Potentially deploying in June... what should I make sure I bring with me??

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FhvnLT4A

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Hey guys and gals, Looks like I am on the EXTREMELY short list fo a one year trick to the sandbox with the army. Dont know where yet, know for sure its gonna be an experience, and I know that as long as I get through processing, im off!!!

Im calling out to all of you who've been there and done that to help me NOT wish I had brought this or that with me. I know a bunch of you who went hit the ground and wished you had something those first few weeks, so post here a list of items you should have brought, or for that matter, items that you DID bring that you were glad you brought, or those that just weighed you down and wasted space. Im looking forward to the deployment, but I dont want to carry what I dont need, and I want to make sure I have enough stuff to get through the first few weeks without having to worry about finding babywipes, toothpase, etc....
 
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LOL what wrap myself in bacon or throw it at people on the side of the road???

No adult reading material for me... just 500gigs of PORN.... ill be the most popular guy on the base. :eek:)
 
I was thinking paper reading material, you could hand it out to the locals. As for the bacon, it's for eating and "spreading the wealth". Either way, you'll be sure to be the most popular guy in the village. ;)
 
Well as I sit hear at FT Sill for my MOB station, I can recomend that you bring a LAPTOP, Movies, music, IPOD, serge protector, and a camera. If you can bring a grill for BBQ if not get one at the PX. The defac is still not that great. We are not allowed to leave the base. So a steak dinner once a while is a good thing. Bring lots of hand sanitizer, You will get a small pox vax if you have not had one in the last 10 years. Have coppies of everything that you go through your SRP. Things tend to get lost. Also have a copy of your shot and Medical record. Plan on spending atleast 2 1/2 months at MOB station before you go. Good Luck and stay save. I will be in Iraq by Mid April. I hope this is a help to you.
 
1. Laptop

2. Uncle Sams Packing List

3. 30 day supply of everything, NOT to be touched until you are actually where you are going to be (i.e. don't use it up at MOB site or staging areas).

everything else you'll be able to buy for crackhead prices from the outgoing units.

TRUST ME.
 
Don't forget something like THIS:

The Dustoff Modular Weapon Protection System provides protection from sand, dust, moisture and dirt for M4/M16/AR15 style weapons. Simply slip the Dustoff Magazine Well Cover into the magazine well, and slide the included Shoot-Through Muzzle Cap onto the end of the barrel (over the compensator), to repel sand, dirt, dust, mud and other problem-causing contaminants.
Click to expand...

This isn't the one that I had... but I can't remember where I got it... mine actually locked into the mag well and released with the mag release. It made a HUGE difference in keeping the dust out.


I also strongly recommend upgrading your boots. I got THESE because I needed significantly more support for my ankles than my issued boots gave me.
 
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Cleaning supplies for your weapons. Militech will give you some free.Depending on where yo uare going will depend on what you need. Some areas you don't have much access to PX's.
I'll have son chime in on this thread after he gets back from Ohio, he had to get MOS qualified for his new unit that he is deploying with later this year.

Stay safe and let us know if you need anything.
 
Dont sweat it dude. Your not going to Mars. If you do forget something, theres a million AAFES around. Bring your computer, books, good weapons cleaning kit, folding knife and leatherman tool, 550 cord. 100mph tape, comfortable boots (Garmont T8, are the best we tested) a petzel headlamp, get some good civilian cold weather gear and base layers. Allot of it is MOS dependent. Dont go crazy in the Brigade Quartermasters section of the PX. Most of the stuff is over priced crap. Do get the calling cards from the PX, their the best value and get a Spawar account. Get some Ben's 100% deet bug spray and bring After bite. Depending on your location there may be a shit ton of sand fleas, youll get used to them after a while. Dont be buying stupid covers for your weapon. They look gay, if your too lazy to maintain your weapon use 100mph tape or a muzzle cap on the barrel and tape over the mag well, or put a rag in it. The packing list should be pretty comprehensive, some of the stuff on there is worthless, replace it with what you need. Best of luck to you, depending on your MOS you may want to bring stuff to make your job easier. But dont go crazy and spend allot of money on crap, youll probably never use it. Be safe.
 
Another thank you, & best wishes!

If you do forget something, don't be afraid to ask. I shipped a bunch of random stuff over there for friends over the past few years.
 
