Matt Robinson

Next to regular chow and a dry place to sleep, soldiers are very interested in personal gear. Things such as canteens, ammunition pouches, knives and good flashlights. One of my friends is a gadget rat. He always finds the newest items for his uniform, showing off some new knife or special kind of boot. Even his "boonie hat" is kitted out with special reflective gear and a name tape Velcroed to the back. He loves all the cool things that come from the supply system and a variety of catalogs. When I joined the Army, more years ago than I care to admit, our field gear was fundamentally the same gear that my grandfather wore to World War II. While things had changed some, my grandfather would have been able to put together and wear my field gear with little or no instruction. My father, who served in the Air Force of the '50s, recognized everything I had. Over the past few years, the Army fielded many new items designed to improve the comfort of soldiers in the field. New fabrics and construction methods rapidly found their way into the average soldier's rucksack. One of my favorites is the new sleeping bag system. For years we carried a sleeping bag, of ancient design, filled with down. In moderate, dry weather, something you rarely enjoy during deployments or field exercise, it was fine. When the temperature dropped and rain, sleet or snow fell from the skies, soldiers shivered. I eventually procured a German army blanket, a large, bulky, woolen, green, itchy thing, with which I lined my bag, providing much-needed insulation.

Now I have a sleeping bag system that compresses into a bundle the size of a small pumpkin. Not only is it small, it comes in three parts that, when combined, keep soldiers dry and toasty, even when temperatures dip far below freezing. Gore-Tex, once exotic, is now common and very welcome.

In years past, soldiers simply added more socks to keep their feet warm, suffering greatly during winter. As a lieutenant, checking soldiers' feet during long exercises was required. Now, good insulated boots that breathe properly and well-constructed socks make maladies such as trench foot a rare occurrence.

When I deployed, I left with three bulging duffel bags of new gear. Many new items were included. One stop during the deployment process was at a warehouse with the huge letters "RFI" painted on the side. Once inside, an NCO explained this was the Rapid Fielding Initiative warehouse. It is a place where the Army issues all manner of new gear: warm and cold weather gear, hydration systems (the new name for canteen), special knives for cutting straps in a hurry, sand and sun goggles, two new types of packs and two types of gloves. We shuffled through the line, adding all these things to our already bulging duffel bags.

When fully kitted up, I resemble a medieval night. All this new high-tech gear comes with new fasteners, Velcro and straps. One day, while walking across the compound with my friends, including the resident "techie," a group of young soldiers zipped past us, rendering the greeting of the day. One private, smiling broadly, announced, "Sir, your name is on upside down," as they saluted. We kept straight faces as our friend whipped off his cool boonie hat and reversed the offending Velcro name tag with a savage rip. "That's not funny, not funny at all!" he barked as we all broke into grins and laughter.

Oh yes, it was very funny. Indeed, Velcro is a wonderful addition to the soldier's kit bag.

Matt Robinson, of Abilene, is a staff officer in the Army.