Roger that on losing your weapon - I slept with mine on field exercises and I never saw combat during my time in.
That said, strange and unexpected things seem to happen in war zones all the time, and you know the saying about "the best-laid plans...". Guys fall out of vehicles (IIRC, didn't a soldier fall out the back of a Chinook during a firefight in the early weeks of the war over there?), aircraft go down, soldiers get separated from their buddies, etc. Worst-case scenarios and rarities, for sure, but weird things happen, and I'd hate to think about losing two important pieces of equipment in one fell swoop should the worst occur. Really just thinking-out-loud here, I guess.
On a related note - another good buddy of mine is a contractor over there, and has worked in-country for about 5 years or so. He's a supply guy - basically doing the same job he did when he was an enlisted man, but now he works with the Afghan Army, training his counterparts in logistics/supply issues. He's also one of these guys who loves to travel during his downtime, and he keeps a great 'blog about his travels and experiences in Afghanistan specifically and SE Asia in-general. He's pretty good about trying to learn local languages and cultural, so he meets loads of interesting people along the way. Check it out, and feel free to comment - just be warned, he's a bigtime UK Wildcat fan, so you might have to pick through some sports-related comments, too.
Ghosts of the Ghorid Empire
Again, take care of yourself.
KD
