Gulf War bring-back stuff

[USMCRECON]

I don't know where else to put this so though since misc is a pretty much open area, thought they'd fit in here.

 

I brought a bag full of battlefield-pick-up items home with me after the Gulf War and thought I'd post a couple of them just for info. These are not things I bought; I personally brought this stuff home with me.

 

Here are a set or prayer beads and an ID tag. The ID tag is about the same shape and slightly larger than a US equivalent but it's made of aluminum and has the name and other info engraved on it with what looks like nothing more high-tech than a vibrating engraver's pen.

 

[USMCRECON]

Here is an Iraqi map with overlay that came from an Iraqi command bunker near Kuwait City. It still has a tissue paper overlay with updated tactical info on it.

 

[USMCRECON]

Here's another Iraqi tactical map that came from another bunker. The map was covered with thin clear acetate to protect it. Oddly, the hole in the map was not torn out by use or wear. It was cleanly cut out before the map was covered. Why, I have no idea.

 

The bottom picture is just a close-up of one of the Iraqi markings on top these maps.

 

 

[USMCRECON]

We found several chem maskslaying around the battlefield and here is one of the ones that I picked up....looks Eastern European to me.

 

[USMCRECON]

Here's another chem mask that I picked up. This one still has the decon kit that was in an outside pouch on the carrier.

 

 

[rufus_firefly]

Interesting items. I am wondering, do these maps have an arrow which indicates the direction to Mecca for prayer? The commercial maps did. I take it you were in MARCENT. If so I got all of your EPW. By and large a sorry looking bunch, except for the Republican Guard types.

[rufus_firefly]

You must have just posted the pictures of the NBC equipment. I was in the lower level of a Kuwaiti army barracks in mid-March, 1991 that had been used for storage by the Iraqis and was full on chemical gear. Not just masks, boots, etc. but antidotes and who knows what else. Some of it came from Czechoslovakia. I personally took 2 EPW to the head of our interrogation line because they wanted to spill their guts about what they knew about chemicals. I sometimes wonder how close we came to full scale CW. We did have a decontamination line for EPW, just in case. What a mess that would have been!

[USMCRECON]

Interesting items. I am wondering, do these maps have an arrow which indicates the direction to Mecca for prayer? The commercial maps did. I take it you were in MARCENT. If so I got all of your EPW. By and large a sorry looking bunch, except for the Republican Guard types.

I was at MARCENT as one of the SOCCENT representatives.

 

The PWs were pretty sorry-looking. With the exception of the RG, most of them couldn't wait for the Marines to arrive so they could be evacuated to the rear for a cot and decent food.

[Nkomo]

Issued Iraqi dog tags are incredibly rare from Desert Storm. I have been collecting DS items since 1991 and have seen very few issued dog tags. VERY nice item. The maps are also rare and seldom encountered. Thanks for sharing!!!

[Cpl Punishment]

Sadly, I lost my gas mask in a move. Anyone know what was in the big bulbous syringes that were in the Iraqi gas masks? They had a yellowish liquid and a very scary looking needle. We heard it was morphine, but wasn't so sure that would have been in a gas mask. Something similar to our atropine?

[msgt norway]

the gas mask in post 2 is british from the late 1980s.

they used a lot of britsh made stuff back then.

cheers ken,norway

[luft]

Here's another chem mask that I picked up. This one still has the decon kit that was in an outside pouch on the carrier.

 

 

 

This is a romanian made M85 gasmask

And this model is less common to find that the brit one! nice find

 

BTW, great stuff that you bring back home, congrats :thumbsup:

 

Thierry

[airborne1968]

I was at MARCENT as one of the SOCCENT representatives.

 

The PWs were pretty sorry-looking. With the exception of the RG, most of them couldn't wait for the Marines to arrive so they could be evacuated to the rear for a cot and decent food.

 

I brought back a duffle bag full of Iraqi gear from Desert Storm. All from RGFC unit defended areas. Here is a pic of just some of the uniforms. I saw boots but thought that grabbing a pair was nasty so I grabbed pretty much everything except a pair of boots. I gave away three large ALICE packs worth of gear to the guys in my unit and family back in the state during my first month back. I wish I would have hung onto it. BTW, the RGFC guys we captured were pretty sorry looking but not as sorry, and thankful, as the infantrymen defending IVO of the Wadi al batin.

[Brandon]

Wow, great bring back stuff!! By the time I got there in OIF most of the stuff was gone and we were dealing with the insurgent forces.

[doyler]

I agree

Great stuff and nice to see some bring backs :thumbsup:

 

RD

[Cpl Punishment]

Tom, funny you mentioning that about the boots, as I thought the same thing about the uniform shirts I found. After seeing their living conditions, I thought twice about keeping them. Wish I would have now. On a side note, I found a pair of hot pink, 1970's style running shorts near an anti-aircraft site. No, I didn't touch them, but what an interesting bringback that would have been!

[USAFnav]

Great stuff, I'd like to see more Desert Storm items on these pages.

