US Troops Dig Into Own
Pockets To Pay For Gear
By Tara Copp and Jessica Wehrman
Scripps Howard News Service
9-12-3
Last Christmas, Mike Corcoran sent his mother an unusual Christmas
list: He wanted night-vision goggles, a global positioning system and
a short-wave radio.
Corcoran, then a Marine sergeant in Afghanistan, wanted the goggles so
he could see on patrols. They cost about $2,000 each.
According to an Army internal report released earlier this summer,
many ground troops like Corcoran decided to dip into their own pockets
to get the equipment they needed to fight in Afghanistan and in Iraq.
"There were a lot of reports of that prior to the war, people would go
out and buy their own gear," said Patrick Garrett, a defense analyst
with GlobalSecurity.org. "The Army ran out of desert camo boots, and a
lot of soldiers were being issued regular black combat boots. Soldiers
decided that wasn't for them, so they paid for new boots with their
own money."
According to the Pentagon's "Operation Iraqi Freedom Lessons Learned"
draft report, soldiers spent their own money to get better field
radios, extra ammunition carriers to help them fight better and
commercial backpacks because their own rucksacks were too small.
Senior Airman Joe Harvey, based at McGuire AFB in New Jersey, said his
clothing allowance is $200 a year from the Air Force, and that most
aspects of the uniform, including four sets of combat and dress
uniforms are provided.
"But of course with all the wear and tear they don't always last that
long," said Harvey, who deployed to Iraq for the war. "Now with some
of the units if you rip a pair of bdu's (battle dress uniform) they
will give you a new pair. But for the most part you are responsible
for buying any new uniform you need except for boots. Your unit will
always supply with a free pair of boots."
Harvey said the costs stack up during promotions, when each airman has
to purchase new stripes and get them tailored on.
Corcoran, who has since left the Marines, purchased a bunch of items
before he deployed. One necessity: baby wipes, because as he said, "a
lot of the places you'll go, you won't be taking a shower."
Corcoran also bought his own rucksack, and modified a sling for his
M-16 so he was better prepared for patrols. He bought an electric
shaver to remove stubble that would keep his gas mask from sealing
correctly.
Corcoran got all the items on his Christmas list, including the $2,000
goggles. The short wave radio was meant for entertainment, but he
ended up hearing messages urging jihad, and he picked up intelligence
from enemy fighters.
And there is one item many soldiers purchased and carried into the
desert that wasn't part of the regular equipment.
"Another cool thing to bring with you is an American flag," Corcoran
said. "Just in case you plan on conquering anything."
Tara Copp can be reached at coppt(at)shns.com. Jessica Wehrman can be
reached at wehrmanj(at)shns.com
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=TROOPS-GEAR-09-11-03&cat=AN
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