Yardstick
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Posts
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Posts posted by Yardstick
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Thank you for the info.
Now I won't feel compelled to spend my leave sitting on BFC hitting f5! -
Most of the weapons in my units have had CCOs on them, non magnifying red dot sights. Tremendously useful at short ranges, easier to use at ranges up to 300m (in my experience on the range) but not a game changer at that distance. Only key leaders had ACOGs, which is an actual magnified sight. I think the benefit for US troops with standard M4s would actually be at short ranges where the CCO excels and not at long ranges, given the lack of ACOGs.
That varies unit to unit. The units that I have deployed with (4-64 AR and 3-15 IN, 4BDE, 3ID) used the "arms room" concept. We had enough M150 and M68 for each squad leader to tailor his squad how he saw fit. If I wanted to I could have have run nothing but M150s or M68s or a mix of the two. Additionally we had EOTech, Leupold MK4 CQ/T and Trijicon RX30s. I can't think of anytime since 2004 that I have not had ample variety of optics, lights and lasers available. I would hope BFC is basing the optic availability off of the current MToE.
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Keep in mind you are looking at a screenshot from someone else's machine. Your mileage may vary. I have the good fortune to look at them on my machine. I like em.
Regardless I am sure the modders will have a field day anyway. Variety of choices is a good thing.
Good point.
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Dont want to be that guy, but the multicam texture sample on the pouches is very small compared to that on the uniforms.
I agree. The textures look awful. I really hope they get sorted out.
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Played as US vs the AI. on my 10th try now, and I keep getting slaughtered. Has anyone played this one as US and won? What are the proper tactics? I like these tiny scenarios, because you really learn about tactics. Obviously, I need some education here! thanks for the help
After about 10 tries, my solution involved the scenario editor and an M7.
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Are we taking bets on whether or not this sorts out the Tiger II's textures?
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Thanks for the support, guys. I should be home in a matter of weeks and I plan on getting my mod on after I settle back in. Bil's icons came out great and really lend add to the atmosphere.
Thanks again.
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Thanks for updating this, I've been kicking the idea around but have been way too busy.
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Thanks, I've meaning to get around to that, but I've been kinda busy.
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I'm digging the half face half flag, very CMBOish
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Does the 3rd ID operate any strykers?
Nagatron.
Nice mod, btw.
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There are some mods from Scott Harrison for the US-Army that remove the protective mask carriers. But you alway see a few nasty black lines on every soldier on the same position like the protective mask carriers, that brakes it for me.
Is ist not possible to remove them without still having such black lines at the same position ?
I think that may be a graphic card issue. I noticed at lower settings the lines are more visible. You could try switching the MOLLE textures as described HERE. Good luck.
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Pot, meet kettle.
You know what's awesome? You have yet to refute any of my points. All of those quotes are out of context. Well played, sir. Do you work for MSNBC or Fox?
-OUT.
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Ok, so you don't get the flaw in the logic. No surprise.
And you are incapable of having an insult free argument. Grow up.
btw, feel free to look me up if you ever end up in GA.
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Angry, you are awesome. Love your logic.
For most people logic goes like this:
A) Fire is hot
This is a fire=> This is hot
For you it goes like this:
A) This is hot
Fire is hot=> This is a fire
See if you can figure out where it's broken. As a hint, I'll repeat something from the previous page:
Those guys were NOT in a warzone. The US were in THEIR city.
Baghdad cir 2007 was a war zone, I was there. It may be "their" city, but JAM chose to take up arms against us and the GoI. Seeing first hand the effects of sectarian violence and ethnic cleansing has kind of made me lose all sympathy or remorse for the likes of AQI and JAM. Plain and simple: though they may not have been actively engaging CF, the weapons they possessed, combined with their posture, proximity to CF and the level of activity in the AO makes them a threat. Read the 15-6, read the sworn statements, it all paints a much more clear picture of the chain of events that lead up to this.
