Military Tips

The Spit Shine

For those old enough to remember when you had to put some work into making yourself look presentable... Here are some tips to get the perfect shine on your boots.

Wipe your boots free of any mud, dust, shit, or gum. Then wrap a small square white rag around your index and middle fingers. Rub one to two rotations' worth of polish into the cloth. Apply the base coat lightly in small circular motions. Next, use a buffing brush to buff your boots. This helps push the base coat into all the small cracks or worn areas, and it removes any excess wax.

Once the base coat is applied, add another layer of polish. This time dab the rag with polish on it into a small dish of water. This will help to moisten the leather and give your boots that "spit" shine. After applying the polish use the hot air on your blowdryer to slightly melt the polish. The moment the color of the polish changes from matte to shiny, move the dryer to a new spot. Now buff your boots one last time and you'll be good to go with a nice spit shine.

Government Issue Nick-nacks

Government Issue equipment would obviously be an instant giveaway that a soldier was in the area if lost on a covert mission. Some examples are weapon magazine, ID card, dog tags, gloves, pace beads, earplug case, weapon cleaning kit, chemlights, maps, protractors, etc. There is no way to avoid carrying these items, but here are some items that can be substituted for more covert items.

Leaving common place items that are US Army issue emblazoned with the US Government can be a sure giveaway to the presence of US soldiers. Some such items are watches, multi-tools, notebooks, and Skilcraft pens. You can substitute these items for their civilian counterpart.

Some items that may not say US Government may still be a giveaway. Such as 5200 series keys and locks, all weather notebooks, blousing straps, 550 cord, subdued carabineers, L-shaped flashlight, and BCG or Wiley-X glasses. These items can be substituted for their civilian counterpart, if there is one. If there is not, you will have to improvise.

Better Night Vision

Several days prior to a night op, dim the lights inside your house and wear polarizing sun glasses outside. Eat more carrots, dark leafy greens, fortified milk, and cheese to boost your intake of vitamin A. Avoid all bright light after sunset. Rod cells require 30 minutes or more to readjust after even a brief burst of light, and can take hours to adapt completely in the dark. Use red filtered flashlights, since rod cells don't react to red wavelengths. Scan the horizon with your peripheral vision, since scanning prevents the rods from becoming saturated with light.

The rod cell in the retina of the eye contains a protein called opsin, which combines with the organic molecule retinal to form a complex know as rhodopsin. Retinal can undergoe a reversible isomerism around one of its five double bonds when hit by light energy. This, in turn, stimulates nerve cells to the brain, which records the data from the light. The process is reversed by a type of protein known as an enzyme (a biological catalyst), and the retinal is ready to change again. Opsin is regenerated by the replacement of the all-trans retinal by a newly synthesized 11-cis-retinal provided from the retinal epithelial cells.

Retinal can be made in the body from beta-carotene, a yellow pigment found in many vegetables, especially carrots and sweet potatoes. Beta-carotene is cleaved in half by enzymes to form retinol, or vitamin A. The retinol is then oxidized to retinal and combines with opsin for your viewing pleasure.

Excesses of vitamin A, which are stored in the liver and fat tissue of the body, can also be toxic, leading to yellowing and peeling of the skin, headaches, and vomiting.

More On the Claymore

Claymores should always be positioned so that the blast parallels the patrol. This ensures that the firing wire will not lead back to the patrol's position, and if the enemy turns your claymore around, it will not be directed at your position.

Keep ALICE's Straps Up

Keep your rucksack in the straps-up position for quicker and more convenient recovery before moving into an ambush position. Loosen the shoulder straps when you ground the ruck to make it easier to grab and put on again.

Inside Out Your Waterproof Bag

Flip your waterproof bag inside out with the green on the inside and the black rubberized side on the outside. The nylon green side is slippery, which allows soldiers to stuff as much as they can in those deep small spaces. The bag still protects its contents from getting wet, and it allows soldiers to easily pull items from the bottom of the bag without having to remove everything else.

Ammonia Ruins Ballistic Glass

If the ballistic glass in your vehicle window is separating, it might be because you're cleaning it with ammonia (or ammonia-based products). Those products are okay for household windows, but ammonia breaks down the bond between the inner and outer sections of ballistic glass. Instead, use detergent, soapy water, plastic polish, or a cream cleaner. Also, you should never replace ballistic glass with regular plate glass since it offers no ballistic protection.

Camo Removal

To facilitate easy removal of camouflage face paint, rub some baby oil (or an oil-based insect repellent) on your face, ears, and inside your ears before applying the camo paint. The paint will then come off much easier and youll avoid the camo in the ears and eyeshadow look.

