Home in the LAV

[Tegyrius]

http://www.dvidshub.net/news/67460/mobile-homes-3rd-lar-marines-cram-comforts-into-life-road

Relevance should be obvious.

- C.

[perardua]

Wish I had some photos of the inside of my Vector (horrible vehicle, but roomy for a four man crew). We had posters up on the interior walls, a portable DVD player rigged up to run from the vehicle power, stacks of water coolers and an ipod in the front with speakers hanging round the interior of the wagon.

[dragoon500ly]

The old M-60 was great for hauling all kinds of "extras", on a REFORGER, we would line a rear sponson box with foil and have an instant cooler for sodas. The oddment cage in between the radio and ammo racks served as a holder for just about everything from radios to a small fridge.

But there was a National Guard outfit that came to Fort Knox for gunnery. They would pull instructors from the tank courses to ride the AI chair and score the gunnery....

Had to admire the priorities of the crew I was scoring...when I got up on their M-48, they had a setup. They had installed a small box on the bustle rack, filled it with ice and had a keg of beer cooling.

[perardua]

I have noticed it's often the reservists who are best at creating the creature comforts - I think a lot of it is down to the fact that many of the ones I have encountered have been mechanics, electricians, carpenters, builders and the like in their civilian lives. The DVD set up I mentioned was rigged by a guy who in civvy street was a vehicle mechanic/electrician, and we also had an awesome gym (with showers) on our mortar line built using material liberated from various building sites around the camp, again using the skills of attached reservists.

[HorseSoldier]

Way back in the day once saw a straight-from-the-living-room recliner hauled around in the back of a 113. Crew would prop the rear ramp up with a couple ammo cans and take turns relaxing.

[dragoon500ly]

We had a light colonel one time that was death on the "unauthorized gear that the damn tankers drag along with them."

One FTX he and his driver were late coming back into the encampment, and all they had to eat was a couple of cans of C-rat crackers.

Then they pulled into my platoon's position.

And them damn tankers had a couple of grills set up and were enjoying steaks...

"Pull on up colonel! You like your meat burnt or bloody?"

[Panther Al]

Way back in the day once saw a straight-from-the-living-room recliner hauled around in the back of a 113. Crew would prop the rear ramp up with a couple ammo cans and take turns relaxing.

Heh. The 3ID was notorious for looting.. err... scavenging items back during the invasion. We (3ACR) was being relieved from Fallujah (Before it went to shit) by them, and I kid you not, between the 3 577's was strapped two whole leather sectional sofa's they "found", as well as a ton of other furniture.

Me on the other hand, during a FTX during the Superbowl weekend (And wasn't we happy about that) got tactically sneaky: I figured out where we was going to be roughly during the big game, figured out in what direction and inclination I would have point a Direct TV dish to get signal, a nice large blackout tent, and a cheap small TV, with enough cable to run all the above from the APU. 1200 bucks got you a seat for the game, the 1SG got it for free (No dummy I - and besides, the CO had an "appointment" in the rear that night).

[95th Rifleman]

Soldiers always find a way. A mate of mine who was in gulf war 1 told me how the tankies would pack booze down the barrels of the Challengers to sneak it into saudi to avoid the ban on alcohol.

The best way to get a soldier to achieve something has always been to tell him he can't do it.

[dragoon500ly]

On the M-1A1, the hull three-round rack was always a good place to stash a few bottles of your favorite hooch. You'd be surprised at how many inspectors would just reach down, slide the blowout door open enough to verify that there was no main gun ammo and never take the time to look inside the tubes.

[Abbott Shaull]

Heh. The 3ID was notorious for looting.. err... scavenging items back during the invasion. We (3ACR) was being relieved from Fallujah (Before it went to shit) by them, and I kid you not, between the 3 577's was strapped two whole leather sectional sofa's they "found", as well as a ton of other furniture.

Me on the other hand, during a FTX during the Superbowl weekend (And wasn't we happy about that) got tactically sneaky: I figured out where we was going to be roughly during the big game, figured out in what direction and inclination I would have point a Direct TV dish to get signal, a nice large blackout tent, and a cheap small TV, with enough cable to run all the above from the APU. 1200 bucks got you a seat for the game, the 1SG got it for free (No dummy I - and besides, the CO had an "appointment" in the rear that night).

Strangely enough it doesn't surprise me the CO had an "appointment" in the rear that night. Of course, who would be silly enough to ask the First Sergeant for money, that why everyone else was charged an extra 200 bucks to cover his free loading...lol

[Abbott Shaull]

On the M-1A1, the hull three-round rack was always a good place to stash a few bottles of your favorite hooch. You'd be surprised at how many inspectors would just reach down, slide the blowout door open enough to verify that there was no main gun ammo and never take the time to look inside the tubes.

