“On the field of
battle man is not only a thinking animal, he is a beast of burden. He is given
great weights to carry. But unlike the mule, the jeep, or any other carrier,
his chief function in war does not begin until the time he delivers that burden
to the appointed ground…In fact we have always done better by a mule than by a
man. We were careful not to load the mule with more than a third of his
weight.”
-
S.L.A. Marshall, The Soldier’s Load and the Mobility of a Nation, 1950
Before packing...
In preparation for deployment, we were issued our gear/equipment
from the CIF, or consolidated issue facility. Every Marine who has previously
deployed knows the drill…it’s the same at every supply point, be it a Battalion
warehouse or a base facility the size of the CIF. Show up, stand in line and
wait…then wait some more. No matter what time of day or day of the week, it is
almost guaranteed that a line has already formed at the door.
For current deployments, the CIF regulates the type
and quantity of gear a Marine draws from the facility. Unlike the hodge-podge
collection of “off-the-shelf” equipment individually purchased by Marines
during the early days of OIF/OEF, today’s gear list has been refined and contains
equipment that rivals the Blackhawk, Bianci and Safari-land items that Marines
had added to their combat load over the last decade.
Gone are the days of H-harnesses, butt packs, ALICE
packs and MOLLE packs. These days, Marines draw the same high-speed gear that was
previously available only to professional mountaineers or expeditionary climbers.
Today’s gear list includes improved load bearing equipment (ILBE), a fancy name
for mountain backpacks. It also includes arctic parkas, booties and mittens;
flame resistant outer-garments and fleeces of varying colors and thickness. No
longer does a Marine have to scrounge for gear that’s appropriate for the
varied climates of a particular geographic region. It’s all available at the
CIF.
Enhancing the load is the addition of modern,
technologically advanced protective gear, or PPE (personal protective
equipment). Flak vests are relics of the past, replaced by modular tactical
vests (MTV) complete with enhanced small arms protective inserts (E-SAPI) that
weigh over 30 lbs. combined. The inserts are basically bullet-proof plates that
protect the torso of the wearer. The plates may be heavy, but they’ll stop a
bullet from most enemy rifles. Tack on the weight of the vest and the various attached
accoutrements such as ammo magazines and your IFAK (improved first-aid kit) and
you easily add an additional 45 lbs. to your torso. Of course, this doesn’t
include the weaponry, clothing and personal items a Marine also carries into
theater.
In 2003, the Corps drafted a combat load report that
reported the average weights of gear that a Marine takes on deployment. The
typical Marine carries 48 lbs of gear in his assault load, which is the average
amount of gear carried during combat operations. The approach march load, part
of which is shed before entering a combat situation, was estimated at 71 lbs. Considering the existence load, or the total
amount of gear that a Marines takes with him on deployment averages 138 lbs, is
it any wonder that many Marines and soldiers alike suffer from back and
shoulder injuries? Although the quality of today's gear has vastly improved, the
Marine’s ability to carry that gear into battle has not changed in 235 years. Although
S.L.A. Marshall noted “we were careful not to load the mule with more than a
third of his body weight,” we have yet to find a more efficient - and plentiful
- means of carrying equipment to the battlefield besides the grunt on the
ground, the true packhorse of the Corps.
....and after.
