An Avalanche of Tank Fire?

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

I looove to hear from the people who look down their noses at “lesser†jobs in general and the military specifically. Ironically though, these armchair quarterbacks always seem to have a strong opinion about things they;

1. Are either “too good for†or “too smart forâ€.
2. Or know nothing about in the first place.

Indeed there will always be friendly casualties in war, because there is NO way to completely eliminate fratricide in a combat environment. But consider this; let’s say you are behind the wheel of a nondescript car in a war zone. You are approaching a foreign checkpoint manned by soldiers who have lost many friends and fellow troopers via car bombs and IED’s. Are you going to be surprised when they light you up because you not only failed to stop, but failed to even slow down?! Those things don’t exactly pop up out of nowhere ya know!

 

[slimxl99]

well yeah I scored high on the asvab and coulda had any job i wanted but I decided to at least sit out iraq before I enlist in the reserves, since so many reservists are being called up. Infantry has the lowest requirements. Only point I was making is that their might be some real impulsive guys runnin the checkpoints, that combined with the fear of death makes for itchy triggers.

It just a damn shame that a highly trained special agent is dead. those guys arent a dime a dozen

 

[papaone]

Slim

Hey Slim, you talk about impulsive, your impulsiveness caused you to jump to conclusions and degrade men in uniform without knowing all the facts. This does not show much for your I.Q. Remember amigo, it is the infantry that gives your sorry hide the freedom to say what you want to on this open forum.

God bless the infantry.

 

[nico]

It just a damn shame that a highly trained special agent is dead

yes it is. It's noone's fault but the driver of the car.

those guys arent a dime a dozen

neither are US infantrymen.

 

[carebear]

well yeah I scored high on the asvab and coulda had any job i wanted but I decided to at least sit out iraq before I enlist in the reserves, since so many reservists are being called up

Whatever job you end up with, with the personal courage and integrity you so proudly claim, I'm sure you'll be very popular and respected.

Or will your reasoning change after you finally check in at your unit. When you are explaining your delay in enlistment to the guys who came back from actually serving? I'm sure your fellow high-achievers, officer's and enlisted, will be very impressed with your perspicacity.

As a Sergeant of Marines (Infantry/Recon), I valued honor, integrity, skills and common sense more than just a little fancy book larnin' in my boys.

But stick with the superciliousness and ignorance of reality, it's working for you.

 

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

Lemmie get this straight, you took the ASVAB which means you were considering the military (either active or reserves), but when faced with the possibility of deploying to a combat zone, you decided to “wait it out� You do know what the mission of a “military†actually is don’t you? It’s not all steady paycheck and GI bill you know. NOONE should even think about joining the military until they realize they may be called upon to do things they consider to be unpleasant. If you think “waiting it out†is even an option, then you have no business cashing even one paycheck from an ARMED service of any kind.

 

[nico]

this guy sounds like the type who joins the reserves and goes AWOL or sues the government when he gets called up.

 

[Intune]

...coulda had any job i wanted but I decided to at least sit out iraq before I enlist in the reserves, since so many reservists are being called up.

With that gung-ho attitude you'll make a great REMF.

It just a damn shame that a highly trained special agent is dead. those guys arent a dime a dozen

Do you feel such angst when our "dime a dozen" 11B's die?

High score? Please. Grade yourself for your last paragraph. Rethink joining any branch of the U.S. military. Perhaps Italy is looking for a few good "high scoring" boys. I know of at least one position that's open.

 

[CraZYWiLLiE]

I spent 2 years in Naples Italy 77-80, the caribineiere are a bunch of trigger happy puppies. The Italians always praised AMERICANS for freeing them of nazis.

This biotch is a liar. PERIOD. and the truth will come out, always does.

If I was there, that car would have been toast.
Rule #1 cover your arse. worry about the repurcussions later.
What if they were rouge bombers, a bunch of grunts would be toast.

Too bad the intell officer wasnt intelligent enought to just STOP.

