Posted on 06/15/2004 6:13:24 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
Our modern generals might give a lot of lip service to protecting the force, but any way you cut it, what's going on in Iraq is criminal. Clearly there's a disconnect. The brass need to spend less time in their luxurious lakefront palaces and get down on the ground with the troops. Maybe then they'll develop a greater sense of urgency about what's really needed on those killer roads the same way the 88th Division commanding general, Maj. Gen. Bryant E. Moore, did with us back in Italy and then again in Korea where he was eventually killed as a corps commander leading from the front.
This is the military version of class warfare rhetoric. I doubt having a Corps commander killed will be all that helpful.
Numerous vehicles could be procured that would provide superior protection, such as the Mamba, Scarab, Cougar, Cobra, Dingo, Eagle IV, VBL, RG-31 and ASV. Most were not invented here and have no patrons in the Senate.
Hackworth's stock has gone way down with me, too. He's too psychotic to be considered a patriot.
My son called the other night and just happened to mention that he had been downgraded from a more substantial vehicle to a humvee. He said it was an armoured vehicle so I don't know if that means it had metal plates attached to it. He only goes out on missions weekly so they gave the other vehicle to patrols that go out daily. I pray a lot.
Ditto..
I try to look a the Hack's stuff objectively even though my opinion of him is that he's a tired ole discredited "hack".
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The new RPG-27 and 29 series seem to answer that question...we can't. And I doubt a 152MM-155MM IED would find an APC impervious. That just wasn't my experience in VN.
Do I wish we could have a "space-age" type vehicle that would survive multiple hits from RPGs after being first blown-up by an IED? Of course.
We constantly hear the "experts" say we need to move to a more rapid, mobile Force. This by definition implies lighter weight vehicles. There are reasons why SUVs don't make it to the Daytona 500...
I don't like Hackworth but I'm with him on this, get those boys some armor.
The was a post here a few days ago about a Marine ambush engagement where they had no Air. Where are the A-10s? Where was Marine Air?
Where are the Tanks in these convoys? What are the Ops Officers doing?IMHO
What's this with "Terrible Tito's terrorists?" If I recall correctly, we helped Tito's resistance fighters, and later the Russians occupied Yugoslavia after pushing out the Germans.
Now Hackworth wants to be the new Ralph Nader. I have a good title for him: "Unsafe at any speed."
Hackworth went off the rails on Iraq and he has lost most of his old audience. Now he's desperate for attention.
It's not that the army isn't trying to obtain as many armored Humvees as possible. They simply can't be produced quickly enough.
The up-armors are fairly secure. Mr. AQGeiger had an IED go off right next to his, and he had only ringing in his ears afterward. If he were in a regular Humvee, I'd be a widow right now.
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Is Mr. AQGeiger still over there?
No. He returned from an eleven-month deployment this past February. Unfortunately, he's already being prepared for the next go-round. He'll be back in Iraq by February 2005 at the latest.
Agreed. I almost never post his stuff. In this case I made an exception. He is about 75% right, here.
Shoot, by then Anaconda will be main post for Camp Reagan, which will have ranges and training areas and impact areas out to the Syrian border, and the 11th ACR to be the OPFOR. By 2010 it will be an accompanied tour. Gotta think positively.
Gen Metz basically said " his troops are not trained"
Well general, instead of acting like a democrat - how about teaching them how to drive!
While I was in Recon, we would take our jeeps all through the mountains at Camp Pendleton learning how to handle them in very rough terrain. We did lose a jeep once in a while down a ravine.
The desert training at 29 Palms was easier. Remember "Rat Patrol" on TV? That's what we trained for at 29-Palms back in the 70's
"Where are the Tanks in these convoys?"
Convoys do not use air cover, nor tanks! Tanks cannot help, air cover? unless you put a helicopter hovering right above --- wouldn't the terrorist like that!
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