You bet. There’s a huge amount of info on the forum available for searching as well as active members eager to share their knowledge as others have said.
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I still cannot believe the Marines have dumped the Abrams. They’ll regret it.
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Not to get political here, but I cannot believe that we actually left Abrams in Iraq. I’m sure by now some of them are in the hands of Iranians, or Russians, or Chinese. All those corrupt people care about is $$.
I thought we just sold Iraq a version of the M1A1 but didn’t leave any tanks in Iraq.
I agree and that regret will be paid in blood. I hope I am wrong.
Correct. We sold Iraq non-DU M1A1 SA tanks. The US did not leave any of our Abrams in Iraq. A few of the Iraqi Abrams were initially captured by ISIS, but later abandoned since they didn’t know how to maintain nor operate them.
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Here are some pics and info to help get you started. Most of these are M1A1s from the First Gulf War.
Duffel bags in the bustle rack, cases of water on top. The tank’s tarp folded up between the water boxes. Hanging on the side is the camouflage net in it’s bag, and some spare track blocks.
Duffle bags in the bustle rack, tarps, MREs, water can, and other junk strapped to the outside.
M1A2 with double bustle rack. Duffle bags, cases of water, orange cooler. Tarp and another item in rear bustle rack. 20mm can and spare road wheel on side. Tan plastic water can with replacement black lid.
M1A1 on firing range, so no personal gear. On top of turret is a spare road wheel and sprocket ring. On the side are a spare road wheel with what looks like an oil can inside it, and some track blocks. On the back is a 20mm can and what looks like a water or oil can.
Awesome photo of a USMC M1A1. Lots of spare track blocks on the turret side, and a road wheel. Note the missing rear side skirt and the “paddle wheel,” the Army got rid of them but the Marines kept them. At least until they got rid of the tanks completely.
Food!
Ken
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These references are amazing, thanks so much for the detailed explanations as well!
In the picture below,
I guess the black circular item in the rack, above the CIP panel is a plastic oil drain pan (upside down)
IIRC the large storage box in the rear with “83” on it comes from a HEMTT or a M900 series 5-ton truck.
H.P.
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Your correct, I should’ve got that one. Rye Field includes an approximation of that in their kits. The box I didn’t know, thanks for the info.
Ken
and Dragon as well, in their M1A1 AM kit.
H.P.
Here is another one:
This is a Marine Corps M1A1 with the double bustle rack. It is VERY RUSTY, usually they do not get that bad. It has the paddle wheel on the sprocket and part of the wading trunk on the exhaust. All of the stowage items in the rear bustle rack are covered with a tarp.
On the side of the turret (back to front) are a plastic oil/fuel can, a rolled up sleeping mat placed over the antenna, which has an upside down pirate flag (why?). In front of that is a plastic water can and two spare track blocks.
Draped over the TCs hatch is a set of web gear (web belt, suspenders, canteen, ammo pouches, etc.); this is pretty common. Scattered about the top of the turret are a number of metal ammo cans, and the wood boxes they are shipped in.
Ken
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There is a few threads on this board about that tank that has additional photos. It is part of a 4 tank MEU deployment platoon. As I recall air wing MEU was pirate themed as well. This could be the same or another extended sea deployment and I am sure they got a little native and fancied themselves as pirates.
A very nice build of that tank. They where at sea for 9 months in 2003/2004.
Hi, @tankerken … this is off-topic, I know, but I would love to find out where you got the first image in this post! Looking at it, I am 100% certain that the tank in the image is C-23, 1st Squadron 3d ACR, taken during Operation Desert Shield at Base Camp Bessey. I was the loader on C-21 (see image below), and I am virtually certain that in this image you can see me at the front slope of the tank in the background, and that the two others visible are 2LT Philip Kwong (left, standing), who was the platoon leader, and SGT Terry Klema (seated on the GPS, on the right), the loader on C-23.
I am mostly interested in seeing if there are any others of our unit around, and if so where they are, just for the purpose of memory/nostalgia and possibly contacting whomever has them.
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Well howdy, and welcome to the forum. I’d say you are 100% correct on that photo (ok I don’t remember the name of everybody in it). As for where I got it, my camera, standing on top of the tank next to it. I might even have one or two of you floating around, I took a couple of hundred photos there. Here are a few more reference photos for you:
I don’t know of any other guys from our unit on this forum, but there are lots of tank model enthusiasts.
Ken
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Great photos, I too was 3d ACR, left right before the first gulf war, around 1988. I was commo with HHT 1/3 and commo chief for D Co 1/3, I probably worked on those exact tanks. Post all the pics you got! Lol
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Ken, were you on 24? I apologize for this, but parts of my memory from Saudi are missing or hazy and mixed up, but if so, then you might remember this photo, as well 
I would love to see any photos you’re willing to share, and I have some more as well (though, unfortunately probably less than half of what I used to have, after losing a couple of albums’ worth in several moves over the years 
).
I apologize for hijacking the thread, if there is a more appropriate forum for this I’d be glad to move it there.
Edit: also, a wider view of C-21 with the tigers on the antenna:
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My memory is fuzzy too, and I got moved around alot. I mostly was the TOC driver, then I was sent to 2nd platoon. Honestly don’t remember what tank. Then I was moved to 4th platoon and became gunner for SSG Howard.
Ken
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Oh hey! I do remember that face I guess you got moved to LT Coffman’s platoon right before or after we struck base camp? I was actually out in Dammam on the detail to get the M1A1HA tanks just before Christmas so I wasn’t there when they broke camp but I do remember that SFC Young got a new crew member about that time, I think was a fill-in from 4ID, which I would guess was probably when you got moved to 4th platoon.
In any event, glad to meet you again, and feel free to reach out!
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One of my fav.