P2A said:
Dont sweat it dude. Your not going to Mars. If you do forget something, theres a million AAFES around. Bring your computer, books, good weapons cleaning kit, folding knife and leatherman tool, 550 cord. 100mph tape, comfortable boots (Garmont T8, are the best we tested) a petzel headlamp, get some good civilian cold weather gear and base layers. Allot of it is MOS dependent. Dont go crazy in the Brigade Quartermasters section of the PX. Most of the stuff is over priced crap. Do get the calling cards from the PX, their the best value and get a Spawar account. Get some Ben's 100% deet bug spray and bring After bite. Depending on your location there may be a shit ton of sand fleas, youll get used to them after a while. Dont be buying stupid covers for your weapon. They look gay, if your too lazy to maintain your weapon use 100mph tape or a muzzle cap on the barrel and tape over the mag well, or put a rag in it. The packing list should be pretty comprehensive, some of the stuff on there is worthless, replace it with what you need. Best of luck to you, depending on your MOS you may want to bring stuff to make your job easier. But dont go crazy and spend allot of money on crap, youll probably never use it. Be safe.
Click to expand...

Best advice so far right here. Not only is it MOS dependent, but all depends on where you'll be living or operating out of. I was at Al Asad, which is AKA Camp Cupcake...for a good reason. If you're going to be in one of the more developed fixed bases, bring a little and resupply while in country. If you're going to a more remote location you might need to bring more with you initially. The key though, is to pack light. Most of what you bring you will not need and will wish you had not packed, especially if you're going to be a fobbit.
 
I really appreciate all the advice gang. I dont know ( and couldnt say) where Im goin anyway. I am going to plan on bringing very little, other than the camera and laptop, enough toiletries to last 2 weeks, and bug spray. Of course, my pillow, and maybe a pair of mouse ears ( heavy equipment operator).
 
I bought a pair of Altama "sneaker" type boots that were awesome, but some days they were authorized and some days they weren't. As far as everything else, I'd go with Dench. I had way too much shit I didn't use and ended up shipping it all home (I still don't use any of it). Do you know where your mob station is?
 
Yea, a MOB site is a mobilization station. Its something that the National guard and reserves have to go though to get all their paperwork, training, and gear lined up. It takes a while to validate everyones training records, make sure everyone has gas mask, all that stuff, and take care of shots and briefings... Its usually a bigger base with alot of training area and such to offer.
 
MOB station is gay.

[rofl]

one sweet the day, the RC soldiers can deploy w/o going through such nonsense.

we've been at this for almost 9 years, everyone has at least 1, if not 2+ trips accross the pond.

big army needs to turn over the $$$ and total control back to the RC. right now it's partial

rant over
 
I've been on three deployments and the mob (mobilization) phase was by far the worst. I understand having to have the paperwork in order and shots up to date , but the training was mostly irrelevant. We had to unlearn the mob station way, and re-learn everything the right way on the left-seat/right-seat rides (incoming units being trained by the outgoing unit, usually about two weeks of overlap). Do you know where your mob station is yet?
 
Friend, I have nothing to offer other than my fervent prayer that God watches over you and brings ou back to you friends and family safe and sound. Thank you for you sacrifice for our country, you are part of the line of corp that keeps the bad guys off our soil. God bless youy
 
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Oh, here's another tip. Whatever you do, do NOT get a 500 gig external hard drive (or 2), a copy of AnyDVD, a copy of DVD Decrypter, and a subscription to Netflix's "8 at a time" service. Do not, I repeat, do not copy nearly a terabyte of movies over the span of a couple of weeks, cancel your membership, and take those movies in country with you. Just don't do it, it's not legal. I'm not saying I did this...because I didn't, I swear. I don't even know what an .iso file is.


(Would it be too obvious if I put a winking smiley at the end of that post?)
 
LOL ... i DIDNT buy the WD mini External HD, 500 gigs, and spend close to 12 hours yesterday saving things... ... PM that ISO thing
 
Safe trip my friend. Be sure to let us know if you need anything. When Mrs. Magnum's sister was over there she and her squad loved the care package we sent, so send a list of things. The wife and I got a Sam's Club membership and would be happy as hell to send over some bottles of Frank's Red Hot or Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce or even some hard candy.

Keep safe and we will be praying for you.
 

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