Hey, Muj Over... I'm Trying To Get Into Paradise!
Peace through superior firepower
WARNING! Harsh Language Alert
From the homepage of Echo Company 2/7, 1st MarDiv.
Some U.S. Marines, pinned down by an insurgent sniper on top of the building, decided that they'd had enough of an Iraqi sniper. They marked his location with a smoke grenade and called for close air support. The aircraft was an F-16 from the 192d Fighter Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard.
F-16.....$21 Million
Smoke grenade......$11.16
Camcorder from Best Buy......$449.99
The audio on this clip......Priceless!
And probably this time last year, many of these same Marines were newly graduated high school kids, chasing girls and trying to score a six-pack from the fridge without dad finding out.
Want to know just how vicious an American boy can become? Have him join the Marines. No better friend, no worse enemy. God, I love it so.
Peace through superior firepower
WARNING! Harsh Language Alert
From the homepage of Echo Company 2/7, 1st MarDiv.
F-16.....$21 Million
Smoke grenade......$11.16
Camcorder from Best Buy......$449.99
The audio on this clip......Priceless!
And probably this time last year, many of these same Marines were newly graduated high school kids, chasing girls and trying to score a six-pack from the fridge without dad finding out.
Want to know just how vicious an American boy can become? Have him join the Marines. No better friend, no worse enemy. God, I love it so.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
11:42 AM
11 Comments:
If I was under fire for long enough, without means to put the shooter down, I too might cheer so to see him blasted to smithereens like that.
My son took offense at the language and cheering. He didn't object to what went on. The sniper was the enemy after all! I explained to him that he had to be there for the entire experience to understand what was going on: fear, anger, inconvenience, fear, fear, fear, and temporary exhilaration when the fear, fear, fear, & fear subside however briefly.
Freaking awesome. Thanks, Cavey. Brings a tear to this Jarhead's eye.
Adeo,
Yeah, I'll admit it -- I never went through what these kids are going through nowadays.
Back-to-back-to-back-to-back deployments... a divorce rate that's going through the roof... 19-yr-old Lance Corporals walking around wearing both Purple Hearts and Silver Stars.
I had my trying times, and my war, but not like these kids are putting up with now.
And still, they re-enlist.
Sincerely, with all due respect to you, your son might re-think his attitude towards the cheering and language until after he's done a tour of duty in either Theater of Operations as a US Marine Infantryman.
I'd venture to say his thoughts and opinions would be vastly different.
Well said, Cavey. Having never been pinned down by sniper fire myself, I lean toward giving the benefit of the doubt to those who have. On top of everything else these grunts have endured and will continue to endure.
Re the swearing, I don't think this Marine's mother was there at the time, although his Mother certainly was. I think She may have been more understanding.
What pisses me off so much about Iraq and Afghanistan that BOTH active duty and activated reserve & guard forces are going through as much or more combat experiences as our WWII fathers and grandfathers, even the combat support and combat service troops!
We have no exit strategy (just political B.S from politicians who are running for office). We had no long-range plans when the former President sent the troops in and this current one just muddles along. Same old $hit in a different sock. Sorry to rant.
I'm politically conservative--a definite right winger. My son's politics are even more right-ward than mine, approaching Attila the Hun. When he gets out in the world after college he'll catch on. As it is, he can't stand the stupid ideology going on at the university. Probably why he majored in accounting, besides its job-attaining skills.
An oh BTW to my previous comments: 220 Marines of 229 military personnel had to die in the 1983 Beirut bombing before the then Republic Administration would come to its senses and proclaim a military doctrine for insertion of troops into foreign territory that actually made sense. It is known as the Weinberger Doctrine that I studied at the Naval War College in the late 1980s:
1. Either the United States' or its close allies' vital national interests had to be at risk.
2. The war had to be fought "wholeheartedly, with the clear intention of winning."
3. We should employ decisive force in the pursuit of clearly defined political and military objectives.
4. We must constantly reassess whether the use of force is necessary and appropriate.
5. There must be a "reasonable assurance" of Congressional and public support.
6. Force should be used only as a last resort.
Apply these 6 precepts to Iraq and Afghanistan and see what you get. I'll be charitable and just say that 2 & 3 haven't really been considered seriously by two Administrations.
The above principles were forgotten in Somalia, so we had the disaster of Mogadishu. We had a chance to get Osama bin Laden in 2001 in the battles in the mountains in Western Afghanistan, but the Administration decided to play politics and put Afghani forces on the other sides of Tora Bora instead of U.S. Marines or other troops as a blocking force 2001. We were building a nation after all. Hah!
Had American troops been put on the eastern side, we might have killed or captured Osama and his boys. Maybe even the senior Taliban leadership.
Now what do we have? A mess. We have decided to engage in "mission creep" and make a nation out of an area that has NEVER been a nation (Afghanistan). We messed up Iraq too. We have relative peace there only because we have bought off the warring tribes that call themselves Sunnis. But for how long? The Shiites are just waiting for the opportunity . . . .
My criticism in no way applies to the outstanding civic actions of our in-country military, but I ascribe this to the best of the American character more than the charitable aspirations of our politicians, if any of you are willing to ascribe anything charitable to our politicians.
The U. S. Marines are our precious national resource that should not be squandered. Same with the rest of our armed forces. Regarding our two wars, I am on the military's side, not the sides of our politicians, the Iraqis, or the Afghanis. BTW, I find it a great irony that we are "protecting" the Kurds, but even they in addition to the other Iraqi factions are driving Iraqi Christians out of Iraq. I am personally offended by this, being a Christian (a Catholic). Then again, who said we are a Christian nation still????
Sorry to rant. Hot out here. Lots of noises on my roof, and I am very, very pissed off about this new national health plan garbage.
How could anybody ever have voted for that guy? If anything Cavey, you have been too easy on this guy. :-0 Time to wratchet it up a notch or too! :-))
Adeo,
Wratchet it up!!?? If I kicked it up any higher, I'd be getting a visit from certain employees of the Treasury Department!
But anyhow, your comments are always a welcome addition. I know I can always count on you to have 1st rate statements.
BTW, I don't want you to think I was going after your son in any way, shape or form. I'd just like him to place himself in the boots of those Gyreens before he says anything about the cheering or language. But I see dad already took care of that!
No, I knew that about your comment re: my son. Other than a part time job for the Fed Gov't that might work into something full time is he is crazy enough to go in that direction, he has some growing up to do. You know, the real world stuff, not because there is something lacking in his character.
God blessed his mom and me greatly with him in our lives. Same with my daughter. She's a nursing student and thinking about the military. Wants to go Air Force. There is still time to move her in the seaward direction! LOL
Her choice not mine. I will support her whatever . . . .
Give those Feds in Treasury a run for their money, but say it in Cavey's "classical" Latin to keep them guessing! ROFLMAO
Thanks,
Devil dogs, jarheads, whatever you call 'em -- USMC rocks! God bless the Marines "from the Halls of Montezuma/to the shores of Tripoli" and beyond!
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