What did you do with your Grenadier today?

[bigleonski]

The unofficial AUS aftermarket guide lists their battery box. Ppl in land down under have had good comments about their stuff. It's sold out on the site.. that's why I did the Lithium and the power box.

I’ve never bought their batteries but have had a bit of their other gear over the years and never had any issues.
I even applied for a role running their operations once, but didn’t get the gig.

 

[Dual Grenny Guy]

that's what i did. I actually bought two because i didn't know about this model and i prioritize buying things that support causes i care about. Thank you for donating to the wounded warrior foundation, they do much good.

I lost many good friends in the sandbox. Especially miss a very close friend that i lost in Falluja, Lance Corporal Ramon Ortega RIP.

Ramon was a kid who was lost, about to end up deep in a gang in San Francisco when his uncle sent him to join the Marines.

As Ramon told me, Marines straightened me out. I met him as he was preparing to go to college, he had about a year left before he was discharged from the Marines and he was determined to make it into college. Smart kid, just born in a bad neighborhood but he had a bright future ahead. He pushed me hard at the gym with weights and i pushed him hard with his brain studying in the evenings.

9/11 happened and the world changed. For a while immediately following 9/11 he shared that he was manning a 50cal mounted on top of a Humvee sitting on bay bridge in San Francisco in case someone came with a truck bomb on the bridge (what a crazy time that was). It was all alert and a crazy era, we only once or twice chatted in those months.

He rang me a few months later to share that he was going overseas. couldn't tell me where. He re-enlisted with the marines in his last year. Went back to Iraq a second time. Never came home. I learned he died in Fallujah. Hit me hard, he was 19. I've lost lots of other friends since in Iraq and Afghanistan but Ramon was first. A close family friend and both me and my wife worked hard on helping him prepping for his dreams of graduating college and living just a normal family life.

I adopted his unit. Sent them over the years goodie bags. They sent me pics and messages from where they where deployed. Its tapered down now as time has passed by, i'm not as connected to his unit as i once was. tough times. I gave a guy in his unit my old car when he discharged, he was going to the police academy and needed a car (it was a nice car but not a really valuable car as it was 10 years old). He is in the sheriffs department in a county not too far from where i live now, has a kid and a family. At least some made it out.

I try to support veterans in whichever way i can.

I am a VERY VERY private person and actually shocked I am typing this, but if it helps ONE person it’s worth it. After this post, I won’t bring any of this up again so send me a PM if you need to. I don’t do FB or any other online forum/activity, this forum is it!! Guess I have finally started to feel more at home now as would have never thought I would give any personal info up….

I am so sorry to hear about your loss!! I too have personally lost close friends, some family (come from a huge military family), and squad/unit/team members. In all honesty, I should not even be here right now typing this. Whether you believe in God, karma, luck or whatever it is, for some reason beyond my comprehension I am still here!! Reading your post it sounds like you’re still deeply affected by this loss. I use to be so embarrassed to say I have been diagnosed with PTSD and see a VA Dr once every 90 days and take medication for it so I can be “normal” and fit in this civilian world. It use to feel like such a dirty little acronym that comes with a stigma and you think you are broken or not as important/good as others, a lot more to it just trying to be brief. I only bring this up as most people probably don’t know you don’t have to be in battle to suffer from PTSD, which I have learned over the years of treatments and counseling and dealing with family members trying to help me & others. You can be a close family member or friend who has suffered a great loss and also have it. I have also lost some battle buddies from this “disease” by them taking their own lives unable to coupe with it or the civilian world. A lot of people also probably don’t realize just how bad the suicidal rate is for soldiers, it’s not good & ridiculously high.

So I am saying to you or anyone reading this post, if you are having issues yourself or even with a friend or family member’s loss and need to talk to someone, you don’t have to have served to get help. Anyone reading this and need to talk to someone, PLEASE call the Military OneSource at (800) 342-9647 for access to confidential resources and assistance; you can also reach out to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) at (800) 959-TAPS (8277). You won’t find a bigger supporter of the military than me, but I also want to say you don’t have to be a soldier or have served to help. There any many programs available to help and THANK YOU to all that do contribute your time or money or both.

 

[Nadir5]

For those still serving and worried seeking help could jeopardize their clearance or their assignment, anonymous support is available through sound-off.com. Posted with the memory of a dear friend who took his own life, very likely from undiagnosed PTSD.