The 5th Special Forces Group was deployed to Iraq in 2003 for the invasion of Iraq. They infiltrated into Western Iraq in advance of the main invasion forces to conduct reconnaissance, harassing Iraqi forces in the area, capturing Iraqi airfield at Wadi al Khirr, as well feinting attacks to create distractions.

The primary item you may have noticed on this display is the helmet. The helmet is Gentex Military Motorcycle Helmet II. This is a ballistic helmet with integrated communication equipment- In the HMMWV General Mobility Vehicle (Or GMV in short, a Special Operations version of Humvee) as well other vehicles; ODA team members wear this helmet in conjunction with vehicle intercom system.

Another equipment to highlight: Hellcat MK2 chest rig made by SO Tech. At the time, chest rigs weren’t widely issued so those had to be bought out of pocket. The chest rig has early “yellowish” tan material as well “seatbelt” straps. The chest rig was innovative and cutting edge for its time as it has pockets for magazines built in to make it easy and quick to draw. Standard issue desert pouches from MOLLE equipment mounted on it for additional ammo and gear. The chest rig is worn over Safariland SPEAR body armor.

The desert camouflage uniform has Velcro so Special Forces soldiers could remove patches if discretion is needed. This simple velcro modification seemed to be common for 5th Special Forces Group at the time.