from ft lewis

[crazyman]

i'm up here in ft lewis on TDY, and i got a chance to go shoot the ****e with a lot of guys from 2d and 3d SBCT's, 2d ID. 2d SBCT is the brigade that tested out the Strykers and the new ACU uniforms. in both cases they loved 'em. some of the soldiers here have even taken to naming their strykers, adding nose art (inside the vehicle), etc. on the uniforms...i was a skeptic on them, but seeing the new pattern up close...it works great. they showed me how the pattern appears to change based on your background, lighting, etc. great stuff. wearing the new ACU's, just walk on into the woods, and you dissapear. anyways just some thoughts. seems like 99% of the info we use on here is 2 or 3 times removed from the primary source, so this should be a nice change for some. any questions just leave them on here and i'll answer when i get setup in ft sill, OK in a week

[catchv22]

Are there any pictures of the ACUs in action? The only other thing I saw was from Militarymorons.com and it didn't seem to blend in too well.

[Desertpilot]

That's funny. On the PEO Solider web site and Army Times it states that contract haven't even been awarded to produce the uniform in the new camo patern yet. I wonder how you saw them on soliders in garrison when the first people to get them will be 3rd CAV in April when they go back to Iraq?

Not flaming you here, but I don't buy it. Take your camera and prove me wrong... ;)

[Deuterium]

The version that I saw in Iraq that Stryker guys were wearing had only small similarities to the ACU. It wasn't the ACU camo, pockets on the front were different too.

[Desertpilot]

I ran into some of those guys the last time I was at Lewis. They are cut in the same pattern as the ACU, but in 3 color desert and woodland. That's why I'm a little suspect.

[Midav]

Just gotta ask, you never know. Have you bumped into a Sgt K. Weaver (by chance) up at Ft. Lewis?

[Desertpilot]

Don't know anyone at Lewis who wasn't in the AVN BDE for the last Warfighter. The name dosen't ring a bell. Sorry... :|

[dghost]

The version that I saw in Iraq that Stryker guys were wearing had only small similarities to the ACU. It wasn't the ACU camo, pockets on the front were different too.

ditto. I knew a couple of the Stryker guys and ran into them over there. I am still not exactly positive how DA made the jump from the uniform those guys were wearing to the ACU.

Desertpilot - everything I have heard about the Stryker SBCT's out of Ft. Lewis is that they have had an insane budget to start out with and that they are being used as a test bed for as much new gear as possibe. since they already fielded some of the earlier versions of the ACU, they could possibly have been issued some of the "final" ACU's to test as well. I am still skeptical, but... it is not outside the realm of possibility.

[Midav]

Don't know anyone at Lewis who wasn't in the AVN BDE for the last Warfighter. The name dosen't ring a bell. Sorry... :|

Np. As said, perhaps there was a chance. :)

[Scrim]

Crazyman- dont forget about the girls at the Golden Dragon in Sill.

[WolverineBlue]

I lived in Fort Lewis when my dad was ADC for 9th Infantry Division. I lived in Quarters Two. The running joke was that the division commander, despite having the biggest house, couldn't see Mount Rainier because of that big monument blocking the view. I attended Clarkmore Elementary for kindergarten and first grade. woot

[Desertpilot]

dghost, I agree, those guys were funded out the YANG. They had 4' x 4' pull down digital situation displays in there BATTALION TOC. Crazy crap that you don't see at Corp level and they multipuls of them. I agree, it's possible, but I'll wait and see... ;)

[crazyman]

desertpilot: to answer your question, if i remember correctly the guys who tested out the new uniform ideas tried out 20 or so different versions. 'fraid i didnt get any pics, i was busy getting out of the way, damned strykers almost ran me over (things are far more quiet then you can imagine). what i saw were troops in the vehicle (top hatches open) wearing uniforms of the new cut (sleeve pockets, velcro everywhere and so on) and the pattern looked like a green/gray mix as in the pics that have been posted all over the place on this site. unfortunatly i havent seen then any other time. i THINK it was 2nd bct of 2d ID. we were at a popup range in their area. could be wrong on that one. unfortunatly im leaving ft lewis today (thank the dear lord) so i wont have time to track them down.

and scrim, dont worry i havent forgotten