@@Nathan-jh1hoOnly while you're in the field or the hooches, if you're going to the PX need to blouse up. And he better not see those FROG trousers with a normal blouse.
So I was in the Marines 04-09, deployed to Iraq twice. In the Marines they 1000% did not care about how hot we were. Compression shirts were banned because they were a "fire hazard', and in 2008, we were ordered to wear flight suits for half the deployment and then were ordered to wear the FROG gear (which most of us only had one set of at the time but before we left each had about 3 sets, which we then had to turn in before we left Iraq because they simply did not have enough). The upper echelon hated them and we couldn't wear them outside of patrols at first (basically you wore the standard green undershirt and camo blouse, then changed into the combat shirt before gearing up) but then they allowed us to wear around base if we wore a standard camo blouse atop the combat shirt. They also required us to pin rank insignia where the IR markers are supposed to go (as shown in the video). Meanwhile the army and everyone else was walking around in PT gear when not on duty. I often think I joined the wrong branch.
@@Trexbed it will widely depend on unit SOP. I was in 3/3 in 2010-2014 and FROGs were strictly for operations OCONUS. Nowadays however, my friend who is currently in 3/1 and seeing some other Marines at Quantico, and 2/7 I regularly see FROGs in use for field exercises both CONUS and OCONUS. In boot camp this won't matter since you will be required to wear the MCCUU the entire time, and won't even see a set of FROGs until you get to the FMF.
The compression shirts were no more a fire hazard than our cotton skivvy shirts. The problem is that instead of just burning like a cotton shirt, the synthetic compression shirts would melt, causing far more damage to the skin and muscles in their own right as well as allowing highly toxic byproducts of melted plastics to enter the tissue and bloodstream. Severe burns will kill you painfully, but severe burns mixed with poisons will kill you more painfully, and make the job of embalmers even more difficult.
Last time I was in Djibouti there was a small marine aviation detachment there. They were not allowed to wear anything besides cammies or marine pt’s if they were at the gym. While everyone other person on base was allowed to wear civilian clothes
@@reverseshotgun721 the melting issue makes me wonder why not go with the wool instead of synthetic? It's no worse at evaporating moisture AFAIK but, also it's natural material that won't melt.
The rule is always: If you're in shape, go for it. If you're a fat-body, you better at least have that armor on while you're wearing it. It is NOT flattering.
also make paw paw balm your friend if in the field wearing one for long periods of time. as most are cheap chinese knockoffs with exposed inside seams which will rub your skin bear to the bone during a long deployment.
I once had a flight chief in front of our entire flight say that a specific airman was no longer allowed to wear them because he was fat and looked unprofessional in them. Everybody heard.
@@JustBecause7754 definitely, don't get me wrong, that airman's weight was definitely a problem and the combat tee definitely looked bad on him. But that was something that should have been part of a discussion behind closed doors with that airman's supervisor to be addressed in a private, tactful way.
The Army hot weather tops that were rolled out as I was getting out were actually pretty nice. They looked professional enough that Sergeants Major weren't shitting themselves everytime they saw someone wearing one in garrison, but were made from lighter, more breathable fabric and included buttons instead of zippers.
@luischavez1701 I do think the regular Uniform does have a sort of cool factor in it's own way. The chest pockets extenuate the chest. Especially if you're not a fatty
Good video! I remember at the time the ACS were first issued we were forbidden from wearing underarmor type undershirts on patrol because in the event of at fire, they could melt to your skin, potentially making injuries more severe. The great innovation of these shirts was that they provided the same moisture wicking without the melting risk.
The pockets on the sleeves started to be seen in Iraq in 2004, these looked very professionally done and I assumed that these were some sort of experimental prototypes of something coming down the line, but I soon saw that Soldiers were doing this in my unit too. I calculated there to at least 5000 slight variations on the DCU.
The Army did issue the experimental CCU uniform (essentially a forerunner to the ACU) to elements of the 2nd and 25th infantry divisions during that time frame.
During the later half of the "French and Indian" War, British light infantrymen also adapted their uniforms to suit their practical needs. This was the logical conclusion of the piecemeal measures adopted over a number of seasons of campaigning. The following description appears in Captain John Knox's "An Historical Journal of the Campaigns in North America for the Years 1757, 1758, 1759 and 1760" and is relevant to May 1759: "The following order for the dress of the light infantry as approved by his Excellency Gen. Amherst: Maj. gen Wolfe desires the same may be exactly conformed to by the light troops under his command: the sleeves of the coat are put on the waistcoat, and instead of coat-sleeves, he has two wings like the grenadiers, but fuller; and a round slope reaching about half-way down his arm; which makes his coat of no incumbrance to him, but can be split off with pleasure; he has no lace, but the lapels remain; besides the usual pockets, he has two, not quite so high as his breast, made of leather, for ball and flints; and a flap of red cloth on the inside, which secures the ball from rolling out, if he should fall. His knapsack is carried very high between the shoulders, as the Indians carry their pack. His cartouch-box hangs under his arm on the left side, slung with a leathern strap; and his horn under the other arm on the right, hanging by a narrower web than that used by his knapsack; his canteen down his back, under his knapsack, and covered with cloth; he has a rough case for his tomahock, with a button; and it hangs in a leathern sling down his side, like a hanger, between his coat and waistcoat. No bayonet [Gen. Wolfe ordered the light infantry to wear their bayonets]; his leggings have leathern straps under his shoes, like spatterdashes; his hat is made into a cap, with a flap and button, and with as much black cloth added as will come under his chin, and keep him warm, when he lies down; it hooks in the front, and is made like the old velvet caps in England."
@@LRRPFco52 You are most welcome! It doesn't have diagrams per se, but if you are interested, the Library of Congress has all three volumes digitized and up on their website.
As a lifelong resident of W. Pennsylvania (French & Indian war territory)...between hot & humid summer to sub-zero winters, I can hardly imagine trudging around through forest over hill and dale during the hot months in a woolen uniform.
@@nicolasreed21 I initially found it in a secondary source that covered the British Army in North America at that time and no, I wasn't doing any specific research, I was just reading for pleasure and kept notes on particular passages.
The first time I got issued the combat top, I thought it was so cool! Honestly, it really helped keep cooler with the IBA and early IOTVs. It's neat to see the history of it now.
These go back further than WWII. These were called arming shirts in the middle ages. Men at arms and knights would wear shirts that had the thicker cut/slash proof padding of a gambeson on th sleeves, but only a layer of padding for the torso. Along with ties called "points" to hold supplemental armor pieces like pauldrons, vambraces, or jackchains in place. And segments of chainmail voiders to cover the gaps if they didn't have a mail shirt between their arming shirt and cuirass.
We had modified BDU tops with sleeve pockets and pile tape as the norm in LRSC & LRSD in the 1990s, as did SF SR and SOT ODAs. I never once heard them referred to as Raid Tops, just modified tops with sleeve pockets. Things from SERE were integrated into them by guys with SERE training, and Team SOPs included SERE items we all carried in the sleeve pockets in case of separation from all your gear.
I'd love to see dives into all those Future Soldier Concepts. I remember seeing the Future Soldier 2030 Armor when I was a kid and thought it was the coolest shit ever.
It's like the Norwegian army 'shirt': long sleeved; roll up/down funnel collar, with zip. Towelling/fleece but not too thick. Lots of personnel in the British forces bought them, as they came across them whilst training in Arctic warfare, in Norway. Seemed to start in the 80s. Many wore one instead of the issued, olive green shirt.
13:18 foreign soldiers wearing raid mod tops to wick moisture and aid against heat retention vs local African man wearing a sweater as he has no fear of the sun.
in 1985 or 86 i attended the 1st Marine Brigade's small unit leaders course (SULC). it was a bad ass school with most of the instructors coming from recon or super squad. we were instructed to move our lower cammie blouse pockets to our sleeves. it just made sense, as we always wore swiss seats and tucked our blouses into our pants when we were in the field. of course when we got back to the fleet marine force that wear was a no-go even in the field.
I've been wearing a Rothco combat shirt for paintball for years, light enough to stay cool in the middle, but it provides a little arm protection from bunkers, branches, windowsills, etc... I have a couple of short sleeve versions for hiking and camping. Great shirts.
A lot of these features began as user inspired mods in units that allowed that sort of thing. Places like Yadkin Rd, Victory drive & Virginia Beach sewing shops made mods enough times to standardize them. Jungle boots mods were extensive too.
Pretty interesting to see the Danish style at 11:30 covering the chest so heavily in the heavier camo fabric compared to most others. The desert pattern uniforms were already made with a very lightweight fabric compared to the regular and "Balkan" versions, but even then surely it would've been easier to produce them with the simpler more common style of just having the sleeves and shoulders in the heavier fabric rather than having that seam going right across the chest.
Best mod I ever did in the Marines that was totally UnAuThOrIzEd was adding Velcro to my shoulder pockets. The buttons were always a pain in the ass so I added Velcro for when I actually needed to use them
It always pissed me off they angled the pockets the wrong way when they switched to acus and have stuck with it since. They needed to be angled inward to get under web gear in earlier days, but by the time we switched to acus we were wearing body armor which needs them to be angled outward so you can access the pocket by reaching under the plate through the armhole of the plate carrier. The way they are now they may as well be straight because you still have to undo your gear to open the pocket.
My father still has a set of BDUs with a top done up like this from his time in an SF commanders inextremis force in the mid to late 80s. Those he added a chunk of VS17 panel to the inside on the back and glint tape to the outsides of the arm pockets.
