FIELD EXPEDIENCY

Field expediency is what the those in the military call “making things up when the $600 wrenches don’t work.” A miraculous number of field expedient gear has made its way into military lore and in some cases production.

In Viet Nam we had a hot water shower made from a discarded belly tank off a jet, and a food/water heater; ta-dah, hot shower. Stoves were made from old C-rat cans and C-4 explosives (or peanut butter mixed with insect repellent), we taped cigarette butts to the ejection ports of our M-16s so if they accidentally opened there would be no metal-on-metal sound, taped up or put condoms on rifle barrels to keep dirt and water out, etc., etc. , et al ... all of that falling under the category of field expediency.

Back in December I wrote a piece about the HBO documentary Last Letters Home: American Soldiers which chronicled the pain of the families receiving the last letter from a loved one killed in combat. I noticed at the time that two (possibly three) of those killed had been killed when their vehicle had gone into a river or canal, something apparently rife in Iraq.

With the up-armor going on to prevent damage from IEDs, it has become relatively impossible to open a vehicle's door in the water, and literally impossible when it goes in upside down.

Enter Field Expediency .

Ah, the ingenuity of the combat trooper continues.