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Subject: Allies in Action...sort of.
DarthAmerica    3/22/2008 2:11:32 PM
Well it's like this. We were babysitting a broken down vehicle on one of the more notorious parts of the MSR in Iraq. The sun was setting and local traffic was fairly normal which is a good sign that you probably won't get IED'd in the immediate area since the locals tend to know where the IED strikes are going to happen. While waiting for these TCN's(Third Country Nationals) to fix their ate up truck we got bored and got ready to randomly search Iraqis driving by our hasty TCP(traffic control point). You never know what you might find. Anyway, just before I pick an approaching Iraqi vehicle to stop, we see this armored vehicle coming over the horizon. Not to unusual of a sight in Iraq except that I've never seen Iraqi Army units using this particular type of vehicle. It looked like a LAV-25 mixed with a Stryker. I wasn't nervous or anything, just curious to know who it was. Well here is who it was...

(Just in case this doesn't work I'll post again)

[url link

...this guy and two of his mates got out of the vehicle and ran over to see if we needed any help. They also wanted some pen flares. We didn't really need any help to deal with our situation but the company and chance to meet up in the field with an ally was much appreciated. We love these encounters BTW. The funny thing to us was the politics and red tape associated with different armies. Look at me for example. I'm covered from head to toe in armor, fire resistant clothing, eye pro, I have grenades, pistol, rifle, weapon light, weapon laser, NODs, GPS and just a whole bunch of other Gucci Gear most of which is mandatory to wear/use. I was so envious of how much more comfortable the Oz Soldier must have been! I'm just glad our little situation happed in the cool part of the noon/evening...lol.

Anyway, without going into details, what your troops are doing is directly making my life easier and I wanted to thank you all. I didn't have any more pen flares though...:( I used them in ealier mischief! But I did give him a whole ammo can full of hand flares and he seemed very happy. Just thought I'd share that with yall!


-DA
 
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DarthAmerica       3/22/2008 2:13:50 PM
 
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DropBear       3/24/2008 6:43:53 AM
 
I'd hate to think what mischievous plane he had in mind for wanting said flares.
 
 
Stay safe DA.
 
 
 
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gf0012-aust       3/24/2008 8:28:31 AM

 
Stay safe DA.
 

ditto on that.
on another note DA, you appear to be stacking on some weight - are you becoming addicted to MRE's?? :)
 


 
 
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Aussiegunneragain       3/24/2008 9:23:21 AM
Stay safe from me too Darth America. I still think your a pr1ck, but not enough to want you to get blown up .
 
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DarthAmerica    gf0012-aust   3/25/2008 12:48:53 PM




 

Stay safe DA.

 



ditto on that.

on another note DA, you appear to be stacking on some weight - are you becoming addicted to MRE's?? :)


OMG!!! I weigh only 190lbs which is well within the U.S. Army height and weight standards even if I have gorged myself to death on KBR food! Thank You for making me self conscious just before my tour ends...;) Seriously though, the bulk is from the armor and magazines. They added side plates and kevlar padding just underneath the arms and as you can see we also have to wear deltoid arm protectors which are also kevlar. Then on the left side I have grenades, IFAK and magazines in pouches for quick access by my non-firing hand. On my right I wear a general purpose pouch and one empty mag pouch that usually holds an iPod. It's quite an ungodly amount of weight to have to hump around and we look like little turtles!
Earlier today I saw some more of your people doing what they do...;) 
 
 
-DA
 
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DarthAmerica    AG   3/25/2008 12:50:07 PM

Stay safe from me too Darth America. I still think your a pr1ck, but not enough to want you to get blown up .


Thanks bro for the kind words! I know I'm a prick BTW...muahahahaha!
 
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DarthAmerica    AG   3/25/2008 12:56:10 PM

 

I'd hate to think what mischievous plane he had in mind for wanting said flares.

 


 

Stay safe DA.

