NationStates Jolt Archive

So I gave in, bite me. Any questions ask away.

What's it like slapping the faces of me and every other Muslim with this simple statement made by you?:

I like being on the ground. More fun, more souveneirs. I have a peice of the 7th holiest site in Islam, never could have grabbed that in a Cobra.

Give me a good explanation for that.

What's it like slapping the faces of me and every other Muslim with this simple statement made by you?:



Give me a good explanation for that.

<shrug> shit happens. spoils of war. And so on. Anyone else?

Which Iraqi war? Uno, or Dos?

Which Iraqi war? Uno, or Dos?

Dos

Dos

In that case, tell me everything I should know, in case I get deployed.

<shrug> shit happens. spoils of war. And so on. Anyone else?
Uh-huh. So you continue to prove my point that adults are screwing over our country and that I should stand by and watch you do that with a smile on my face? Wouldn't have been as bad if you didn't act like it wasn't a big deal.

Dos

So how does it feel to be in a War that President Bush lied about the evidence of danger to get this little War?

What was your average day like?

In that case, tell me everything I should know, in case I get deployed.

LOL ummm...

The south is tame but miserable environment. Al Kut is probably the best place to be, nice people, nice environment, right by the Tigris. Baghdad starts to get bad right as you go into the city, but its not nearly as bad as the media makes you think. Never made it north of Baghdad but heard it gets very cold there. Oh Hillah and Diwaniyah are really nice little towns, got lost and got wandering around at night there (stupid Captains...) and the people helped us out. People are generally nice, but the bad guys take advantage of that fact to get close. Don't waste money on Sumer ciggarettes they taste like grass....

Anything else? Listed as much as I could think of off the top of my head.

What was your average day like?


Hot and dirty, varied by what needed to get done. Some days we drove around a lot, some days we had to fix a lot of vehicles, some days we just sat at home and watched our asses. Occasionally got some Iraqi whiskey (think watered down Jack) and Gin.

bradley fighting vehicle in iraq, good, bad or indifferent

Hot and dirty, varied by what needed to get done. Some days we drove around a lot, some days we had to fix a lot of vehicles, some days we just sat at home and watched our asses. Occasionally got some Iraqi whiskey (think watered down Jack) and Gin. Then I personally finished my day laughing over the souvenier I found, totally disregarding the beliefs of over a billion people. And then I slept dreaming about how I was acting no better than the bloody asses that called themselves "soldiers" that willfully tortured Iraqi prisoners.
Fixed it for you good man.

So how does it feel to be in a War that President Bush lied about the evidence of danger to get this little War?


I don't see how he lied honestly, but really I don't care. Honestly I fell in love with the people over there. I mean, say what you will and all that, but I'm glad I could go there and visibly make such a difference in their lives. There really is no way to express what we first saw when we went in, how they were living and what the conditions were. As far as WMD's go, I really don't care if they're ever found. I think it taught me that sometimes good things can be done for all the wrong reasons, and sometimes greedy men can accomplish charity without their even ever intending.

bradley fighting vehicle in iraq, good, bad or indifferent

Actually they weren't that bad. The biggest problem with everything were the alternators and power steering pumps because of all the dust. Tanks worked great though, the Bradleys mostly held the rear areas from what I saw though.

combining history(or polisci) and iraq: do you think from your experience iraq actually has a future as a single nation, or are we watching it disintegration into ineviable fragmentation?

Actually they weren't that bad. The biggest problem with everything were the alternators and power steering pumps because of all the dust. Tanks worked great though, the Bradleys mostly held the rear areas from what I saw though.
was the armour thick enough to withstand near misses with ieds?

had a friend in the military in the mid 90s, who never saw combat but he always said he thought the bradleys were junk but the abrams were great, just wondered if he had a point or was talking out his butt.

combining history(or polisci) and iraq: do you think from your experience iraq actually has a future as a single nation, or are we watching it disintegration into ineviable fragmentation?


Its a tough call and we'll have to see. What the years under Saddam did, as far as I could see, was create a sense of nationalism. But most of the people identify first with their family and tribe or to some other group, and then with Iraq. Many of the southern Shia and the Sunni just south of Baghdad in fact refused to identify themselves as Iraqis but as their respective Muslim groups.

But that having been said, they are pulling together. It'll be interesting because its essentially an ass backward way of establishing a democracy; historically speaking, you have to have a national identity first and then a system of self-rule, we're doing the opposite, establishing national identity by means of self rule.

The nature of the government and the status of these first elections will tell a lot. There are a lot of groups with a lot of scores to settle and they could care less what the government says. The Sunni's are panicked because they're a minority and have been on top, the Shia are panicked because they have internal conflicts, and the Kurds are and have been ready to kick everyone's ass for years now.

