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Grey Marine82
P-E
oliver_afsoc
usall
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bryanbg
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    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together

    bryanbg
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    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together Empty Putting My 'Man Cave' Together

    Post by bryanbg Thu Jan 15, 2015 12:27 am

    Our home has an office which has been my 'man cave.'  I'm retired Army and never had interest in putting my stuff up on a wall, despite my wife repeatedly asking me to do so.  

    After I retired I worked for a time as a defense contractor, which took me to Afghanistan.  While I was away, my wife cleaned out the office (we'd sort of been using it as a storage area), painted it and got a great deal on some used office furniture.  It was my 'welcome home' surprise, and I must admit that it looked good.

    Been a couple of years, but I've recently started to pull some of my old wartime items and trophies out of storage.  This week I installed heavy duty hooks onto one of the office walls and mounted some helmets.  These helmets are configured as I wore them in combat - First Gulf War, Somalia and Iraq (I'm waiting on my brother in law to send me the kevlar he got hold of for me ... it will get the old 'chocolate chip' desert cammo helmet cover on it).

    I decided to hang one of my jackets from each conflict under the matching helmet.



    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220707" />



    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220817" />



    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220812" />



    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220809" />




    Above the helmets are t-shirts I wore overseas, which I packed into frames.  

    The first shirt has the "Spaceman Spiff" character stenciled on it.  As a member of the Military Intelligence Detachment, 2d Bn, 5th Special Forces Group we had this character stenciled on our vehicles and our t-shirts.  


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220740" />


    We had Spaceman Spiff fighting Saddam on our vehicles.


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_230259" />



    I was deployed to Somalia in '93 and again in '95 for the UN withdrawal.  We had shirts made up - the "Out of Africa" logo was my idea.

    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220748" />



    When the Twin towers fell on 9-11 one of those killed was Fire Marshall Ronald Bucca.  His son had his business degree and was working on Wall Street at the time.  After his father's death, Ron quit Wall Street and joined the Army.  I served with him in Iraq (he was one of my NCOs).  His father's fire station "sponsored" our battalion.  They had these t-shirts made for each Soldier of the 2d battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, and we all wore them while deployed to Iraq.  I managed to squeeze both of my t-shirts into the frame in order to display both the front, sleeve and back.


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220756" />



    This shirt was one we received while in Iraq in '06.  


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220800" />



    On my book shelves is the tactical map I actually carried with me into western Kuwait during the ground offensive for the First Gulf War.  Some of my reference booklets and a few other items are set about it.

    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together Slide1-4" />


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together Slide2-4" />




    My office is a work in progress.  Eventually I'll get some of my deployment photos, as well as a few of the military certificates I'm partial to put up on the walls.  One of the items I'll put up is the helmet my father brought back from Vietnam ... I'll mount it on the wall beside one of the Iraqi helmets I brought home from my war.

    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together NVAHelmet" />


    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together <a href=Putting My 'Man Cave' Together IraqiHelmet-1" />



    I'll update down the road as I get more done.

    Bryan
    Zeked
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    Post by Zeked Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:16 pm

    Great idea matching up all the different uniforms/tops to the era used. Nice of your wife to create a nice space for you! Not all married men are so lucky....!
    usall
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    Post by usall Thu Jan 15, 2015 2:47 pm

    Nice !

    Usall
    oliver_afsoc
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    Post by oliver_afsoc Thu Jan 15, 2015 4:54 pm

    Amazing room.. The FDNY t shirt leaves me speechless. Great stuff
    P-E
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    Post by P-E Thu Jan 15, 2015 5:15 pm

    Some exceptional stuff here - because of provenance (it's your gear) and because of their history. Feel free to post more, it's always interesting for collectors like us !

    Could you please tell us more about this helmet :

    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220812

    It looks like a "Lightweight PASGT" helmet. It has the typical three point chin strap. However, these chin straps were also purchased by soldiers to upgrade "common" PASGT helmet, so it doesn't mean your PASGT is the lightweight variant. To know it, you just have to take a look to the label inside, on the rear of the helmet.

    Is that the lightweight helmet ? if so, was it issued to you by the army ? or a private purchase ? If it was issued to you, do you remember at which period (approximately) ?


    _________________
    "As you know, you go to war with the Army you have. They're not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time. You can have all the armor in the world on a tank and it can (still) be blown up..." - Donald Rumsfeld (Camp Buehring, KU - Dec. 8, 2004)

    See my current collection of desert SSI HERE
    See my current collection of desert Badges (ranks, qualification badges, Branch of Service) HERE
    See my files in PDF on scribd.com HERE
    See my collection of jackets HERE
    Grey Marine82
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    Post by Grey Marine82 Thu Jan 15, 2015 10:55 pm

    Great display with some GREAT stories behind them!Thank you!
    Nkomo
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    Post by Nkomo Thu Jan 15, 2015 11:25 pm

    Looking good, sir!
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    vicka1971
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    Post by vicka1971 Fri Jan 16, 2015 7:37 am

    Hi Bryan,

    Very nice display. A+ Sincerely,Vitalis
    Massimo72
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    Post by Massimo72 Fri Jan 16, 2015 12:45 pm

    Great stuff with personal connection, can't get any better!!!
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    Post by semper fi Sat Jan 17, 2015 1:21 am

    Great!
    bryanbg
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    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together Empty Re: Putting My 'Man Cave' Together

    Post by bryanbg Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:43 pm

    P-E wrote:Some exceptional stuff here - because of provenance (it's your gear) and because of their history. Feel free to post more, it's always interesting for collectors like us !

    Could you please tell us more about this helmet :

    Putting My 'Man Cave' Together 20150114_220812

    It looks like a "Lightweight PASGT" helmet. It has the typical three point chin strap. However, these chin straps were also purchased by soldiers to upgrade "common" PASGT helmet, so it doesn't mean your PASGT is the lightweight variant. To know it, you just have to take a look to the label inside, on the rear of the helmet.  

    Is that the lightweight helmet ? if so, was it issued to you by the army ? or a private purchase ? If it was issued to you, do you remember at which period (approximately) ?




    These are actually helmets I privately purchased after I retired. I apologize if I gave the impression that these were the ones I actually wore. I really wish - now that I'm long since served in those campaigns - that I'd thought to try and keep some more of my actual gear.

    That being said, the two early cammo covers are actually mine, as is the NVG mounting gear.


    During the time of my actual military service I didn't really think one way or the other about keeping (let alone displaying) this sort of stuff. It would seem that this sentiment changes for some of us the older we get.

    I'm now 52 years old, and am at the point in my life where I look back on my being in uniform as some of the most challenging, yet rewarding, times.

    Bryan

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