 

 



Well I would guess the flares would most likely be used for EOF(Escalation of Force). The idea now is that the Iraqis are not hostile for the most part except for the insurgents. The problem is you can't tell good from bad. Without going into too much detail flares are for signaling as you could imagine. Pen flares are small little bullet sized flares fired from  ink pen sized hand held launchers. Very convienient for signalling.
 
-DA
 
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ArtyEngineer    Darth - Body Armour   3/25/2008 1:47:27 PM
Darth,
 
You "Have" to wear all the bits and pieces?  I know the Marine Corps are taking a long hard look at what is mandatory with regards to teh various add ons for teh body armor rig.
 
 
 
 
 
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DarthAmerica       3/25/2008 5:31:43 PM

Darth,

You "Have" to wear all the bits and pieces?  I know the Marine Corps are taking a long hard look at what is mandatory with regards to teh various add ons for teh body armor rig.


It depends on your chain of command. Some leaders feel that ALL the armor is necessary. They don't want to lose a soldier to a wound that could have been prevented by some part of the armor. There is also a bit of CYA if yu know what I mean. U.S. Troops are very valuable from a health care point of view when wounded. Financially it cost the U.S. Government AT LEAST ~400 thousand USD per death. And it goes without saying that the political cost of a U.S. Soldiers death can be even higher when you factor in the effects a well publicized soldiers death. Take the death of Casey Sheehan for example. How much did the Bush Administration pay for that one single death?

Now I can tell you that such mandatory policies are in practice wild BS! The armor is designed to be modular and configurable against perceived threats. Officers behind such policies are not leading, they are administrating bad policy. You can never take death out of war. Now I'm not saying we should not wear armor. But the decision on how much armor should be decided by the commander on the ground. For example a Company or Troop Commander maneuvering his troops in the field decides the level of protection if he is the highest ranking leader in contact with the enemy. A Battalion of Squadron Commander should not be determining that. A Staff Sergeant leading a convoy on the MSR from fob to fob should be deciding the level of protection. Not the Platoon Leader if he isn't present, not the CO and certainly not the BC. Now the decision should be based on a formalized well though out risk assessment and not on a whim though. It's a system we already have too! Most officers completely misunderstand it though...lol. Instead the (not all are)idiots make stupid risk assessment formats that have to be filled out a certain way EXACTLY or they simply don't so it and just administer the higher units policies blindly which is the definition of not leading!

One thing is for sure though. As helpful as the armor is. NO ONE thinks of how many soldiers died because of the armor or how many the U.S. Army lost due to injuries related to the armor ect. In wars the situation/threat level changes. When that happens you have to adjust. I was very encouraged to read that the USMC was considering this. It was in the stars and stripes a few months ago IIRC. But the zero defect mindset will kill it IMHO. I do know for a fact though that my unit will cost the U.S. Army more in LOD's and has lost more soldiers, PROFILES/REFRADS to body armor related injuries than it has from wounds caused by enemy action. Of course I have the benefit of hindsight. But clearly if we had more flexibility it would not have caused more WIA/KIA.

In sum, leading and administrating are two different things.


-DA
 
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EW3       3/27/2008 8:39:06 PM
Dude, you keep wearing all that gear!!!
 
There are two lovely ladies waiting for you to come home. 
 
 
 
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displacedjim       3/27/2008 8:45:22 PM
His truck and his Mustang?
 
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DropBear       3/27/2008 9:10:47 PM
 
If I had a Hummer and a Mustang I'd probably volunteer to serve in a warzone on the other side of the globe too!
 
Darth, when are you gonna replace that Stang with a real car....Corvette?
 
 
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AMTP10F       3/28/2008 5:30:42 AM

 
If I had a Hummer and a Mustang I'd probably volunteer to serve in a warzone on the other side of the globe too!

I'd rather get a hummer in a Mustang...

 
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DarthAmerica    More pics of your men...   3/31/2008 11:36:57 AM





...Just though you might want to see what your soldiers are up to over here...;) Thanks for letting them come play with us!!!


-DA

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DropBear       3/31/2008 6:09:33 PM
Oooooooooooooooh, such perty ASLAVs.
 
 
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