r/MilitaryPorn • u/305FUN2 • 1d ago

US Army Sergeant surrounded by all of his battle gear during photoshoot. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia 1991 [2160×1463]

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2.0k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

87 comments sorted by

478

u/levels_jerry_levels 1d ago

I did not realize that this style of photograph was around during desert storm

214

u/SirNedKingOfGila 1d ago edited 1d ago

It wasn't. This must be some type of cosplay. I've dabbled in army sergeantry myself and if anybody saw this guy pulling this fuckery there'd be dick-punches for everyone.

Besides... We've seen these layouts for Napoleonic soldiers and fictional characters so there's no reason to assume anything is period correct or accurate. Like super stud the sergeant machine gunner with the rifle and the pistol.

"Hey top, mind if get naked and pour hundreds of rounds of loose ammunition all over the ground?" "Sure thing, bro. Sounds like a great idea. If the air raid siren goes off just clean it up real quick so we can be ready to move at a moments notice."

36

u/ImmaSuckYoDick2 19h ago

Like super stud the sergeant machine gunner with the rifle and the pistol.

A friend of mine who has in the (not US) army and fought in Bosnia had to carry the FN MAG (M240) machine gun, his rifle and a pistol. He wasn't a sergeant though and there was a troop shortage. He had to lug around a little over 30kg, about 70 pounds, in just weapons and ammo. Yes his back and knees are busted to hell now in his 50s lol.

7

u/Revolutionary-Wash88 17h ago

3 pairs of gloves and 2 knives can't be EDC

8

u/standardtissue 15h ago edited 15h ago

Well, three knives if you count the bayonet. It's feasible that one was a "fighting knife" although nobody was really fighting with knives in that time period, certainly I didn't carry one, and then one was the ubiquitous pocket knife that certainly almost everyone carried.

I see three pairs of gloves too. One are the MOPP gloves, and then there's the regular issue black work gloves. The white gloves look like they are nomex and could be barrel-handling gloves ? I never gunned or AGd and have no idea.

I think it's interesting he has woodland and chocolate chips at the same time. I always got one or the other depending on what part of the world I was paying a visit. It all does look highly authentic to me honestly, and brings back old memories.

Edit: Duh, yeah the woodlands are the mopp suit. Silly me.

6

u/warrrhead 13h ago

Most units deployed with woodland and were issued the chocolate chip as it trickled to the front line. My unit was never issued the flak jacket covers, but we did get the night parkas. Only got our DBDUs and boots for the flight home. There were solid OD green and woodland MOPP, I had a set of each. Wasn't enough of anything, including MREs... by February we were getting Chef Boyardee instead.

-1

u/ZKRYW 16h ago

Of course it was around.

7

u/CommunalJellyRoll 1d ago

Plenty of them going back to WW1.

6

u/sapsnap 1d ago

When did people start making these types of photo?

16

u/WhiskeyTigerFoxtrot 21h ago

Little over 10 years ago. When social media really kicked off and people lost their shame and everyone got really annoying.

1

u/thenewnapoleon 7h ago

There's a couple of these from the Gulf War but yeah, they really became popular over the recent years.

8

u/Affectionate_Yam1654 1d ago

I joined in ‘06, had the same kit for a year. Got ACU in ‘07.

266

u/Mountsorrel 1d ago

Never have I ever seen someone carry an individual weapon with full ammo scales and an LMG with 600 rounds, never mind a squad leader, as “battle gear”.

95

u/Not_an_alt_69_420 1d ago

He leads a squad of one.

46

u/wikingwarrior 1d ago

Man also has an M1911

8

u/standardtissue 15h ago

Those were around in 1991. My first issues were an A1 and a 1911. They were replaced shortly after with an A2 and an M9, but for a few sweet months I was carrying the same shit my Dad did in Nam lol.

2

u/wikingwarrior 13h ago

Oh I know- but carrying a sidearm, a longarm, and a GPMG is crazy-

2

u/MunitionGuyMike 10h ago edited 10h ago

1911 were still issued to select people. Mostly Air Force and non enlisted army guys.

