Can members of the US armed forces keep any of the weapons they find on captured or killed enemies as personal souvenirs? I assume there are pretty strict rules against “pocketing” an RPG launcher or even an AK-47. How about pistols? Daggers?
I don’t have a cite, but soldiers appropriating anything on the battlefield are technically looting. Historically, that was how soldiers were paid. But since the coming of “profesional” arimes, it is officially discouraged.
But there is, of course, a lot of nodding and winking.
Absoultely not.
General Order No. 1 (for CENTCOM) prohibited alcohol, pornography, and among other things, the taking of ‘souvenirs’ from the battlefield to include:
Live/expended shells and ammunition, complete weapons of any caliber or nation, any personal equipment from the enemy, or anything of the like.
I tried to find my ‘Visitor’s Guide’ when I got deployed. Can’t find it, but I do know one of the things it specifically prohibited was the taking of souvenirs.
Tripler
That’s not to say it doesn’t happen in small instances.
Whoa! Found it. . .
Tripler
There ya go. In black and white. . .
Thanks.
Two follow-up questions: Are returning troops searched? Does anyone really care if you took, say, a bayonet?
When I came back from SWA this past December, we had to go through Customs in Baltimore. They asked if we had anything to declare, and we obviously didn’t . . .
Keep in mind, that we were the first batch of guys to come back since 11 Sept. We had gotten over there just a week prior to all the shit happening, and I suspect the Customs agents were fairly sympathetic. We (read: everyone at my base) was in lockdown for 95% of the rotation, and we didn’t have a chance to go ‘acquire’ and contraband. Also keep in mind that 99% of us took commercial flights to our regular stations once we got into Baltimore, so our baggage would be scanned and searched for weapons just like any other civilians’ luggage.
But, I was able to acertain a 45 lb. concrete block and pack it with my gear. It’s pretty cool, but they never asked me about it.
Tripler
Yes, I snagged a concrete block. I’m an engineer. Whaddya want?!?
Any time I ponder battlefeld souvenirs, I’m reminded of the Safety Digest and their charming “Accident Alley” articles describing some schmo being maimed by his keepsake Soviet grenade or whatnot.
If I get a U.N. callout, I intend to bring back all my fingers and toes, still attached. That’s all the souveniring I need.
Everything taken from the enemy, military or civilian, is captured enemy equipment and is US Government property. This is to prevent looting.
This isn’t always strictly enforced, but it can be at any time.
The reason that looting and other such activities are discouraged is based on bitter experience. It has been known for a long time that it is real easy to give the enemy a victory if they have a habit of celebrating riotously afterwards. And then you attack during the celebration. It has happened on numerous occasions in history.
Quoth some Big Brass, via Tripler:
[quote]
[li] Taking war trophies as souvenirs, with limited exceptions.[/li][/quote]
Don’t just leave us hanging, here… What are the “limited exceptions”? Is it a case-by-case matter (in which case, who decides?), or is there a list of items which it is acceptable to abstract?
ENEMY military souveniers from Desert Storm I have/had include a shovel (my father has an NVA shovel from HIS war), gas mask, tanker’s helmet, chemical protection kit, and some Officer Record Books.
We were expressly forbidden to gather weapons or explosives, to include bayonets, unless taken back for Historical display and rendered inoperative by the professionals. We were searched randomly in Saudi Arabia before departing.
I would assume that for a ‘limited exception’ to be completely kosher, Public Affairs and the base command would have to sign off on it. Obviously, dragging a barrel of sweet Kuwaiti crude would not be a limited exception, but maybe a rock or something.
I dunno. If you have to ask permission to take something back, either it’s pretty important to you, or you are just a moron looking for trouble. 
Tripler
Like I said, I got a 45 lb concrete block back.