Warning: Not for the humour-impaired, though
there's a nugget of truth in most of the below. OK, sometimes it's a very
small nugget. Hope John enjoys it as much as I enjoyed his
possum-stirring. He has a nice turn of phrase,
"this beautifully orchestrated ballet of farm
implements" describing a well-executed breaching
operation perfectly.
From: "John Atkinson" <johnmatkinson@yahoo.com>
> Well, considering that Australia's last moment of
Actually John, you're correct. The Australian SAS currently in Afghanistan
spends most of its time in the
rear echelon - as did most Australian troops in Somalia
and elsewhere.
It's just that it's usually the *Enemy's* rear echelon. (insert BWAHAHAHA
here)
> In regards to the question of who is closest to the
I thought that was your mobile icecream makers. Thanks.
> pulling security
A Mug's game. Too risky by far for anyone with any brain cells to speak of.
Requires vast quantities of Cojones too. You're right in the middle of the
FEBA[a]. People get to shoot back at you. Cecil B. DeMille was right[b]
Far to the enemy's rear is a much safer place, the Intelligence Clerks,
Divisional Locating Batteries, Comms Centres and Supply weenies aren't
expecting trouble so far behind the lines. Some of em have never fired
a weapon, even on the range. Avoid the armed-to-the-
teeth MPs (of which they never have enough) and you're in clover. Beer.
Spirits. Ratpacks. POL.
And we get to call anyone who's tens or hundreds (or just very occasionally,
thousands) of km to our rear at the FEBA REMFs. Especially Combat Wombats ( ie
Combat Engineers) Pleases us no end.
> Now, in Australia you can't afford combined arms[1],
You mean the synergistic combination of InfoWar, SpaceWar, Diplomacy, PsyOps,
AgitProp and Conventional Warfare? Yes, we do all of the above.
> so you don't have this beautifully orchestrated ballet
Oh we do, we can watch you guys do this stuff all day. You're good at it, it
makes you happy, and against an enemy stupid enough to be where you're
assaulting, is bloody terrifying and vastly effective. Would be even more so
if you had some decent kit for the job, like the Poms or Germans have. Even
the Russkis, for that
matter. You have what, ACE and M-728? Good Grief.
> I'd suggest doing some
Why? That would spoil all the fun, to get all confused by mere facts...
besides which, when did that ever stop you? [ZING]
> [1]That would be where you have a variety of military
Chew gum AND walk at the same time? I can see that that might be a major
accomplishment in the US Army. Do they give out medals for it? They seem to
for everything else. Let's see, there's the "I forgot to duck" medal, the "6
months without VD" medal, the.....
> It helps to be able to afford tanks, artillery
We've got some of them. Not much. Enough to train against, maybe. Actually no,
you're right, not even enough for that. That's OK, the US Army is a great
OPFOR[d] when we want to boost our morale, and the USMC[e] when we want some
serious opposition.
> Oh, and have more than a brigade's worth of soldiers.
Oh, you need more than that? What Wusses!
[a] Forward Edge of the Battle Area. For the US Army, this
means "the front line". For the Australian Army, it means "nearly home."
[b] Who uttered the immortal phrase, "There's a sucker born
every minute."
[c] Charlie Brown. ACE = what, Armoured Combat Engineer
(vehicle)? Not the best US design ever produced, but not as
bad as the many critics have made it out to be. M-728 is an
obsolete M-60 Tank with a cut-down version of a british
Alan and Carmel Brain schrieb:
> That's OK, the US Army is a great OPFOR[d] when we want
A colleague of mine, who spent several years with the Bundeswehr is
fond of telling the following story (mid-1980's):
Night exercise. He is on a observation post with an old Unteroffizier (NCO).
Along come a bunch of US Army types in Jeeps/Humvee vehicles. Lights
blaring, music at full blast.
Unteroffizier: "******-Amis!"
My colleague: "But they wouldn't behave like that in a real war?"