@StalinsOrganist: The Iraqi Army has RPGs (and uniforms coincidently). They are the only "good Iraqis" authorized to do so. I cannot go into the specifics of ROE but I can tell you that possession of an RPG is a big no-go with us and the GoI. Read the 15-6, read the sworn statements, the s#!t was hitting the fan in that AO, CF were trading lead with JAM all over Sadr City. Hell it say so in the 15-6, "since Bravo Company had been in continuous contact since dawn." It looks pretty clear to me. Also, contrary to your belief, everyone in Iraq does not carry a gun and Iraqi police are as corrupt as they come. re: "the report said US troops under attack", the AWT assumed that the individuals that they were engaging were attempting to ambush a CF patrol that was already engaged. Read the 15-6, I can't say it enough.
Honestly, I would hate to be a US soldier or Marine these days, if only because while deployed I would be getting shot at or blown up at any given time, and while back home I would getting painted as a hero (by right-wing folks) or as a heartless civilian-slayer (by left-wing folks), both inaccurate labels. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I could careless about the right or the left, they are equally full of crap. To be honest, when I'm deployed, what people "back home" think is the furthest thing from my mind. Once you are "in-country" the only thing that matters is your squad and your platoon. And yes, I think wikilinks, collateralmurder, et al are a bunch of tools.
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This was not TIC.
There were undeniably TIC 'somewhere' in Bahgdad, or perhaps somewhere in Iraq, but it had not a lot to do wth the guys the Apaches killed.
The clearing element was a part of a larger operation tasked with clearing Sadr City of JAM and AIF. They had been in continuous contact since dawn. Crazyhorse ambushed the would be ambushers. Where is the problem? The journalists were with JAM. JAM had RPGs. Do you think they were planning on not using them? Do you think the journalists didn't intend to get some Pulitzer winning shot of a burning Bradley? I shed not a tear, they sealed their on fate when the decided to party with JAM. I feel like we are going in circles here.
@Dietrich re: "the Haditha incident", those guys were idiots and deserve far worse than they got.
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this wasn't exactly a firefight!
From the AR 15-6:
5. Bravo Company 2-16 Infantry had been under sporadic small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenade fire since OPERATION ILAAJ began at dawn on the morning of the 12th of July. The company had the mission of clearing their sector and looking for weapons caches. Two Apache helicopters from the 1st Cavalry Division (call signs “Crazyhorse 18” and “Crazyhorse 19”) were in direct support to the ground maneuver force and were monitoring the Bravo Company radio frequency.
6. The following sequence of events is derived from a review of the gun-camera film. The gun camera film was a video burned onto a compact disk which I received from my legal advisor. The video provided me an accurate timeline of events and allowed me to corroborate or deny other eye witness testimony received as evidence. However, it must be noted that details which are readily apparent when viewed on a large video monitor are not necessarily apparent to the Apache pilots during a live-fire engagement. First of all, the pilots are viewing the scene on a much smaller screen than I had for my review. Secondly, a pilot’s primary concern is with flying his helicopter and the safety of his aircraft. Third, the pilots are continuously tracking the movement of friendly forces in order to prevent fratricide. Fourth, since Bravo Company had been in continuous contact since dawn, the pilots were looking primarily for armed insurgents. Lastly, there was no information leading anyone to believe or even suspect that noncombatants were in the area. Although useful, an analysis of the engagement captured on the video is beyond the scope of my investigation and the subject of a collateral investigation. The digits appearing before the exhibit are the time derived from the Apache video footage, 0619:37 is 0600 hours, 19 minutes, and 37 seconds, Greenwich Mean or ZULU time. Baghdad local time is 4 hours later.
Continuous contact since dawn. The had been taking SAF and RPG fire since dawn, the operation was one huge movement to contact. How is that not a "fire fight"?
I do take issue with the statement "there was no information leading anyone to believe or even suspect that noncombatants were in the area." In any type of COIN scenario there are always going to be noncombatants in the area. Always.
