Does anybody know ?

[ChuckC]

Years back we (as several groups) donated a lot of gear (bows n arrows) and stuff to the soldiers in Iraq.  What ever came of that gear ?  Were soldiers allowed to take them home or were they just left there ?

ChuckC

[centaur]

I hope some of the soldiers got to bring them home, but knowing the military, the paperwork involved would probably be a bigger hassle than it was worth.  It would be interesting to know.

[J. Holden]

I've often wondered the same thing as I sent a longbow "over there".  Makes one wonder...

-Jeremy  

[Jon Stewart]

I was involved with Camp Cuervo since 2008.  The group opened up several archery ranges on Iraq and Afganistan. I personally opened one up at Camp Hansen, Afganistan after getting proper permission from the base commander.  I sent the equipment to Lt Penny, USMC and in my letter to him to I told him that if he did not feel good about leaving the equipment at the base if he got transferred he should give it to his men to keep.

What happened to the equipment.  I don't know but I sure hope the marines found a way to get it back to the states.  I always told any donor that the equipment would go to the men and women that used it and no-one cared.

I am not with Camp Cuervo anymore but now with the Old Warrior Camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  All equipment that I get donated is fixed up and sent to the Old Warrior Camp .  The owners has been told that any Wounded Warrior that uses his camp and shows an interest in archery can have a bow any other equipment to get them started in archery.

It has been kind of an honor system with honorable men and women. Hope this answers some of your question.

[J. Holden]

I still wear my t-shirt with pride Jon.  Thank you for doing all the hard work!

- Jeremy  

[Mojostick]

I donated a bunch of arrows, gloves and tabs...and I don't wonder what came of them. If the soldiers there got even a days worth of escape from shooting some bows, I'm totally cool with that. Maybe there's some Iraqi boy trying to figure out how to make a string from what was likely left there. Just my opinion.

[Hermon]

I was just thinking about this myself this weekend.  Found this thread.  

Does anyone have any more updates?

[ChuckC]

I gave several bows to the cause, one of which was one I used often.  I had plenty and if they could use them in their spare time,  well, here it is.

I gave them away and they are no longer mine.

I am just very curious if some of the men and women got to keep them or if they were left there in the sand, due to regulations of some sort.

ChuckC

[mbugland]

I know I ran into one range while I was passing through Manas (in some ~Stan or another) on the way out of Afghan. They wouldn't let us shoot there because it was an Air Base and we were Army.
Had a couple guys ship bows to Iraq during  a few rotations there as well... Everyone had to leave them behind or try and bribe their way through the postal inspector to get them out of country... As I understood it, they were weapons so we weren't suppose to ship them, and because they were non-NATO / Law of War approved we really weren't suppose to have them in country anyway.
Somewhere out there I hope some little kid is having a ball shooting all those empty water bottles we left behind.

[Roadkill]

Do not know what happened to that gear, but I got a great, ancient Martini Martin rifle fro the Stan.  The gear could have come back without much hassle if the troop wanted.

[M60gunner]

I  still wear my tee shirt as well. I wonder if the Army, Marines had what we used to call " Special Services". They kept rec gear that we could check out like bats and baseballs. HQ Battalion 3rd Mar Div in Viet Nam had special services and they had bows and arrows, I know because we had a gung-ho Sgt. who checked one out.
I wonder if the archery equipment was checked into them or whatever they call it now if that equipment is in some warehouse stateside?