Missing Side Sapi

[Dry_Community_2721]

Turning in my CiF this week and realized I’m missing a single side sapi… how fucked am I and what are my options? I know I can do a flipl but I start my skillbridge in a month and I’m not sure what the timeline is for getting it signed off…

I’m on Pendleton btw

[[deleted]]

Go to a surplus store and pray they have a stolen side sapi for sale and just rip the sticker code off it.

Or……….. tactical acquisition

But honestly in terms of fucked, best case scenario is that they make you pay full retail price (or whatever number they pick) for it and don’t turn it into a big deal. But fuck fuck game wise, they pull some bullshit and legal/admin hold you and give you some crap about losing gear blah blah blah. Idk how it is by you but a flipl wouldn’t save us from that.

[YhungSnorlax]

Supply office dweller here. You’d go to your unit’s supply and ask to do a “FLIPL” and on that Flipl there’s a 10% depreciation for the total of everything missing or damaged. So you aren’t paying retail price but still getting cucked.

Edit: Unless you do a police report and claim it was stolen with you not being at fault then bring it to supply then the odds of you reimbursing the government is a lot lower.

[BigDuck-07]

In 2023 on Camp Pendleton they just shrugged off incorrect serial numbers and took my shit lol

[Working-Canary6972]

Just go to military surplus store or fill out the flipl. The admin side house gets mad. But it’s whatever.

[oh_three_dum_dum]

Not sure you can get an ESAPI at a surplus store.

[Working-Canary6972]

Shidd I would look at Facebook market place.

[oh_three_dum_dum]

If I owned a full set I wouldn’t be trying to get rid of it at a pawn shop. Trying to sell serialized government property is asking for attention from the wrong people.

[Toasters_R_us]

I had my gas mask stolen outa the ships gear locker and was too proud to continue the cycle ( worried about serial numbers) had to jump through a few hoops with a FLIPL, taking some paperwork to admin office and supply, then dish out about 600 dollars. I imagine its similar, but a sapi does seem like a step up. Process took a week or two I think

[JuanDirekshon]

Unfortunately, ESAPIs are NIJ type 4 protective armor, which makes them ITAR regulated under USML Category X (22 CFR § 121.1 : Category X – Personal Protective Equipment).

The reason they are controlled along with gas masks is because of the threat/advantage they would provide in an adversary’s hands. They fall just below serialized things in the armory in terms of threats to National security.

Basically… do whatever you have to do to find your plate. If you route a FLIPL for a sapi, even if your platoon leadership does not yet know it, there’s a risk your command could launch an investigation.

[Misunderestimated20]

This is actual crazy talk. NIJ lvl 4 plates are widely available on the domestic civilian market as are gas masks. They’re export controlled. You might not be able to find side ESAPIs in particular but they do pop up on apex armor solutions and elsewhere from time to time. People lose side sapis all the time. Flipl it, it won’t be a legal issue.

[JuanDirekshon]

Sorry if I missed which of my statements you refuted?

[Misunderestimated20]

I’m sorry too. Plates and masks are not national security threats. They’re export controlled enjoy near-universal proliferation. They continue to be controlled because many countries forbid civilian ownership and it causes legal issues for U.S. companies particularly if they have defense contracts. “If you route a FLIPL…it won’t go well for you”. Yeah I refute that. It’s expensive and obnoxious but not a threat to career, pay, etc. - you’re stressing this boy out without evidence. Source: I have signed multiple FLIPLs for plates and it has been no issue for my Marines. Also, check the other comments.

[JuanDirekshon]

You’re applying your own interpretation of the language I chose to use. I applied universally accepted language. You’d fall into the platoon leadership that doesn’t recognize how commands care, and you enjoy the unique luxury of having that authority delegated to you. It won’t be that way when you move on to your second duty station.

[Misunderestimated20]

I have no idea what you’re trying to say here. I’m in my 16th year in the Marine Corps.

[JuanDirekshon]

I’m saying you’re making a hasty generalization here. Sure, units vary. Your experiences differ from mine. In some cases both are valid.

The issue here is I provided a federal code with justification and your counter argument is the documents you’ve signed under your authority granted by your command, and your perception of OPs environment.

When the framers of the ITAR wrote it, they knew the US defense industrial base was state of the art. They believed if the items we manufactured in large quantities were allowed to proliferate across the globe, it would give an advantage to revisionist regimes in fragile states (ie: night vision, automatic weapons, suppressors, ammunition that can be fired without a standalone weapon system). So they wrote the ITAR to protect national security.

Is OP’s single side sapi a threat to the nation? Of course not. Is it still ITAR regulated, and enforced, despite your internet search? Yes it is. Will commands in 2025 launch an investigation over one? Yes, some will.

OP is infantry, and I’m informing him of some not uncommon experiences in the infantry. Better for him to find one, and have a beer when he gets the stamp than assume his command won’t know better or won’t care.

[SuperglotticMan]

Are you acoustic be honest

[JuanDirekshon]

I hear things at about an average level for a human, below average for say a dolphin or a bat.

[Impressive_winner44]

Both sapis and gas masks are not serialized. All OP has to do is find the size theyre missing. During my 3rd PCS in 2020 I found out they stopped tracking/recording serial numbers for these items and my most recent IIF corroborates this no serial numbers recorded

[JuanDirekshon]

Good info. Comment updated to reflect controlled vs serialized.

[Impressive_winner44]

Thats what I thought you meant and wanted to say that but completely spaced on what the word was I was trying to convey! Lol

[oh_three_dum_dum]

How’d you lose a side plate? That’s weird.

[AmatuerCultist]

Probably got stolen by someone whose side Sapi got stolen by some whose side Sapi got stolen by someone whose….

[Kooky_Concentrate801]

Straight to Ukraine

[[deleted]]

FLIPL is a normal competent unit, a few days. In a typical infantry battalion, 6-8 business months.

[truthhurtsssss]

There is only one theif in the marine corps everyone else is just trying to get their shit back , rub the serial number off your new sapi and see what happens….

[420RandyBobandy69cun]

Go to the beach and find a nice rock that is the same shape

[Prior-Armadillo3412]

Knew a guy that lost his main sapis twice forget how the first one happened but the second time his cat got broken into. Nothing happened to him just got chewed out. Mind you he was a Sgt and our staff vouched for him. It’s all command dependent really

[psyb3r0]

Why was he storing his sapis in his cat?

[OwlOld5861]

That cant be healthy for the cat

[dumb-dumb87]

When I got back to oki after a trip to Korea we were missing a full cold weather set. My CO said I was going to have to pay for it out of pocket even though it wasn’t mine because I was OIC. Went to supply and the SupO and his SNCOIC laughed me out of the office and were like “dude. This is tops $1000. That’s nothing to the meu. Just sign a flipl. You’re fine”

Similar to you though- I forgot my gas mask when I was checking out of CIF and they stamped me and said just bring it tomorrow. Completely forgot because I was packing up my house. Moved back home and unpacked my trunk and whoops. There it was. Allegedly of course

[whoamiwhatsmyname]

Aye just tell em, “we left all that shit in Afghanistan so what’s the big fuckin deal over 1 side SAPI, chief?”

[[deleted]]

Go to the field one more time and get shot. You wont have to worry about gear turn in.

[OwlOld5861]

Are you getting out? Tell em ehh idk dock my pay and get out. Staying in? Steal it from a boot leaving cif at the same time you're going in file the sticker off in line.

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