Vets...What did you carry???

WHAT WE CARRIED

we traveled extremely light and fast. the basic must haves: condoms, a zippo lighter, cigarettes, weed, papers/pipe/ a spare screen, a paperback book whatever you traded for, water, bug repelant, spare socks and free Huey T-shirt, Swiss army knife. food we ate as quick as we got it so you didn't have to carry it or cuz we had the munchies. burn your draft card and ROTC BABY. run over to Canada, J.K. but funny that a lot of hippies and soldiers carried similar items. almost forgot the most important thing, dry toilet paper.
 
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sub-moa said:
Dr. Pepper and Vodka...called it a "Redneck Russian" :eek:...

TL29, 6" Crescent Hammer, Personal Dosimeter, Zippo lighter, Marlboros...a 1911A1 Condition 3 w/ 2 spare mags on watch :D...
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Haha the Dosimeter... Had to wear that **** all the time till the first time we were inspecting fuel trucks in Afghanistan... A friend of mine dropped his in a fuel truck and was called into the hospital in KAIA after his dosimeter was found, no human being would have survived the dose :D
 
Day-timer, a couple of pens, lock-back Buck knife, bunch of keys on a halyard-clip, hearing protection of some sort and a mini-maglight.
 
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DeathGrip said:
The best crew I could ever have.

We carried each other.

Me,Peace time Army....But when your flying with the best it's good to be the best.No room for error.No room for slackers.Off to the motor pool for slackers.

Army aviation is another Army.Only rotor heads would understand.
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My usual weapon was an M16 with a 203.

It was my choice. ;)
 
I always carried a 5.56, 7.62 and .50 cal bullet in my pocket.

Just the bullet, not the whole round. I'm not sure why, It was just something I started and kept up.

Of course I had my smokes too. ;)
 
Well, a lot of my time was spent wandering around Cecil Field helping to keep A-7's from falling out of the sky. While we had toolboxes assigned to us, the two things you generally had were cannon plug pliers and safety wife pliers. But the one thing I always carried (and still have) was a standard Navy issue TL-29. Note to anyone possessing and using a TL-29. If the screwdriver blade still has a sharp edge, run it lightly across a grinder or file to dull the blade. Do not ask me how I know this. Oh yeah, after I made E-5 I got my own squadron coffee cup with my name, a PO2 crow and the squadron emblem on it. Still have it.

CW
 
It Viet Nam I carried my dog tags with a Episcopal Servicemen medal and a p-38. A buck folder, a case 2 blade pocket knife. In my ruck sack a serviceman prayer book, socks, 2 c rat meals ammo a poncho liner a magnesium fire starter. In my shirt pocket a spoon, my cigarettes a zippo, in the other shirt pocket was a ziplok baggie my ID and a picture of my wife. I was issued a S&W combat master peace and 3 speed loaders my dad sent me. I was also issued an M-16 that was a ***, so traded some plywood that belonged to the army for a army Remington 870 shotgun. My flax vest was on the forklift or if in was inside the aircraft in was on the edge of the ramp along with the vest was spare ammo. in the rainy season the ruck and vest were wrap in a poncho.
 
10-4 on DeathGrips thoughts. In the CG if you could not pass the Aircrew physical you were sent back to the standard ratings. We worked on them and we flew on them so it made for more careful work and QCing.
As for personal gear I flew with 4 knives on me. My survival knife, a shroud cutter, my work knife and my personal 2-1/2" Case. My vest had Shark repellent, marker dye, smoke, mirror and pin flares. My flight bag had the usual junk, helmet, gloves, a couple of candy bars and what ever of the canned fruit/puddings I could scrounge up. Amazing how nice the pilots can be if you hand them something to nibble on when we would be out for a few hours on a mission. Good way to do my service.
Larry
 
I am really glad this thread came back up.. I am gathering info from the posts and will write the story soon...keep the posts coming
 
being 4-F all life I enjoy the read of what you carry as much as any thing I've read lately and yesterday was ARMED FORCES DAY!!!
Salute to you all,,,keep carrying!!!!
 