Inside Out Your Waterproof Bag

Flip your waterproof bag inside out with the green on the inside and the black rubberized side on the outside. The nylon green side is slippery, which allows soldiers to stuff as much as they can in those deep small spaces. The bag still protects its contents from getting wet, and it allows soldiers to easily pull items from the bottom of the bag without having to remove everything else.

Early Warning Device

Hang a metal can with some small rocks in it from the top of your concertina wire perimeter. When the enemy tries to get into your perimeter, the can will rattle. This trick works best if it isn't windy. Regardless of the weather conditions, it will keep soldiers alert. "Stay alert, stay alive!"

Civilians can protect themselves in their campsite by using 2 pound test and some cans with rocks, or some small bells. Run the string around trees about a foot and a half off the ground. In the night man or beast would be fooled by this cheap alarm.

One Step At A Time

Change socks one foot at a time. Never take both boots off at the same time. This will shorten your reaction time should you get attacked.

Boot Lace Tips

Too many identical combat boots? Tie a knot in each lace between the first two holes of a matching pair of boots. Tie two knots in the laces of your second pair of boots and so on and so on. This will identify which boots belong together.

Tie knots in the ends of your laces to keep them from coming out of the grommets when you take your boots off.

Are your brand-new boots tight around the instep? If so, just don't cross the laces between the 4th and the 5th grommet from the bottom. Run the laces straight up from the 4th to the 5th grommet and then continue lacing your boots normally. It won't be dramatically different, but you'll really feel an improvement when walking up hill. Don't believe us? Try it on one boot and lace the other normally, and wear them in the field for a week. Once you break your boots in, lace them normally since this method of lacing doesn't stop your foot from sliding forward when walking downhill.

Halfway up the row of eyelets, twist the laces around each other a few times and tighten, creating a stopper, then continue lacing. The technique is called double-hitching, and it leaves the toebox roomy without compromising ankle support.

Dog Tag Religion

Atheists or agnostics may not have any use for religion until now. Instead of choosing no preference on your dog tags, just pick one! It may save your life. Certain Middle Eastern countries view "no preference" on a dog tag as inhuman and may kill you outright if captured. We found it interesting that a religious preference has an application in the here and now, instead of just the here-after.

Water Can Tips

The US military began to use the plastic water containers in the later 1970s, followed by plastic fuel containers about 15 years later. Here are some tips to protect your plastic water cans in cold temperatures:

• Water in the cans will freeze. To prevent damage, fill cans to within no more than 3 inches of the top.
• Never apply heat to a frozen can. The plastic will melt.
• Keep the cans off the ground. Set them on cribbing or, even better, place them in insulating cases.

When not in use, empty the water cans as well as possible. Store them on their front side with the cap unscrewed. Keep a strip of cloth tied to the handle and place the cloth in the can to wick out any moisture.

Protect Your Mask

A lot of gas masks end up in the boneyard because their internal drink tube couplings are being sheared off. Once the coupling is broken it can't be repaired. To protect your mask's drink tube coupling, do the following:

• Stow it in the carrier with the eye-lenses facing away from the body.
• Do not fold your gas mask. The old M17 mask was foldable, but the new M40 and M42 masks are not.
• Do not store anything in the face-piece. Some soldiers stow an extra canister in the face cavity of the mask, which is a no-go.

Mask Canister Still Good?

You always need to be sure that your canisters and filter elements are usable (i.e. not expired). An on-line supply bulletin (SB 3-30-2 Chemical-Biological Canisters and Filter Elements) is updated quarterly and tells you which canisters and filter elements are out of date. To check this bulletin you must have a password. Then go to the Army Electronic Products Support (AEPS) webpage, TACOM-SBC homepage, Product Information, then to CDE Shelf Life Information System. You can search by NSN, lot number, contract number, and condition code. Definitions of the condition codes can be found in the Quick Links under Condition Code Report. Related Links takes you to the current SB 3-30-2.

Check Your Rear Sights

No matter how well you've taken care of your M16 rifle or M4 carbine, you won't be an accurate shooter if you haven't also taken care of the sights. This quick check tells you if your rear sight is out of adjustment: Turn the elevation knob down (DN) to the 8/3 mark (6/3 for the M4). If it turns down another full click past 8/3 (or 6/3 for the M4), it's out of adjustment.

Firearm Lubricant Do's & Don'ts

Graphite ultimately destroys aluminum and other alloys. Motor oil, although great for your car, will harden and ruin your gun. That's why TM 9-1005-313-10 specifically says to use CLP, LSA-T, or LAW for lubing. Anything else will damage the gun or at best, just not lubricate properly. Also be sure that you do not get any of these lubrication products in the gas system or they will turn to carbon and plug up the gas regulator and plug. Avoid the regulator and plug completely when lubricating the gun.

Also, too much lube attracts dirt and carbon, which may cause a malfunction. To lube properly, you must first understand two terms:

• Light - a film barely visible to the eye
• Generous - just enough to be spread with the finger

The following parts should receive a light lube:

• Inside the upper receiver, bore, and chamber
• Outside of the barrel, the front sight, and under the handguards
• Front sight detent (depress and put two drops of CLP on the detent)
• Charging handle
• Inside and outside of the bolt carrier
• Inside of the lower receiver
• Moving parts inside the lower receiver and their pins
• Buffer and action spring

The following parts should receive a generous lube:

• Outside of the bolt body, the cam pin area, and the bolt rings (but just a light coat on the extractor and cam pin)
• Takedown and pivot pins and detents

But in the desert, don't lube like this. Sand, not corrosion, is the problem there. Sand mixes with lube and becomes a scouring powder that eats up your rifle. Before you go the field, wipe all lube off the outside of your rifle or carbine. Lube internal parts normally, but clean them after firing to get rid of sand.

Smoother Cleaning

The last two inches of your rifle or machine gun barrel determine the accuracy of your shooting. That's why you should never insert a cleaning rod from the muzzle end. It wears down the barrel grooves. Insert the cleaning rod from the chamber end of the barrel only. Push the rod smoothly all the way through the barrel and out the muzzle. That way the rod cannot rock from side to side, and there's less chance of damage to the rifling of the barrel. Never reverse direction until you have pushed the rod completely through the barrel. Reversing wears barrel grooves, too.

Don't use your firing pin or cotton swab to clean small arms. The firing pin's job is to strike the cartridge primer hard enough to ignite the powder that propels the bullet. And that's it - it has no other job. If you use the pin to ream the bolt or bolt carrier, the pin will become blunted, burred, cracked, or bent. Use a warn bore brush, pipe cleaners, and some CLP instead. If you use a cotton swab, cotton will come off the swab and mix with lube and carbon. That mixture hardens and does an excellent job of plugging the carrier key. Your rifle or carbine will fire once and stop. But your unit uses cotton swabs all the time and your weapons work fine, right? Wrong. It's not going to happen all the time, but you should do what you can to increase your firing systems reliability.

Tracer Rounds Signal Reload

For night time missions, make sure your last couple of rounds are tracers. This way, the light produced by the tracer will let you know that youll need to reload soon.

Carry a magazine containing thirty rounds of red tracer, the color used by NATO forces. It is the wise operator who remembers that tracers work both ways. Thirty red tracers clearly indicates the intended target, but may give away your position. Carry a second magazine filled with green tracer (the preferred color of our enemies). More than once, booger eaters stopped firing when they thought the green tracer flying back at them meant they had opened up on friends.

Upside Down Mags

In your ammo pouch, keep the magazine upside down with the bullets pointing away from your body. This not only keeps dirt and water out of them but might also prevent you from being further injured by your own ammo if you get hit by enemy fire.

Tag Your Mags

Insure all of your magazines are marked with a number as well as an identifying mark such as your initials. This will help you identify that the dropped mags belong to you, and identify each magazine specifically (incase one is causing a problem).

Sloshing Canteens

When on patrol or during a movement where enemy contact is expected, make sure your canteens are more than half full. If they are less than half full, they will slosh around and make noise that you could do without. Always use water from your rucksack before using the water from your LBE. This will ensure a supply of water should you lose or ground your rucksack. It will ensure fuller canteens when moving closer to the enemy.

Grenades

A grenade carried on the upper portion of your harness makes an excellent target for enemy fire! Instead keep them in a waist pouch. Try taping grenade rings with masking tape. This keeps the ring open for your finger, stops rattling noises, and prevents snagging. The masking tape will easily rip apart for quick use of the grenade.

Cloaking Devices

We wish! Still, if you find yourself in hostile territory, you need to be as invisible to the enemy as possible. Achieve this by paying close attention noise, light, and litter. All items that might clank or rattle should be secured with tape or cloth. Use nonverbal communication as much as possible at all times. Get beneath a poncho, tarp, or sleeping bag to conceal your lantern or flashlight when reading a map or planning. Never smoke cigarettes or build cooking fires during daylight or darkness! During stationary operations, trash is collected and back-hauled during logistics runs. If this is not practical, carry all trash until it can be disposed of securely including your own fecal matter (in either a zip-lock bag or an empty MRE pouch) since buried and hidden trash could be sniffed out by dogs. To make this noble practice less noxious and more sanitary, saturate a small cellular sponge with ammonia and place it in the bag before you go. The ammonia will kill the offending bacteria.

