Get the deck out -- FITDECK fitness cards

Submitted by Jonathan Baker

I have used this deck with the last two commands I have been the Command Master Chief at and this tool has yielded measurable results in our Physical Fitness Assessments. I can't think of a better way to train large numbers of people. This deck covers an entire body workout. The best part is there is no equipment required to complete the entire deck of cards. I have a Sailor that lost 30lbs and decreased his mile and a half run time by over 3 minutes. About 62% of those unit's members had substantial increase in over all PFA scores. This is a must to keep the doldrums out of your physical training routines.

FitDeck Fitness Cards

Worth its weight in water

Submitted by Eric Daniel

When I signed up, military water containers came in 3 basic sizes; small (1-2 quart canteens), large (5 gallon jerry cans), and huge (36 gallon lister bags and 250 gallon water buffaloes.)  There was no in between (your only option was to carry lots of canteens.)  Prior to Desert Storm I did some looking around and came across the “old” (pre-me) Vietnam-era 5 quart water bag.  These were just what we were looking for.  They hold enough water to get you through the day, they are not bulky (they’re essentially a 5 quart bladder in a nylon carry sack, which collapses as you use the water) and they are certainly a lot more durable and practical than carrying water in the thin plastic water bottles we got in Saudi Arabia.  Even when I got off active duty and went to work for the Forest Service as a firefighter, this 5-quart bag was my preferred method for transporting water on the fireline.  I have subsequently been issued a camelbak, which I use for convenience, but I still carry a couple of these 5-quart bladders as back ups.  They are a lot cheaper than camelback bladders, and they allow me to stock up on water in the field (I can use a hand operated purifier to pump treated water into the bag and backfill the camelback, rather than use iodine pills.)

5-quart water bag

Keeping it Fresh -- Upgrades for the SDU-5/E

Submitted by Eric Daniel

Many of you have commented on the availability of upgrade and adapter parts, as well as a few in-house modifications you have done to keep your AN/SDU-5/E distress strobes working and I figured it was time to create a separate entry for that venerable, but definitely still functional, pocket strobe light.

For the uninitiated, the AN/SDU-5/E is a personal distress strobe light originally carried by aviators as a piece of their survival kit.  The strobe light was originally designed to run off of one BA-1574/U mercury battery (NSN 6230-00-067-5209.)  These batteries have been rendered obsolete and have since been replaced by a number of alternatives, including the BA-5374/U lithium manganese dioxide battery (NSN 6135-01-455-9846) as well as the Kodak 123 lithium camera battery (in the case of the 123 battery two are required, as is an adapter for the battery well.)

The SDU-5/E can also be equipped with a flash guard/Blue Filter FG1C NSN 6230-00-401-2285.  The purpose of this filter is to change the color of the strobe flash from white to blue.  The filter also channels the strobe, making the beam steer-able, rather than omni-directional.  When not in use, the blue filter can be stowed over the body of the SDU-5/E.

The second filter the SDU-5/E uses is an IR cap.  The IR cap completely covers the strobe light, rendering the pulse invisible to the naked eye.  Night vision devices, however, can readily see the pulse.  Both filters cannot be used simultaneously.  When not in use, the IR cap is stored over the SDU-5/E light.

AN/SDU-5/E Strobe light

THE tanker stove?

Submitted by Rex Manchesian

In Vietnam WE had a stove that we called "TANKER STOVE"

The stove was about the size of a pineapple and it came in a aluminum casing which also served as cooking pots.  - IT BURNED EVERYTHING  -- The fuel was contained in a container at the bottom of the stove --it had a small hand pump built in --only a few pushes on it pressurized the container and you where ready to go --it would burn for hrs on one small load of fuel -- we guarded it with our lives.  I still have one over 40 years latter.  Coleman makes a stove similar to it.

ED – Rex, I think the stove you are referring to is this one pictured here.  It’s the M1950 Squad stove.  As you describe, it comes in a two piece aluminum container which also serve as pots.  The stove will run white gas, MOGAS, and leaded and unleaded gasoline.

M1950 Squad Stove

Heat in the Field

Submitted by Jeremy Hendricks

I use this almost every time I go into the field. It is almost the exact same size as a Nalgene bottle, but it will do all kinds of things: boil water, heat soup, melt snow, whatever. It also has lots of cool attachments that allow you to use it as a skillet, etc. This kit is well worth the money.

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Bore Snake Bonanza

Hoppe's Bore Snake may be the best weapon cleaning tool ever invented. When we deployed to Iraq in 2004, a high-speed sergeant in my platoon had one of these and it got passed around all year. Just drop the weighted end of the rope down through the chamber, and pull it through the bore. The brushes are built in, and the soft part of the snake acts as cleaning patches to make the inside of your barrel sparkle. You can use any kind of solvent on it, or just run it dry, and when it gets dirty, stick it in your cargo pocket (to keep it from wrapping around the agitator) and machine wash. They come in every caliber imaginable, including .50 cal and all shotgun gauges. 5.56mm is .22 cal, 7.62 is .308.

I asked my wife to send me one when I was deployed, but she got the wrong thing (thanks anyway, honey) so I actually tried to make one out of 550 cord and some thicker nylon cord.  It kind of worked, but when I went home on leave I made sure to get the real thing.  Together with some spray Teflon lube (Remington makes some called "Rem dri-lube"), we all had clean bores and well-lubricated bolts.

Shop for Hoppe's Boresnake Bore Cleaner