Pete

1703rd AREFW(P), King Khalid IAP, Nov 90 -- Mar 91

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, with combat "V"

[savage21]

My staff at my house was a Navy Corpsman stationed in Saudia Aribia during Desert Shield

She has a coke can that is written in Aribic..... next time I see here il post a pic if anyone is interested

[USMCRECON]

My staff at my house was a Navy Corpsman stationed in Saudia Aribia during Desert Shield

She has a coke can that is written in Aribic..... next time I see here il post a pic if anyone is interested

I have a uniform of an Iraqi RG Captain that looks a lot like the British DPM camo. It came from an EPW. In my storage locker there's also a green (almost Marine forest green) general officer's Ike-type jacket and trousers that I picked up in a suitcase in an Iraqi buinker in Kuwait city. I also have a maroon and a black beret with the Iraqi Eagle beret badges somewhere in an A-bag or my old foot locker in our storage locker. I also have a couple helmets (one a tan painted liner and one a funky thick tan plastic one), and a black cloth tanker's hat (can't really call it a helmet) in the Russian pattern. Most of that stuff is also in our storage locker.

[Corpsmancollector]

Really enjoyed seeing these items, great to see bring backs and the story to go with them. Thanks for posting everyone!

 

Will

[MWalsh]

Nce stuff.

 

In my unit (2nd Mar Div) we were not allowed to bring back the filters on the gas masks. We could take the masks themselves, carry bags, etc, just not the filters. I recall being told there were concerns that they could have been exposed to live agents (the filters) and due to that the decision was made to not allow the filters to be brought back.

 

I sent back two sea bags full of stuff, tried to grab one of each of everything, and still didn't have room and threw stuff out or gave it away. There was so much stuff lying around it was easy to pick up, let alone to just take off of POW's. I think I have three different styles of helmets, a couple uniform types, etc. I passed on boots too, but now wish I'd have grabbed some. I too felt they were a bit nasty to want to drag around. Crappy looking things, with zipper sides.

 

When we found out we could not bring weapons back we were not happy, we took pioneer gear off the vehicles and tried to bend, smash, and destroy everything under the sun, Draganovs, SKS's, and all manner of pistols. When we turned it in to Battalion HQ types they were not pleased at all with what we'd done... We felt like "If we cannot have it no one will". Then several days later I saw a helo fly in and leave with a bunch of weapons, one of my buddies was an Armorer at HQ Battalion. He told me they'd been directed to pluck out the nice stuff for the Division CG. Like the Soviets used to say... "Everyone is equal, it's just that some people are more equal than others."

 

Some of our people were able to make it back into Saudi Arabia almost immediately after the cease fire and mail packages out uninspected - before Customs got in place. Those guys got the really good stuff mailed home... I held onto a nice set of luminous clip on AK night sites up until the day we flew home, they are in the sand in the parking lot of the airport at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia if anyone wants them, I did not want to run the risk of getting caught with them after so many amnesty speeches and threats about what'd happen if you got caught wth weapons or components...

 

MW

[USMCRECON]

Nce stuff.

 

In my unit (2nd Mar Div) we were not allowed to bring back the filters on the gas masks. We could take the masks themselves, carry bags, etc, just not the filters. I recall being told there were concerns that they could have been exposed to live agents (the filters) and due to that the decision was made to not allow the filters to be brought back.

 

I sent back two sea bags full of stuff, tried to grab one of each of everything, and still didn't have room and threw stuff out or gave it away. There was so much stuff lying around it was easy to pick up, let alone to just take off of POW's. I think I have three different styles of helmets, a couple uniform types, etc. I passed on boots too, but now wish I'd have grabbed some. I too felt they were a bit nasty to want to drag around. Crappy looking things, with zipper sides.

 

When we found out we could not bring weapons back we were not happy, we took pioneer gear off the vehicles and tried to bend, smash, and destroy everything under the sun, Draganovs, SKS's, and all manner of pistols. When we turned it in to Battalion HQ types they were not pleased at all with what we'd done... We felt like "If we cannot have it no one will". Then several days later I saw a helo fly in and leave with a bunch of weapons, one of my buddies was an Armorer at HQ Battalion. He told me they'd been directed to pluck out the nice stuff for the Division CG. Like the Soviets used to say... "Everyone is equal, it's just that some people are more equal than others."

 

Some of our people were able to make it back into Saudi Arabia almost immediately after the cease fire and mail packages out uninspected - before Customs got in place. Those guys got the really good stuff mailed home... I held onto a nice set of luminous clip on AK night sites up until the day we flew home, they are in the sand in the parking lot of the airport at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia if anyone wants them, I did not want to run the risk of getting caught with them after so many amnesty speeches and threats about what'd happen if you got caught wth weapons or components...

 

MW

What I took out, I carried out personally. I was a SOCCENT Liaison officer to 1 MEF and when I left, I flew on an MH-53 from Kuwait City back to King Fahd airfield. From there I caught a C-141 with a couple SEAL vehicles and some SEALS and a couple other SOCCENT guys to McDill AFB. Some of the enlisted guys were separated and went through a departure inspection separately. The other officers and I were given a cursory inspection at best. I was wearing an Ak-74 bayonet on my web belt and they didn't even take notice of it. The other stuff was in a liberated Iraqi sea bag and my SOCCENT-issued footlocker. I opened both for inspection but the Security Police personnel just looked at me, told me I could secure the gear, and moved down the line.

[USMCRECON]

I found a couple other Iraqi bring-back items in a cabinet in the garage and thought I'd add them.

 

The first one is front and back of an Iraqi 1st Lt's combat battle jacket. He was a pretty big fellow, his uniform is an extra-large!

 

 

[USMCRECON]

Top is the label inside the collar of the jacket. Bottom is the one in the trousers.

 

 

[USMCRECON]

Finally; annother Iraqi map. This one shows southern Kuwait, the southern part of Kuwait City, and Ali al Salim airfield. It had a tissue overlay with tactical information. The yellow stickies have translations of some of the Arabic as used in briefing CJCS after the war.