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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Miscellaneous
Message-ID: <1991Apr17.055430.13512@amd.com>
Date: 16 Apr 91 21:20:24 GMT
References: <1991Apr12.055056.13916@amd.com>
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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)


>From: Tony_Buckland@mtsg.ubc.ca
>4)  A civilian observer like me can be surprised at the 
>amount of stuff attached to the outside of tanks.

The tubes are smoke grenade launchers (finally).

Since your combat vehicle is going to be "home" for a few days - you tend
to carry along with you a lot of "stuff".  Inside is pretty cramped with
operational gear - web gear, sidearms, radios, batteries, radio documents,
maps, other documents and manuals etc - outside, and in the bustle racks or
tied down all around are:

Rations for 3 days
Antenna sections
Breaker bars
Spare Track pads/shoes 
Ammo cans (some full of ammo - some with weapons cleaning stuff)
Gas cans
Water cans
Canvas
Camouflage nets and supports
Slave Cables (like jumper cables)
Personal gear ("A" bag and "B" bag [I never let Trains take my "B" bag])
- 3 day's worth of underwear, socks, uniforms, shaving gear.
Tanker's Roll
The 'Tanker's Roll' is a neat little sleeping roll configuration  
	-  tent half
	-  blanket
	-  air mattress (never inflated)
	-  sleeping bag
	-  poncho liner inside sleeping bag
	All snapped together, rolled up, and tied.  Great in all weather.

An observation:  If you remember seeing all the video of the troops 
throughout the campaign - you saw very few 'sloppy' soldiers.  Most, if
not all, were clean-shaven (or only a days' growth), uniforms worn
properly (zipped, buttoned, snapped) - all with proper headgear on -
all wearing their LBE and carrying their weapons - and of special note:
no 'unmilitary' writing on their helmets nor extraneous items being
stuck in the helmet band - in a word:  DISCIPLINED SOLDIERS.

mike schmitt
	
	[ *Excellent* point!
	  By the way, what's in an A bag vs. a B bag? --CDR]