester and reinforced with silk, and feels almost like thick spandex. It comes down to the knee underneath the pants – “blast boxers,” essentially.
The battalion requires Marines to wear the item everywhere outside the wire, including in convoys and on foot patrols.
“I’m a fan,” said Maj. Kemper Jones, the battalion’s executive officer. “It’s a pain in the neck and it’s hot and sweaty, but it’s keeping us safe.”
I was initially concerned the gear would slow me down while out with foot patrols. However, after wearing it outside the wire twice, it’s not as bad as I expected. Considering I was already wearing a vest with armor plates and a helmet, it kind of all felt like one package.
There’s also a certain peace of mind that goes with wearing it –- I don’t have any children, but I’d like to someday.
Video: Larry Vickers discusses the new Marine Corps rifle sling he designed
January 20th, 2012 | Gear Marksmanship | Posted by Dan Lamothe
The Marine Corps made a significant change in the fall, deciding to adopt a new common weapon sling for service rifles.
That sling, as Marine Corps Times reported here, is the Vickers Combat Applications two-point sling, made by Blue Force Gear, of Pooler, Ga. It’s designed by Larry Vickers, a retired special operator well regarded for his innovation in the marksmanship world.
Rob Curtis, Military Times’ Gear Scout blogger, ran into Vickers at SHOT Show this week. They discussed several items on video, including the new Marine Corps sling. Check it out here:
Live, from today’s Modern Day Marine exposition…
September 27th, 2011 | Gear General officers The CMC | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Commandant Gen. Jim Amos and his wife, Bonnie, speak with a vendor during the opening day of the three-day Modern Day Marine exposition at Quantico, Va. (Photo by Thomas Brown/Staff)
The Modern Day Marine exposition kicked off at Quantico, Va., this morning, providing a glimpse into some of the newest developments available in military technology and equipment.
The annual event will be held through Thursday, featuring exhibits from at least 500 companies on the parade deck near Lejeune Hall.
Marine Corps Times and its sister publication, Defense News, will be blogging from the show. Check it out here.
Behind the Cover: Snitching and the Corps’ drug problem
July 5th, 2011 | Afghanistan Behind the Cover Gear General officers | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
This week in Marine Corps Times, junior Marines and noncommissioned officers debate one general’s controversial initiative to eradicate illegal drug use in his command. Dubbed “Not in My Corps,” Brig. Gen. William D. Beydler’s new campaign encourages rank-and-file troops within Japan’s 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to inform a superior if they see anyone in their unit getting high.
Some troops call that snitching and a call to violate the trust Marines must have for one another at the small-unit level. But the commandant praises the effort, and the three-star head of all Marine forces in Japan says commands across the Corps should use it as a model to confront drug use within their own ranks.
What’s your take?
Other must-reads:
* Senior writers Gina Cavallaro and Gidget Fuentes team up for a comprehensive account of one force reconnaissance platoon’s epic — but little-known — battle three years ago against hundreds of insurgents in the Afghan village of Shewan. Amazingly, these Marines didn’t lose a single man during the encounter, which lasted several hours, and in the process dealt a crushing defeat to the enemy. Cavallaro reports from Afghanistan, where she linked up with that platoon’s former commander, who illustrates in fantastic detail how this unit overcame seemingly impossible odds.
* Staff writer James K. Sanborn quizzes Lt. Gen. Dennis Hejlik, commander of Marine Corps Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., about what Marines should expect once U.S. forces begin leaving Afghanistan later this year. He also spotlights a new piece of gear that “looks like a camouflage diaper but could save your future children.” These external groin protractors were first fielded by the Brits in an effort to lessen the severity of genital injuries sustained in bomb blasts. Now the Corps is rushing them to units down range to supplement the protective underwear some Marines have been wearing for the last few months.
* And much, much more.
Check it out on newsstands this week or subscribe here to read the newspaper online right now.
Exclusive photos: The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle in combat
June 27th, 2011 | Afghanistan Gear Infantry Weapons | Posted by Dan Lamothe
UPDATE: The Marine Corps Times cover story on the IAR is now posted online here.
The M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle was approved for full fielding recently by Commandant Gen. Jim Amos. Marine Corps Times profiled the decision in its print edition last week, outlining what it means for each fire team, rifle qualifications and the gear Marines bring to war.
The decision is a big deal to the Corps, but until now, no photographs of the IAR in Afghanistan have been released. That’s where Marine Corps Times photographer Tom Brown comes in. Below, you’ll find images shot on patrol last week with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It’s the first battalion to take the IAR to war, and senior writer Gina Cavallaro has a feature on it in this week’s print edition.
For now, the photos:
Lance Cpl. Joshua Houck, of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, looks through the scope of his M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle during a June 23 patrol in Garmser, Afghanistan. (Photo by Thomas Brown/Staff)
Lance Cpl. Joshua Houck, of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, crosses the Helmand River with the new M27 IAR during a June 23 patrol in Garmser, Afghanistan. (Photo by Tom Brown/Staff)
Lance Cpl. Kendrick Johnson, of Alpha Company 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, holds the new M27 IAR during a June 23 patrol in Garmser, Afghanistan.
Tent liners bring cool relief
June 13th, 2011 | Afghanistan Gear Infantry Reserve | Posted by Gina Cavallaro
Patrol Base Boldak, Afghanistan – A casual conversation with an infantryman, who’s had a few deployments here and in Iraq, reveals a happy history of heat, cold and general discomfort along the lines of “I lived in my vehicle for seven months.”