No I wouldn't, for they have probably themselves been guilty of that too. You know the saying out of sight, out of mind. What they don't see, they don't have to bust someone for...lol

[weswood]

When I was in the 1st Marine Air Wing on Okinawa, I had a box made up for the Headquarters Squadron TV, with a seperate shelf for the VCR. We would take it on Team Spirit exercises. I think I had the packing list made up as "Health & Moral Supplies".

Speaking of Team Spirit, I was the Embarkation clerk for the Squadron. We would bring huge crates (8'x4'x4') full of consumables- toilet paper, office supplies, whatever. After they were empty, I would charge to ship stuff back to Okinawa.

[Abbott Shaull]

When I was in the 1st Marine Air Wing on Okinawa, I had a box made up for the Headquarters Squadron TV, with a seperate shelf for the VCR. We would take it on Team Spirit exercises. I think I had the packing list made up as "Health & Moral Supplies".

Speaking of Team Spirit, I was the Embarkation clerk for the Squadron. We would bring huge crates (8'x4'x4') full of consumables- toilet paper, office supplies, whatever. After they were empty, I would charge to ship stuff back to Okinawa.

Well how else were you to get the shipping containers back...lol

Too bad place like China and other place find it cheaper to make new truck trailer shipping containers than ship back their empties from the States.

I think the next time any State Capital, or better yet, when they some new building in Washington, DC, they should be fiscal responsible and make their State Representative, Congressperson, Senators, Governor, President or whatever they may be called and used these cargo containers...lol Since many people have taken to use them as the basis for their home, just modifying the inside and cutting out holes for windows and other things...

Just some thoughts.

[Ramjam]

Funny you should say that about making the containers into a home. There's a place in London that did just that.............

http://www.containercity.com/

[Abbott Shaull]

Funny you should say that about making the containers into a home. There's a place in London that did just that.............

http://www.containercity.com/

There is place out in California that have done the thing...

This is because their is such a large surplus of empties waiting to be never shipped back.

[Panther Al]

Strangely enough it doesn't surprise me the CO had an "appointment" in the rear that night. Of course, who would be silly enough to ask the First Sergeant for money, that why everyone else was charged an extra 200 bucks to cover his free loading...lol

We'll, that and the fact that I didn't have pay him for the beer. A fair trade I think.

[dragoon500ly]

When I was in the 1st Marine Air Wing on Okinawa, I had a box made up for the Headquarters Squadron TV, with a seperate shelf for the VCR. We would take it on Team Spirit exercises. I think I had the packing list made up as "Health & Moral Supplies".

Speaking of Team Spirit, I was the Embarkation clerk for the Squadron. We would bring huge crates (8'x4'x4') full of consumables- toilet paper, office supplies, whatever. After they were empty, I would charge to ship stuff back to Okinawa.

Had a platoon sergeant that would always stuff an extra duffel bag with civilian type toilet paper before every long FTX....then he would charge 5 bucks a roll and make a killing by the 3-4 day...by that time, the C-ration TP had rubbed your tail raw!

[Panther Al]

Had a platoon sergeant that would always stuff an extra duffel bag with civilian type toilet paper before every long FTX....then he would charge 5 bucks a roll and make a killing by the 3-4 day...by that time, the C-ration TP had rubbed your tail raw!

*blinks* Damn. I wish I thought of that. I could have made a mint overseas if I did that myself.

[HorseSoldier]

Now that is truly the worst sort of war profiteering I've ever heard about . . . ;)

[Abbott Shaull]

Gee I bet everyone in the Company and maybe Squadron would know where to go and get the soft civilian tp...lol

[Legbreaker]

I was the Company barman... Enough said I think on that except to say the old "two cans, per man, per day, perhaps" rule didn't really apply to "close friends with open wallets". ;)

As for toilet paper, after being caught out on one of my earliest exercises, I never left home without a roll or two of mankind's softest in my pack. The ration pack supply had more in common with greaseproof paper and I swear could well have been coated in teflon!

[Abbott Shaull]

The company barman. Gee to think if the Uncle Sam Ain't Release Me Yet had caught on to that. Darn 1920s and the Prohibition Era.

[dragoon500ly]

Now that is truly the worst sort of war profiteering I've ever heard about . . . ;)

Worked out in the end, he would throw a platoon BBQ using his "profits", still....5 bucks a roll!!!!

[Abbott Shaull]

Worked out in the end, he would throw a platoon BBQ using his "profits", still....5 bucks a roll!!!!

Yeah, but first couple rolls, three tops, would of cover all the costs for the TP. So everything after that was profit...So yeah throwing a platoon BBQ is as my old Platoon Sergeant us to claim, a small price to pay...lol