Combat top became my absolute favorite garment when i was deployed tbh, it felt amazing and functioned in a manner that was acceptable. IMHO also looked cool
Love my combat shirt. I'm not Infantry, but I do end up having to be out wearing body armoe for long stints (guard duties durung summer) and enjoyed having one when I was stationed in Kuwait. Fucker's comfortable, utlitarian, AND fashionable all in one shot. Reminds me of a hiking jacket I had at one point, but much more appropriate for warm weather.
Good Lord, I feel old... we went to the sewing shop on base in 2007 and had these made from our tops and t shirts. Never had any issued, and could only wear them on that one deployment.
Two comments: 1. The term 'RAID mod' was (as far as I know) popularized by SpecWarGear, whose site still lists it as an option (thought that site is long defunct). That was the first recognizable use of "RAID mod' that I remembered and it gained traction on sites like Lightfighter and a few other places in the early GWOT. 2. The modifications themselves were often done by unit riggers or sew shops off-base like General Jackson's near Bragg and Suky's near Little Creek.
I had read that during Vietnam, some of the grunts would take their Uniform shirts and have them modded by local Vietnamese Seams stresses. They would also have them tailor Tiger stripe uniforms. Not sure of the authenticity, but I read this in a book int he 90s about LRRP Rangers and SOG units.
Due to the use of external body armor in law enforcement, they have spread there too. We have shirts that have the sleeves and collars of class A shirts with the bodies of moisture wicking polo shirts. They are much more comfortable.
I remember when these things came out. I called them Motocross tops in 08. They were more of a pain in the ass than they were worth. Couldn't wear them except for on ops and then had to take them off immediately after.
In 1983 the Second Armored Division was authorized to wear OD green slant pocket jungle fatigues. At least at Ft Hood. I’m not sure if 2AD forward was authorized. They were stationed in Germany
21 years, 4 combat tours; 06-08 IRQ (INF) 09 AFG (COMCAM) 13 AFG (EOD) 19 IRQ (EOD) all active, I've never worn a combat shirt. I've seen a fella or two wear them, but honestly, the people on base favored them the most. It really became more of a fashion piece over time moreso than a functional bit of kit. The FRACU or flame retardant uniforms I absolutely wore but combat tops, not so much.
At 2:49, you say shoulder sleeves... What are shoulder sleeves? And at 3:12, there were what look like OG107's with epaulettes. NEVER seen that before. Traditional raid mod shirts are still seen in recon units as they dont wear body armor or helmets.
I might be misremembering, but if I'm not wrong, some British light infantry units during the amer revolution stitched their coat sleeves onto their waistcoats and wore these sleeved waistcoats because of the warmer climate
My dad was in the Army in the early 1990s. I think his feild jacket only had two breast pockets. Like many vets of the Gulf War era and earlier, he occasionally wears it with jeans. I'm gonna have to pay atention to it, if he's wearing it next time I see him.
In 2006 only a couple combat shirts showed up in my unit in Iraq. We did get than flight suits for day to day wear. The USMC is always tarty to the party. However my MAGTF deployment we had tons of frog gear.
I had some 1st gen army combat shirts with the turtle neck collar. Decided I wanted to upgrade to the 1/4 zip ones… the sizing does not match. So already these run super small, like I had to go 2 sizes up for the turtle neck and it seems I have to go 3 sizes up for the 1/4 zip. Or maybe this stuff isn’t meant for people who normally wear XL t-shirts & large tops.
In the 80ties I used to wear a Helly Hansen micro vest and sew on a military collar so it looked like I had a service shirt on under my military Jumper Wool Heavy being Brit mil.
I like your interesting channel. I would like to suggest a video about the jacket worn by German parachutists in WWII, the "Knochensack" or in english "bone sack". It has kind of shoulder pockets which I think was never tested by the designers.
Did I misunderstand or did you say that alteration shops took uniform and skivy shirts and combined them into combat shirts if so please tell me where I can see images of them.
I’ve always struggled with traditional combat shirts cos I hate sweating in cotton so much. Now I’m gonna just take a polyester shirt and sew ripstop sleeves onto it
I raid modded my original Auscam shirts in 02 and 03. Granted it was only used out of barracks. Yeah it was hated by some in charge but it was much more functional and wearing button pockets on BDU style shirts under body armour was pointless and a pain
Was wondering what was up with these uniforms. I would have loved this (other phrases would get me censored by YT) and I only wore a 1/4 what modern soldiers wear now.