If I had to put money down, I'd put it down on Iraq splintering, depending on how much support and such we pour in. If we just pull out, it definitely will. It may take our support for about a generation before its stable enough to leave alone.

was the armour thick enough to withstand near misses with ieds?

had a friend in the military in the mid 90s, who never saw combat but he always said he thought the bradleys were junk but the abrams were great, just wondered if he had a point or was talking out his butt.


It depends on where the blast hit. Some areas were and some weren't. I didn't deal directly with Bradleys though, so this is just going off what I've heard or seen. In short, they're not 100% explosive proof, but your ass isn't exactly hanging out there either. All in all yeah, I'd rather be behind an Abrams though.

are there enough troops on the ground in iraq to effectively control the country?

is kerry right in believing increasing the military's size by 2 divisions would help the deployment and rotation problems the us seems to be having in iraq?

are there enough troops on the ground in iraq to effectively control the country?

is kerry right in believing increasing the military's size by 2 divisions would help the deployment and rotation problems the us seems to be having in iraq?

Thats not really my area. The Generals all seem to beleive we have enough troops in Iraq. The problem spots really are in localized areas, so there's a limit to how many troops would really make a difference.

Its my understanding that Kerry's proposal was to create a force to be able to react to world events, not necessarily specifically Iraq. 2 divisions is also fairly vague: Two divisions of what exactly? Armor? Infantry? Support? In what branch?

From what I know, once again keeping in mind that hey, I'm just a grunt, the react forces are still in place to be able to react. The Marine's 3rd division is still undeployed, and we generally are the one's tasked with rapid react to different areas. As far as rotation problems, certain MOS's have been delayed and extended (such as my sister who is also in the Marines and has been delayed coming home 6 weeks), but the rotation system, while a pain, from what I have seen is still the standard rotation system that has always been in place. The difference is simply the Army deploys differently than we (Marines) do. Army generally deploys from base to base, Marines deploy overseas or to naval craft. Deployment to Iraq is simply a new kink in the Army's deployment system, but its still well within the system.

Uh-huh. So you continue to prove my point that adults are screwing over our country and that I should stand by and watch you do that with a smile on my face? Wouldn't have been as bad if you didn't act like it wasn't a big deal.
Maybe if your guys wouldn't RPG us from "holy sites" we wouldn't have to chip them.

Maybe if your guys wouldn't RPG us from "holy sites" we wouldn't have to chip them.


Yeah the whole idea that this holy site is so sacred that we can't invade, but the bad guys can go hole up in there and shoot out of it and thats ok... sorry I can't wrap my brain around that concept.

Honestly I fell in love with the people over there. I mean, say what you will and all that, but I'm glad I could go there and visibly make such a difference in their lives. There really is no way to express what we first saw when we went in, how they were living and what the conditions were. As far as WMD's go, I really don't care if they're ever found. I think it taught me that sometimes good things can be done for all the wrong reasons, and sometimes greedy men can accomplish charity without their even ever intending.


Dispite what "good" you have done, you seem to realize that it will inevitably lead to strife.


If I had to put money down, I'd put it down on Iraq splintering, depending on how much support and such we pour in.

So how can you consider the war worth-while when more Iraqi civilians are dying in the cross-fire than ever died at the hands of the former US-backed dictator Saddam?

Yeah the whole idea that this holy site is so sacred that we can't invade, but the bad guys can go hole up in there and shoot out of it and thats ok... sorry I can't wrap my brain around that concept.

if an invading army amasses out side of you home, do you not shoot at them from the windows?

Dispite what "good" you have done, you seem to realize that it will inevitably lead to strife.



So how can you consider the war worth-while when more Iraqi civilians are dying in the cross-fire than ever died at the hands of the former US-backed dictator Saddam?

Obviously because I consider your entire statement to be unfounded and complete bullshit. Thanks for the question though.

if an invading army amasses out side of you home, do you not shoot at them from the windows?


Certainly, though if I found a mosque or church to be a holy site, I wouldn't place myself inside of there and shoot out, knowing it would damage the site and generally be disrespectful of whatever God or religion I would adhere to.

Obviously because I consider your entire statement to be unfounded and complete bullshit. Thanks for the question though.

How is it bullshit? You know as well as anyone that an Iraqi Civil War will kill far more people than a simple dictator can, and unless I misunderstood you post, you're actually betting on just that.

How is it bullshit? You know as well as anyone that an Iraqi Civil War will kill far more people than a simple dictator can, and unless I misunderstood you post, you're actually betting on just that.


Actually I'm betting on the country splintering and if and only if we pull out too soon, which is of course different than a civil war. As far as that killing more people than any dictator can, I think you underestimate the condition of the Iraqis under Saddam.