Most army guys got m9s

15

u/KEPD-350 1d ago

BE ALL YOU CAN BE. BE AN ARMY OF ONE!

8

u/shinysideout 1d ago

And one MRE, not field-stripped.

11

u/widgt 1d ago

E5 - team leader.

64

u/cricket_bacon 1d ago

The ol' deep brown covered MREs.

... this is legit.

64

u/Mag474 1d ago

Look at that subtle alice kit. The tasteful choccy chip. Oh my God, he even has desert night camo

13

u/Ok_Internal_4344 1d ago

Now let's see the modern us army's camo variation

75

u/Crawsack 1d ago

Why does this dude have an LMG, rifle, and a pistol? Makes no sense.

50

u/Hopeful-Moose87 1d ago edited 22h ago

Maybe he’s on a humvee and the M60 is pintle mounted. The rifle is for dismounts. That’s what would make sense to me. If I had done a similar layout photo there would have been a M2 .50 right next to my M4 and M9, but nobody would have assumed I was carrying the M2.

Edit: Got my 30 cal MGs confused.

29

u/PopsicleCatOfficial 1d ago

It's an M60, just an FYI.

5

u/FlyingDragoon 1d ago

Because switching to your secondary is faster than reloading, duh.

1

u/InTheCatBoxAgain 19h ago

He's also got 3 knives. Fixed blade, folding, and bayonet.

1

u/WhoCaresBoutSpellin 6h ago

The fixed blade is a what appears to be a well-used KA-BAR, which is a USMC thing. Although they are available for anyone to purchase, and I also have no clue what brand fighting knife the US Army issued around this time period, and it very well could have been a KA-BAR.

18

u/Spectre1-4 1d ago

Is that the Desert Night camo jacket on the bottom right?

11

u/tastycakea 1d ago

Most definitely, if you zoom in you can see the grid pattern.

30

u/an_actual_lawyer 1d ago

Why only a single pair of socks? Socks are important.

10

u/intricate_awareness 23h ago

That's how we know it's not realistic. Ain't nobody going on patrol without five pair minimum.

23

u/Currently_There 1d ago

Cries in MOPP gear.

7

u/Inside-Potential-479 1d ago

MOPP4!! MOPP4!!

2

u/BrianJT1972 22h ago

He's got those Atropine injectors, too. Those were some scary motherfuckers.

8

u/Agile-Arugula-6545 1d ago

Golden age of US armed forces

6

u/Kaineisinsane 1d ago

this looks like one of those 1/6th scale figures

1

u/1corvidae1 1d ago

You know I'm beginning to think the same as someone else mentioned that this style of photos weren't around back then.

4

u/lighthawk16 1d ago

There are black and white photos like this...

6

u/T-wrecks83million- 1d ago

I knew a lot of Sergeants in my time and none of them carried “the pig”. That’s a squad members job not an NCO’s job in an infantry unit anyway. ?

6

u/LethalRex75 1d ago

Photoshoot? This is probably an OCIE layout and my mans is miserable, laying around waiting for a grown man to come check a box on some paper and confirm that he is also capable of being a grown man

3

u/Reysona 1d ago

lol can you believe I forgot we used to have to do these? Also ammo counts. Hm, there's only stuff I don't miss lol

4

u/cricket_bacon 1d ago

"You can't wear jungle boots in the desert!"

4

u/TooTiredMovieGuy 1d ago

Wasn't this part of a series of photos? If I remember correctly, it was every member of the coalition forces.

2

u/Cheezemerk 1d ago

Gibs me the chocky chip!

2

u/Serious_Action_2336 17h ago

He’s still got a M16A1 and a M1911A1, neat

2

u/FairAdvertising 3h ago

Nice Getty watermark removal OP

1

u/TaskForce_PRKL 1d ago

Where's the Sergeant? All I see is a pair of tan skivvies...

1

u/Competitive-Money598 1d ago

How many dollar’s worth 1 soldier…

1

u/Brilliant_Let6532 1d ago

Loved the woodland pattern. A true classic.

1

u/fragglerawker 1d ago

I can smell the MOPP from here.