I too know a few over there, and want them back safe.

Too bad the $$ is going to keep terrorists with weapons...sucks.

 

[slimxl99]

I have a friend who just came back so I know what its all about. The reason I sat it out is because im going to college at the moment and was planing on doing that at the same time as being in the reserves. Im not afraid of going to Iraq but if I was called up school would have to be put on hold. For me the army will be a side thing, not a career. The benefits are decent and it is something id like to say I did down the road.

Im sorry of making our soldiers lives seem cheap, sorry about that, they are not. Like I said I had a friend who just came back.

I just think that somebody got nervous and lit up that car. I dont think their was any conspiracy theory.

 

[Stand_Watie]

well yeah I scored high on the asvab and coulda had any job i wanted but I decided to at least sit out iraq before I enlist in the reserves, since so many reservists are being called up.

I hope you'll share your thinking with your fellow recruits at basic.

 

[MrMurphy]

I was accepted for service (USAF) Monday, will swear in probably this coming Monday or Tuesday. It's taken me two years, hundreds of phone calls, surgery, I've outlasted three recruiters, the one I've got now has gotten pregnant and had a kid and gotten promoted while I've waited.

I've endured dozens of stops and waits and holds thanks to the Surgeon General's CYA-fest. I could have simply gone Army and been gone in a week, but I wanted Air Force, since I'm going career. And I'll have a wife by the time I'm out of tech school, and the AF treats their people better.

I pretty much maxed the ASVAB and can have any job I want. I chose intelligence since it is my field and it runs in the family.

They've told me with certain jobs (Like Security Forces, etc) it's a guarantee I'd be going to Iraq, the Stan, etc within a year. I told them, "So?" You're in the military, there's a war on, don't bitch when they send you there. Already been to the middle east as a tourist, this time I get to shoot back. I've been shot at before, and then I COULDN'T shoot back (with ammo at least).
I had a stable, steady job as a senior staff photographer for an NBC affiliate and I left it for this because the country needs people, and it's where I belong. If I'd stayed in the TV biz I'd be working and making $5,000 a month or so now. Instead, I'm waiting for word on when I go to basic.

I'm not going cause of the money. I'm going because it's where I need to be.

 

[shep854]

MrMurphy, thank you for stepping up.

 

[Warbow]

I just think that somebody got nervous and lit up that car.

You're damn right they got nervous. You would get nervous, too, if you knew that one of the tactics of the insurgents is to load their vehicle with explosives and then drive up to checkpoints, without stopping, and then detonate their payload in an attempt to kill you.

If there's a car coming and whoever is driving it ignores all commands and signs telling them to stop, it gets "lit up." It sucks that the Italian officer died, but it was solely his fault for not following proper checkpoint procedure.

 

[13A]

always remember:

Looney Leftists Lie

 

[SRYnidan]

Slimxl99

I don’t think that you should wait until Iraq is over. I suggest that you just don’t bother joining at all.

First please look up the base wording of the acronym for ASVAB and you will find out that it stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery and has nothing to do with IQ and does not even try to gauge it. As a note it is sometimes not very good at that if the test taker has any experience in the area at all.

Second remember that the 11Bravos are the dog and all the rest are mostly tail in one way or another. Contrary to the movie the dog wags the tail not the other way around.

Third people who look down their noses at other Military Occupational Specialties , Air force Specialty Codes or what ever are equivalent in the other services generally get to sleep on the cold, wet, bug infested ground when the supply Sergeant can’t find their ground sheet, sleeping bag, mosquito net . Those who think these thing as accidents may have high IQ’s but low social and common sense skills.

It is really easy to shoot ones mouth off in the warm / cool air-conditioned comfort of the land of the big BX. The judgments get harder when you are cold/hot, tired, scared and have helped load two of your own into the ambulance.

Stay home and play with the other children the military can do well with out a weight (look up what that means in the real military) like you.

MSgt USAF Retired

:banghead: