September 2013 | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for September, 2013

Veteran Family Receives New Home At Grand Prix Of Baltimore

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

I am always impressed with the work that Mark Llano does on behalf of his fellow Veterans. This past weekend, SERKET Racing working with philanthropic partner Operation Homefront and sponsor Wells Fargo Capital Finance made a motor sports first. They gave away the keys to a home, mortgage free. And this is the first of three homes that will be given to Veterans and their families.

SERKET Racing made a first-time homeowner out of Veteran Army Specialist Joseph Saunders and his family this Labor Day weekend.

By working with philanthropic partner Operation Homefront and sponsor Wells Fargo Capital Finance, SERKET Racing was able to present keys to a mortgage-free home to the Veteran and his wife at the start/finish line of the Grand Prix of Baltimore. The Saunders were welcomed to the track by a sea of ecstatic race fans applauding their sacrifices for our country.

The shared mission of raising support and awareness for veterans and their families brought the SERKET Racing, Operation Homefront and Wells Fargo Capital Finance trio together. Each organization boasts programs that are uniquely designed to help veteran families conquer hardships their loved ones face upon returning home.

“Our mission at SERKET Racing is to raise funds and awareness for veterans and their families and this is our first step towards that goal,” said SERKET Racing driver and former Marine Mark Llano. “Members of the racing community in Baltimore have always been avid supporters of our troops, so we felt that hosting the event at the Grand Prix of Baltimore would be perfect. I’d also like to express my gratitude to Operation Homefront, Wells Fargo, the rest of our sponsors and our fans for their continued support of our mission — we could not do this without you.”

Operation Homefront’s participation in the ceremony gave racing fans an opportunity to show their support for America’s best and bravest. The non-profit spent this race season working closely with the SERKET Racing team to raise awareness and assistance for veterans on and off the track. Most recently the two teamed up with Hertz to award free car rental vouchers to veterans receiving homes.

Jim Knotts, President and CEO of Operation Homefront, expressed the organization’s gratitude and excitement for SERKET Racing’s support of their mission:

“Operation Homefront appreciates our ongoing partnership with Wells Fargo, and we’re thrilled to be teammates with a vet like Mark Llano,” said Knotts. “SERKET Racing’s commitment and dedication to bring awareness to our military families is obvious on many levels, and Llano and the number 24 car are great ambassadors for the needs of our military men and women.”

Wells Fargo Capital Finance also has deep-rooted ties to aiding the families of our servicemen and women. Their sponsorship of SERKET Racing has opened new avenues of opportunities to aid those who serve. This year, 25 percent of the Wells Fargo Capital Finance sponsorship funding was donated from SERKET Racing back to veterans in need.

“It is an honor for Wells Fargo to work with organizations such as SERKET Racing and Operation Homefront that strive to enrich the lives of the amazing men, women and their families who sacrifice for our country,” said Dave Marrin, head of government services, Wells Fargo Capital Finance. “Wells Fargo has been helping military members and veterans succeed financially for more than 150 years. Wells Fargo Capital Finance is proud to help military service members and veterans reach their business goals.”

The trio agrees that the opportunity to help the Saunders family and hand the keys over was worth a year of planning. SERKET Racing, Operation Homefront and Wells Fargo will next award a veteran with a home at Circuit of the Americas for the Super Endurance Weekend Sept. 20-22.

To join the SERKET Racing mission please follow the team on Twitter at @serketracing and on Facebook. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #WarriorsLivebyaCode.

Tags: Mark Llano, Operation Homefront, SERKET Racing, Wells Fargo Capital Finance
Posted in Fundraising, Media | Comments Off on Veteran Family Receives New Home At Grand Prix Of Baltimore

z3ro Solutions Launches Site

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

An old friend from Lightfighter has launched a website for his training company, z3ro Solutions.

Owner, Chad M. brings over 15 years of firearms experience to the training world. But this training isn’t just your standard square range fair. They also offer weapons repair and armory issues as well as the basic fundamentals (fundamentals in a sanitary environment) and advanced shooting (fundamentals applied under stress).

Check them out at www.z3rosolutions.com.

Tags: z3ro Solutions
Posted in Training | 8 Comments »

BFG Launches the Sling Sleeve

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

Slings are essential for gun fighting but a pain in the gun safe, arms room, or back seat of your car if not stowed properly – a serious potential snag hazard. Blue Force Gear designed the Sling Sleeve to solve your problems. The Sling Sleeve is a 5” long/11 gram tube of military grade elastic that holds your sling neat and snag-free but remains ready for instant deployment. The Sling Sleeve fits most two and three point slings including all models of Vickers Combat Applications Slings.

www.blueforcegear.com/sling-sleeve/

Tags: Blue Force Gear
Posted in weapons | Comments Off on BFG Launches the Sling Sleeve

Army Technology – Soldier Protection Front and Center

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

The premiere issue of US Army RDECOM’s “Army Technology” features Soldier Protection. We don’t see much news out of PEO Soldier these days so it’s great to see an interview with BG Paul Ostrowski. Look for features on Natick as well as armor, TBI mitigation, protective masks, footwear and batteries.

issuu.com/rdecom/docs/armytechnologymagazine_sept2013

Tags: Army Technology
Posted in PEO-Soldier | 1 Comment »

An Abbreviated History of the Jungle Boot

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

This photo popped up on Facebook last week and a great deal of commenters on the post were ill informed. It wasn’t necessarily that they didn’t know what they were in theory, it was that they didn’t know that this tread pattern was at one point used on issue boots as well as other inaccuracies.