@kenneththynes4761 : During My Time With ' D ' and ' B ' Cos, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Pacific @ MCB Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, We Were Authorized By Our Mustang Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. ( 0-5E) Z.T. Forrester, To Purchase Additional Sets of USGI Woodland M81 BDUs and Have Them " Raid Mod-ed " By Our Unit Parachute Riggers ( More Formally Known In The Corps As Air Delivery Specialist ( MOS 0451). My First Four Actual Uniform Tops Were Raid Mod Configured By The Resident Paraloft Head Shead, A Certain 2Lt. Air Delivery Officer ( MOS 0402) Who Was A USNA Honor Grad Who While @ Annapolis On Exchange @ West Point With His USMA Counterparts, Got The Airborne and Ranger School Package There. ) The Battalion Commander Was Mostly A Stickler For Rules and Regulations But As The Former Marine Corps Liaison To The Army Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade @ Then Fort Benning, Georgia, Who He Worked Closely With Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces Counterparts There, Even He Understood That The Mother of Invention Understood That Extraordinary People Did Extraordinary Things. Just Thought You'd Like To Know. Semper Fidelis 🇺🇲🦅🌎⚓️🫡‼️
The history of ALICE needs to be told by someone who lived in that era that's a gear nerd and Infantry soldier. It's best to start with M-1956, then cover the changes with M-1967 MLCE, then LC-1 & LC-2 ALICE. If a younger person tries to cover it, they will miss a lot of the important details and first-person perspective.
Prior Service Enlisted Marine and Soldier( 1987-1998, with 1 Year and 4 Months in the Army National Guard (ARNG) and US Army Reserve ( USAR) ) ; this 55 Year Old USMC and US Army Veteran STILL wears Raider Modification ( Raid Mod) Woodland Camouflage M81 Battle Dress Uniform ( BDU) , 3 Pattern Desert Combat Uniform ( DCU) , and, Combat Shirts.
For those unfamiliar with how the army works, when the narrator says "complaints regarding" read "deaths caused by."
I never knew about that one
Oh god
No it means complaints not death's.
@@zebradun7407 can't complain if you're unalive
Yeah if it keeps em alive they won't have complaints
no, it doesn't, you dork
cool but 1sgt says you cant wear them because they look unprofessional
Even though First Sgt has heinous ass rolled sleeves and looks likes he’s about to go golfing from how high he blouses his trousers
Even in FTX?
@@Nathan-jh1ho standards come to the field with us hooah
@@Nathan-jh1hoOnly while you're in the field or the hooches, if you're going to the PX need to blouse up. And he better not see those FROG trousers with a normal blouse.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
So I was in the Marines 04-09, deployed to Iraq twice.
In the Marines they 1000% did not care about how hot we were. Compression shirts were banned because they were a "fire hazard', and in 2008, we were ordered to wear flight suits for half the deployment and then were ordered to wear the FROG gear (which most of us only had one set of at the time but before we left each had about 3 sets, which we then had to turn in before we left Iraq because they simply did not have enough).
The upper echelon hated them and we couldn't wear them outside of patrols at first (basically you wore the standard green undershirt and camo blouse, then changed into the combat shirt before gearing up) but then they allowed us to wear around base if we wore a standard camo blouse atop the combat shirt. They also required us to pin rank insignia where the IR markers are supposed to go (as shown in the video).
Meanwhile the army and everyone else was walking around in PT gear when not on duty.
I often think I joined the wrong branch.
I’m leaving for boot camp in a month do have any idea if the regs around combat shirts have been relaxed
@@Trexbed it will widely depend on unit SOP. I was in 3/3 in 2010-2014 and FROGs were strictly for operations OCONUS. Nowadays however, my friend who is currently in 3/1 and seeing some other Marines at Quantico, and 2/7 I regularly see FROGs in use for field exercises both CONUS and OCONUS.
In boot camp this won't matter since you will be required to wear the MCCUU the entire time, and won't even see a set of FROGs until you get to the FMF.
The compression shirts were no more a fire hazard than our cotton skivvy shirts. The problem is that instead of just burning like a cotton shirt, the synthetic compression shirts would melt, causing far more damage to the skin and muscles in their own right as well as allowing highly toxic byproducts of melted plastics to enter the tissue and bloodstream. Severe burns will kill you painfully, but severe burns mixed with poisons will kill you more painfully, and make the job of embalmers even more difficult.
Last time I was in Djibouti there was a small marine aviation detachment there. They were not allowed to wear anything besides cammies or marine pt’s if they were at the gym.
While everyone other person on base was allowed to wear civilian clothes
@@reverseshotgun721 the melting issue makes me wonder why not go with the wool instead of synthetic? It's no worse at evaporating moisture AFAIK but, also it's natural material that won't melt.
The rule is always: If you're in shape, go for it. If you're a fat-body, you better at least have that armor on while you're wearing it. It is NOT flattering.
also make paw paw balm your friend if in the field wearing one for long periods of time.
as most are cheap chinese knockoffs with exposed inside seams which will rub your skin bear to the bone during a long deployment.
Crye don't lie, as they say.