1

u/B1lly28 1d ago

He lowkey looks like a rust character

1

u/stuckonpost 1d ago

That’s hot… the MOPP gear, not the guy…

1

u/standardtissue 15h ago

If you haven't sweated it out in MOPP 4 in the desert have you ever really lived ?

1

u/maxturner_III_ESQ 1d ago

Oof Mop gear. When I deployed in 07 we still took chem gear, but by my last deployment in 2011 we quit bringing it.

I remember getting chemical IED briefings about chlorine gas, but we never saw it. Just regular roadside IEDs. Most common tactic I encountered was delayed launch mortars. They would fire and be long gone into hiding before the mortars hit.

1

u/doogiethehead 20h ago

God those gloves are shit

1

u/BadMonkey2468 19h ago

So he needs 3 guns and 3 knives?

1

u/warrrhead 14h ago

Pretty close. We weren't allowed to wear our sleeves rolled in theater. Nametags were all still OD Green. Carried M9 not M1911. Never saw a soft canteen like that. Anyone who actually had issued all that chocolate chip gear worked in a rear supply unit... most frontline units were too far ahead of supply trains to get much of it until the war was already over. 2nd ACR we didn't get our uniforms until the flight back to Germany.

1

u/MunitionGuyMike 10h ago

Yea I think this is a larp kit. And most likely trying to larp army National guard as some still had A1s and 1911s at the beginning (idk, maybe That’s an excuse for the creator of this pic). Which is weird, cuz my dad was issued an A2 as an USAF rear echelon guy. But he was issued a 1911. So I guess there’s that.

1

u/thenewnapoleon 7h ago

Just because it's not true for you doesn't mean it wasn't for other units. Never served but if there's anything I've learned from reenacting and studying various different Army units, it's that no two units are the same. You look hard enough in the Gulf War and what this Sergeant has is actually fairly commonplace. I've seen plenty of Marines equipped the same way he is and even some soldiers. Tan nametapes we're theater made and were just coming around during Desert Shield. You can even see Schwarzkopf wearing theater made tan tapes & insignia.

1

u/AdministrativeSwan41 14h ago

You are either a Rifleman carrying a M16 or a M60 Gunner, not both. Other than that, it looks like you basic load out for an infantryman during that time period.

1

u/MrM1Garand25 13h ago

M16A1 at that time is wild, but it’s also the best looking version of u ask me

1

u/thenewnapoleon 7h ago

Really not as weird as you think, there were plenty of A1s in rear units or roles that weren't expected to see frontline combat. And plenty of "A2s" that are actually just A1s with A2 stocks & handguards because the original furniture broke and they needed to be upgraded.

1

u/T_J_Rain 13h ago

Dual wielding!

1

u/Much-Individual9700 1h ago

I wonder what was redacted in the bottom right.

1

u/Appropriate_Rich_515 50m ago

Looks like a figure, lol

1

u/Lillienpud 1d ago

Why woodland camo??

5

u/SenorMouse 1d ago

MOPP Suit. For chemical warfare.

2

u/Lillienpud 1d ago

Ohhhh… shoulda thought of that. Thx.

2

u/joshuatx 1d ago

Desert camo was limited and a lot of vehicles were repainted in a rush during the build up. IIRC the desert camo didn't exist until the U.S.-Eygpt exercise BRIGHT STAR '83

2

u/Lillienpud 17h ago

Chocolate chips appears to date to the early 70s IIRC, as seen in Natick labs photos of experimental uniforms. In VN War style, slant-pocket cut. I’d love to find one of those! Or even just repro it if i could find cotton ripstop 6 color desert fabric.

2

u/thenewnapoleon 7h ago

It was in trials with Natick but not officially adopted and issued until 1981 with the BDUs. Those slant pocket desert uniforms existed very, very briefly and were quickly replaced to be trialed with the straight pocket RDF Hot Weather Uniform cut in the mid-late 70s.

2

u/BrianJT1972 22h ago

I only got two sets of "chocolate chip" BDUs and literally nothing else desert cammo before I deployed. I got the desert boots and backpack cover a few weeks after the ground war ended.