@BigDuke:
Bradleys, as CMSF teaches us, very often can sustain an RPG hit. The helicopters even if they didn't fire had fantastic observation, air supremacy remember, which made a successful ambush of the Bradley guys pretty much impossible.You didn't really just use CMSF as a point of reference on the BFVs survivability did you? It's a video game, guy. BF.C even said they were forced to guesstimate the armor values for the Abrams and the Bradley. In addition to that, it's a freckin' video game. I have a hard time believing that you would feel comfortable denying air support to TIC based on something like "oh, it's only RPGs, they should be fine."
Edited to add: Well, the sworn statements are finding their way onto the internet. CLICK ME. I would suggest we all take a look at them if we want to continue this discussion and formulate informed opinions rather than spewing conjecture. YMMV.
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what this guy said
they saw what they wanted to see
interested to know if it has been established whether the armed guys were insurgents or hired guards?
Looks like an RPG to me. Hired guards or not, an RPG is a serious no go.
CLICK ME here is a copy of the findings of the 15-6. I'm sure the uncensored version will find it's way onto the net soon.
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Back off people. Angryson wasn't all that off base and doesn't warrant all the snide remarks, much less from folks who should know better.
You really deploying to Ramadi? I thought that had been ceremoniously handed back to the IA.
I guess I need to finish up my downtown Ramadi map soon (2 years in the works and counting!) and send it over so you can mark it up.
Thank you.
To answer your question, yes. As far as I know we are still there in an advisory role.
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You are grasping at narrower and narrower straws of supposition. You've convinced yourself of this "Same van" theory based upon a comment from one member here. It's not mentioned in the transcript or any of the analysis since then.
Negative. I watched the video and made my decision based on that. Watch the full video, look for traffic on the roads. The only thing moving in that muhalla is the black van. Show where I am wrong.
At this point, it is safe to assume that we are both set in our opinions. I think we should agree to disagree and leave it at that. Thanks for keeping this civil.
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How do you know that?
It's pretty obvious in the video. No helmet, no vest, nothing proclaiming "press".
For driving around in their own neighbourhood? Or for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? No blame hey on the gun jockeys making an over eager call?I don't believe for a second that they were innocently cruising around their neighborhood. At the time, mind you this is Sadr City at the height of the surge, their 'hood was a really, really dangerous place. If you watch the full video
you will notice a distinct lack of vehicular traffic. You will also notice that the same van that dropped the journalists off is the one that returned to do CASEVAC. I'm sure the AWT factored that in prior to zapping the van. One more thing, the poo seriously hit the fan on that street corner. Who takes their kids into a situation like that? They were aiding enemy combatants, that is not something you do with your kids in the car.The AWT on the other hand, sure, they were eager, they didn't want the only surviving AIF to escape. I'm sure they saw it like this: If that guy could have been captured he may have yielded some decent intel that would drive future operations. If they couldn't capture him, then they could at least prevent his escape. Were they eager? Hell yes and rightly so, they felt that they were protecting the TIC and preventing US casualties.
Anyhow, the RPGs and AKs are irrefutable.
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If the minivan was previously identified moments before as carrying combatants, then it's a legitimate target even if picking up wounded. Personnel carriers and their crews don't get a pass because they happen to be carrying wounded or heading rearward.
This.
Either way, the journalists were "embedded" with JAM, they weren't wearing their press corps PPE, PRESS placards or anything that would ID them as such. They played with fire and they got burned. As far as the wounded children are concerned, their parents are solely responsible.
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If they are not wearing unforms they are illegal combatants, potential insurgents policing the scene and to be killed. If they are wearing uniforms they are enemy combatants and can be killed....
Four legs good.
First responders, as in ambulance with paramedics. If the van had been marked with the red crescent it would not have been engaged. First Responders is really the key phrase in the sentence you quoted.
Also, as MSBoxer pointed out, the same van appears to have dropped off some of the individuals prior to the engagement.