1959 an AM transistor radio; much later (1961-62) a 35mm camera (Ft Lewis had a good photo lab).

A clip board allowed you to go anywhere on base and nobody would bother you; later a clip board and a pipe in your mouth was the free pass, no one wanted to ask what you were doing
 
As a Navy "doc" serving w/the Marines in Nam in 1966 I carried my personal Case folding knife (long since lost) and a well worn USMC 1911. It was carried w/a full mag, hammer down on an empty chamber (forgot the condition #). I was issued a R/H holster b/c there were no leftie holsters over there. Aside from all the medical stuff I always had my P-38 on my dog tag chain, poncho & bonnie hat. Back then I was so skinny I wasn't able to carry much more.
 
Thanks for your service Old Cop (and everyone else) Navy Corpsmen were some of the best warriors I ever served with and helped us grunts hump some of our weapons at times when they didn't have to.
I still have my crucifix, P-38 and dog tag that I wore around my neck, and my Zippo lighter. I use to keep my smokes and a book of matches in a plastic box to keep them dry. Extra dry socks and toilet paper, as others have mentioned, were a must.
 
I served before either the M14 or M16 were widely distributed. Accordingly, my issue weapon was an M1 carbine; by choice I also packed my personal accurized and reliability-tuned Ithaca 1911A1. Dog tags and a GI pocket knife pretty much completed the ensemble.

Oh yes, I also carried this picture of my high school sweetheart in my wallet:

KAYDIE-CAR-1957_zpsa04c2677.jpg


I was one of the lucky ones. I married her!

John
 
Old cop said:
As a Navy "doc" serving w/the Marines in Nam in 1966 I carried my personal Case folding knife (long since lost) and a well worn USMC 1911. It was carried w/a full mag, hammer down on an empty chamber (forgot the condition #). I was issued a R/H holster b/c there were no leftie holsters over there. Aside from all the medical stuff I always had my P-38 on my dog tag chain, poncho & bonnie hat. Back then I was so skinny I wasn't able to carry much more.
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Hey Old Cop, I was an FMF corpsman too and I was in Vietnam in '66. I was in Chu Lai with the 5th Marines. At that time in that place the Marines did not yet have the M16s they were still with the M14s, arguably a much better weapon. I was classified as a NON COMBATANT because I was a medic but there was really no such thing as a non combatant. As non combatants the medics were not issued shoulder weapons. My only issue was the 1911. It was a real beater. Not all that accurate and pretty banged up.

We were allowed to have what ever we could get. There were always some guys rotating back to the world that had "personal" items of self defense for sale. At one time or another i had a Tompson .45, M14, and I had a shortened machete looking thing every one called a "Nago knife". I didn't keep the Tommy gun very long but I mostly had the M14 and always had the Nago knife and the 1911 on my web belt.
 
Old memories, both bad and good....

A Buck #120 General Knife taped to my LBS with green duct tape, a Zippo lighter from the PX at Sill, a P-38 can opener on my dogtag chain, a stainless flatware spoon, an Army lineman's pocketknife. In the field, I carried a AN/PRC 77 radio with a KY-38 encryption box, two spare batteries, an M79 with ammo vest and a M1911 '45, two smoke grenades, an M-2 lensatic compass, ruler and a couple of maps.

God, I hated wet weather.

Tom Kanis
LTC FA (ret)
RVN Central Highlands 70-71
USA and USAR 66-96
 
Generally a tool box. The only time I was issued a firearm it was a M16 on my way TDY from Japan to RVN in Feb. of 1968. We landed at Nha Trang and they promptly took it away and locked it up in a conex container near the flightline shops.

I never saw it again. I did manage to keep 2 loaded 20 round magazines in my tool bag though.

LTC
 
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