Super Dave Harrington, a Gris Gris and a Goat
August 29th, 2012SOTech Shines Light on Benefits of Employing Veterans
August 29th, 2012
Green Vets LA / VIPER Program makes the front page of the Los Angeles Times as the vote goes to Sacramento. The Green Vets LA Element of VIPER (Veterans Industry Program for Employment Reintegration) has found itself bridging the right and the left wings of California politics. Jim Cragg and SOTech staff members supporting GVLA have made the rounds of California Senate and Assembly offices to illuminate the veterans issues, job creation, and economic impact of the proposed single use plastic bag ban in California. Previously the ban was seen only as an environmental issue until Cragg raised the banner of jobs for vets.
Having experienced firsthand the protection of American sewing jobs under the Berry Act in Defense Contracting, Cragg brought to light the benefits of legislation that protects and encourages American design and manufacturing. Not only do veterans of the GVLA program benefit from sewing and assembly jobs created here, but the American sewing industry as a whole will see gains, and this comes at an important time as Defense sewing projects begin to dwindle with an end to American troop deployments on the horizon. Beyond the political and industrial implications of the issue, the LA Times article captured the human side of the issue with some gut-wrenching interviews of formerly homeless Veterans in the VIPER program.
Read the LA Times article here.
Revision ‘Show Us Your Ink’ Contest
August 29th, 2012
In honor of reaching 50,000 fans on Facebook, Revision is giving away MP3 downloads. To get yours, post a pic of your military-inspired or patriotic tattoo on their wall and then send a message to the Revision page to receive your MP3 code. On September 17th, they’ll pick their 5 favorite tats and those people will win a pair of Revision eyewear of their choice.
To enter, visit www.facebook.com/RevisionMilitary. The full announcement is here.
FirstSpear Flotation Cummerbund in Action
August 29th, 2012FirstSpear has been working diligently to integrate flotation directly into their armor systems. An important factor in their work is that flotation be as unobtrusive as possible. Also, flotation isn’t the primary mission of the armor, but rather an additional survival capability for users who work in a maritime environment. They’ve done a great job and have provided us this video of the system in action. In this demonstration we see a flotation system that is an integral component of the cummerbund of a new Strandhögg Plate Carrier.
In the video there is an operator who has been forced to abandon ship or otherwise has found himself in the drink. In most instances he would be weighed down by his armor and equipment and if it weren’t for the FirstSpear flotation integrated into his armor’s cummerbund he would have to ditch his equipment or worse yet, he might drown. However, once activated the flotation brings him right to the surface. At this point, he will not only just survive, but can also stay in the fight by returning fire if needed.
This system isn’t intended as a set of waterwings for use by those who can’t swim but rather for use in emergency situations, just like the belt mounted flotation systems already in use by some SOF and parachutists. The difference is that this system is integrated directly into the armor vest so it’s not an extra piece of kit you have to don. Additionally, unlike belt or underarm systems, the FirstSpear flotation won’t get in the way of other equipment or be affected by it when activated. Think of it as an insurance policy. It’s always there when you need it.
PenCott-GreenZone in Germany
August 29th, 2012Svensson Tactical Blog recently posted a series of photos featuring SABRE’s Gen.III Special Forces Smock and Sniper trousers in the “GreenZone” variant of the PenCott family of camouflage patterns. The location was “somewhere along the lower Rhine”.
For the full story visit www.hydedefinition.com
Disruptive Thinkers – Thomas Barnett
August 29th, 2012
Thomas Barnett was the epitome of the disruptive thinker in the early 00s. His classic work, “The Pentagon’s New Map” inspired outside-the-box thinking all across government. Just the other day I was wondering what happened to Mr Barnett so I checked out his website and found that he is alive and well. He’s also still at it, taking a critical look at the world we live in and providing honest analysis on his blog. If you are interested in a different point of view on global economics and political freedom and how it effects the US, then you need to make a regular stop to read Thomas Barnett.
Anti-Military? Ummm, How About Anti-Nazi?
August 29th, 2012Over the weekend we reported on the MarineCorpsSS Facebook page. It seems that some who have served in the Marine Corps Sniper community are butthurt over the Corps’ wise choice to ban the use of the Nazi doppelsigrunen insignia of the SchuetzStaffel. Considering that the symbol is forever associated with the systematic killing, torture, and enslavement of approximately twelve million people at the hands of the SS, it’s no surprise that reasonable folks are flabbergasted at the thought of Marines wanting to identify with the device. Quite frankly it’s anti-American.
Apparently after our report, someone reported the page to Facebook, that by its own admission is, “A page dedicated to keeping the SS symbol alive and well in the Marine Scout Sniper community”. Facebook deleted the header image that featured the offending Nazi insignia. So naturally, the owners of the page have posted a retort. It’s absolutely hilarious considering the message the Nazi symbology they hold so dear sends to others. And, it pretty much outs them as the Nazi lovers they so long to be.
We didn’t out them, but is it any surprise that they were? Here are their two previous headers. Notice that their small photo lost the lightning bolts first so as to disguise their intent.
First it looked like this
and then, it changed to this
At this point I am sure the group has garnered the attention of NCIS who are probably, at this very moment, perusing the fan list to see if any are still on Active Duty. Not to mention DHS, the Southern Poverty Law Center as well as the Anti-Defamation League who are all ardent anti-Nazis. Of course, the answer to this mess is simple; stop being a wannabe Nazi.
I’ll leave you with this.
The Facebok page is www.facebook.com/MarineCorpsSS
Thinking End of Year? Think ADS
August 29th, 2012
Fiscal year close out is right around the corner and ADS has let us know that they will be right there with you, up until the end at Midnight (PST) on 30 September.
In addition to direct access to over 30,000 items, ADS can source virtually any product. Additionally, they offer multiple procurement vehicles.
SPECOPS & FES TLS Programs
Multiple GSA Schedules
NSN Items in Stock, Read for Delivery
DOD EMALL
8(a) & SDVOSB
Tags: ADS Inc
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