That is still par for the course — and a form of shared misery preferred by many Marines. But the procurement system has brought some smart comfort to enhance existing structures, such as these insulating tent liners I watched being installed here.
They’re made by HDT for the 100, 200 and 300 series shelters and can bring the temperature inside a tent down a good 15 degrees. Add air conditioning and you practically get a meat locker effect.
They look like quilted space blankets and are placed between the tent’s outer and inner liners.
Staff Sgt. Israel Maldonado, who installed several liners in a day of dusty hard work with Gunnery Sgt. Marcelino Barajas and any Marines nearby, said he found them by accident.
“I had ordered some new tents to replace some of the older ones here, but they sent these,” said Maldonado, who works with the company gunny in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, a Reserve battalion headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Maldonado is also cutting down on fuel consumption by installing netting with built-in solar panels that bring power into the tents.
No doubt all a part of the Marine Corps’ drive to be more “green,” but for one Marine, sleeping behind the liners after a night of patrolling, it was just a nice perk.
“Yeah, it’s a lot cooler. I had to get my sleeping bag,” his voice came from the darkness of an insulated tent.
Behind the Cover: Big changes for Marine service rifles
June 13th, 2011 | Behind the Cover Gear Weapons | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Since early in the Iraq war, Marines in combat have carried either the M16A4 rifle or M4 carbine, 5.56mm workhorses that leathernecks know well.
Soon, the Marine Corps could adopt big changes to those weapons. While the Army searches for a possible new carbine, Marine officials want to overhaul both the M16A4 and M4, modernizing to make them more adjustable, accurate and comfortable.
The effort to modernize the M16A4 shows a continued divergence with the Army, which continues to favor carbines and their shorter barrels. The Corps continues to stick largely with the M16A4 and its 20-inch barrel, which advocates say offers more accuracy and stopping power at distance.
Marksmanship offiicals with Weapons Training Battalion, out of Quantico, Va., walked me through the options in an interview last week. Several of them were recommended following the Corps’ 2011 Combat Marksmanship Symposium in March, but didn’t emerge publicly as things the Corps was moving on now until this month.
For the details, check the story out on newsstands this week or subscribe online here to read it now.
With IAR in hand, 1/3 Marines set to deploy
April 13th, 2011 | Afghanistan Gear Infantry Weapons | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Armorers with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, perform a function check on new M27 infantry automatic rifles under the supervision of a trainer with Marine Corps Systems Command in December. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Tyler Main)
The debate rages on, but the infantry automatic rifle will soon join the war in Afghanistan.
Marine officials announced last night that 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, will deploy to Helmand province beginning today. They’ll eventually take over in country for 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif., which has patrolled Garmser district since the fall.
The deployment by 1/3′s Lava Dogs will serve as the first war-zone test for the 5.56mm M27 IAR, which could eventually replace the M249 squad automatic weapon on many infantry patrols. For now, it’s expected the unit will take both the IAR and SAW to war, covering its bases as Marines assess the auto-rifle’s strengths and weaknesses.
Four other units received the IAR as part of an experimental fielding, and will deploy later this year. They include 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C.; 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.; 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, out of Pendleton; and 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, a reserve unit out of Fort Devens, Mass.
The units were expected to receive a total of about 458 rifles as part of a new round of experimental testing called for by Gen. James Conway before he retired as commandant in October. The Corps has tentative plans to buy about 4,100 M27s, but Conway called for the limited fielding first.
Like a number of other grunts, Conway was concerned the new weapon, carrying a 30-round magazine, would not provide enough firepower to establish fire superiority in combat. The SAW frequently carries a 200-round drum of ammo. IAR proponents say the lighter weapon will allow Marines to maneuver under fire better and increase accuracy.
If you’re in a unit that’s working the IAR into its predeployment workups, we want to hear from you. Drop me a line at dlamothe (at) marinecorpstimes.com.
Marine recruiters experimenting with iPads
November 29th, 2010 | Gear Recruiting | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Readers may have seen online a story today in which the commander of Marine Corps Recruiting Command outlined in an exclusive interview where he sees recruiting going in the next few years.
Maj. Gen. Robert Milstead says things are currently going relatively well, but saw a few potential obstacles in coming years, including a declining advertising budget.
There’s another element in the story that will catch the interest of the techies in the room, however. Officials at Marine Corps Recruiting Command told me that recruiters are currently experimenting with Apple’s iPad to record the information of potential recruits.
It works like this: the Marines set up a booth at a public event — a county fair, maybe. The set up a contest such as a pull-up challenge, but require students interested in participating to sign a hold-harmless waiver form in case they hurt themselves competing.
In the past, these forms were typically filled out by hand. Someone had to enter the contact information on them by hand into an electronic database for later. It was time-consuming, and when the hand-written information on the forms wasn’t legible, a waste of time.
Marine officials say that by using the iPad, they can immediately capture information electronically and reduce errors. The Corps isn’t hung up on staying with the iPad, but for now, it has impressive potential, they said.
Follow Marine Corps Times as it blogs from Modern Day Marine
September 28th, 2010 | Gear Science & Technology | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Modern Day Marine, the Marine Corps’ premier expo event, kicks off today at 9:45 a.m. at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. More than 500 companies will be on hand displaying everything from flashlights and clothing to tactical vehicles and weapons, and the Corps also will make presentations about its future needs to industry.
Marine Corps Times will be on hand throughout the week, walking the floor and chatting up Marines and exhibitors. In conjuction with our sister newspaper, Defense News, we also will be live-blogging here throughout the week.