Vet 0369

This! To distill this whole thing down: 1) Remember our own history. In the American Revolution of 1775, a maximum of 33% of the population of the thirteen British Colonies even supported the Revolution. Of that one third that supported it, only about one-third of them i.e. one ninth or 16.5 % of the entire population, actively supported it. And, there was a full 33% of the entire population that “actively” opposed it. 2) Always plan for the worse case scenario. This is something that for some reason, most military and political leaders do not do. If the Joint Staff War Colleges are teaching that leaders must do this, it is apparent that most leaders aren’t listening, maybe because they’re smarter than everyone else, otherwise, they wouldn’t be the leaders?

Holy Mackerel! WOW, great to hear from you! Hang in there and stay low and safe. I had just been wondering how you were doing.

Cue my post some hundreds of pages ago on how in 1973, the U.S.M.C. ran mandatory classes that taught us that the majority of humanity doesn’t care who rules them as long as they have the necessary creature comforts such as food, water, shelter, and etc.

It’s all about money! The African operations contributes Billions to the Russian government and Putin directly.

I would advance my “opinion” that in each individual viewpoint, the individual’s perception is the ONLY REALITY for that individual.

Boy, does that sound really familiar! Just like when we came home to the States from Fleet Marine Force, Western Pacific in the 1960s and 1970s. The “good youth, led by Jane Fonda” of L.A. and San Francisco would spit on us and call us “Baby Killers.”

Either that or he’s a Ukrainian sympathizer. Probably figured that since the column had been creamed, it was “worth a shot” (see what I did there) to get rid of someone.

Whelp, I believe the Gripen IS designed specifically for low-level ground anttack and ANTI-SHIP missions, although I believe it’s a pretty competent fighter also. I have an AJS-37 Viggen in DCS, and it has some pretty amazing capabilities for an upgraded 1970s to 1990s aircraft.

Gee, I wonder if USAF Pilots could resign their commissions and volunteer for the UKR Air Force, sort of like the Navy, Marine, and Arny Air Corps pilots did to form the “Original” Flying Tigers in China before the U.S. entered WWII?

Also, it is possible that this is part of the UKR PsyOps. The first thing you do with a prisoner, is to strip him of all his equipment and search him to ensure that he isn’t retaining anything he can use to harm you. The second is to evacuate him out of the danger zone. Prisoners might have information that is too valuable to risk him being killed. You don’t leave him lying next to a weapons position that is a prime target. In the vid, the prisoner is just lying there in full gear. Maybe that single shot at the end was him killing the gunner with a hidden handgun. It did sound like a pistol shot, not a rifle shot.

Hmmm, that single shot at the end of th vid is certainly ominous! I hope it wasn’t what I think it could be.

Probably drank some plutonium tea.

Absolutely dead on! One should always leave an escape route open unless you are trying to force a surrender of the force. The decision all depends on the opponent’s propensity to surrender when faced with insurmountable odds. This is why we train to gain access to the highest floor we reach, through different means. When you drive the opponent up, it traps them and most will fight like cornered rats. When you drive them down from above, they will even risk automatic weapons fire to escape from the lowest floors.

A U.S.M.C. Battalion and Air Wing Squadron are commanded by a Lt. Col. A U.S.M.C. Regiment and Marine Air Group (MAG) are commanded by a full Col, which is equivalent to a Navy Captain.

Wow, it might be simply your observation, but it’s incredibly shallow!

In the U.S., a Major is the Executive of a Battalion.

Not completely accurate. FDR invented “Lend-Lease,” and Congress enacted the Lend-Lease Act to help both Britain and the Soviet Union (after Germany began Barbarossa) quite a while before Pearl Harbor. Both used many U.S. vehicles and aircraft. Probably not as much as they wanted, but they still got a lot.

This might be the main reason for UKR’S probing attacks. If you can find a way to threaten the flanks and force the enemy to withdraw to consolidate its flanks, then you can breach the mine fields at your relative leisure. I suspect that at some point we will see a process of clearing the AP mines using the “splody fired” methods followed up by infantry on foot to clear away any antitank or AFV munitions, then plows to remove the lion’s share of anti vehicular mines. I suspect we’ll see at some point we’ll see a coordinated

Well, everyone should be watching and taking care of their privates.

The fact that the vehicles are still in column suggests to me that the engines of each one is toast. If my engine was still operable, I suspect someone would have taken the place of any dead or wounded drivers and driven away, even with the flat tires.

Ok, I think this is a a pretty common misconception. Yes, there was a smaller chance that Guardsmen both Army National Guard (ANG) and Air National Guard being activated and sent to Vietnam, it wasn’t a sure thing. The Air National Guard actually mobilized 11 units on January 25, 1968, a week before the Tet Offensive. Three more ANG units were mobilized on May 13. ANG units deployed to Vietnam and South Korea. Also on May 13, 34 Army National Guard units were mobilized, with many of their 12,234 members levied to active-duty units. Eight Army Guard units deployed intact to Vietnam, with the first arriving in August of 1968. That was just a few of the deployments. There were other, less sure ways to avoid being sent to Vietnam, but it came down to being in the “right place at the right time.” Personal example; in 1969, I enlisted just before High School graduation, in the Marine Corps for four years (with an Aviation Guaranty as I had passed the entry tests with a high enough score) so I wouldn’t be drafted into the Army Infantry for two years which would have guaranteed being sent to Vietnam. In Recruit Training at Paris Island, S.C., my general college test scores were high enough to qualify for Aviation and for Marine Officer Candidate School. When I was offered OCS (without aviation) and a two-year extension of active duty (six years), I weighted my options and remained enlisted because I felt sure that I would graduate as a Second Lt. Rifle Platoon Leader and be sent straight to Vietnam, do not pass go, do not collect $200. When I was sent to Fleet Marine Corps, Western Pacific, I received orders in Okinawa. We were in a long line to receive orders and the orders were Chu Lai for about five sets, but mine were for Iwakuni , Japan. Our Phantoms were F-4 J models that were too new to be allowed to deploy to a war zone, so we never were. I simply lucked out on that one even though I tried to transfer to Chu Lai, but didn’t succeed because they stopped split tours. I personally take exception to the concept that joining an “alternative” Service of any type was done simply to avoid being sent to Vietnam. Anyone could join the Guard if they tested high enough. So the politicians who spouted the “he joined the Guard to avoid Vietnam” were just spouting BS. For what it’s worth, I actually researched the history of the region, and our involvement there, and will completely agree that the whole thing was a complete travesty and lie fostered by our top politicians. Sorry for the wall of text Steve, but those types of “observations” tend to infuriate me.

It all depends on the velocity and mass of the fragment when it hits that cast iron block. Cast iron is not particularly resistant to penetration, especially small fragments of a very dense metal that is traveling at a very high velocity after being ejected by the explosive power of a HIMARS. I remember when I used a cast iron fry pan for target practice, set on edge at 100 yards using a 30-06 1956 Czech Mauser K95. I put eight rounds of 30-06 “silver tip” hunting rounds (not even full jacketed) completely through it without knocking it over. Don’t judge by size, judge by impact energy, and cast iron isn’t very resistant to impact energy.

Yes, of course they were.! Everyone knows that the best defensive is a good offense!

And Pres. Z is going to immediately induct all of the ones who haven’t served into the Army so they can serve Ukraine while earning a soldier’s pay. I like that idea!

All humans whether we want to admit it to others, or even to ourselves are tribal, and will ultimately identify and align with others of our “tribe” as defined by our shared values, morality, shared heritage, and goals.