The brand new Navy aircraft, X-47B, will be unmaned, able to refuel in the air, and land on an aircraftcarrier. It will also have supermanuverability, being able to do things a manned aircraft can't, like pulling turns upwards of 8 to 9 g's, the point were pilots normally pass out. Friggen' amazing.
(http://www.hemetmodelmasters.org/batc.jpg)
(http://www.aviationnews.eu/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/x-47b-600x400.jpg)
(http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/images/AIR_UAV_X-47B_Concept_lg.jpg)
http://www.youtube.com/v/B-K4pk25zD4&NR=1http://www.youtube.com/v/kBrVRTVNph0
I love military shtein as much as the next guy, but it is sad when you need something like that. 4,500 lbs payload. That is a lot of shtein your pants. It is badass btw.
Yup, no pilot means more bombs, and in the air refueling means it will be able to stay aloft almost indefinatly. There is talk of 50 hr. flights.
Finally, an American rifle comparable to, if not better than, the legendary AK-47, the 6.5 Grendal.
http://www.youtube.com/v/OwtMo5-NU1A
One BAMF shotgun!
http://www.youtube.com/v/tnrizaO-X00&feature=related
the most badass part about that Grendel is you can switch components and turn it into a .50 cal rifle. game over
Someone needs to photoshop a parking ticket on it
(http://www.hemetmodelmasters.org/batc.jpg)
Where are the stickers supposed to go on that thing?
Quote from: mussa on February 12, 2010, 02:40:51 PM
the most badass part about that Grendel is you can switch components and turn it into a .50 cal rifle. game over
I saw that but couldn't find it. The barrel and the magazine switch as one component. That thing can stop a truck.
The X-47B is a technological marvel. No pilot means lives saved. It's the future of military aircraft. Who would have ever thought in our lifetime we'd see a unmanned plane land on an aircraft carrier? Of course, it hasn't happened yet, but most likely will.
being a serviceman myself, i'm obviously amazed by the technology used in modern/futuristic weaponry and the role it could play in combat and the lives it could save. being a dude, that ish gives me a stiffy.
but being a person who thinks that war is almost a completely unnecessary waste of life and serves almost no substantial purpose other than to leave millions of families sonless, fatherless, brotherless and husbandless, it's kind of sickening how much money we spend on things designed to take lives rather than invest some of it in things to preserve it.
It isn't our fault other countries aren't investing in robots to fight our robots. If they did, we'd put that shtein on PPV.
BattleBots was the shtein when I was younger.
battlebots was equally awesome and awful at the same time. and that's hard to pull off.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 12, 2010, 03:09:30 PM
being a serviceman myself, i'm obviously amazed by the technology used in modern/futuristic weaponry and the role it could play in combat and the lives it could save. being a dude, that ish gives me a stiffy.
but being a person who thinks that war is almost a completely unnecessary waste of life and serves almost no substantial purpose other than to leave millions of families sonless, fatherless, brotherless and husbandless, it's kind of sickening how much money we spend on things designed to take lives rather than invest some of it in things to preserve it.
word
Soon we'll have a strictly robot army to deploy against the impoverished brown people we've decided to stop supporting and start killing.
By the way...how is that thing controlled? Satellite? AWACS?
Can't wait for the first one to fly out there and crash and get picked up by Iran or China.
Like all the unmanned bombers we use now, it's controlled stateside by some geek warriors in nebraska or texas.
Seriously...stateside? I thought that the drones in Afghanistan were controlled remotely through bases in Afgahnistan, Iraq, ships in the gulf.
Stateside? That's farging amazing. Someone keep tabs on the mother brain.
How long until it becomes self aware?
It's only a matter of time before the robots take over. This will be a huge step towards totally robotic armies. Kind of scary when you think how easy it is for people to hack into computer systems. Just takes a few smart mofo's with the know how to hack into something and reprogram it. End game. I'm sure we will be dead by then and hopefully zombies attack before robots get a chance.
Quote from: Munson on February 12, 2010, 06:06:22 PM
How long until it becomes self aware?
of what. being raped by his uncle in a basement?
Quote from: hbionic on February 12, 2010, 06:09:25 PM
Quote from: Munson on February 12, 2010, 06:06:22 PM
How long until it becomes self aware?
