Anthony "Swoff" Swofford enlists in the Marines in the late 1980s. He malingers during boot camp, but makes it through as a sniper, paired with the usually-reliable Troy. The Gulf War breaks out, and his unit goes to Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield. After 175 days of boredom, adrenaline, heat, worry about his girlfriend finding someone else, losing it and nearly killing a mate, demotion, latrine cleaning, faulty gas masks, and desert football, Desert Storm begins. In less than five days, it's over, but not before Swoff sees burned bodies, flaming oil derricks, an oil-drenched horse, and maybe a chance at killing. Where does all the testosterone go?
Now from 1/6 manufacturer DAM comes this 1/6th scale USMC in the Persian gulf war (Operation Desert Storm 1991) 12-inch figure with real like head sculpt resembling Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford with 12-inch action body, OD green t-shirt, Desert camouflage BDU (battle dress uniform) shirt and trousers, BDU belt, Desert camouflage jungle hat, PASGT helmet, Desert camouflage PASGT cover, PASGT flak jacket with Desert camouflage PASGT flak jacket cover, NBC suit, Panama outsole all-leather combat boots.
Accessories include Nomex gloves, SWDG goggles, M17A1 gasmask, M17A1 gasmask NBC cover, M17A1 gasmask bag, LC2 belt, LC2 belt suspenders, LC2 ammo pouch x 2, LC2 one-quart canteen with cover x 2, LC2 first aid / compass case, ALICE butt pack, ALICE IFAK pouch, military watch, Christmas hat
Weapons: Kar-Bar combat knife with leather sheath, M16A2 assault rifle, M16 30-round magazine x 4, M26 fragmentation grenade x 4
The one weapon that is missing from this set is the M40A1 sniper rifle as Swoff was a Scout Sniper
Due to concerns that Saddam Hussein would use chemical and biological weapons on the troops, all personnel were issued NBC suits.
An NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) suit is a type of military personal protective equipment designed to provide protection against direct contact with and contamination by radioactive, biological or chemical substances, and provides protection from contamination with radioactive materials and some types of radiation, depending on the design.
When the US troops were sent over to Saudi Arabia in 1990 as part of Operation Desert Shield in preparation for Operation Desert Storm, there were insufficient NBC suits in desert camouflage and they had to resort to the Woodlands camouflage NBC suits instead.
So you had soldiers wearing Woodlands camouflage trying to blend into the desert environment. Not really working, is it?
Desert Battle Dress Uniform (abbreviated DBDU, often called Chocolate-Chip Camouflage, Cookie Dough Camouflage, or the Six-Color Desert Pattern) was the camouflage used by the United States Military during the Gulf War and in the early 1990s. The camouflage received its nickname because it resembles chocolate-chip cookie dough. It is made up of a base pattern of light tan overlaid with broad swathes of pale olive green and wide two-tone bands of brown. Clusters of black-on-white spots are scattered over it which were meant to mimic the appearance of rocks.
In 1991, troops were still using the All-Purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment, or ALICE system, adopted as United States Army Standard A on 17 January 1973 to replace the M-1956 Load-Carrying Equipment [LCE] and M-1967 Modernized Load-Carrying Equipment [MLCE].
During an impromptu Christmas party thrown by Swofford, who has obtained unauthorized alcohol, Fergus (Brian Geraghty), a member of Swofford's unit, accidentally sets fire to a tent and a crate of flares. Swofford gets the blame because he was supposed to be on watch but had Fergus sit in for him. As a consequence, Swofford is demoted from Lance Corporal (E-3) to Private (E-1) and is forced to undertake the degrading task of burning "diesel fuel" (excrement).
The punishments, the heat and the boredom, combined with suspicions of his girlfriend's infidelity and feelings of isolation, temporarily drive Swofford to the point of mental breakdown. He threatens and nearly shoots fellow Marine Fergus then turns the weapon on himself and demands the traumatized Fergus to shoot him. When Fergus refuses Swofford leaves the tent.
DAM's offering of this 1/6th scale USMC in Persian Gulf War (Desert Storm 1991) 12-inch "Jarhead" Figure is simply outstanding!
Related post: My kitbash of 1/6th scale Jake Gyllenhaal as Swofford, USMC Scout Sniper 12-inch figure posted HERE
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