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Bring-backs?

Glock23ExpertGlock23Expert Member Posts: 1,031 ✭✭
edited January 2007 in US Military Veteran Forum
Did any of you Gulf War vets bring back any Iraqi trophies like flags, canteens, insignia, or the like?

Comments

  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    I got, tent flap with Iraq Republican gaurd officers insignia, Iraq gas mask, Iraq chemical suit (looks more like a rain suit), Iraq antropien injector, Iraq tank repair manuel, a few personal belongings that I got from dead soldiers (personal notes, pictures, and such), knifes, lots of Iraq money, helmets, hats, and other stuff.

    In all it fills up about 3 foot lockers or better.
  • PATBUZZARDPATBUZZARD Member Posts: 3,556
    edited November -1
    I wasn't allowed to bring anythign back... It was damn near impossible to sneak anything by the Customs sweeties
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
    I wasn't allowed to bring anythign back... It was damn near impossible to sneak anything by the Customs sweeties
    Pat,

    We were under the same orders. I boxed everything up and mailed it.

    I mailed so much home that when we got on the plane all I had left with me was clothes.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by *_r_done
    quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
    I wasn't allowed to bring anythign back... It was damn near impossible to sneak anything by the Customs sweeties
    Pat,

    We were under the same orders. I boxed everything up and mailed it.

    I mailed so much home that when we got on the plane all I had left with me was clothes.


    Giterdone...you might want to think about editting your replies...you never know who may be reading this forum. I'll give you some time to do it yourself and then take care of it for you. Dont' want to see any ill harm come your way....
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by ECC
    quote:Originally posted by *_r_done
    quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
    I wasn't allowed to bring anythign back... It was damn near impossible to sneak anything by the Customs sweeties
    Pat,

    We were under the same orders. I boxed everything up and mailed it.

    I mailed so much home that when we got on the plane all I had left with me was clothes.


    Giterdone...you might want to think about editting your replies...you never know who may be reading this forum. I'll give you some time to do it yourself and then take care of it for you. Dont' want to see any ill harm come your way....
    ECC, I don't have anything illeagal. My boxes that I sent home were inspected by an officer before I mailed them (this was a requirement before they were mailed). The only thing was we were not allowed to bring them home on our person.

    I didn't get home any weaponry, or live ammo. Those were the NO-NO's that we were not allowed.

    I can assure you that everything I have is perfectly leagal.

    My CO actually recomended us to mail anything we wanted to keep as long as it was leagal.
  • PATBUZZARDPATBUZZARD Member Posts: 3,556
    edited November -1
    I understand, What I'm trying to say is that under current orders everyting you brought home would be NO GO.... pretty disgusting isn't it?

    General Order 1A
    "(3) No weapon, munitions, or military article of equipment obtained or acquired by any means other than official issue may be retained for personal use or shipped out of the USCENTCOM AOR for personal retention or control."

    This has been interpretted to include all military kit including weapons, ammo, TA50, web gear, nbc masks, uniforms, etc... IT SUCKS!! [:(!]
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
    I understand, What I'm trying to say is that under current orders everyting you brought home would be NO GO.... pretty disgusting isn't it?

    General Order 1A
    "(3) No weapon, munitions, or military article of equipment obtained or acquired by any means other than official issue may be retained for personal use or shipped out of the USCENTCOM AOR for personal retention or control."

    This has been interpretted to include all military kit including weapons, ammo, TA50, web gear, nbc masks, uniforms, etc... IT SUCKS!! [:(!]
    When I was there, as long as it was not harmfull or hazardous we could box it up and mail it. We did have to have an officer inspect and sign that everything inside was OK to be shipped.

    We got news before hand that we would not be allowed to take the stuff home on our person so I packed up alot of boxes to ship home.

    Everything passed the required inspections and was waiting for me when I got back.

    When I did get back I switched units to a unit that did not go, and I got asked to bring some of my stuff in for others to see.

    Heck I had a Brigader General checking the stuff out and asking alot of questions about it. He was ammazed at alot of it and said I should never get rid of it. That I had alot of history in the stuff I brought back.

    I never planed on getting rid of anything. I treat the stuff like my grandfather did with his things from WWII and Korea. Heck he had stuff from Peral Harbor that seemed like just scrapmetal but to him it was gold. It was pieces of ships and other things from the bombing.

    Everything I have will be passed down in my family as part of our history.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by *_r_done
    quote:Originally posted by ECC
    quote:Originally posted by *_r_done
    quote:Originally posted by PATBUZZARD
    I wasn't allowed to bring anythign back... It was damn near impossible to sneak anything by the Customs sweeties
    Pat,

    We were under the same orders. I boxed everything up and mailed it.

