Our Army Life

Along with a new camoflauge pattern for uniforms in Afghanistan, the Army Times is now reporting that the Army will begin allowing soldiers to paint their weapons to match their operational environment. This will be a huge advantage for our soldiers on the battlefield, reflecting the fact that a black weapon does much to [...]

I’m in the process of getting my chest rig set up the way I want it, and hopefully this image will give you an idea of what an Infantryman carries to support himself and his brothers in combat. The rig itself is Blackhawk; most of the pouches are Tactical Tailor and the magazines are [...]

My Thermarest Neoair sleeping pad and JetBoil Personal Cooking system arrived today! The Neoair is an ultra lightweight sleeping pad with a reflective liner to reduce heat loss to the ground at night. I am disappointed with the fluorescent yellow color (not exactly tactical), but it folds up small enough to fit inside a Nalgene [...]

Just found out we’ll be fielding some of these for Afghanistan. Should save lives, as it will allow us to get a bird’s-eye-view of the terrain ahead, as we patrol either mounted or dismounted.

Some great images of Multicam from Crye Precision, the creators of the Army’s new camoflauge for Afghanistan. In one photo below, Multicam is compared to the old “Battle Dress Uniform”, in existence prior to 2005. What is striking is the pattern’s ability to adapt to a variety of environments. [...]

An article I wrote about my buddy 2LT Scott Barabair for the Iowa National Guard’s Militiaman publication regarding his experience at Federal Officer Candidate School (OCS). OCS is a great option for soldiers who already have their four year degree and want to pursue service in the Army or National Guard as a commissioned [...]

This incredible image of 18,000 men at Camp Dodge in a human “Statue of Liberty” was sent to me yesterday. It was taken in 1918 as the men were preparing for duty in WWI at Camp Dodge, IA.

The ArmyTimes is reporting today that the Army will begin fielding the camoflauge pattern “Multicam” for soldiers in Afghanistan, ending a year-long search for a new pattern initiated by the late Rep. Jack Murtha. Murtha initiated the search after hearing numerous complaints from soldiers regarding the current “Universal Camoflauge Pattern”, also known as UCP. [...]

Michael Yon has captured what it means for some to be in the service of their country on Valentine’s day…

Last week, Iowa lost a true hero to combat in CPT Daniel Whitten. We lost another hero today when Chaplain Eric Simpson of the Iowa National Guard was killed in an industrial accident at his civilian employer’s facilities in Wisconsin: From the Des Moines Register: Eric Simpson, 31, sustained the injuries Tuesday at Quality Surface Processing in Schofield, [...]