The blanket pirate strikes again...

[hawkdriver]

Yesterday, I was in the MWR shack and there was a closet that was labeled MWR items with a sign that said, take what you need and leave what you want. It was a closet full of blankets, sheets, pillow cases and the like. As I was getting ready to close the door after a quick look, I looked at the bottom shelf and there was a mustard green patch of cloth hanging out. My mind told me, "No way, no way". I decided to try and this is what I pulled out.

 

 

 

There was another one that didn't have a tag, so I left it. I came back to my CHU, got a nice fleece blanket and swapped them out. It is a rather dry spell here finding things, but sometimes, you can find a little diamond in the ruff.

[PvtTamura]

The blanket pirate eh?

Whats an MWR room? :think:

[HoovieDude]

Heh, thats cool!!!! Have you done any dumpster diving yet? Usually yields all kinds of goodies, especially when units are RIP'ing out to go home. I thought with all the massive drawdown ongoing, there would be lots of stuff being tossed to lighten the load.

[hawkdriver]

The blanket pirate eh?

Whats an MWR room? :think:

 

MWR = Moral Welfare Recreation. It is where we go to watch movies, make phone calls, or get on the internet.

[hawkdriver]

Heh, thats cool!!!! Have you done any dumpster diving yet? Usually yields all kinds of goodies, especially when units are RIP'ing out to go home. I thought with all the massive drawdown ongoing, there would be lots of stuff being tossed to lighten the load.

 

 

We had two units RIP out, and I did see a lot of stuff in the dumpsters, but with all the piss bottles, I couldn't bring myself to rifle through the dumpsters. I already have a horrible case of the Arabic Quids because of this filthy place, I can't bring myself to hang on a dumpster right now.

So far, all I have found is a M4 foregrip, a Thales radio holder in ACU, the blanket, and a NIB set of ACH goggles in ACU cammo pattern cover. Pickings are hard to come by as the Iraqis are always cruising around and I think they find the good stuff first. I could outfit everyone on this board with boots if I had the time to collect them all.

[PvtTamura]

We had two units RIP out, and I did see a lot of stuff in the dumpsters, but with all the piss bottles, I couldn't bring myself to rifle through the dumpsters. I already have a horrible case of the Arabic Quids because of this filthy place, I can't bring myself to hang on a dumpster right now.

So far, all I have found is a M4 foregrip, a Thales radio holder in ACU, the blanket, and a NIB set of ACH goggles in ACU cammo pattern cover. Pickings are hard to come by as the Iraqis are always cruising around and I think they find the good stuff first. I could outfit everyone on this board with boots if I had the time to collect them all.

 

 

:w00t: That many pairs???

Makes the Surplus store by my house seem like nothing

[Dave]

Some of my best dumpster diving was at the end of the year at the Naval Academy. They brought in several large dumpsters to allow the graduating class (approx 900 midshipmen) to clean out their rooms...and get rid of some of their 4-year accumulation of stuff. Everything from dress uniforms to computers to textbooks...you name it, it was in there. One LCDR I knew would go and load his SUV up with cleaning supplies...he bragged that he never bought cleaning supplies because the last week of May he was able to get enough to last his family for an entire year!

 

And no piss bottles to mess with....

 

Dave

[m1ashooter]

We should let congress know that our guys are using blankets from the Korean War. I can't believe the stuff you find. By the way I wear size 9 boots.

 

So when you come home and Mrs Hawkdriver asks you what did you bring home for me, just show her her new blanket.

 

God Speed my friend.

[hawkdriver]

It may sound like a great deal on the boots, but we have an infantry unit, so I'm not sure that I would want to put my feet into them, no telling what nasty foot rot you would get, as they are all pretty well worn down. Someone has taught these guys the "ETS Boots" drill. There are no trees and no telephone lines, so what do they toss them over? our internet and satellite lines strewn over the tops of the T-walls. I did find a fairly nice coyote brown pistol belt for a assault vest last night on the way back from the latrine.

By the way M1aShooter, you tell Congress and cut my supply of vintage blankets off and I'll come looking for you :w00t: As long as they are free and I have a stash of replacement blankets, this is my surplus store!

[henry2]

Some of my best dumpster diving was at the end of the year at the Naval Academy. They brought in several large dumpsters to allow the graduating class (approx 900 midshipmen) to clean out their rooms...and get rid of some of their 4-year accumulation of stuff. Everything from dress uniforms to computers to textbooks...you name it, it was in there. One LCDR I knew would go and load his SUV up with cleaning supplies...he bragged that he never bought cleaning supplies because the last week of May he was able to get enough to last his family for an entire year!

 

And no piss bottles to mess with....

 

Dave

 

 

my good friend who is station at West Point also says the same thing about the guys doing the same thing when they graduating class leaves for there new duty stations ..