1999
I thought it was August something of 1997.
Skynet will show no mercy.
lol..probably...I was going off memory...I guess I read the wrong memo...I'll be taking a dump most likely when the nuke gets us all blowed up.
(http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071031/071031_soldierProtests_hmed_4p.hmedium.jpg)
had to
I was kinda' hopeing this wouldn't get political. What the farg was I thinking?
how could a military thread not get political.
Quote from: KDS on February 12, 2010, 06:41:45 PM
(http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071031/071031_soldierProtests_hmed_4p.hmedium.jpg)
had to
Hah, I wonder how they'd protest/what they'd scream now.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 12, 2010, 03:09:30 PM
being a serviceman myself, i'm obviously amazed by the technology used in modern/futuristic weaponry and the role it could play in combat and the lives it could save. being a dude, that ish gives me a stiffy.
but being a person who thinks that war is almost a completely unnecessary waste of life and serves almost no substantial purpose other than to leave millions of families sonless, fatherless, brotherless and husbandless, it's kind of sickening how much money we spend on things designed to take lives rather than invest some of it in things to preserve it.
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind
does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
Quote from: KDS on February 12, 2010, 07:22:52 PM
how could a military thread not get political.
You have your politcal threads, ones that I'm trying to stary out of. But thats alright, everybody get on your soapbox.
Quote from: hbionic on February 12, 2010, 05:14:54 PM
By the way...how is that thing controlled? Satellite? AWACS?
Well....for those who didn't click on part 2 at the end of part one, I posted it. It explains that the X-47B will operate from a 'mission control', and be controlled by a 'mission operator' for take offs. Flight plans are reprogrammed into the planes computer and it flies to it's destination by itself. After the mission, as it approaches the carrier, commands are sent out to it from the carriers mission control and received by digital communications. All the while the plane is monitoring wind speed and the pitch and roll of the carriers deck. On paper, the plane should be able to land more precisely than any manned aircraft can.
Quote from: hbionic on February 12, 2010, 05:14:54 PM
By the way...how is that thing controlled? Satellite? AWACS?
iPhone. Those things are great
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 12, 2010, 03:09:30 PM
being a serviceman myself, i'm obviously amazed by the technology used in modern/futuristic weaponry and the role it could play in combat and the lives it could save. being a dude, that ish gives me a stiffy.
but being a person who thinks that war is almost a completely unnecessary waste of life and serves almost no substantial purpose other than to leave millions of families sonless, fatherless, brotherless and husbandless, it's kind of sickening how much money we spend on things designed to take lives rather than invest some of it in things to preserve it.
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
can't really reply to that without turning this into a political discussion. instead i defer to my penis for his commentary:
i like big guns make boom.
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 08:02:07 PM
Quote from: hbionic on February 12, 2010, 05:14:54 PM
By the way...how is that thing controlled? Satellite? AWACS?
Well....for those who didn't click on part 2 at the end of part one, I posted it. It explains that the X-47B will operate from a 'mission control', and be controlled by a 'mission operator' for take offs. Flight plans are reprogrammed into the planes computer and it flies to it's destination by itself. After the mission, as it approaches the carrier, commands are sent out to it from the carriers mission control and received by digital communications. All the while the plane is monitoring wind speed and the pitch and roll of the carriers deck. On paper, the plane should be able to land more precisely than any manned aircraft can.
and yet i still have to manually drive myself to work everyday.
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 12, 2010, 03:09:30 PM
being a serviceman myself, i'm obviously amazed by the technology used in modern/futuristic weaponry and the role it could play in combat and the lives it could save. being a dude, that ish gives me a stiffy.
but being a person who thinks that war is almost a completely unnecessary waste of life and serves almost no substantial purpose other than to leave millions of families sonless, fatherless, brotherless and husbandless, it's kind of sickening how much money we spend on things designed to take lives rather than invest some of it in things to preserve it.
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
BOOM muthafargin BOOM.
And that's the goal of what we do.
Quote from: KDS on February 12, 2010, 06:41:45 PM
(http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/071031/071031_soldierProtests_hmed_4p.hmedium.jpg)
had to
That might be the funniest thing I have ever seen. Priests. :-D
http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/iraqi-terrorists-hack-drones-with-26-off-the-shelf-software/ (http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com/2009/12/17/iraqi-terrorists-hack-drones-with-26-off-the-shelf-software/)
lol
That's not as big a deal as it's being made out to be. The feeds can be viewed, that's it. They can't take control of the drones. Basically, it has allowed terrorist to have knowledge of what sites are under surveillance. That's it. If anything, it proves Iran's supplying the terrorists, because were else would they get the software? It's common practice to try and intercept enemy communications, and has been going on forever.
Laser Jet Blasts Ballistic Missle in Landmark Test
Link with Video (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/laser-jet-blasts-ballistic-missile-in-landmark-test/)
Quote
The American military has been working since 1996 on a tricked-out 747 that could blast ballistic missiles out of the sky with a ultra-powerful laser. After 14 years of promising "the American people their first light saber," the Missile Defense Agency finally pulled it off Thursday night at 8:44 p.m
It's one of a number of steps forward for real-life ray guns in the past year or so. "Solid state" electric lasers finally hit what's commonly considered battlefield strength. A laser-equipped Air Force gunship disabled a truck with its energy beam. A ground-mounted ray gun blasted drones out of the sky. But all of those energy weapons were weak — and the engineering challenges limited — compared to last night's shoot-down.
A short-range, Scud-like ballistic missile was launched from an at-sea mobile launch platform near the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center, off of the central California coast. "Within seconds, the Airborne Laser Test Bed [ALTB] used on-board sensors to detect the boosting missile and used a low-energy laser to track the target. The ALTB then fired a second low-energy laser to measure and compensate for atmospheric disturbance. Finally, the ALTB fired its megawatt-class High Energy Laser, heating the boosting ballistic missile to critical structural failure. The entire engagement occurred within two minutes of the target missile launch, while its rocket motors were still thrusting," according to a statement from the Missile Defense Agency. [Update: That's the video of Thursday night's test, above.]
This is a test the MDA was hoping to conduct in 2002, after spending about a billion dollars. But the Airborne Laser ran into all kinds of problems along the way. The chemicals the jet depended on to generate its high-strength laser weighed down the 747. Getting the laser to accurately zap through the atmosphere proved tougher than anticipated. The Airborne Laser eventually ballooned into a $7.3 billion project. Finally, Defense Secretary Robert Gates got so fed up, he told the MDA to end the Airborne Laser program after a single jet.
"I don't know anybody at the Department of Defense who thinks that this program should, or would, ever be operationally deployed," Gates told Congress last year. "The reality is that you would need a laser something like 20 to 30 times more powerful than the chemical laser in the plane right now to be able to get any distance from the launch site to fire."
So, right now the [jet] would have to orbit inside the borders of Iran in order to be able to try and use its laser to shoot down that missile in the boost phase. And if you were to operationalize this you would be looking at 10 to 20 747s, at a billion-and-a-half dollars apiece, and $100 million a year to operate. And there's nobody in uniform that I know who believes that this is a workable concept.
But Gates did add that the concept of using laser and other speed-of-light "directed energy" weapons to knock down missiles still had promise. It might be the only way to stop missiles in "boost phase" — when they were just getting off of the ground.
That's why many in the military will be excited about Thursday night's test. As the MDA notes, it's the first time a laser in the sky has successfully downed a missile. And even if this particular weapon doesn't work out, the technology developed can be used for later systems. "The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers, and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies," the agency notes.
"Less than one hour later," there was a second test, with another missile. The Airborne Laser lit it up. But didn't destroy the thing. That test was for another day.
that will totally work with thousands of warheads raining down on us.
that jet was either developed on edwards afb (where i'm currently stationed) or was sent here for final touch up work and testing. regardless, i've seen it rolling up and down the flight line a couple of times in recent weeks.
U.S. Navy in serious decline. (http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=124930)Another reason to get out of the Middle East.
QuoteDeclining U.S. Navy facing Chinese challenge
Fleet's status creates door of vulnerability to other powers, terrorists
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: February 13, 2010
10:30 pm Eastern
© 2010 WorldNetDaily
Editor's Note: The following report is excerpted from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium online newsletter published by the founder of WND. Subscriptions are $99 a year or, for monthly trials, just $9.95 per month for credit card users, and provide instant access for the complete reports.
U.S. Navy
A growing Chinese fleet could keep the declining U.S. Navy out of the Western Pacific, according to an expert cited in a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.
The U.S. also could be faced with new military challenges around the globe because of the projection of power a growing Chinese navy would present.
Yet, the U.S. Navy has cut back the number and type of ships to the level it was prior to the Reagan administration. Indeed, the Navy hasn't been as small since the administration of William Howard Taft, according to naval expert Seth CropseyThe dire development leaves the U.S. vulnerable to "proliferation, resource scarcity, environmental change, the emergence of new international power centers including non-state actors, significant changes in relative U.S. power, failed states and demographic change ... (in) an increasingly unstable future and a challenging international strategic environment," Cropsey said.
Keep in touch with the most important breaking news stories about critical developments around the globe with Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin, the premium, online intelligence news source edited and published by the founder of WND.
Cropsey, who served during the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations as a principal deputy under the secretary of the Navy, said the U.S. Navy is "in distress."
He said the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have "sucked the oxygen" out of any effort to understand the connection between the large changes strategic planners see in the future or the ability to wield global influence through U.S. naval power.
"The size, shape and strategy of the U.S. Navy are a critical element of America's position as the world's great power," Cropsey said. "Our ability to protect or rend asunder the globe's ocean-going lines of communication is inseparable from our position as the world's great power.
"But very few outside a small community of naval officers and selected military and foreign policy analysts appreciate the strategic results of American sea power's slow but steady diminution," he added.
Globally, Cropsey said, the U.S. Navy's continued attrition also means a serious threat to the security of the world's sea lines of communication and the choke points such as the Straits of Hormuz near Iran through which some 40 percent of the world's energy and other trade pass.
"The consequences of a much-diminished U.S. fleet are complemented by the American public's ignorance of them, the slow yet steady pace of naval deterioration, and the increasing time and dismayingly large resources needed to recoup sea power surrendered slowly over decades," Cropsey said.
The gradual decline in the U.S. Navy comes hardly as a surprise to Congress. Last May, Adm. Gary Roughhead, chief of naval operations, told the House Armed Services Committee the Navy was stretched in its ability to modernize and "procure the Navy for tomorrow."
He said the Navy would reduce its carrier fleet from 11 to 10 for at least three years, which would increase the interval between a departing carrier and its replacement's arrival "along with the associated risk of absence during a crisis."
A separate Congressional Research Service report by naval analyst Ronald O'Rourke told Congress that China has built or is in the process of building four new classes of nuclear and conventional-powered attack and ballistic-missile submarines.
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AM
that will totally work with thousands of warheads raining down on us.
The missle was taken out 3 minutes after it was launched. The laser will be able to track multiple targets and destroy them. So the idea is that they will work in order to
not have multi warheads
raining down on us as you so elequently put it.
the navy, as a battle fleet, is probably only going to continue becoming more and more obsolete since the days of ship to ship combat are an extinct practice. seriously, when's the last time 2 ships have fired back and forth at each other?
as technology continues to improve, the need for a battle ready fleet of destroyers does become less relevant. this is not to say that the navy itself is obsolete because if you get rid of the squids, then who is going to take the marines on a tour of luxurious medeterranian ports?
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
This was John Gatling's thinking when he invented the machine gun. It's also inline with the thinking of some of the physicists who helped in the Manhattan Project. In both cases they were horrified by the damage wrought by their creations. As a former service member, I can attest that we only get more efficient at killing people. If we wanted to stop killing people, our governments would play Call of Duty or chess to decide the matters that currently call for war.
All that being said, I agree with Sarge, blowing shtein up gives me a rager.
Quote from: shorebird on February 14, 2010, 11:57:10 AM
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AM
that will totally work with thousands of warheads raining down on us.
The missle was taken out 3 minutes after it was launched. The laser will be able to track multiple targets and destroy them. So the idea is that they will work in order to not have multi warheads raining down on us as you so elequently put it.
What part of "it won't work" don't you understand?
If some lunatic gets it into his head to launch a full-out nuclear attack on us there's nothing we can do about it. Even if 99% of the warheads are destroyed there'd still be more than enough to get through to wipe us all out.
But hey, if hearing news like this makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, then good for you.
Bottom line is we've been planning the Earth's destruction for 60 years and it's going to happen one way or another. And there's nothing any of us can do to stop it.
(http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/bto/20100212/ABL1_610x435.jpg)
The concept has been in development for a while now. The pentagon had plans of building up to 7 of the jets, but it was deemed way too costly and defense secretary Robert Gates canelled plans to build a second one. The initial jet was kept around as a R&D platform. Good thing becuase it has resulted in a low cost was of defending against a ballistic missle attack compared to any other way of defense the U.S. has now. The missle was disabled in the boost phase which is the main goal and when the missle is at it's most vurnable, traveling at low speed.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 14, 2010, 12:04:30 PM
the navy, as a battle fleet, is probably only going to continue becoming more and more obsolete since the days of ship to ship combat are an extinct practice. seriously, when's the last time 2 ships have fired back and forth at each other?
as technology continues to improve, the need for a battle ready fleet of destroyers does become less relevant. this is not to say that the navy itself is obsolete because if you get rid of the squids, then who is going to take the marines on a tour of luxurious medeterranian ports?
en
LOL! at that. I still think that with the boost of technoloy, the Navy will grow as the country needs it. The destroyer has been regulated to the role of protecting the Carrier. So yeah, some parts of the Navy are obsolete. But the Navb still provides control of the Sea and Air, which is critical in a battle arena. Thats why the've been moving foward in the way of Stealth ships and smaller, more economical ships that provide a broader more versatile means of service
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on February 14, 2010, 12:08:28 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
This was John Gatling's thinking when he invented the machine gun. It's also inline with the thinking of some of the physicists who helped in the Manhattan Project. In both cases they were horrified by the damage wrought by there creations. As a former service member, I can attest that we only get more efficient at killing people. If we wanted to stop killing people, our governments would play Call of Duty or chess to decide the matters that currently call for war.
it's funny because people say it all the time......if you don't learn from the mistakes of the past, you're doomed to repeat them".....or some shtein like that. yet when it comes to weapons, especially those designed for war, we keep making the same mistake. people think that
this will be the gun or the tank or the aircraft or the ship or the bomb that will finally bring an end to war and save lives and preserve order, blah blah blah.
and yet whenever this new weapon is unleashed, there's almost always regret from the creators and the desired outcome (peace) is never acheived.
for thousands and thousands of years, man still hasn't been able to figure out a way to settle their differences without bloodshed. maybe it's because no matter how much we've "evolved" we still can't shed that instinctive desire for war. or maybe it's because we're just too lazy to explore other alternatives.
in any case, for every big ass gun and every missile defense system we come up with, someone out there will build a bigger gun and will find a way to beat that defense system and the never ending cycle of bloodshed will continue.
in war, truth is the first casualty. - aeschylus
im fed up with old men dreaming up wars for young men to die in. - george mcgovern
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 12:12:59 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 14, 2010, 11:57:10 AM
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AM
that will totally work with thousands of warheads raining down on us.
The missle was taken out 3 minutes after it was launched. The laser will be able to track multiple targets and destroy them. So the idea is that they will work in order to not have multi warheads raining down on us as you so elequently put it.
What part of "it won't work" don't you understand?
If some lunatic gets it into his head to launch a full-out nuclear attack on us there's nothing we can do about it. Even if 99% of the warheads are destroyed there'd still be more than enough to get through to wipe us all out.
But hey, if hearing news like this makes you feel all warm and fuzzy, then good for you.
Bottom line is we've been planning the Earth's destruction for 60 years and it's going to happen one way or another. And there's nothing any of us can do to stop it.
I understand that you saying it won't work is your opinion, and nothing more, and no reason not to move foward with technology that would protect you and maybe save your life even it you can't see it. But I guess that even if the military studies technology that is purely of a defensive nature, you would rather them do nothing at all, because the military does nothing good or worthwhile and we are all gonna' die anyway.
There's never been a weapon invented that wasn't used to full effect eventually.
This planet is doomed. All we're doing at this point is biding time until it happens.
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 12:33:54 PM
This planet is doomed. All we're doing at this point is biding time until we find another one to farg up.
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on February 14, 2010, 12:08:28 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
This was John Gatling's thinking when he invented the machine gun. It's also inline with the thinking of some of the physicists who helped in the Manhattan Project. In both cases they were horrified by the damage wrought by their creations. As a former service member, I can attest that we only get more efficient at killing people. If we wanted to stop killing people, our governments would play Call of Duty or chess to decide the matters that currently call for war.
All that being said, I agree with Sarge, blowing shtein up gives me a rager.
If you could get the rest of the world to agree with that, it would be a great idea. Until then, the United States Military is a necessary evil.
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 12:33:54 PM
There's never been a weapon invented that wasn't used to full effect eventually.
This planet is doomed. All we're doing at this point is biding time until it happens.
All the more reason to proceed with technology that would possibly protect us from it.
Quote from: shorebird on February 14, 2010, 12:40:32 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on February 14, 2010, 12:08:28 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
This was John Gatling's thinking when he invented the machine gun. It's also inline with the thinking of some of the physicists who helped in the Manhattan Project. In both cases they were horrified by the damage wrought by their creations. As a former service member, I can attest that we only get more efficient at killing people. If we wanted to stop killing people, our governments would play Call of Duty or chess to decide the matters that currently call for war.
All that being said, I agree with Sarge, blowing shtein up gives me a rager.
If you could get the rest of the world to agree with that, it would be a great idea. Until then, the United States Military is a necessary evil.
personally, i think that since the us is the "leading country in the world" especially in terms of military force, we should make the first move and encourage other countries to follow suit. because i don't know about you, but if i'm about to fight the bully on the playground, i don't put my fists down until he lowers his.
but it'll never happen so i don't worry too much about it. it's just one of those crazy, idealistic dreams i have of living on a planet where diplomacy, compromise and the value of life reign supreme.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 14, 2010, 12:54:28 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 14, 2010, 12:40:32 PM
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on February 14, 2010, 12:08:28 PM
Quote from: shorebird on February 12, 2010, 07:49:54 PM
I'm of the opinion that investing in technology of this kind does preserve lives and help keep the peace.
This was John Gatling's thinking when he invented the machine gun. It's also inline with the thinking of some of the physicists who helped in the Manhattan Project. In both cases they were horrified by the damage wrought by their creations. As a former service member, I can attest that we only get more efficient at killing people. If we wanted to stop killing people, our governments would play Call of Duty or chess to decide the matters that currently call for war.
All that being said, I agree with Sarge, blowing shtein up gives me a rager.
If you could get the rest of the world to agree with that, it would be a great idea. Until then, the United States Military is a necessary evil.
personally, i think that since the us is the "leading country in the world" especially in terms of military force, we should make the first move and encourage other countries to follow suit. because i don't know about you, but if i'm about to fight the bully on the playground, i don't put my fists down until he lowers his.
but it'll never happen so i don't worry too much about it. it's just one of those crazy, idealistic dreams i have of living on a planet where diplomacy, compromise and the value of life reign supreme.
If not for the precieved hate of other countries towards the U.S., I could agree with that. I guess I'm paranoid, a right wing idealist, whatever. I just don't see other countries laying down their arms just because we would.
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AMfor thousands and thousands of years, man still hasn't been able to figure out a way to settle their differences without bloodshed.
(http://colinresponse.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/mlk.jpg)
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 14, 2010, 12:29:54 PM
im fed up with old rich men dreaming up wars for young poor men to die in. - george mcgovern
Quote from: Diomedes on February 14, 2010, 01:34:06 PM
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AMfor thousands and thousands of years, man still hasn't been able to figure out a way to settle their differences without bloodshed.
(http://colinresponse.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/mlk.jpg)
that was actually from my post, not rome's.
can't see the pic because i'm at work and wordpress is blocked but i see mlk in the url so i assume you're countering my statement. and while mlk was obviously a man of peace, i beleive his life was cut short by gunfire which further validates my post.
either that, or you're emphasizing my post by saying that every time someone is an advocate for peace they end up dead.
The honky who killed MLK settled nothing.
Quote from: Diomedes on February 14, 2010, 01:34:06 PM
Quote from: Rome on February 14, 2010, 11:37:06 AMfor thousands and thousands of years, man still hasn't been able to figure out a way to settle their differences without bloodshed.
(http://colinresponse.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/mlk.jpg)
Don't forget...
(http://friendsboston.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/ghandi-inembassady.jpg)
I thought to post pics of them both but kept it to mlk for the sake of brevity. There have been others after these two greats as well.
My balls for example are doing wonderful things for humanity.
TED KENNEDY!
I'm a few days late on this, but it's still worth posting.
Tuskegee Airman and WWII flying ace, Lt. Col. Lee Archer (http://www.concretefield.info/forum/index.php?action=post2) passed away on Jan. 27th. His funeral was held at Arlington Cemetary on Feb. 12th. Lt. Col. Archer graduated no. 1 in his class at the Tuskegee Cadet Training Facility at Tuskegee, Alabama. He flew missions over 11 different countries flying cover and escorting long-range bomber groups. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and received special citations from Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson, along with the Director of the CIA. He was also considered to be the only black ace pilot who also broke racial barriers as an executive at a major U.S. company
more... (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/01/29/2010-01-29_retired_air_force_lt_colonel_lee_a_archer_lone_ace_tuskegee_airman_dies_at_90.html)
If any of you have never really develed into the history of the Tuskegee Airmen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_airmen), it's a great, inspiring story. It's really amazing how good these men were. Most attribute their amazing skill with an airplane to the stringent qualifications they had to meet, due to the racism they encountered by the military. Their squadron was almost done away with before it was even formed. But, you can believe that by the end of the war, they had earned respect from their fellow airman. Their planes were distiquished from other groups by a red tail painted on their planes. The Allied bomber groups who flew with them dubbed them the Redtailed Angels. Their awards as a group and individuals are too many to mention here. It's said, though this is widely debated amoung Air Force personel, that they'd never lost a single fighter to combat. You can click the link for more, but here is a quote from wiki.
QuoteWhile it had long been said that the Redtails were the only fighter group who never lost a bomber to enemy fighters,[13] suggestions to the contrary, combined with Air Force records and eyewitness accounts indicating that at least 25 bombers were lost to enemy fire,[14] resulted in the Air Force conducting a reassessment of the history of the unit in late 2006.
The claim that no bomber escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen had ever been lost to enemy fire first appeared on March 24, 1945, in the Chicago Defender, under the headline "332nd Flies Its 200th Mission Without Loss." According to the March 28, 2007, Air Force report, however, some bombers under 332nd Fighter Group escort protection were shot down on the very day the Chicago Defender article was published.[15][16][17][18] The subsequent report, based on after-mission reports filed by both the bomber units and Tuskegee fighter groups as well as missing air crew records and witness testimony, was released in March 2007 and documented 25 bombers shot down by enemy fighter aircraft while being escorted by the Tuskegee Airmen.[19]
Men of the 332nd Fighter Group attend a briefing in Italy in 1945.The St. Petersburg Times in 2008 quoted a historian at the Air Force Historical Research Agency as confirming the loss of up to 25 bombers. Disputing this, a professor at the National Defense University said he researched more than 200 Tuskegee Airmen mission reports and found no bombers were lost to enemy fighters. Bill Holloman, a Tuskegee airman who taught black studies at the University of Washington and now chairs the Airmen's history committee, was reported by the Times as saying his review of records did confirm lost bombers, but "the Tuskegee story is about pilots who rose above adversity and discrimination and opened a door once closed to black America — not about whether their record is perfect."
tuskegee airmen rocked tuskegee experiment did not
a little known fact about the tuskegee airmen is that every time they shot down an enemy aircraft they yelled "booyah" on the radio which is what inspired stuart scott's sportscenter catch phrase. kind of tragic how a once proud war cry has been forever tainted by that lazy eyed son of a bitch.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 15, 2010, 04:29:51 PM
a little known fact about the tuskegee airmen is that every time they shot down an enemy aircraft they yelled "booyah" on the radio which is what inspired stuart scott's sportscenter catch phrase. kind of tragic how a once proud war cry has been forever tainted by that lazy eyed son of a bitch.