Because so few of currently serving troops have ever worn the “Boot, Combat, Tropical, Mildew Resistant” we are going to fill in some blanks.

Often referred to by collectors as the “Okinawa” boot, these were produced in the 1950s. They are a modification of the WWII 2-buckle boots with canvas uppers. The soles were stitched unto the upper and were worn early in the Viet Nam conflict by advisors deployed from Oki.

In 1965, the company Ro-Search (Wellco) was awarded the first jungle boot contract, producing up to 5000 pairs a day and licensed the Direct Molded Sole technology to 11 other companies. From this point on, Jungle Boots featured a DMS sole although the sole pattern would shift from a Vibram style to the Panama tread which was intended to release mud. At the same time, a metal spike protective plate was integrated into the footbed to protect Soldiers from Punji stakes used by the Viet Cong.

For more info on VN-era jungle boots, which went through a bit of an evolution, visit www.mooremilitaria.com/reference. This style of Jungle Boot continued to be issued through the mid-90s.

The original Desert Combat Boot was a tan, rough out leather version of the Jungle Boot with an improved variant introduced after Operation Desert Storm. Changes included a padded collar and leather ankle reinforcements replacing the webbing along with a Poron insole. Later, these same changes were cut into the Jungle boot along with a color change from Green canvas uppers to Black Cordura to be more like the issue leather boot.

Despite being a CTA 50-900 item, Jungle Boots were unit issue and could not be worn everywhere. For example, during the late 1980s they could not be worn in Germany due to the climate. Although, interestingly enough, the US Jungle Boot was often issued to allied forces such as the British for use in jungle operations.

All along, there have been cheap, knockoff boots. Naturally, some guys would rather buy beer than reliable boots. They generally were easy to spot due to their off color and cheap materials. Additionally, these commercial models above, featuring South Korean camouflage uppers were quite common in the 90s on the surplus market.

Several years ago, OTB Boots (now New Balance) introduced a modern jungle boot (above) that is no longer available and Rocky just released their variant (below).

Today, there is no requirement for a tropical boot despite DoD’s shift in attention to the Pacific theater although certain units are interfacing with industry.

-Eric Graves
A lifelong shooter and outdoorsman, Eric is retired from the US Air Force and also served in the US Army. After retiring from military service Eric also worked in industry and has served as the Editor of Soldier Systems Daily since launching the site in May of 2008.

Posted in Boots | 27 Comments »

Commo Section – 3ID LRS

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2013

I’m in this circa 1989 photo with the guys I served with in the Commo Section of D Co (LRS), 103rd MI Bn (CEWI), 3 ID. It was taken as we assumed PZ posture before a patrolling exercise. I’m still in touch with a few of you but if you’re in this photo, contact me. I’d love to hear from you.

Posted in Forces Focus | 4 Comments »

2013 EOD Warrior Foundation Undefeated Bike Ride

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Thanks to ADS Inc for making us aware of the upcoming East Coast Washington, D.C. Metro EODWF Undefeated Bike Ride on Sept. 27-29, 2013. Riders will have the option to choose between a challenging 2-day 155 mile ride from Annapolis, MD to Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont, VA, or a single day, 50 mile out and back event on Saturday the 28th.

Now in its 5th year, the Undefeated EOD 2-Day Ride benefits the EOD Warrior Foundation, which funds and supports military EOD families caring for their injured loved ones at military medical facilities across the country, and with financial stresses they encounter on the path of healing after the hospital.

To register, visit www.eodwarriorfoundation.org/events/events/view/19

Tags: ADS Inc, EOD Warrior Foundation
Posted in Fundraising | Comments Off on 2013 EOD Warrior Foundation Undefeated Bike Ride

Magpul Dynamics DMR/SPR AAR

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Recently, Stoney Doughty from ATA Tactical shared this AAR with us from his attendance at the Magpul Dynamics Designated Marksman Rifle/Special Purpose Rifle course. We hope you find this useful.

This July I was able to attend the Magpul Dynamics Special Purpose Rifle/Designated Marksmen Rifle Class in Yakima, WA. I attended because I wanted to gain a better understanding of the semi-automatic rifle system when used as a designated marksman. I felt this would enable me to better instruct my Reserve Component Soldiers in achieving the maximum usability from their issue weapons. Additionally I felt this class would increase my weapons and shooting knowledge for my civilian job with ATA Tactical. The following are my thoughts and impressions from the course.
(more…)

Tags: ATA Tactical, Magpul Dynamics
Posted in Training | 2 Comments »