I guess you weren't at that last site near Kuwait City with HHC, etc- but I
will never forget that when
we did PT we ran around the perimeter of the berm and there was this unexploded
grenade in our path. It was around this time that I began to realize that
everyone but me was totally insane because rather than altering our path or
getting EOD out to take care of the thing, we simply leaped over it each day-
you know, like it was a curb or something...the person in front of you would
just raise their hand to let the person behind know to jump and over we'd
go....when I complained to the brass about this unnecessary and ludicrous risk
to life and limb, I was promptly told to shut up. No one else seemed to think
it was bizarre, either...
By Leslie Robinson
OD [Olive-Drab] Green, has been a part of my life longer than I care to remember. The car which picked up my father was OD Green. His uniforms were OD Green. The kitchen was Avocado Green, which isn't far removed from OD Green.
I was issued BDU's [Battle Dress Uniform]-Woodland Camouflage Pattern, which had splotches of OD Green. My Commo Van was OD Green. Sometimes the truck under the van was OD Green. The replacement Humvee was Woodland camo, as was the new MSE commo van. Both had OD Green here and there.
We flew to Saudi Arabia, which was light brown. We were in Green. Our trucks were Green. The rumor was that the Iraqi's were afraid of Green. The Green soldiers were trained to fight the Soviet Army and would surely defeat them.
The RFCT painted everything light brown. The trucks were brown. The tanks were brown. The desert was brown. We got issued Desert BDU's or DCU's [Desert Camo Uniform]. We were brown. The commo teams trucks were Green.
The RFCT spared some brown paint. We painted our trucks, so they were finally brown. The entire 1st Bde & 143rd SEN was brown. The Desert was brown.
We prepared for War.
Just outside the neutral zone, the order was given to open our real war-time MOPP gear [protective uniform for chemical attack environments, we carried a training one around to every field exercise in Germany]. Go to MOPP 2-shirts, pants and boots.
The desert was brown. Each and every piece of equipment in the unit was brown. We were dressed in brown. We wondered if the Iraqi's were as afraid of the now, brown Army as they had been of the green Army.
Imagine our surprise when we pulled out our bayonets and carefully slit open the protective bag-to find,
neatly folded inside,
a brand-new,
WOODLAND CAMO MOPP SUIT!
This actually occurred to the members of G41 SEN Team, while supporting the RFCT in Desert Storm.
Dan Ortíz