# What You lose, They Will Use



## Gunz (Jun 25, 2016)

That's a saying I learned many years ago. And you brave folks who've fought the Taliban and AQ and the Fedayeen and the myriad other groups of Islamic rootweevils out there, know this very well.

By and large, for the last half century, we've been fighting people who are dirt poor, people who out of necessity are incredibly practical, resourceful and inventive. And they will use anything we discard. I'm not just talking about sensitive items, like weapons and comm; I mean anything from truck tires to cardboard boxes to spent artillery shells.

The Viet Cong made sandals out of truck tires. Shorts and sandals were the BDUs of the VC for much of the year. Half the houses outside the Danang airbase were made out of discarded C-ration boxes. With TV antennas sticking out of them.

I firmly believe that an insurgent operation could equip and maintain itself fairly successfully by just the enormous amount of crap they could get out of our refuse piles.

Have any of you seen recycled American gear configured into weapons by our enemies? I've seen spent LAAWs tubes, dud mortar rounds, US-issue frags tripwired across trails. It makes you want to find and kill the idiot who left this shit behind.


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## AWP (Jun 25, 2016)

They have NVG's though thanks to Mike Yon they don't need them.


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## policemedic (Jun 25, 2016)

Freefalling said:


> They have NVG's though thanks to Mike Yon they don't need them.



That name needs to be included in the Voldemort Rule.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 25, 2016)

Freefalling said:


> They have NVG's though thanks to Mike Yon they don't need them.



I guess I've missed the poop on this one.


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## AWP (Jun 25, 2016)

Diamondback 2/2 said:


> I guess I've missed the poop on this one.



His blog posted a method for viewing coalition aircraft. The details are hazy and a few minutes on Google didn't turn up anything. During the surge he posted camera and/or smart phone tricks including equipment and configurations for viewing aircraft and IR. Shortly after that he was "assaulted" in Kandahar by a member of the host unit (I want to say 2nd ID, but I'd have to dig up that story too). He even posted the photos he took, photos obtained while was embedded and bumping around Helmand with his host unit. I want to say this was around 2010 or 2011.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 25, 2016)

Wasn't aware of this, but damn glad you told me. Thanks.


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## moobob (Jun 26, 2016)

I don't really care about them using our refuse being that we directly supply our enemies.


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## SpitfireV (Jun 26, 2016)

Wondering what happened to all fuel tanks jettisoned by U.S. fighter jets over Southeast Asia during Vietnam War?

Related but not the same.


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## Brill (Jun 26, 2016)

Ocoka One said:


> Have any of you seen recycled American gear configured into weapons by our enemies? I've seen spent LAAWs tubes, dud mortar rounds, US-issue frags tripwired across trails.



Mostly components for IEDs or triggers but there was the occasional SOPMOD'd M4. Apparently our spent brass is a big deal but our partner force gathered it up (often in the middle of fights because the mini-gun sounded like a cash register) to melt and sell.


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## Gunz (Jun 26, 2016)

SpitfireV said:


> Wondering what happened to all fuel tanks jettisoned by U.S. fighter jets over Southeast Asia during Vietnam War?
> 
> Related but not the same.



Perfect example of practicality and resourcefulness.


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Jun 26, 2016)

There was a Marine SS team that got rolled up in Anbar a couple of months before SPC Mike Smith of my platoon took a round to the face from a M40 SWS.

Shit happens, people die, weapons and equipment will fall into the enemies hands. By mistake, by deaths, by positions being over run, etc. 

Everyone should always do their best to secure their kit and avoid allowing kit to fall into the enemies hands. But it's not always avoidable and sometimes it happens.

Do your best, check, double check and then check again, and definitely  hold people accountable. But mostly when you find the enemy with our kit/weapons, smoke that fool.

$.02


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## moobob (Jun 26, 2016)

lindy said:


> Mostly components for IEDs or triggers but there was the occasional SOPMOD'd M4. Apparently our spent brass is a big deal but our partner force gathered it up (often in the middle of fights because the mini-gun sounded like a cash register) to melt and sell.


When you're trying to slay bodies and the AUP is picking up brass to recycle. I couldn't believe what I was seeing that first time I saw that happen.


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## AWP (Jun 26, 2016)

And they wonder why their country is shit and Americans are contemptuous of their so-called "army."


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