Unteroffizier: "Don't bet on that!"
Greetings
LOL-LOL!
KARL, only one time and then the survivors-if any- would be both older
and wiser to the ways of war.
what your old untieroffizier did not tell you is that in peacetime manuevers
as well as as in combat, all armies have soldiers who are
idiots and semi-idiots who either get killed, wounded, cause the deaths
and injuries to others, before they wise up and learn this s for REAL!
way back in the 60s, i was all dressed up in this lurid green combat uniform
of American cut, wearing a red beret, and strolling through a Bundeswehr armor
laager one winter night, happily spray painting "BOOM! YOU ARE DEAD!" on AFVs,
commo vehicles, fuel tankers, tents, etc.
this was to the sounds of radios playing music, soldiers strolling about
lighting up cigarettes with what looked like hand held flame throwers,
clanking mess kits and canteens, shouted conversations, etc.
this was sooooo the next day the judges would have nooooo doubt what so ever
as to the status of the Bundeswehr unit when the sun came up the next morning.
then we retired to the forest, and awaited the uproar....
as they say in those TV credit credit commercials, PRICELESS!
LOL!
DAWGIE
Alan Brain
> Cecil B. DeMille was
I won't touch the rest of your post, since it's my firm belief that civilians
of ANY nationality have no right to razz soldiers of any nationality, but,
since the issue of doing research has come up, that was PT Barnum, not Cecil B
DeMille.
2B^2
> Why? That would spoil all the fun, to get all confused
ROTFLMAO........Over 20 years service, you forgot the
I've been a bright lad/lass award, or I've got the C.O.s
coffee award, I got through the FTX with out stubbing my big toe award, and
the most important of all the one that started most on their road to glory.
The I was to expensive to feed, mom told me to get out the house
> I won't touch the rest of your post, since it's my firm belief that
Criticise, no. Razz with tongue-in-cheek - another matter. Agree with
you in the main, just not in the details.
> but, since the issue of doing research has come up, that was PT
Thanks for the correction. Still, there are even more glaring innacuracies
> aebrain Wrote:
> > I won't touch the rest of your post, since it's my firm belief that
Isn't it weird that the misquote bothered me more than the rest? Shows you
what an odd bird I am.
2B^2
> Isn't it weird that the misquote bothered me more than the rest?
Shows you
> what an odd bird I am.
[quoted original message omitted]
> From: KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de (K.H.Ranitzsch)
Even
> soldiers sometimes get things wrong. Criticism is designed to put this
I agree with you when it comes to issues of importance, such as conduct,
etc. What I meant in my original comments was that when it comes to the
hardships soldiers endure, it would be inappropriate of me, a civilian with a
soft life, to belittle them.
2B^2
On Wed, 6 Feb 2002 06:25:16 +0100 KH.Ranitzsch@t-online.de
> (K.H.Ranitzsch) writes:
I can't shoot them?!!!!
<VBG>
I think....
Gracias,
> Karl Heinz wrote:
> >Pardon me, but in an open society, nobody should be beyond criticism
B Squared replied:
> I agree with you when it comes to issues of importance, such as
I think what it really comes down to is that the critic should know something
about what he or she is criticising.
Thus I don't consider myself to be qualified to criticise a team of skydivers
if they have an accident, or a team of oilriggers if they appear to cause a
spill. I'll leave that to people who have at least jumped out of an aeroplane
once, or someone who's a mineral geologist with field experience. Because I
know just enough about both areas to know that there's a lot more to it than
meets the eye.
It's not a moral or ethical issue, it's an issue of informed criticism vs
ignorant interference.
There are few areas of human endeavour - be it warfare, medicine, law,
engineering, or game design where unless you personally have some experience
"in the field" of attempting it, then your opinion is most likely useless as a
means of improving a situation.
> aebrain wrote:
> I think what it really comes down to is that the critic should know
Agreed.
2B^2
[quoted original message omitted]