nor would there be any reason to do so immediately next to a major FOB with regular helicopter patrols and helicopters on alert........I’ve gone jogging within sight and easy rifle range of this road many times.
I'm sure that you're right. I used my post as an example of using civilians as cover and the way somebody could use a rolling ambush.
I have no knowledge about the lay of the land on that road. But just an FYI, there are several ways to conduct ambush operations on blocked and unblocked roads. As long as I had time and support of the locals, I'm sure that with IED's, mortars, automatic weapon fire and RPGs I might be able to make parts of a road not fun to jog on. The choppers would be the dicey part of the problem.
But if I wanted to kill choppers with some Igla or strela missiles then I'd make sure the ambush was an easy hop from the airfield.
From what your saying this was just Marines gone wild. The whole unit. I just find it tough to buy what your selling here.
If you spend 6 months training to kick ass no questions asked, and are put into an area where counterinsurgency tactics say ‘work with the locals and pass up opportunities unless you are completely certain of the target’...bad things will happen, particularly during the first few months.
I almost believed some of the stuff you posted till you wrote this cr#p. You don't know anything about Marine or even Army training and are blowing smoke, pal.
I don't know much, but I know counter-insurgency at the tactical level. Learned a little in Indonesia, a little more in Central America and a tiny bit more in Africa and a lot in India.
Marines are never trained to just "Kick ass, no questions asked" The old Marine Corps caveman cr#p went out a long time ago.
Maybe the good officer is showing the locals how much he loves them by bagging the whole unit up for "killing innocent civilians". But there comes a point where the insurgents use our laws against us.
That's what this whole legal flogging for good judgement is doing to us. It inserts a moment of hesitation during a fight that might cripple us and result in soldiers and Marines dying.
I know that it's just the area commander's way of letting the populace know that we don't tolerate the murder of innocent civilians. But the flip side is the morale crushing this does to what may turn out to be a good counter ambush response.
...... Now for the good stuff, I don't know you from a cow pie, but how exactly were you trained to respond to an ambush?
The reason I ask is because of the way you described the Marines as going off without thinking and implying that they lied and they covered up for it. You obviously had the answer and need to educate us, .... me, in the correct response to an ambush.
Believe what you want, but this is not a case of mean Army guys or butt-kissing paper pushers conducting a witch hunt based on press accounts./i>
thanks, I'll believe what I want then.
i'll send the good general the sanitary wipes for his nose and some industrial strength chap stick. ......