You know of course that Iraq was originally three sepperate and distinct areas that were conglomerated by the British right? And those three regions still retain a lot of local nationalism and regional identity.

Certainly, though if I found a mosque or church to be a holy site, I wouldn't place myself inside of there and shoot out, knowing it would damage the site and generally be disrespectful of whatever God or religion I would adhere to.

I understand that, but look at all of the diplomacy involved when the issue is a Christian Church -- there does seem to be a bit of a double standard.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/bethlehem_chrono020510.html

I understand that, but look at all of the diplomacy involved when the issue is a Christian Church -- there does seem to be a bit of a double standard.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/DailyNews/bethlehem_chrono020510.html

Actually this is a good point, and I think demonstrates the same situation. The Palestinians go and hide in the church and fire out (apparently...). The Israelis fire back but are told to cease by the Christians. The same situation applies to the Muslim holy sites. The Muslims hide inside the mosques, fire out of them, and the Iraqis tell the Americans not to fire back in order to preserve the mosque. Same situation. The difference is we listened and didn't raid the place, the Israelis apparently decided to just attack the place.

Actually I'm betting on the country splintering and if and only if we pull out too soon, which is of course different than a civil war. As far as that killing more people than any dictator can, I think you underestimate the condition of the Iraqis under Saddam.

I know Saddam didn't drop hundreds of thousands of pounds of bombs on heavily populated civilian areas. http://www.iraqbodycount.net/

You know of course that Iraq was originally three sepperate and distinct areas that were conglomerated by the British right? And those three regions still retain a lot of local nationalism and regional identity.

Imperialism at it's finest, it keeps native peoples fighting amongst themselves while the West can plunder the riches in front of their eyes.

I've often wondered, how do the grunts view the PMCs? I've read that there is one PMC for every ten soldiers, so that it would almost be impossible not to interact with them on a day to day basis. could you clear this up?

I know Saddam didn't drop hundreds of thousands of pounds of bombs on heavily populated civilian areas. http://www.iraqbodycount.net/



Imperialism at it's finest, it keeps native peoples fighting amongst themselves while the West can plunder the riches in front of their eyes.

:rolleyes: Heavily populated civilian areas were not bombed, but whatever, what do I know, I'm sure the fuckin website knows better right?

I've often wondered, how do the grunts view the PMCs? I've read that there is one PMC for every ten soldiers, so that it would almost be impossible not to interact with them on a day to day basis. could you clear this up?

Sorry, not familiar with that acronym, refresh my memory, PMCs?

My two questions:

A. What kind of experience have you had with OpFor equipment? Finding caches, being attacked with, etc? Especially interested in exotic, and French equipment stories, if any are there.

B. Opinion of the Abrams in general?

:rolleyes: Heavily populated civilian areas were not bombed , but whatever, what do I know, I'm sure the fuckin website knows better right?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3564320.stm
" Air strikes by US planes on the largely Sunni Iraqi city of Samarra have killed at least 13 people and injured 84, a hospital official in the city said."
"At least 43 buildings and homes were destroyed in the city which also came under attack from the ground as US forces searched for weapons before the bombing, the agency reported."

http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=41110
" Smoke has been seen rising over the city of Fallujah (fuh-LOO'-juh) -- after witnesses say U-S warplanes bombed the Iraqi city early Tuesday. "

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3387826
"Early today, US warplanes bombed Najaf’s Old City, the scene of much of the fighting, and the sounds of shelling could be heard in the streets,
witnesses said."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3558330.stm
" US air strikes and fighting on the ground in the Iraqi city of Kut have left 72 people dead and about 150 injured, the Iraqi government says.
Planes bombed a district of the city associated with Shia gunmen, but the city's hospital director said many of the casualties were women and children."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1223564,00.html
"A videotape emerged today apparently showing the wedding party in Iraq that survivors say was attacked by US warplanes last week in raids that killed up to 45 people "

Sorry, not familiar with that acronym, refresh my memory, PMCs?

Private Military Contractors A.K.A. Mercenaries -- like Blackwater?

My two questions:

A. What kind of experience have you had with OpFor equipment? Finding caches, being attacked with, etc? Especially interested in exotic, and French equipment stories, if any are there.

B. Opinion of the Abrams in general?


OpFor? Never used it. Maybe an Army thing. Remember I'm Marines, we don't have many cool toys.

Didn't use the Abrams much personally. It was in front of us most of the time blowing stuff up.

Private Military Contractors A.K.A. Mercenaries -- like Blackwater?

Only ran into a couple. They were nice, gave us a couple Cokes. Otherwise didn't have much contact with them on missions or anything.