    I mailed so much home that when we got on the plane all I had left with me was clothes.


    Giterdone...you might want to think about editting your replies...you never know who may be reading this forum. I'll give you some time to do it yourself and then take care of it for you. Dont' want to see any ill harm come your way....
    ECC, I don't have anything illeagal. My boxes that I sent home were inspected by an officer before I mailed them (this was a requirement before they were mailed). The only thing was we were not allowed to bring them home on our person.

    I didn't get home any weaponry, or live ammo. Those were the NO-NO's that we were not allowed.

    I can assure you that everything I have is perfectly leagal.

    My CO actually recomended us to mail anything we wanted to keep as long as it was leagal.


    Sounds good to me[:)] We were told not to bring stuff back...particularly "off of dead enemies". I kind of wish I had brought back more than I did. I only have a few tokens of my time there.

    Pat...seems as if things are getting more and more strict/politically correct. I'm not sure how well I could handle todays military....
  • Glock23ExpertGlock23Expert Member Posts: 1,031 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    This is all interesting! I sure wasn't aware that the troops nowadays are being prohibited from keeping little mementos of their time in the combat zone.
  • MuseMuse Member Posts: 34 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I brought back an Iraqi officer uniform minus the hat and boots. I had no problem shipping it home after customs inspected it.
  • codenamepaulcodenamepaul Member Posts: 2,931
    edited November -1
    Brought back my blood chit. A bundle of Iraqi currency (worthless) some expended ordinance (recovered from my plane) A dataplate from a ZSU I tangled with-he's still there, I'm here. A bunch of head rest covers from a Kuwaiti airliner-started out as improvised butt floss-ended up taking some home. Tons of photo's. Couple of pieces of headgear and hats too.
  • sarge_3adsarge_3ad Member Posts: 8,387 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I brought home a box of matches taken from a EPOW, A officers personnel file I found in a APC, and a Republican Guard license tag I removed from the front of a blown up military vehicle. I even picked up several of those leaflets we dropped on them telling them to give up or die. As we were cleaning out the warehouses at Doha, I found a Kuwati Police badge. These are some of the goodies I was allowed to bring home. Also, since I took over our units arms room in the desert, I was allowed to carry home bayonets and knives that soldiers in our unit found. They could not personnally bring them back, but if they turned them in to me I was able to go through customs with them and seal them in a box and hand carry them home for the soldiers. When we arrived back, I just handed them back to whom they belonged.
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sarge_3ad
    I brought home a box of matches taken from a EPOW, A officers personnel file I found in a APC, and a Republican Guard license tag I removed from the front of a blown up military vehicle. I even picked up several of those leaflets we dropped on them telling them to give up or die. As we were cleaning out the warehouses at Doha, I found a Kuwati Police badge. These are some of the goodies I was allowed to bring home. Also, since I took over our units arms room in the desert, I was allowed to carry home bayonets and knives that soldiers in our unit found. They could not personnally bring them back, but if they turned them in to me I was able to go through customs with them and seal them in a box and hand carry them home for the soldiers. When we arrived back, I just handed them back to whom they belonged.

    [8D]
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by sarge_3ad
    I brought home a box of matches taken from a EPOW, A officers personnel file I found in a APC, and a Republican Guard license tag I removed from the front of a blown up military vehicle. I even picked up several of those leaflets we dropped on them telling them to give up or die. As we were cleaning out the warehouses at Doha, I found a Kuwati Police badge. These are some of the goodies I was allowed to bring home. Also, since I took over our units arms room in the desert, I was allowed to carry home bayonets and knives that soldiers in our unit found. They could not personnally bring them back, but if they turned them in to me I was able to go through customs with them and seal them in a box and hand carry them home for the soldiers. When we arrived back, I just handed them back to whom they belonged.

    [8D]
  • idsman75idsman75 Member Posts: 13,398 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    It would have been EASY to bring back illegal items. I obtained a high quality almost-new personal defense item capable of holding several items that are 9mm in diameter. I kept it with that AK-47 underfolder which would have also been quite easy to take home. Both would have been risky. Customs only checked one of my three bags.

    I took back 8 new bayonets still in the packing grease, a man-dress, one of those shamog's (table cloth they wear on their head), the donut they wear on top of the table cloth, propoganda posters distributed by our psy-ups guys, election posters from the first Iraqi national election and a jar of red honey made by the bees on Mount Sinjar.
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