I once had a flight chief in front of our entire flight say that a specific airman was no longer allowed to wear them because he was fat and looked unprofessional in them. Everybody heard.
@@nunyabusiness4904The distasteful irony of being unprofessional in calling someone else out for being "unprofessional."
@@JustBecause7754 definitely, don't get me wrong, that airman's weight was definitely a problem and the combat tee definitely looked bad on him. But that was something that should have been part of a discussion behind closed doors with that airman's supervisor to be addressed in a private, tactful way.
The Army hot weather tops that were rolled out as I was getting out were actually pretty nice. They looked professional enough that Sergeants Major weren't shitting themselves everytime they saw someone wearing one in garrison, but were made from lighter, more breathable fabric and included buttons instead of zippers.
The IHWCU is very nice
those are widespread in the army now and I use mine all the time. I don’t even bother taking my standard uniforms out of the closet anymore.
@luischavez1701 I do think the regular Uniform does have a sort of cool factor in it's own way. The chest pockets extenuate the chest. Especially if you're not a fatty
I’ll never forget seeing the green burnt skin of my combat instructors as they showed us the real reason FROG gear got adopted.
Good video! I remember at the time the ACS were first issued we were forbidden from wearing underarmor type undershirts on patrol because in the event of at fire, they could melt to your skin, potentially making injuries more severe. The great innovation of these shirts was that they provided the same moisture wicking without the melting risk.
The pockets on the sleeves started to be seen in Iraq in 2004, these looked very professionally done and I assumed that these were some sort of experimental prototypes of something coming down the line, but I soon saw that Soldiers were doing this in my unit too. I calculated there to at least 5000 slight variations on the DCU.
The Army did issue the experimental CCU uniform (essentially a forerunner to the ACU) to elements of the 2nd and 25th infantry divisions during that time frame.
I was in OIF 1. I had a Kuwaiti tailor modify my DCU blouse to move the pockets to sleeves in 2003. I still have that shirt.
During the later half of the "French and Indian" War, British light infantrymen also adapted their uniforms to suit their practical needs. This was the logical conclusion of the piecemeal measures adopted over a number of seasons of campaigning.
The following description appears in Captain John Knox's "An Historical Journal of the Campaigns in North America for the Years 1757, 1758, 1759 and 1760" and is relevant to May 1759:
"The following order for the dress of the light infantry as approved by his Excellency Gen. Amherst: Maj. gen Wolfe desires the same may be exactly conformed to by the light troops under his command: the sleeves of the coat are put on the waistcoat, and instead of coat-sleeves, he has two wings like the grenadiers, but fuller; and a round slope reaching about half-way down his arm; which makes his coat of no incumbrance to him, but can be split off with pleasure; he has no lace, but the lapels remain; besides the usual pockets, he has two, not quite so high as his breast, made of leather, for ball and flints; and a flap of red cloth on the inside, which secures the ball from rolling out, if he should fall. His knapsack is carried very high between the shoulders, as the Indians carry their pack. His cartouch-box hangs under his arm on the left side, slung with a leathern strap; and his horn under the other arm on the right, hanging by a narrower web than that used by his knapsack; his canteen down his back, under his knapsack, and covered with cloth; he has a rough case for his tomahock, with a button; and it hangs in a leathern sling down his side, like a hanger, between his coat and waistcoat. No bayonet [Gen. Wolfe ordered the light infantry to wear their bayonets]; his leggings have leathern straps under his shoes, like spatterdashes; his hat is made into a cap, with a flap and button, and with as much black cloth added as will come under his chin, and keep him warm, when he lies down; it hooks in the front, and is made like the old velvet caps in England."
Thanks for this post. Does that book have diagrams?
@@LRRPFco52 You are most welcome! It doesn't have diagrams per se, but if you are interested, the Library of Congress has all three volumes digitized and up on their website.
@@MrEKWesq How'd you come across this information? Are you doing research for a project?
As a lifelong resident of W. Pennsylvania (French & Indian war territory)...between hot & humid summer to sub-zero winters, I can hardly imagine trudging around through forest over hill and dale during the hot months in a woolen uniform.
@@nicolasreed21 I initially found it in a secondary source that covered the British Army in North America at that time and no, I wasn't doing any specific research, I was just reading for pleasure and kept notes on particular passages.
7:20 God that robocop stuff that everyone apparently thought would be the future of military gear 😂
I thought I was seeing HALO...
Troopers of Starshipness
Life imitating art
The first time I got issued the combat top, I thought it was so cool! Honestly, it really helped keep cooler with the IBA and early IOTVs. It's neat to see the history of it now.
These go back further than WWII. These were called arming shirts in the middle ages. Men at arms and knights would wear shirts that had the thicker cut/slash proof padding of a gambeson on th sleeves, but only a layer of padding for the torso. Along with ties called "points" to hold supplemental armor pieces like pauldrons, vambraces, or jackchains in place. And segments of chainmail voiders to cover the gaps if they didn't have a mail shirt between their arming shirt and cuirass.