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Well, as we are entitled to our opinions, I found this to be a more accurate analysis:
Jawa Report
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/201878.php
Video Shows Reuters Camerman With Insurgents Being Killed [bUMPED/UPDATED: Vidcaps Show Weapons]
Contrary to all of the "context" given by Wiki Leak which try to lead the viewer into thinking the US Military "murdered" several Iraqis including two who worked for Reuters, the video clearly runs contrary to the narrative.
I've embedded the Wiki Leak video below. Just ignore all the propaganda they write before and after the video and watch it.
A crowd of men surround at least two armed insurgents. The voices indicate that a Bradley and some Humvees are headed in the direction and that a recent engagement has taken place.
So, the helicopter pilot and ground controllers see armed men with a convoy approaching and taking fire and .... Wiki Leak has the nerve to call this murder?
They've even embedded it on a site they call "Collateral Murder."
These people are beyond stupid, they're evil.
Worst case scenario this is a few innocent being accidentally killed in the fog of war.
But the video doesn't even appear to be worst case scenario. It appears, in fact, that the video shows armed insurgents engaging or about to engage US troops. The Reuters camera men had embedded themselves with the insurgents. This makes them enemy combatants themselves and should have been shot.
Reuters has a long history of its local stringers embedding themselves with terrorist forces. Perhaps they do this because they are sympathetic, perhaps they do this to get "the story", but it matters little to those engaging insurgents.
When you embed yourselves with terrorists you know the risk. You are producing propaganda for them. You have become one of them.
Anything less than this understanding is purposeful naivite about "objective journalism". In war there can be no objective journalism. You're either with us or the enemy. If you want to stay neutral stay out of the war zone.
As for those who went in to pick up the bodies? Perhaps they were innocents. I've no idea.
But you drive your van into an active military engagement? What the hell were you thinking?
You are stupid. Innocent, but stupid. You're asking to be killed.
And if you brought children into the midsts of an ongoing military engagement that makes you more than stupid: it makes you criminally negligent.
"It's their fault for bringing their kids to a battle," says one of the Americans on the video. Indeed it is.
People, this is war. This happens in war. It can't be avoided. If you want to end civilian casualties then end war. Start by asking armed Islamists to put down their weapons. But you won't do that because your real objection isn't war, it's America. Which is why anti-war activists around the globe never protest al-Qaeda, only America.
They're not anti-war, they're anti-American.
Again, watch it. It's tragic, yes. War is tragic.
It seems there are a lot of facts that some members of this board wish to ignore. During the BDA, the unit on the ground confirmed the presence of multiple RPG launchers and multiple RPG rounds. That is a fact. In addition to that, the AWT in question was responding to a report of Troops in Contact in one of the worst muhallas in Baghdad. New Baghdad is damn near in Sadr City, that area had one of the highest IED rates in the AOR during the summer of 07. Historically, Sadr City has been a breeding ground for JAM and JAM-SG. It is a very violent, very dangerous place. So, we have: TIC in Sadr City. AIF armed with AKs and RPGs spotted in the vicinity of the patrol that is in contact. Explain to me how this is not a righteous kill?
As far as putting 30mm into the unmarked van is concerned, it wasn't marked as a first responder and the occupants were not wearing any type of uniform that would identify them as first responders. It is not unreasonable to believe that they were AIF aiding know AIF. AIF TTPs include "cleaning the scene" to remove all weapons IOT make it appear that the US is intentionally targeting civilians.
@Sergei, AQI and JAM are some seriously bad people. We are talking world class rotten human beings. Ask me how I know. In addition to that, white, black and brown has nothing to do with it. Maybe you haven't noticed but Islamic extremism covers a pretty broad spectrum of skin tones. What exactly are you inferring btw?
@JonS, I do not live under the premise that every human being is some how my brother. That may work for you, but not for me. My reasons for voluntarily going back to Iraq multiple times are my own. I am not going to attempt to explain them to you. In addition to that, if you wish to continue to throw insults, let me know when you will be in coastal Georgia and we can sort this out.
This is a fire
1/75th Ranger Regt Mod
in CMSF Scenario and Mod Design Forum
Posted
I really should dive back into this. It's cool to see little parts of this live on in other's mods lol.