OpFor? Never used it. Maybe an Army thing. Remember I'm Marines, we don't have many cool toys.

Didn't use the Abrams much personally. It was in front of us most of the time blowing stuff up.

A. OpFor, Opposing forces. Crap the iraqi's had, i meant.

B. Im sure, but did it ever seem to not preform very well? Or exceed expectations at times?

Penguinista:

I just wanted to complement you on your ability to deal with the inflammatory questions/comments that have been hurled your way in this topic. Very commendable restraint on your part. Sort of reminds me of my history teacher in high school, a former Marine who served in Persian Gulf I and Panama; I've always admired him alot, so it is quite a compliment.

Question about Iraq:

Where was your unit situated primarily, or did you mostly move around from place to place?

A. OpFor, Opposing forces. Crap the iraqi's had, i meant.

B. Im sure, but did it ever seem to not preform very well? Or exceed expectations at times?

The AK's we captured were crap, they seemed to shoot well though when fired at us, I wouldn't say accurately by any stretch though. SCUDs were fun ( I love patriot missles now). They used a lot of civilian vehicles and such as transport, never really saw a "military" vehicle. The unit brought back a demil-ed AK as a trophy and the unit comander brought back an anti-aircraft gun that looked like it came from World War 1. Personally, I have an Iraqi bayonet for an AK-47, Russian style. There was a second type of bayonest, more dirk shaped, that the officers carried, that a couple guys managed to scrounge/capture/steal.
An airbase we captured and cleared had a bomb making... factory? Anyway, equipment to make bombs. All the diagrams and such (instruction manuals) were in German. Thats the closest I came to any weaponry that I knew for certain was not Iraqi.
Hope that answers your question, let me know if you want more specifics.

As for the Abrams, once again didn't deal with them and can't really answer that specifically. Never had a lot of them breaking down if thats any indication, but other than that sorry I can't be more help.

Penguinista:

I just wanted to complement you on your ability to deal with the inflammatory questions/comments that have been hurled your way in this topic. Very commendable restraint on your part. Sort of reminds me of my history teacher in high school, a former Marine who served in Persian Gulf I and Panama; I've always admired him alot, so it is quite a compliment.

Question about Iraq:

Where was your unit situated primarily, or did you mostly move around from place to place?


Moved around a lot. We had two primary bases, as well a refuel points and smaller bases strung all up to Baghdad. One primary was in the south about a hundred miles from the border with Kuwait, the second was about 30 miles south of Baghdad, which was combined with the Army and had an airstrip as well. But like I said, while these were our primary bases, we moved a lot from place to place and spent quite a few nights just sleeping in trucks.

And thank you, btw.

Did you get a look at how much of the infrastructure was destroyed during Shock-and-Awe and subsequent bombing campaigns? What is it like to see so many buildings and houses demolished by war?

Have you played with those depleted uranium shells and made deformed kids yet? (sarcasm) Yes you are making a difference.

Did you get a look at how much of the infrastructure was destroyed during Shock-and-Awe and subsequent bombing campaigns? What is it like to see so many buildings and houses demolished by war?

It wasn't that bad, most of the infrastructure was intact. In the south, people weren't living in much more than rubble to begin with, so not much to bomb period. As we moved north closer to Baghdad the Republican Guard actually began sabotaging the infrastructure and actually began poisoning the rivers. Our filters caught it all of course, and whether it was a conscience attack against the Iraqi civilians (whose filtering systems had been destroyed by the retreating Guard) or not I don't know. Outside of Baghdad was absolutely thrashed though, this is where the heaviest fighting was and the most military and other wreckage was to be found. The city itself was relatively intact though; all the bombing routes had apparently been precision planned, because we knew exactly where we had struck, what damage was done, what roads were blocked, and so on.

Have you played with those depleted uranium shells and made deformed kids yet? (sarcasm) Yes you are making a difference.


LOL no though one of the guys I was there with tried to take a casing home with him. Wanted to turn it into a stool. The corpsman simply looked at him and asked him if he wanted to be microwaved slowly over the next twenty years. He didn't get it, so further explanation why he was stupid was necessary.

Just remember that the left is here for you -- if you come down with Gulf War Syndome, if your kid is born with DU deformations -- the military will abandon you, but the left will not.

Just remember that the left is here for you -- if you come down with Gulf War Syndome, if your kid is born with DU deformations -- the military will abandon you, but the left will not.


I'll keep that in mind. They've done so much already.

Ok Penguinista...

Politics aside...

Have you been in direct combat, and if so, did you have to kill anyone, and if so....would you do it again if you thought that maybe that person was defending his homeland from people he saw as invaders?

so can I ask you any history-related question?