You can see that my shirt, pants and helmet cover were brand new. The clothes were probably the last of three pairs I had received at Oakland Army Base in California.
In my left hand, I am holding the barrel of my M16 rifle. I have not fired it yet but someone else used it before me so I assumed it was OK. Around my neck is a bandoleer filled with 20 round clips of M16 ammunition.
On my back is a rucksack. The rucksack weighed about eighty pounds fully loaded. Sitting on top, just behind my head is what looks like a pillow but in fact is a 5-quart canteen. Just below the 5-quart canteen is two 2-quart canteens. On my waste is a 1-quart canteen. Add it up and I was carrying ten quarts of water. The water weighed about 20 lbs. and would have to last me for three days.
Below the 2-quart canteens are two smoke grenades. We each carried about six smoke grenades. They were used to mark an area when bringing in a helicopter. Below the smoke grenades is a poncho, poncho liner and air mattress all rolled together and used for sleeping. In my rucksack was three days of food, a claymore mine, trip flares, frag grenades and an ammo can that was used to keep personal things dry like my writing paper and wallet.
Standing there, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I was just going with the flow and doing what the veterans did.
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