What smell reminds you of being deployed?

SGT Ben Keen — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 09:39:46 -0500

I know this question might seem odd to some, but I think it could lead to some interesting conversation.

It's no secret that a lot of things can remind you of different times in your life. One of the strong is smells. From the smell of your mother baking a pie to the smell of fresh clean laundry or even the amazing smell of bacon frying up in the morning; smells can send us back. Some are not as nice as others. For those of us that have deployed; there is a long list of smells that remind us of our time down range. Personally, I remember the indescribable smell of Iraq. The dust, the smoke, the smell of not showering for a few days.

So the question is simple. What smell takes you back there? For me; its the smell of hand sanitizer.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 9:42 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 09:42:11 -0500

The smell of a Porta-Potty being cleaned/pumped out with that awful smell. The smell of diesel generators the low-level noise you hear of those big machines from KBR everywhere.

Response by PVT Mark Zehner made Feb 12 at 2019 9:52 AM

PVT Mark Zehner — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 09:52:29 -0500

Pine trees!

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Feb 12 at 2019 10:09 AM

SSgt Terry P. — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:09:22 -0500

SGT Ben Keen Old human feces,burned cordite from ammunition and old dried fish.

Response by LCDR Joshua Gillespie made Feb 12 at 2019 10:10 AM

LCDR Joshua Gillespie — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:10:19 -0500

A smell does immediately come to mind, but it's impossible to describe... kinda that cinnamony, dusty, sort-of rotten smell that goes well with naan and a Rip-It :)

Response by SGT Philip Roncari made Feb 12 at 2019 10:17 AM

SGT Philip Roncari — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:17:58 -0500

Wood smoke, brings me back to over fifty years ago to that place forever burned in memories of villages,rice paddies and never ending jungle.

Response by CWO3 Randy Weston made Feb 12 at 2019 10:47 AM

CWO3 Randy Weston — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 10:47:52 -0500

Ammonia. It smells like monoethalnolamine, which is the chemical used on submarines to remove the CO2. The entire submarine smelled of amine.

Response by SGT Tony Clifford made Feb 12 at 2019 11:10 AM

SGT Tony Clifford — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:10:04 -0500

Stagnant water, crap and garbage remind me of Iraq. That is pretty much what Mosul and Kirkuk smelled like.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 11:21 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:21:15 -0500

Diesel fumes

Response by CSM Richard StCyr made Feb 12 at 2019 11:33 AM

CSM Richard StCyr — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:33:23 -0500

Diesel fuel

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Feb 12 at 2019 11:34 AM

SSG Carlos Madden — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:34:06 -0500

Burnt trash. But not any kind of burnt trash - the special Iraq kind that's mixed with feces and dust. It's hard to describe and it wasn't very strong on the COP, but as soon as you got outside or above the T-walls it was pretty obvious. I've only smelled something similar once since and it instantly brought be back.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 11:36 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 11:36:00 -0500

Diesel Fuel

Response by SSG Jeremy Jennings made Feb 12 at 2019 12:16 PM

SSG Jeremy Jennings — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:16:26 -0500

The smell of brush piles smoldering during burn permit season here in Oregon reminds me of Camp Taji and all the smoke from the surrounding villages and the burn pit. Aaaaah...back on the FOB.

I still haven’t smelled anything like the smoke from the ball-bearing factory near Taji that used to lay thick over our hooch in winter. Nothing like waking up to the sensation that your teeth are dissolving and your mouth is full of pennies! I don’t want to know what was in that smoke.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 12:24 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:24:38 -0500

SGT Ben Keen The smell of gunpowder and the sound of gun and rifle fire will bring back memories. The musty stinky smell from being wet all the time, and the smell from rice paddies, jungle and villages.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Feb 12 at 2019 12:26 PM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:26:18 -0500

As others have said, Diesel. It's just uncommon enough to take me back, and just common enough to where it pops up 1-2 times a year.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 12:32 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:32:21 -0500

The smell of a sandy, dusty facility takes me back to that place.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 12:59 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:59:15 -0500

KAF Poo Pond in July...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 1:05 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 13:05:21 -0500

The smell of rotting piss from urinals and piss tube sand the smell of a burn shitter, full of poop, rotting away in the Iraq heat

Response by SPC David Hannaman made Feb 12 at 2019 2:26 PM

SPC David Hannaman — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 14:26:57 -0500

Sewage.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 5:28 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 17:28:22 -0500

Burnt JP8

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 6:07 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 18:07:57 -0500

Diesel fuel, fire and excrement...bittersweet.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 12 at 2019 9:44 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:44:34 -0500

When I smell the jet fumes at the airport, it reminds me of loading a C-130 or C-141 to make a jump.

Response by Maj John Bell made Feb 12 at 2019 11:35 PM

Maj John Bell — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 23:35:21 -0500

Diesel Fuel, AvGas, Salt Air from the Ocean, Brasso.

Response by Cpl Mark A. Morris made Feb 13 at 2019 12:23 PM

Cpl Mark A. Morris — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 12:23:43 -0500

The smell of the sea.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 13 at 2019 4:00 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 16:00:03 -0500

Canvas, sea spray, tabasco.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 14 at 2019 1:34 AM

WO1 Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 01:34:14 -0500

I always liked the smell of breakfast being cooked at the DFAC. Being a plumber having done a lot of sewer jobs deployed... that will take me back to doing a lot of poopy times at the Died whens I smell sewage.

Response by 1SG Jamey Schuldt made Feb 15 at 2019 5:36 PM

1SG Jamey Schuldt — Fri, 15 Feb 2019 17:36:20 -0500

Burning plastic and a wet dung heap. You asked!

Response by SPC John Messenger made Feb 16 at 2019 10:15 AM

SPC John Messenger — Sat, 16 Feb 2019 10:15:45 -0500

The smell of garbage, burning garbage, dirty dipers, hot oil, the list goes on and on

Response by SPC Brian Stephens made Feb 17 at 2019 8:55 PM

SPC Brian Stephens — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 20:55:01 -0500

Burned cordite after a gun has been fired. Love that smell!

Response by CDR Michael Goldschmidt made Apr 1 at 2019 9:00 AM

CDR Michael Goldschmidt — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 09:00:01 -0400

Oil, crude oil, which smells like motor oil.