Military Surplus Store
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A military surplus store offers civilians the opportunity to buy old and obsolete equipment used by the military, plus new merchandise that has been made to look military in design. Many of these stores also handle police equipment and perhaps some fire fighter needs. When the government buys equipment for the armed services, their natural inclination is to buy more than they really need. In fact, since world events can dictate swift changes in the armed forces size, much more must be bought and placed into storage. Of course, from time to time that surplus equipment will be updated with more modern gear and then the government sells off the surplus to civilian vendors. The lure of this merchandise is that the gear is made to US government armed forces specifications. The clothing, sleeping bags, backpacks and survival gear are nothing like the same type of item bought at Wal-Mart or Target.
There are no firearms sold at these stores, but they do like to talk about knives. One of the most famous of the military knives is the K-Bar which is a copyright name. This knife has been a part of military lore since World War Two. Brand new K-bars can be purchased at most surplus stores, but there are plenty of other types of bayonet knives that can be bought at a military surplus store. Original old bayonets from wars gone by are available, but sadly the stories behind the knife do not accompany them. No doubt many of them would have amazing tales of bravery and sadness if they could somehow talk. Since a military surplus store often has the Army-Navy moniker, there may be Ontario knives used by the Navy and Marines.
For hunters, there is plenty of camouflage clothing available, and while much of it is not military in origin, it still looks very much the same. At a military surplus store, coveralls, rain gear, T-shirts and caps are all available in camouflage. And hunters pay close attention because ghillie suits are available from many stores. This suit has been seen on many movies where soldiers can hide in a forest or on the ground in an open field and not be seen at all. A picture from an online military surplus store with a guy standing in the suit looks like a blob of moss holding a rifle. This suit can be awesome for deer hunters as well as others who need to get close to their prey. Also, the idea of a pretty cool adult Halloween costume is coming to mind with this thing.
Tents are often an items sought by many who visit a military surplus store and want the higher quality military spec tent rather than those sold in regular sporting good and department stores. These tents, at least some of them, can withstand 55 mile an hour winds, will not pool water and can take a snow load of ten pounds per square foot. Try and get those specifications out of the tents bought at your neighborhood department store. United States citizens take for granted the protection and safety offered us by the brave men and women of the Armed Forces. But Christians have an even greater appreciation of where their protection comes from: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God." (Psalm 20:7)
One of the most intriguing sites online that represents a military surplus store is located in Tel Aviv. At this online store merchandise such as shirts worn by Israeli bodyguards can be purchased. Body armor, anti-terrorist vests and bullet proof vests from women are available. Buy the book of Psalms in Hebrews, carried by the Israeli soldier or by the actual beret caps worn by various members of their armed forces. In fact, Americans can buy used Kevlar helmets worn by our soldiers in Iraq which have been refurbished, sold by surplus stores here in the states. And how about buying an Army cargo truck still painted on camo?
Some people get a kick out of buying old ordnance from these military vendors. Of course, all of these rounds or items have been decommissioned, so to speak, with no firepower left in them. Consider a 155MM Howitzer shell to store stuff in or an 81MM Mortar bomb casing for that romantic gift of a lifetime? There are old navy practice rounds that are made from wood or for the person who wants a real conversation piece; a propaganda bomb which dropped leaflets from high altitudes is available for purchase at some surplus stores. And of course, everyone wants a grenade to set on the coffee table in the living room.
Going into a military surplus store isn't for everyone because of the high emotions it can stir. Some former soldiers probably want to put as many miles between themselves and this equipment as possible. For others, there may be an anti-military sentiment that prevents a visit, and for still others, the weapons of killing such as knives and decommissioned ordnance are just too stark to face. But a trip to these vendors is cold reminder that war is costly, is life threatening and is not a game or a Hollywood movie. We cannot ever take what our brave men and women soldiers do for us, and perhaps a trip to military surplus outlet once in a while would really be good for all civilians to take.
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