Nkomo Posted July 4, 2015 Share #1 Posted July 4, 2015 I picked up this vest in a grouping from a US soldier in the 89th Military Police Brigade. He told me that it was taken off of an insurgent and had explosives in it. When I brought this item home to my house, it smelled terribly of chemicals. Smell was so bad that I had to stop the car on the way home and put the vest in the trunk because the smell was making me nauseous and sick. I have seen Iraqi Police and the Sons of Iraq wearing similar vests in pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwb123 Posted July 4, 2015 Share #2 Posted July 4, 2015 Looks like an adapted AK-47 chest pouch. Lucky this wasn't the day you got pulled over by a K-9 unit... goodness knows what those chemicals were. Very likely some home made explosive brew. You might want to exercise some caution with this. While not explosive, if it has absorbed chemicals, it could be flammable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted July 4, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted July 4, 2015 I have not handled this vest often because of what you mentioned. I have had this chest rig in a room near a dehumidifier for several years and the smell is almost gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PriorityOne Posted July 4, 2015 Share #4 Posted July 4, 2015 Wow, that is an awesome vest and a great story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guillaume Posted July 5, 2015 Share #5 Posted July 5, 2015 Very nice Arch Guilhaume Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted July 6, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted July 6, 2015 Thanks, fellers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitzkrieg gsd Posted July 6, 2015 Share #7 Posted July 6, 2015 Very cool,vest for sure pouches for AK47 mags but it looks like it also has a holster for a pistol on it. Is that a pistol holster or are my eyes playing tricks on me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted July 7, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted July 7, 2015 Very cool,vest for sure pouches for AK47 mags but it looks like it also has a holster for a pistol on it. Is that a pistol holster or are my eyes playing tricks on me? Yes. The vest is for AK magazines and there is a pistol holster on it. I personally like the overall design of the vest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted July 7, 2015 Share #9 Posted July 7, 2015 Well, if it was filled with HME and you handled it enough, your hands would likely be stained I don't know what kind of dumb dumb would play with an explosive rig for a trophy. EOD would normally take the whole thing for disposal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m151mp Posted July 8, 2015 Share #10 Posted July 8, 2015 part of this story that seems surprising to me is that the item was able to clear customs, and leave the country. did S-2 issue papers for it? given the scrutiny the MP's are required to utilize in performing their function in customs duty, i wonder about the chain of events that saw this item brought here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nkomo Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share #11 Posted July 8, 2015 Not a clue, fellers. This came in a decent sized grouping of his uniforms (DCUs/ACUs) and gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brig Posted July 8, 2015 Share #12 Posted July 8, 2015 part of this story that seems surprising to me is that the item was able to clear customs, and leave the country. did S-2 issue papers for it? given the scrutiny the MP's are required to utilize in performing their function in customs duty, i wonder about the chain of events that saw this item brought here. The post office often didn't care about papers, I saw people shipping helmets and such home without capture documents. When I left Iraq out of Kuwait, customs was done by the Navy, and they were more concerned about sand, zippos and live ordinance than anything else. The Air Force ran customs in Kryzygstan coming out of Afghanistan, and the only method they didn't utilized that I saw was a cavity check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m151mp Posted July 8, 2015 Share #13 Posted July 8, 2015 The post office often didn't care about papers, I saw people shipping helmets and such home without capture documents. When I left Iraq out of Kuwait, customs was done by the Navy, and they were more concerned about sand, zippos and live ordinance than anything else. The Air Force ran customs in Kryzygstan coming out of Afghanistan, and the only method they didn't utilized that I saw was a cavity check. wow, that sure shows how long i've been out, and just how out of touch i am. things have really changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedLegGI Posted July 8, 2015 Share #14 Posted July 8, 2015 Arch another great piece you have here and the story to go with it. It's great when the piece speaks by itself but that story and the fact it is still around is amazing. More likely than not the soldier either mailed it or just stuck it with their gear as they came back home. Not at all surprised it made it through with the smell because as you're transiting out of the country ALL of your gear is going to smell bad from a year (or less) of deployment. I'm glad its in your hands man, congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now