 

his thing is not cleaning supplies it is diff school supplies like pens and papers and other items he can get to save money on buyng supplies for the kids..he says to the people who are leaveing give him all the pens and notebooks and other anything else he can get from them for the comeing year.. plus he does pick up cleaning supplies also .. he really does try and treat the last yeas guys and girls a little more slack there last few months before they graduating .

[hawkdriver]

y'all going to love this. Tonight, I was asked to help move a wall locker from one room to another, one that I haven't been in before. When we got the locker inside, I looked at what was covering the window and..... yep, another blanket. I didn't have my glasses, so I can't quite read the tag, but I think it may be a 45 dated one. Unfortunately, someone used two wood screws to put it up on the wall, so it may be ruined with eight holes in it, but I will have to check it out sometime.

 

[ehrentitle]

When I taught ROTC in the early 90s right after Desert Storm one of my duties was supply officer. One day at the end of the school year I was doing inventory with my supply sergeant and came across a WWII dated wool blanket and tan mosquito net. The next day I brought in modern replacements and traded them out. On another occasion we were at the Ft McCoy DRMO looking for equipment that could be used by our cadets. In one warehouse there were rows upon rows of unused and used chocolate chip desert uniforms, field jackets desert boots, pack covers, helmet covers and the green digital desert night camo jackets. We couldn't get them because they were all tagged to go to the Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol. I told the DRMO manager that by regulation active Army units had priority, but to no avail they had already been promised to these organization. I still can't figure out why the Boy Scouts needed helmet and pack covers.

[HoovieDude]

Cool! The way your'e going, I wouldn't be surprised to see you find a long lost forgotten cache of lend lease goodies left behind by the Brits from days gone by

[hawkdriver]

I still can't figure out why the Boy Scouts needed helmet and pack covers.

 

I can tell you, it's a racket. they get all this stuff and sell/trade it to surplus stores for camping gear. I know of one sherrif department that does the same thing, they get truck loads of gear since they get it before the regular surplus dealers have a chance to look at it. They have a surplus store that sells it all and they split the profits.

[hawkdriver]

AND AGAIN!!! I was helping the medics move some equipment around and sitting on top a foot locker was another beautifully printed 52 dated blanket!!! I'm going to have to hire a personal connex if this keeps up!

[msgt norway]

sounds like you live in a surplus store super marked

 

any luck with the first strike rations?

 

cheers ken

[hawkdriver]

Today, I asked the medics to look through the aircraft blanket bag and found a 53 dated Medical Service Corp blanket in mint condition. I am not a blanket collector normally, but I may have to make an exception during this trip.

No dice on the rations. We don't have any and we don't eat them, only chow hall food. What I have seen hanging off the MRAPs is the standard MREs. Guess they are too good to waste on Iraq now, only for Afghanistan.

[DocRick]

The U.S. military is the most wasteful organization on the planet. I remember going on manuvers in Quantico and Pendleton and being amazed at the stuff thrown out. Bandoliers, pouches, boxes, all kinds of stuff. Did recover a few bandoliers that I still have. Great for the "salty corpsman" look. I always had one bandolier with battle dressings and one for packs of smokes. I once found an unused Mae West still in a waist pouch washed up on the shore of Pendleton. I turned it in as we had locker inspections the next day and I was afraid of getting busted with "stolen US property. Wish I had the "bug" before getting out of the service. The local pawn shops and surplus shops had tons of gear for cheap prices. My steel pot and pre-kevlar flak jacket(vest lost in wife's purging) did come home as the supply sargent refused to take them back as the Kevlar stuff was just coming in. I still have all my VN era suspenders, canteens, covers and canvas butt pack, again, as good ole sarge refused to take them back. Even just a year ago, the local USCG was shooting at our range and I dug several new style bandoliers out of the trash. Bandoliers, cardboard inserts, stripper clips and clip guides. Do we not know the meaning of "reduce, reuse, recyle" in the goverment?? No wonder hammers cost $800.00

 

Doc Rick

[hawkdriver]

Well, something for you Doc, last night, one of the medics came by and heard that I had found a few old blankets. He said that he had a few in his blanket bundle and I could look at them if I wanted. He had three mint 53 dated Medical Service blankets with the Cadusa on them, Imean mint. They look like they just come from the factory. I have the wife putting three blankets into the mail today to get my hands on them. It is a vintage blanket heaven over here. Funny how fate drives your collecting, not you! Here are a couple pics of one of the blankets

 

 

[henry2]

my friend the surplus gods have smile on you it seams..

[carbinekid]

Thats great, I would be in heaven and probably be sleeping on a mountain of scrounged stuff if I was in your shoes...who needs a bed when you've got 29 blankets, 39 sets of ACU's, and 75 pairs of boots? I mean come on, right? haha

[hawkdriver]

Not as comfortable as you would think