Special Forces qualified personnel in the sandbox question?

[LRRP-87]

Here's something that puzzles me each time I see it. I understand the idea of the indeginous people having more respect and putting more trust into operators that grow their beards out. My question is, what about gas and chemical agents? I remember during NBC training in basic training the important placed on getting a correct seal on a protective mask; there's no way you can get a good seal on your mask with a thick ass beard. Is there not a threat of chemical agents anymore? I've possibly seen a couple pics of SF guys with masks on their waists; but the beard seems to defeat the whole idea of the protective mask. I've wondered about this for a while now, and decided I'd ask since this forum has all kinds of military personnel in the know.

[decodeddiesel]

The threat of chemical agents has been deemed to be so insignificant that the importance of growing a beard so as to better relate to the local population is of much greater importance.

Do not forget what the mission of the people who have these relaxed grooming standards is and why they do it.

[LRRP-87]

The threat of chemical agents has been deemed to be so insignificant that the importance of growing a beard so as to better relate to the local population is of much greater importance.

Do not forget what the mission of the people who have these relaxed grooming standards is and why they do it.


Oh I totally understand their mission and what they're doing. I just didn't know what the status on chemical threats were these days. Guess I do now.;)

[decodeddiesel]

During the first week of OIF we were in MOPP2 at all times and went to MOPP4 on a few occasions. Needless to say everyone was clean shaven.

[Iraq Ninja]

A few years ago here we had a rash of car bombings by AQ that used chlorine gas. They stole the cylinders from water treatment plants. A few locals were hurt, but it turned out not to be a good delivery system and they stopped using it. That is the last time I remember a chemical threat in Iraq.

[ryanm]

Plus the gas masks won't necessarily help depending on the type of chlorine attack. The chlorine displaces oxygen so you can suffocate, even if you were wearing a mask. Glad they stopped using that methodology! But hopefully, if your standing in a cloud of chlorine with a mask, you'll try to get outside the cloud pretty damn fast rather than hang out to see what happens.

[SIGguy229]

Operational Risk Management....higher risk of not blending in vs the minuscule probability of chemical attack. As stated earlier about the chlorine attacks in Iraq in 2004, 2005--our masks are not the same as industrial masks...and therefore ineffective against industrial chemicals.

[kwelz]

A few years ago here we had a rash of car bombings by AQ that used chlorine gas. They stole the cylinders from water treatment plants. A few locals were hurt, but it turned out not to be a good delivery system and they stopped using it. That is the last time I remember a chemical threat in Iraq.

A friend of mine got hit by one of those. Or at least his convoy did. I am pretty sure he just got hit by conventional shrapnel though. he got a "Gump" injury that day.