posted
The sad thing is that the US Military is still disturbing cavalier about friendly-fire deaths. The official line is constantly "It's a war, this stuff happens" and everyone keeps buying it.
The US Army will spend billions upgrading their rifles so that when 10 Americans and 10 Iraqis get in a firefight, instead of 4 Americans biting it before all the Iraqis are killed, only 3 will. Billions. Nobody has the gonads to stand up and point out that the majority of their casualties aren't coming from hostile fire so money might be better spent ensuring young Pvt. Hazzard doesn't shoot the guy who sleeps in the next bunk.
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
It goes without saying that one can never be fully trained for combat without first being in combat.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Linear thinking? Problem solving was needed while I was in, then again, maybe that was only in the combat arms specialties. A lot of our training times were spent with a problem and coming up with the best ways to solve it, varying from taking out enemy positions to refueling from a disabled refueling truck.
Vehicle indentification was also a class we had to take often, but, with the end of the cold war era it may have fallen off to the way side a bit. Knowing weather or not a track had a Christi track system or not was a big help in the world I tell ya!!!
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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Interesting turn of phrase a military spokesman used in describing how they can move forward from this incident - about avoiding "the loss of potential non-combatants." Guilty until proven innocent, anyone? Now, while the latest in a long line of idiotic US militaryspeak, it does point to a certain shift in the attitude of Coalition forces. From people eager and waiting to be liberated, to an invaded and resentful population any one of whom could be a threat. . . They're starting to wise up at last.
posted
Intresting.... How come none of these kind of vets come 'round here? How come I get stuck with the jerks, wierdos, and dweebs? (isn't that a Cher song?)
quote:Originally posted by Ritten: Then why did you say it???
Linear thinking? Problem solving was needed while I was in, then again, maybe that was only in the combat arms specialties. A lot of our training times were spent with a problem and coming up with the best ways to solve it, varying from taking out enemy positions to refueling from a disabled refueling truck.
Vehicle indentification was also a class we had to take often, but, with the end of the cold war era it may have fallen off to the way side a bit. Knowing weather or not a track had a Christi track system or not was a big help in the world I tell ya!!!
-------------------- Like A Bat Out Of Hell...
Registered: Aug 2001
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I have a terrible suspicion that this latest event was staged by Fedayeen.
It could easily have gone down like this:
Fedayeen thugs grab two or three families. They crowd the women and kids into a vehicle, and tell them "run the chackpoint, or we're cutting off your husbands'/fathers'/sons' hands, feet, and faces, slowly."
KNOWING that this is the same group which suffered casualties from the taxi suicide bomber, and that they probably WOULD fire on a vehicle which refused to stop, out of self-defense.
It fits with SOP of the Fedayeen, and it fits with one of their main goals, to manufacture civilian casualties and blame it on the US troops.
Plus, if it HADN'T worked, they could have tried the same thing a little later with real fighters.
Just a theory, which happens to fit the facts.
First "you wanna lower civilian casualties? Kill the Fedayeen!" of Two
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Styrofoaman : Don't know, hey, need an employee???
First: Yes, that would fit, but will the world see it that way? After all, the part of the world that watches that Arabic News Network believes the Coalition is being routed....
Registered: Sep 2000
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quote:Originally posted by Ritten: Styrofoaman : Don't know, hey, need an employee???
Gaah! Two weeks too late. Ask again in September.
quote: First: Yes, that would fit, but will the world see it that way? After all, the part of the world that watches that Arabic News Network believes the Coalition is being routed.... [/QB]
Maybe we are... Can you trust CNN to deliver the truth?
-------------------- Like A Bat Out Of Hell...
Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
The choices: A. The Iraqi Ministers are honest people B. The reports in the field have some integrity C. They are all really having tea, relaxing in a palace
Which to believe, even in some minimal form....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
The choices: A. The Iraqi Ministers are honest people B. The reports in the field have some integrity C. They are all really having tea, relaxing in a palace
Which to believe, even in some minimal form....
Okay, depending on what this summer brings, if I can't get out of here, or don't start drinking, I send you my resume in September....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Now that's scary - when I first heard about the incident, I had exactly the same thought as Rob.
Final analysis, though, does it matter how this tragedy happened? The victims are still dead; the soldiers at the checkpoint. . . well, fact remains they could have handled things better. That's for their consciences to decide. I just hope it doesn't make them hesitate when a real threat confronts them.
posted
fact remains they could have handled things better
How so?
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Yes. Silly Omega. Even our definitions of 'better' diverge wildly. Mine would be "gee, um, I dunno, maybe they could, like, you know, have fired a warning shot when ordered to do so?" whereas Omega's preferred choice would be to shoot any carloads full of civilian dark people on sight.
Registered: Jul 2000
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