Holy shit finally! Was wondering when this was gonna be made. Wonder if the Future Force warrior program will get some recognition
0:18 We finally found Vazquez, welcome back.
My favorite was the summer Woodland with ripstop loved that uniform!
We had modified BDU tops with sleeve pockets and pile tape as the norm in LRSC & LRSD in the 1990s, as did SF SR and SOT ODAs.
I never once heard them referred to as Raid Tops, just modified tops with sleeve pockets.
Things from SERE were integrated into them by guys with SERE training, and Team SOPs included SERE items we all carried in the sleeve pockets in case of separation from all your gear.
Force Recon also had modified BDUs with sleeve pockets in the 1990s.
SEALs were doing it also back in 93
@@fmfdocbotl4358 It started with Airborne forces in WWII, then SOG did it with OG107s in Vietnam. Some SEALs did it with ERDLs in Vietnam as well.
I'd love to see dives into all those Future Soldier Concepts. I remember seeing the Future Soldier 2030 Armor when I was a kid and thought it was the coolest shit ever.
Hope we can get a history for Load bearing equipment, A.L.I.C.E, M1910, PLCE, etc
Signalis spotted
It's like the Norwegian army 'shirt': long sleeved; roll up/down funnel collar, with zip. Towelling/fleece but not too thick.
Lots of personnel in the British forces bought them, as they came across them whilst training in Arctic warfare, in Norway. Seemed to start in the 80s. Many wore one instead of the issued, olive green shirt.
13:18 foreign soldiers wearing raid mod tops to wick moisture and aid against heat retention vs local African man wearing a sweater as he has no fear of the sun.
Acclimatised from birth, bit different!
I had actually wondered about this a while ago. You do me a great service with this deep dive into it's history.
They were amazing in Afghanistan during the summer.
in 1985 or 86 i attended the 1st Marine Brigade's small unit leaders course (SULC). it was a bad ass school with most of the instructors coming from recon or super squad. we were instructed to move our lower cammie blouse pockets to our sleeves. it just made sense, as we always wore swiss seats and tucked our blouses into our pants when we were in the field. of course when we got back to the fleet marine force that wear was a no-go even in the field.
2nd Force started doing the modification after working with SEAL Team 2.
I've been wearing a Rothco combat shirt for paintball for years, light enough to stay cool in the middle, but it provides a little arm protection from bunkers, branches, windowsills, etc...
I have a couple of short sleeve versions for hiking and camping. Great shirts.
Rothco is a hot pile of shit.
Raid mod tops for when you want an old school look but not that old school
I noticed my husband still loves his SANDF uniform and even today he’s not really a fan of the combat shirt
Combat shirts are more practical
Just like 30 rounders are more practical for the AR system than 20 rounders
@MayumiC-chan9377 Your husband is very lucky 😍
Dope. Thanks for this bit if history!!
I'm a bdu era Gruntpa. I'm glad troops have an option we did not have. I hope it keeps our warfighters comfortable, and providing function!
A lot of these features began as user inspired mods in units that allowed that sort of thing. Places like Yadkin Rd, Victory drive & Virginia Beach sewing shops made mods enough times to standardize them. Jungle boots mods were extensive too.
Pretty interesting to see the Danish style at 11:30 covering the chest so heavily in the heavier camo fabric compared to most others. The desert pattern uniforms were already made with a very lightweight fabric compared to the regular and "Balkan" versions, but even then surely it would've been easier to produce them with the simpler more common style of just having the sleeves and shoulders in the heavier fabric rather than having that seam going right across the chest.
About time we had a feature video from you
Love the content, always look forward to new videos from you guys.
7:45 man the double camel back is most certainly a look lmao
Best mod I ever did in the Marines that was totally UnAuThOrIzEd was adding Velcro to my shoulder pockets. The buttons were always a pain in the ass so I added Velcro for when I actually needed to use them
It always pissed me off they angled the pockets the wrong way when they switched to acus and have stuck with it since. They needed to be angled inward to get under web gear in earlier days, but by the time we switched to acus we were wearing body armor which needs them to be angled outward so you can access the pocket by reaching under the plate through the armhole of the plate carrier. The way they are now they may as well be straight because you still have to undo your gear to open the pocket.
They fixed it with the IHWCU
Always love your videos, THANKS!!
Been waiting on this video for so long.
Really good video!
Still love my Raid Mod DCU from OEF (3rd SFGA/CJSOTF-A).
2:49 Shoulder sleeves?🤔
My father still has a set of BDUs with a top done up like this from his time in an SF commanders inextremis force in the mid to late 80s. Those he added a chunk of VS17 panel to the inside on the back and glint tape to the outsides of the arm pockets.
