RINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- With a clunk, a Kevlar lands atop a shopping cart full of Marine Corps gear at the Consolidated Issue Facility here. Marines with units aboard the station visit the facility during their check-in process.

  Something many don’t know about CIF is the facility allows Marines to take their gear throughout 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.

  Service members may also pick up gear in the event of an emergency deployment.

  Before reissuing gear CIF employees ensure all gear issued leaves the facility clean and servicable.

  “If you PCS within I MEF you don’t have to turn your gear back in since all of the MEF’s CIF locations are connected,” said Brian Creech, the contracting officer representative of I MEF. “It really helps the Marines save time.”

  Since the facility has a vast selection of equipment, returning and reissuing the same equipment to Marines who don’t need to turn in their gear can waste a lot of time, explained Creech.

  The CIF’s normal working hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. In emergency situations the facilities’ personnel can provide gear to Marines during the weekend or after hours.

  “Emergency issue has to be requested by I MEF through the COR (contracting officer representative) for the facility,” said Creech. “We can have personnel available for these types of issues even though they are rare since most units know ahead of time that they will be deploying.”

  The facility also checks all returned gear to ensure it only issues clean, serviceable gear.

  “All the items Marines wear against their skin, such as their sleeping bags and APECS (GORE-TEX) gear, go through our laundry service before we reissue them,” said Creech. “We also send everything that is broken or worn out to Camp Pendleton for repairs.”

  Items in need of repairs from everyday use, such as worn straps on a pack are taken no questions asked, but gear with more than everyday damage require the Marines to fill out a lost/damaged gear request, explained Creech.

  The Marine’s commanding officer must sign the statement in order to have the damaged gear removed from their records.

  The facility also allows Marines to exchange old gear they have for newer gear.

  If a Marine needs the digital camouflage GORE-TEX, they should bring in the old one and have it exchanged, according to Creech. Every MEF has similar procedures for their CIF.

  With a final receipt and a shopping cart loaded with combat gear, Marines aboard the station are prepared to deploy anywhere in the world.

  Marines may research their gear and check for updates using the Web sitewww.usmccif.com. This also allows them to keep track of their issued items.

  For more information about CIF, call 858-577-0221.