riflegreen297 Posted January 2, 2012 Share #26 Posted January 2, 2012 I guess it would really depend on the unit one was in. I was an 11B in A/2/325th A.I.R. in the 82nd. When we went thru the equipment issue line at the Corp Marshaling Area in AUG 90, we were not issued any desert cap of any kind (supposedly by the order of MG Johnson the Division Commander). If anyone had a boonie cap it was personally acquired and NEVER worn around any NCO. In theater it was verboten to wear a boonie cap. The only authorized head gear was the Kevlar (K-pot) (as far as the 325th A.I.R. anyways). When I moved over to the sniper section in HHC in JAN 91 they had acquired bootleg boonie hats and we only wore them when deep in the desert during training. When one went to the shower facility (whackatorium) you had to have three things, your protective mask (pro-mask), rifle, and wear your K-pot. We were always envious seeing photos of the 101st wearing their boonies. I never saw a desert camo Patrol cap in theater (except for pictures of Schwarzkopf) either. I do not believe we even received any type of soft cap after we received an in theater exchanged our original issue DCUs for new ones before returning to Ft.Bragg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted January 2, 2012 Share #27 Posted January 2, 2012 I was at Fort Rucker for Desert Shield/Storm and at Fort Hood after they lifted the ban on stateside transfers. I saw a lot of the 1st Cav and 2nd Armored guys coming back and boonies were the most common form of headgear. I have a PC and an USMC cover, but both are commercial copies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share #28 Posted January 2, 2012 I was at Fort Rucker for Desert Shield/Storm and at Fort Hood after they lifted the ban on stateside transfers. I saw a lot of the 1st Cav and 2nd Armored guys coming back and boonies were the most common form of headgear. I have a PC and an USMC cover, but both are commercial copies. Nice hats. I look into buying one of those :think: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted January 2, 2012 Share #29 Posted January 2, 2012 Thanks! The USMC one I happened upon for $1. Here it is with the Night Desert Camo parka and liner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted January 2, 2012 Share #30 Posted January 2, 2012 And the ever present Kevlar helmet and dust goggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted January 2, 2012 Author Share #31 Posted January 2, 2012 And some more nice items. I've got an identical K-Pot with goggles and the desert night parka Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted January 3, 2012 Share #32 Posted January 3, 2012 Marine Commandant Alfred M. Gray - 1991 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted January 3, 2012 Share #33 Posted January 3, 2012 Practicing with the M9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Willaert Posted January 3, 2012 Share #34 Posted January 3, 2012 You might want to contact our member FLASHESANDOVALS as he's rather knowledgeable about this, to say the least... He's the one holding the Desert Storm expo: http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/ind...showtopic=88262 And webmaster of this site: http://www.desertstorm1991.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share #35 Posted January 3, 2012 Thanks, I have contacted him before on desert storm uniforms and insignia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USMCRECON Posted January 3, 2012 Share #36 Posted January 3, 2012 I went to war with SOCCENT. The day I arrived at McDill, we went over to CENTCON supply to get our equipment issue. Permanent Party SOCCENT had already had desert utilities some time earlier as they deployed to various SWA locations but augmentees did not. While augmentees were issued the standard field gear, no desert utilities were issued to augmentees before deploying. In addition to standard field gear, augmentees had their choice of Desert cover. They could have a boonie, a Marine style 8-pointer, or Army patrol hat style (but only one of whatever style they wanted). They were fairly careful not to issue a Marine cover with an EGA to a non-Marine but that was about the only restriction I remember being imposed. We could wear either the desert or woodland color cover with the woodland BDUs. I think turnabout was also allowed but I (personally) don't remember anyone with deserts wearing wearing a woodland cover. As for boots; even several of the permanent party still wore either leather or standard OD jungle boots with their desert utilities for at least a month or two. My jungle boots began falling apart and I ended up wrapping 110 mile an hour tape around the leather front of the boots and buying a pair of desert boots from either Brigade Q'master or Cavalry Store (don't remember which). I also bought a couple pairs of rather cheaply made desert utilities from them which didn't last very long. Finally, about early October, everyone got an issue of two sets of desert utilities and a pair of desert boots and we wore those through the duration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo_2_zero Posted January 3, 2012 Share #37 Posted January 3, 2012 What's the camo print on the guy on the rights helmet ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share #38 Posted January 3, 2012 Could it be the Mitchell Pattern? There were two types of it, the green pattern was used as the cover of the M1 Helmet during the Vietnam War. What's the camo print on the guy on the rights helmet ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted January 3, 2012 Share #39 Posted January 3, 2012 It looks like the brown side of the Mitchell pattern but on a Kevlar. I have one M-1 with that side of the cover exposed named to 'Taylor'. The Mitchell covers are reversible, there's not 2 separate ones. His could be some foreign pattern cover though, not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo_2_zero Posted January 3, 2012 Share #40 Posted January 3, 2012 It looks like the brown side of the Mitchell pattern but on a Kevlar. I have one M-1 with that side of the cover exposed named to 'Taylor'. The Mitchell covers are reversible, there's not 2 separate ones. His could be some foreign pattern cover though, not sure. Looks like it but it wouldn't fit unless he glued or taped it on the inside ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kammo-man Posted January 3, 2012 Share #41 Posted January 3, 2012 He just made it work somehow !!! Nice crossover . owen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattS Posted January 3, 2012 Share #42 Posted January 3, 2012 Looks like it but it wouldn't fit unless he glued or taped it on the inside ? I agree! As a field expedient substitute, there were probably vice grips and 100 MPH tape involved. It doesn't look too bad from that angle though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo_2_zero Posted January 3, 2012 Share #43 Posted January 3, 2012 I agree! As a field expedient substitute, there were probably vice grips and 100 MPH tape involved. It doesn't look too bad from that angle though. If you look at the back of the helmet there is definitely a hard straight edge of brown Which looks like it runs around the helmet like a fritz cover. Wonder if it's a custom job or surplus store 3rd party ? I bought a 6 color helmet cover from a well know American dealer here in the UK. When it turned up it was a copy printed on bandanna cloth. Then it was washed and sun bleached it did fade to an almost one color camo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan H. Posted January 3, 2012 Share #44 Posted January 3, 2012 It looks like the brown side of the Mitchell pattern but on a Kevlar. I have one M-1 with that side of the cover exposed named to 'Taylor'. The Mitchell covers are reversible, there's not 2 separate ones. His could be some foreign pattern cover though, not sure. Looks like it but it wouldn't fit unless he glued or taped it on the inside ? The Saudi Army helmet was an M-1 style similar to what was worn by the uS Army during Vietnam, except that these helmets were Korean made and had a tan finish to the shell. The straps had more of a bright green hue to them than the US made chinstraps. I believe that the helmets were lighter gauge metal too. The liners were also Korean made out of tan plastic. The camo helmet covers looked like the brown Mitchell pattern covers, but again, the material was much thinner. The other thing about them is that they were not reversable like the US issued Mitchell covers. The Saudi Army general officers that I encountered wore Saudi issued M-1 style helmets up until just before the ground war started, then many of them started to show up with US made kevlar helmets with US made chocolate chip covers. There was a severe shortage of six color desert camo covers for the kevlar and many US troops never got one. Some of the US helmets were painted tan, but an awful lot of themwere the standard OD with a thick layer of Saudi dust on them. I knew of at least a couple of Saudi enerals who did not get the camo covers for their K-pots. As I was working with Saudi Supply forces, we were charged with coming up with camo covers for the K-pots that didn't have covers. We tried to modify a few desert camo Saudi shirts into covers, but the extra material bunched pretty badly and we did nt have sewing machines that would have been a part of the US QM units running Clothing Exchange and Bath units. In order to take care of the generals, we cut down the Saudi M1 covers and as mentioned above, taped the ears up against the inside of the helmets, so it is in this instance where you can see a kevlar helmet with a center seam. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolcav20 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share #45 Posted January 3, 2012 You guys are right, an M1 Helmet cover can't fit on a k-pot. Just wasn't thinkin :pinch: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taucco Posted January 3, 2012 Share #46 Posted January 3, 2012 i think those are saudi covers, these are the best photo i could find (i cut them). (notice the ever-present Special Force soldier guarding Schwarzkopf) This one seems a different pattern, like early british desert. While digging i also found another picture of a Navy Seal wearing a private purchase all tan patrol cap (i have it in the book "US Navy Seals in action"). And also this one, a Special boat Team, during that timeframe. You can clearly see the tan commercial boonie hat lying in the front. (From the same set of photos there is one of a sailor wearing a nice modified commercial BDU top in tan) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo_2_zero Posted January 3, 2012 Share #47 Posted January 3, 2012 (notice the ever-present Special Force soldier guarding Schwarzkopf) This one seems a different pattern, like early british desert. Funny you should say that cos I have one, made in pie cut section Dpm. I think this is real British issue hens teeth rare mkIII helmet cover pre-1984. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bravo_2_zero Posted January 3, 2012 Share #48 Posted January 3, 2012 While digging i also found another picture of a Navy Seal wearing a private purchase all tan patrol cap (i have it in the book "US Navy Seals in action").And also this one, a Special boat Team, during that timeframe. You can clearly see the tan commercial boonie hat lying in the front. (From the same set of photos there is one of a sailor wearing a nice modified commercial BDU top in tan) Look at the camo frag vest behind the guys on the right on a back of a mounted gun. It looks like duck hunter style ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aacevedo Posted January 4, 2012 Share #49 Posted January 4, 2012 Here is a photo of LCpl Ruffini (me) circa 1990 - 91 (Either Saudi or southern Kuait / can't remember) bought the "Cover" at Saigon Sam's surplus store in Jacksonville NC just prior to deploying to the gulf. These were not issue covers, but alot of guys bought them and wore them during Operation Desert Shield / Storm S/F John I remember buying them out in J'ville but I couldn't remember where (we were activated Reservists) thanks for the memory jog for the name of the place. As a side note, I think there was a plain brown desert cover for the steel helmet-I saw it in a book about the Bright Star exercises in Egypt in the '80's. I'll see if I can find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted January 4, 2012 Share #50 Posted January 4, 2012 And also this one, a Special boat Team, during that timeframe. You can clearly see the tan commercial boonie hat lying in the front. (From the same set of photos there is one of a sailor wearing a nice modified commercial BDU top in tan) Good photo of a shotgun in Desert Storm, too. Thanks for sharing it with us. If it's all right with you, I'll save a copy for suture reference. Please, let me know. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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