Combat top became my absolute favorite garment when i was deployed tbh, it felt amazing and functioned in a manner that was acceptable. IMHO also looked cool
Love my combat shirt. I'm not Infantry, but I do end up having to be out wearing body armoe for long stints (guard duties durung summer) and enjoyed having one when I was stationed in Kuwait. Fucker's comfortable, utlitarian, AND fashionable all in one shot. Reminds me of a hiking jacket I had at one point, but much more appropriate for warm weather.
Awesome Video!
Good Lord, I feel old... we went to the sewing shop on base in 2007 and had these made from our tops and t shirts. Never had any issued, and could only wear them on that one deployment.
This was great! Thanks!
Fantastic Video!
Two comments:
1. The term 'RAID mod' was (as far as I know) popularized by SpecWarGear, whose site still lists it as an option (thought that site is long defunct). That was the first recognizable use of "RAID mod' that I remembered and it gained traction on sites like Lightfighter and a few other places in the early GWOT.
2. The modifications themselves were often done by unit riggers or sew shops off-base like General Jackson's near Bragg and Suky's near Little Creek.
I love the Marines frog suit
I had read that during Vietnam, some of the grunts would take their Uniform shirts and have them modded by local Vietnamese Seams stresses. They would also have them tailor Tiger stripe uniforms. Not sure of the authenticity, but I read this in a book int he 90s about LRRP Rangers and SOG units.
The way you say the word "iraq" just rustles my Jimmy's for some reason.
Well here a thing i never think i was going to learn about.
The Worst POG on instagram is still doing raid and durability mods to modern combat uniforms. Pretty neat given how it’s old school and new school.
Due to the use of external body armor in law enforcement, they have spread there too. We have shirts that have the sleeves and collars of class A shirts with the bodies of moisture wicking polo shirts. They are much more comfortable.
Now they are in common use in police swat teams. Just call them plate carrier undershirts.
I have M81 woodland BDUs and brown dominant woodland twill BDUs and I raid modded both blouses myself
I remember when these things came out. I called them Motocross tops in 08.
They were more of a pain in the ass than they were worth. Couldn't wear them except for on ops and then had to take them off immediately after.
Yes, that's what I thought they looked like: Motocross tops.
Am I the only one who waited years for this video?
In 1983 the Second Armored Division was authorized to wear OD green slant pocket jungle fatigues. At least at Ft Hood. I’m not sure if 2AD forward was authorized. They were stationed in Germany
21 years, 4 combat tours;
06-08 IRQ (INF)
09 AFG (COMCAM)
13 AFG (EOD)
19 IRQ (EOD)
all active, I've never worn a combat shirt.
I've seen a fella or two wear them, but honestly, the people on base favored them the most. It really became more of a fashion piece over time moreso than a functional bit of kit. The FRACU or flame retardant uniforms I absolutely wore but combat tops, not so much.
At 2:49, you say shoulder sleeves... What are shoulder sleeves? And at 3:12, there were what look like OG107's with epaulettes. NEVER seen that before. Traditional raid mod shirts are still seen in recon units as they dont wear body armor or helmets.
In 14:01 soldier is wearing not only Paraclete RAV vest but also Paraclete SOF BDU :)
I might be misremembering, but if I'm not wrong, some British light infantry units during the amer revolution stitched their coat sleeves onto their waistcoats and wore these sleeved waistcoats because of the warmer climate
My dad was in the Army in the early 1990s. I think his feild jacket only had two breast pockets.
Like many vets of the Gulf War era and earlier, he occasionally wears it with jeans.
I'm gonna have to pay atention to it, if he's wearing it next time I see him.
The turtle neck combat shit is the iconic one for me
I actually bought a black one at a surplus story they are very comfy and practical
In 2006 only a couple combat shirts showed up in my unit in Iraq. We did get than flight suits for day to day wear. The USMC is always tarty to the party. However my MAGTF deployment we had tons of frog gear.
Muito legal a nova introdução do canal. Parabéns
I had some 1st gen army combat shirts with the turtle neck collar. Decided I wanted to upgrade to the 1/4 zip ones… the sizing does not match. So already these run super small, like I had to go 2 sizes up for the turtle neck and it seems I have to go 3 sizes up for the 1/4 zip.
Or maybe this stuff isn’t meant for people who normally wear XL t-shirts & large tops.
In the 80ties I used to wear a Helly Hansen micro vest and sew on a military collar so it looked like I had a service shirt on under my military Jumper Wool Heavy being Brit mil.
Combat shirt and the Vietnam war era us military jungle fatigues are in my opinion the most practical uniform/ military clothing there is
I like your interesting channel. I would like to suggest a video about the jacket worn by German parachutists in WWII, the "Knochensack" or in english "bone sack". It has kind of shoulder pockets which I think was never tested by the designers.
