Never seen that pic before. You couldn't be more than 18 there.

Mike how do you really feel?

Semper Fi.

When my son graduated from the Basic School in December, we went to their equipment display.

Since I left the Corps in 1995, the equipment has changed so much. `I had to ask the Marine 3 times. "wait, your rifle can switch to automatic fire? Not a 3 round burst?"

wareagle044 said:

---

Ran across a group of marine reservists in the field while prepping for our deployment in early 2009. They looked over our equipment as if they were from the late 70's and couldn't believe such technology and armor existed. It almost made up for the sad feeling I got the first time I saw an Air Force base in Ramstein…

---

My first duty station in the Army was on Ramstein air base due to my MOS. I had no idea how spoiled I was being stationed there until a couple years later they moved us to McKee Barracks in Crailsheim. Talk about culture shock.

FSGuide said:

---

wareagle044 said:

---

Ran across a group of marine reservists in the field while prepping for our deployment in early 2009. They looked over our equipment as if they were from the late 70's and couldn't believe such technology and armor existed. It almost made up for the sad feeling I got the first time I saw an Air Force base in Ramstein…

---

My first duty station in the Army was on Ramstein air base due to my MOS. I had no idea how spoiled I was being stationed there until a couple years later they moved us to McKee Barracks in Crailsheim. Talk about culture shock.

---

I visited Ramstein from Hohenfels. I may have cried a little.

Why were they wearing woodland camo when desert camo was out way back in the early '90s Desert Storm era? I'm sure it wasn't favored but surely it was considered better than woodland for that application.

(Woodland is my favorite, btw, so not being critical. All my camo stuff, except for a pair of tiger stripe pants, over the years have been woodland. Fortunately, the only things I've had shooting back at me were BBs and later paint balls so for me it wasn't a huge deal).

91AggieLawyer said:

---

Why were they wearing woodland camo when desert camo was out way back in the early '90s Desert Storm era? I'm sure it wasn't favored but surely it was considered better than woodland for that application.

(Woodland is my favorite, btw, so not being critical. All my camo stuff, except for a pair of tiger stripe pants, over the years have been woodland. Fortunately, the only things I've had shooting back at me were BBs and later paint balls so for me it wasn't a huge deal).

---

From Grok, who usually explains these better than I!

Quote:

---

Marines wore woodland-pattern MOPP (Mission Oriented Protective Posture) suits, particularly during the 2003 Iraq invasion, primarily due to logistical shortages of desert-colored gear and a pre-war focus on European, temperate-environment training. These suits (often JSLIST) were designed for Cold War-era NATO threats, making woodland the standard stock available.

---

Yesterday said:

---

This picture made me laugh and brought back great memories. 2003 Marine Corps high tech was a green camouflage MOPP suit in the desert, M16A2 iron sites, duck taped flash light, sock covering the goggles and probably a gas mask from Vietnam all while riding hundreds of miles inland in an amphibious vehicle made for beach landings. Get Some!

---

bad ass. thanks for sharing.