I am honored to welcome award-winning author, Lindsay McKenna to my blog as she talks about the outfits of female United States Marine Corps in TAKING FIRE. Enjoy this rare look behind the scenes!
Although Sergeant Khat Shinwari is not on the cover of Taking Fire, what she wears is important. She would be wearing desert colored Marine Corps cammies and a blouse of the same color and design. She would use the Marine “woodland” design uniform because she was up in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan. She would blend into the surrounding brush and pine trees that litter the rocky slopes.
When Khat went out on a mission to ambush the Taliban, she would ride her black Arabian mare, Mina, to the area. She would then tie her to a tree or bush to keep her hidden and safe from any resulting gunfire.
Khat would wear an olive green t-shirt beneath her Kevlar Level 2 vest. That vest would have large pockets in it. One would hold a satellite (sat) phone. She would have two or three pockets filled with magazines for her sniper rifle, a Win-Mag .300. She would be weighted down with roughly thirty pounds of gear as she climbed a forested slope, looking for a hide to set up in order to ambush Taliban on another goat path down below her.
Normally, she’d wear a utility cap, a soft cover. It would be rare for her to wear a helmet unless she was out on a nightmission where she had to lock in and slide a pair of NVG’s (night vision goggles). She wouldn’t like the weight of the helmet (a good ten pounds weighing down on her) unless she really had to use it. She would carry the helmet and NVG’s in her mare’s large, leather saddlebags behind the saddle she rode.
If she were back at her cave where it was marginally safe, she would wear an olive green t-shirt and her cammo pants, plus her desert colored boots.
Thank you so much for sharing with us!! Readers, Harlequin is hosting a Tour Wide Giveaway for a $100.00 VISA Gift Card or Complete Set of Shadow Walkers Series Books 1-6, so don’t forget to enter the giveaway for a chance to win!
AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 24, 2015
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She dances on the edge of life…and death
Not all are meant to walk in the light. Marine Corps Sergeant Khat Shinwari lives among the shadows of the rocky Afghani hills, a Shadow Warrior by name and by nature. She works alone, undercover and undetected—until a small team of US Navy SEALs are set upon by the Taliban…and Khat is forced to disobey orders to save their lives.
To go rogue.
Now, hidden deep in the hills with injured SEAL Michael Tarik in her care, Khat learns that he’s more than just a soldier. In him, she sees something of herself and of what she could be. Now duty faces off against the raw, overwhelming attraction she has for Mike. And she must decide between the safety of the shadows…and risking everything by stepping into the light.
Thank you for hosting today! Lindsay, what an interesting post!!
Thanks, Lisa. It was an honor.
I would love to read these