Can we get a video on black uniforms? Like the soviet naval infantry and ss honor guard
Alright sure, I'll buy one
Ah, the Shirt of Truth!
Just be sure to check back real soon for more videos, rigth here in uniform history 🗣️🗣️🗣️💥💥💥💥
Did I misunderstand or did you say that alteration shops took uniform and skivy shirts and combined them into combat shirts if so please tell me where I can see images of them.
Very nice.
Do one on the Airforce ABUs❤
It's Fort Bragg. It will never be Fort Liberty. Don't be cringe.
I’ve always struggled with traditional combat shirts cos I hate sweating in cotton so much. Now I’m gonna just take a polyester shirt and sew ripstop sleeves onto it
@Utah2ofemthe ied will more than likely kill u
Could you guys talk about flight suits if you haven’t already?
“Ear-raq”
Well, "I-rack" to some. 'Ee-rarc' to many British.
Loved my combat shirts in Afghanistan
Dude RIP to the dude at 7:50 carrying 2 huge camelbacks on his P/C 😂
Incredible story all because of pocket needs/placement
I raid modded my original Auscam shirts in 02 and 03. Granted it was only used out of barracks. Yeah it was hated by some in charge but it was much more functional and wearing button pockets on BDU style shirts under body armour was pointless and a pain
Was wondering what was up with these uniforms. I would have loved this (other phrases would get me censored by YT) and I only wore a 1/4 what modern soldiers wear now.
"Raid Mod" 😅 I was at 1st Recon as a Jarhear in '95 before and after. Everyone in SOF was doing it if the command let us😅
@kenneththynes4761 : During My Time With ' D ' and ' B ' Cos, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion, 3rd Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Pacific @ MCB Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan, We Were Authorized By Our Mustang Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. ( 0-5E) Z.T. Forrester, To Purchase Additional Sets of USGI Woodland M81 BDUs and Have Them " Raid Mod-ed " By Our Unit Parachute Riggers ( More Formally Known In The Corps As Air Delivery Specialist ( MOS 0451). My First Four Actual Uniform Tops Were Raid Mod Configured By The Resident Paraloft Head Shead, A Certain 2Lt. Air Delivery Officer ( MOS 0402) Who Was A USNA Honor Grad Who While @ Annapolis On Exchange @ West Point With His USMA Counterparts, Got The Airborne and Ranger School Package There. ) The Battalion Commander Was Mostly A Stickler For Rules and Regulations But As The Former Marine Corps Liaison To The Army Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade @ Then Fort Benning, Georgia, Who He Worked Closely With Army Airborne and Special Operations Forces Counterparts There, Even He Understood That The Mother of Invention Understood That Extraordinary People Did Extraordinary Things. Just Thought You'd Like To Know. Semper Fidelis 🇺🇲🦅🌎⚓️🫡‼️
Babe a new Uniform History is dropped
Me: Never tapped on video so fast as this.
did you know it's possible to post comments that aren't just brainrot reddit memes?
4:33 Why do pronounce Iraq that way? It's funny. I'm not over here saying "eye-rack". But geez, you put that funk on it. 6:43 9:34
The 1st gen Army ones smelled like cat piss when you got sweaty.
Will always be Bragg.
German paratroopers did the same thing with the jump smock.
hope you do Turkish and Former Yugoslavian countries camo/uniforms?
those vests for the plates and covered with mollie are really hot
they fit nice but too hot with no breathability
The moral of the story is that if it ain't working, pull out the sewing machine and make it better.
Underwear
Plain material. No camo? (torso)
A SNCOs nightmare!
ACS, Most uncomfortable piece of kit. (Plus it looks ridiculous.) Switched back to my Nomex ACU after one mission. OEF 09-10, 4A 1-17IN, 5/2ID
Hope to see the history of ALICE next
Same, also based pfp. Love that anime
@@fireemblemistrash75Degen weeb
The history of ALICE needs to be told by someone who lived in that era that's a gear nerd and Infantry soldier. It's best to start with M-1956, then cover the changes with M-1967 MLCE, then LC-1 & LC-2 ALICE.
If a younger person tries to cover it, they will miss a lot of the important details and first-person perspective.
@@LRRPFco52 He already did those 2, that's why the ALICE one should be the next one to go
Prior Service Enlisted Marine and Soldier( 1987-1998, with 1 Year and 4 Months in the Army National Guard (ARNG) and US Army Reserve ( USAR) ) ; this 55 Year Old USMC and US Army Veteran STILL wears Raider Modification ( Raid Mod) Woodland Camouflage M81 Battle Dress Uniform ( BDU) , 3 Pattern Desert Combat Uniform ( DCU) , and, Combat Shirts.
@JohnRodriguez-w7f : Same Here, Brother. Long Live Raid Mod Woodland M81 BDU Blouse 🇺🇲🪖🫡‼️