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Iraq Dumpster Finds


hawkdriver
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In another thread, I mentioned that there was so much being thrown in the dumpsters here, well, here is a sampling of that. The last few days has seen a Striker Brigade roll through here as the "last combat troops" in Iraq. They have been leaving all kinds of uniforms around the dumpster. Today, the dumpster was so full that they just left laundry bags of uniforms laying on the side by the dumpster, so I grabbed a couple to take pictures and make sure none of that lend lease equipment one guy asked about wasn't left in any of the pockets. Unfortunately, just uniforms. Here is one clothing bag's worth of what was being thrown away. Four FRACUs, three ACUs, his boonie hat and four T-shirts. All of this is supposed to be put into the uniform amnesty box, but they are leaving in the morning, so why bother.

 

2rhs8y9.jpg

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Misanthropic_Gods
In another thread, I mentioned that there was so much being thrown in the dumpsters here, well, here is a sampling of that. The last few days has seen a Striker Brigade roll through here as the "last combat troops" in Iraq. They have been leaving all kinds of uniforms around the dumpster. Today, the dumpster was so full that they just left laundry bags of uniforms laying on the side by the dumpster, so I grabbed a couple to take pictures and make sure none of that lend lease equipment one guy asked about wasn't left in any of the pockets. Unfortunately, just uniforms. Here is one clothing bag's worth of what was being thrown away. Four FRACUs, three ACUs, his boonie hat and four T-shirts. All of this is supposed to be put into the uniform amnesty box, but they are leaving in the morning, so why bother.

 

2rhs8y9.jpg

 

 

Wow...man, those bins are like the holy grail for guys that are collecting modern equipment!

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In another thread, I mentioned that there was so much being thrown in the dumpsters here, well, here is a sampling of that. The last few days has seen a Striker Brigade roll through here as the "last combat troops" in Iraq. They have been leaving all kinds of uniforms around the dumpster. Today, the dumpster was so full that they just left laundry bags of uniforms laying on the side by the dumpster, so I grabbed a couple to take pictures and make sure none of that lend lease equipment one guy asked about wasn't left in any of the pockets. Unfortunately, just uniforms. Here is one clothing bag's worth of what was being thrown away. Four FRACUs, three ACUs, his boonie hat and four T-shirts. All of this is supposed to be put into the uniform amnesty box, but they are leaving in the morning, so why bother.

 

2rhs8y9.jpg

 

 

:crying: :jeal0001: :jeal0001:

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Well. I suppose all that supports the "breaking news" on CNN about the "last combat convoy" leaving Iraq today. Sure made for plenty of chuckles over here in the DFAC this morning :lol:

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Hawk

 

Glad to see you are doing well and collecting is just a walk to the dumpster!!!! :lol:

 

Same happned in Desert Storm.One of the local reserve units sent home boxes of items.They even shipped home 250 Army cots in a conex container.Some of the uniforms were still new in tied bundles but were all small sizes.The items were hitting a local auction about 4 months after they got home.I bought everthing I could at the time aand got around 40 cots both wood and the aluminium type.

 

Take care

 

RD

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I'm glad to see my tax dollars are being left in dumpsters in Iraq. Shouldn't we we recycling this stuff? That pile looks almost new.

 

 

They have bins to throw this stuff in, but it isn't able to withstand the onslaught of an entire Brigade. I have gone back and now have three laundry bags of uniforms. The Iraqi trash trucks were quite busy today and most of it is already gone. I did pick up a brand new pair of 11.5 XW desert boots. I have also picked up enough furniture for my hooch that it now looks like a Gypsy wagon.

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Well. I suppose all that supports the "breaking news" on CNN about the "last combat convoy" leaving Iraq today. Sure made for plenty of chuckles over here in the DFAC this morning :lol:

 

 

Ya, we are calling it Operation Home Alone - Again. Someone in Kuwait is screaming "KEVIN" right now. It's funny how the news is reporting like everyone is gone and Iraq is returned to the Iraqi's. The only difference is that we no longer have any heavy protection if we need it. I hope they did a good job training the IP and IA.

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They have bins to throw this stuff in, but it isn't able to withstand the onslaught of an entire Brigade. I have gone back and now have three laundry bags of uniforms. The Iraqi trash trucks were quite busy today and most of it is already gone. I did pick up a brand new pair of 11.5 XW desert boots. I have also picked up enough furniture for my hooch that it now looks like a Gypsy wagon.

 

As, I see. Do the Iraqis put it in a landfill or do their "troops" reuse the stuff?

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As, I see. Do the Iraqis put it in a landfill or do their "troops" reuse the stuff?

 

It goes to a dump where everything is seperated and either incinerated or scrapped out. This stuff would be incinerated. Metal gets scrapped.

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Dumpster diving is certainly one of the finer moments of delpoying. I'm suprised there were that many "servicable" uniforms being simply tossed in the trash (but I shouldn't be). In Afghanistan it was a huge deal to either destroy (rip apart or burn) your worn out stuff or turn it in to supply. If servicable uniforms (ACU shirts and tops) were in the trash the local afghans usually wouldn't even touch them for fear of being fired. But the trash system worked differently there, the Afghan "Company" that picked up our trash could keep anything they found in the trash as long as it wasn't a prohibited item (basically just ACUs and ammo). They had quite a scrap metal and fire wood bussiness going out side the gate. This was the only way they made no money, since we didn't have to pay them.