Gold: the Crisis Currency

Your greenbacks would become virtually worthless if the government collapsed and anarchy became the state of the nation. In a more realistic (although not as gratifying) scenario, you could possibly find yourself trapped in another country behind enemy lines one day. Should this happen, gold is valued in every country and by all cultures. This, of course, requires planning, quite a bit of money and could be considered a great investment regardless. Still, if shit hits the fan, solid gold will get you what you need. In this situation, use a bandoleer to hold your coins under your shirt and around your waist.

Staying Awake

"Stay alert, stay alive". Whether or not you have heard this, it's true and staying alert means staying awake! In any situation where your survival depends on your ability to stay awake, here are some tips on how to do so: Caffeinated products (if available) such as hot cocoa, tea, or coffee work wonders. If water is not available put the powder, leaves, or granules under your tongue. Soda, if available is also a great reviver. Caffeinated mints or gum (available for purchase in the First Aid & Hygiene section of this site) also are a big help. If possible, try splashing cold water on your face or brush your teeth. Don't dry off excess water, as the dripping water keeps you alert. In allowable situations, take off excess clothing to the point where you feel a chill, however; be careful not to fall asleep under-dressed and risk hypothermia. If you're in a horizontal position but need to stay awake, try doing some push ups to get your blood pumping. As a last resort, use an over the counter stimulant like NoDoz or Vivarin, but beware the long-lasting effects. One night on a training exercise, I took NoDoz based on the assumption we would be marching all night. Unfortunately 45 minutes later we stopped in our tracks and the trainer told use we had two hours to sleep! As badly as I needed sleep at that point, it was completely impossible having taken the NoDoz. The stuff literally lasted hours. Remember that if you are using any caffeinated substances, you must drink more water to counteract the dehydrating effects if caffeine.

Repair Radio Handset

This Military Handset has a push to talk button and a 12" retractable coiled cord extends to approximately 6'. This standard handset used for tactical field communications requirements. Approx. 1 3/4" wide x 1" thick x 8" end to end. The H-250 handset is a rugged, repairable unit, molded out of polycarbonate. It can be utilized interchangeably with the H-189 GR handset.

If the clip on the back of the handset breaks off, it can be a real hassle. You can no longer hook the handset to your Kevlar chin strap, which causes you to hold your handset instead of your rifle. Break the handle off an MRE spoon and secure it in place of the handset clip. You'll be back on the airwaves in one mic. When we first heard about this great tip, we gave it a loud WILCO.

Compass "Directions"

Some people like to conduct land navigation with their compass unfolded and hanging from their LBV or BDU pocket. This is a great idea that frees your hands and allows you to check your bearing. It works well in heavily wooded areas that do not allow you to shoot an azimuth at something on the horizon. However this does create a couple common mistakes:

1. People leave the rear sight up. According to FM 21-26, (CH) 9-3 (P) d., "If traveling with the compass unfolded, make sure the rear sight is fully folded down onto the bezel ring. This will lock the floating dial and prevent vibration, as well as protect the crystal and rear sight from damage."
2. People will get lazy and leave their compass attached when shooting an azimuth. The only two accurate and authorized sighting techniques are the "Centerhold Technique" and the "Compass-to-Cheek Technique" (The C2C Technique is more accurate).

Rucksack Shoulder Harness

Whoever manufactured the standard-issue-piece-of-shit rucksack could have, at the very least, designed it to stay on! Yet, have you ever had your entire pack just randomly fall off one shoulder? Could the culprit be that ultra-cheap quick-release design on the shoulder harnesses? Wouldnt you think the army might finally realize the importance of a quality harness design? Well, dont count on it. But we have come up with a solution for those of you who dont want to spend $30 on a better after-market shoulder harnesses or for those going through Ranger School (where aftermarket equipment is not allowed).

Place the metal ring from the lower portion of the shoulder harness over the metal ring of the padded shoulder harness. Reroute the buttoned strap through the metal ring of the padded shoulder harness. Next, slip the side-release clip under the buttoned strap and through the same metal ring. Finally, take the buttoned strap and button it to the lower portion of the shoulder harness. It only sounds complicated but trust this will eliminate the possibility of looking like an ate-up retard after all your shit falls off your back during a field exercise.

Animal Repellent

If you can't pack your trash out with you, sprinkle CS powder on your garbage prior to burying it. This will prevent animals from digging it up and giving away your present or previous locations.