 

On the other hand our unit suppy folks were doing quite well at sending off worn out uniforms to Bagram and getting our team there to DX them at the CIF there. And the Army wonders why ACUs haven't been selling very good at the Clothing Sales stores back in the states!

 

-Vance

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Dumpster diving is certainly one of the finer moments of delpoying. I'm suprised there were that many "servicable" uniforms being simply tossed in the trash (but I shouldn't be). In Afghanistan it was a huge deal to either destroy (rip apart or burn) your worn out stuff or turn it in to supply. If servicable uniforms (ACU shirts and tops) were in the trash the local afghans usually wouldn't even touch them for fear of being fired. But the trash system worked differently there, the Afghan "Company" that picked up our trash could keep anything they found in the trash as long as it wasn't a prohibited item (basically just ACUs and ammo). They had quite a scrap metal and fire wood bussiness going out side the gate. This was the only way they made no money, since we didn't have to pay them.

 

On the other hand our unit suppy folks were doing quite well at sending off worn out uniforms to Bagram and getting our team there to DX them at the CIF there. And the Army wonders why ACUs haven't been selling very good at the Clothing Sales stores back in the states!

 

-Vance

 

 

They are supposed to do that here as well. Our computers have screen savers showing spies and what happens to them, and reminders not to throw uniforms in the trash. However, with a Striker Brigade leaving country, who's going to slap their hands? They are CNN Gods for crimney sakes, they were the last troops leaving Iraq! Don't know what that makes me now :)

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Hate to see that waste! Why are the troops getting issued uniforms they don't need?

 

They went home early. They have been worn, that is just the way it is.

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Hate to see that waste! Why are the troops getting issued uniforms they don't need?

 

 

If I could get the pics from a friend you should see the piles during Desert Storm.

 

RD

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okay Hawkdriver. I just didn't get it. Thanks for explaining.

Yours,

Capa

It's a Supply thing. The same thing happens all over the military. When I was training recruits 20 years ago, if a uniform had been issued, worn or not, and the recruit was put out of the Navy, his uniforms were sent to a reclaim pile. Basically, dumped on a huge pile and either used ofr out fitting some guy that needed to go on emergency leave and had no uniforms, or used by guys painting or doing other dirty work so as not to ruin their newly issued uniforms. Many Company Commanders would dig through the piles to find stuff they could wear to replace the worn out stuff they had too. Basically, once something is "issued", it is deleeted from the inventory and a replacement is automatically ordered. The itme can't be put back in the system. While it looks wasteful, and in this case I agree, the "system" has back doors. When I worked security, we wore cammies. When some one transfered, they were required to turn is the sets they were issued. I think we got something like three sets, which were not enough, so we had to augment. The stuff that was turned in was "Survayed" meaning "tossed in the Dumpster", which in reality meant that it was piled on a table in the security office and we went through it looking for stuff that fit and took it home for our own use..

 

Steve Hesson

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ACU's being thrown out doesn't bother me at all but it had gotten me depressed because I thought that nice patched DCU's were in ACU's place in 2001-06.

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ACU's being thrown out doesn't bother me at all but it had gotten me depressed because I thought that nice patched DCU's were in ACU's place in 2001-06.

I was thinking the same thing too, Merc. :thumbsup:

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It's a Supply thing. The same thing happens all over the military. When I was training recruits 20 years ago, if a uniform had been issued, worn or not, and the recruit was put out of the Navy, his uniforms were sent to a reclaim pile. Basically, dumped on a huge pile and either used ofr out fitting some guy that needed to go on emergency leave and had no uniforms, or used by guys painting or doing other dirty work so as not to ruin their newly issued uniforms. Many Company Commanders would dig through the piles to find stuff they could wear to replace the worn out stuff they had too. Basically, once something is "issued", it is deleeted from the inventory and a replacement is automatically ordered. The itme can't be put back in the system. While it looks wasteful, and in this case I agree, the "system" has back doors. When I worked security, we wore cammies. When some one transfered, they were required to turn is the sets they were issued. I think we got something like three sets, which were not enough, so we had to augment. The stuff that was turned in was "Survayed" meaning "tossed in the Dumpster", which in reality meant that it was piled on a table in the security office and we went through it looking for stuff that fit and took it home for our own use..

 

Steve Hesson

 

Steve, et al -

 

I remember talking to a Navy Sea Bee who served in the South Pacific during WWII until 1946 or so - he vividly recalled after the war was over dumping tons and tons of stuff into the ocean or burning it. He especially remembered rough out boots and rations being disposed of.

 

Sounds like same ole, same ole!

 

Best,

Bill K.

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They are CNN Gods for crimney sakes, they were the last troops leaving Iraq! Don't know what that makes me now :)

 

A non-combatant?

 

It must be a great feeling knowing you're no longer in combat...

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