Dude needs to have a stare-down with Forrest Whitaker.
The Tuskegee Airmen's P-51 Mustang
(http://johncarmichaels.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c58ed53ef01156f79a6cd970c-pi)
Today, the Alabama Air National Guard paints the tail of at least one of their fighters red to honor the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII.
(http://johncarmichaels.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c58ed53ef01156f79a6c2970c-pi)
Remember Obama's photo op fly by of New York city? He was escorted by the same F-16 Fighting Falcon.
(http://johncarmichaels.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c58ed53ef01156f79a6bb970c-pi)
...and this is just a cool pic for anyone who like aviation. Air Force 1 is one bad ass 747.
(http://johncarmichaels.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c58ed53ef0115705ec91e970b-pi)
This is gay
P-51's were some bad ass planes.
Friggen' right they were. The first ones were underpowered at high altitude though, using a American made Allison engine that up until the 70's was still the main engine for unlimited hydroplanes like the Miss Budwieser. Later model P-51's were fitted with the 1300hp Rolls Royce Merlin engine, same engine as was in the Supermarine Spitfire and what is considered the best aviation engine of WWII.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Rolls-Royce_Merlin.jpg/300px-Rolls-Royce_Merlin.jpg)
Amazing considering it was produced so many years ago.
Is that one of the AF1 photos they took while they were scaring the shtein out of the people in NYC?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg)
No two ways about it this was a bad man right here.
what a bunch of Hoydas
Quote from: Drunkmasterflex on February 15, 2010, 09:41:04 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg)
No two ways about it this was a bad man right here.
makes ya dam proud to be american.
Quote from: Susquehanna Birder on February 15, 2010, 09:28:15 PM
Is that one of the AF1 photos they took while they were scaring the shtein out of the people in NYC?
Yup.
Quote from: Drunkmasterflex on February 15, 2010, 09:41:04 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_T9cPv_dg)
No two ways about it this was a bad man right here.
As well as a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, didn't the Republic of Vietnam award him with their version of the Medal of Honor also?
I believe so.
this ought to give the warmongering macho men among you milky pants
it's worth reading for the other two of you as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/world/asia/18marja.html?hp
Quoteupdated 4:35 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 17, 2010
WILMINGTON, N.C. - An environmental contractor dramatically underreported the level of a cancer-causing chemical found in tap water at Camp Lejeune, then omitted it altogether as the Marine base prepared for a federal health review, an Associated Press review has found.
The Marine Corps had been warned nearly a decade earlier about the dangerously high levels of benzene, which was traced to massive leaks from fuel tanks at the base on the North Carolina coast, according to recently disclosed studies.
For years, Marines who served at Camp Lejeune have blamed their families' cancers and other ailments on tap water tainted by dry cleaning solvents, and many accuse the military of covering it up. The benzene was discovered as part of a broader, ongoing probe into that contamination.
Quote from: Diomedes on February 17, 2010, 08:30:58 PM
this ought to give the warmongering macho men among you milky pants
it's worth reading for the other two of you as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/18/world/asia/18marja.html?hp
:-D you are such a wordsmith. It is crazy the war in Afghanistan has gone on for almost ten years.
Treatment for Alcohol up 56% in Army ranks. (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/army-alcoholics-soldiers-seek-treatment-alcohol-abuse/story?id=9863321&page=1)
QuoteAfter years of increasing alcohol abuse within their ranks, soldiers are now seeking treatment in record numbers, according to new figures put out by the Army.
Nearly 9,200 soldiers sought treatment for alcohol abuse in 2009, a 56 percent increase since the war in Iraq started. Another 11,892 were required to undergo "alcohol education" -- a 16 to 20 hour course for soldiers who were disciplined for an alcohol-related incident, but not found to have an actual abuse problem.
In case anyone missed it, Operation Iraqi freedom will be Operation New Dawn. Defense Secretary Gates, after honoring a request by Gen. Raymond Odierno, signed a memo renaming the war.
WTF? Does Gen. Odierno head the bureau of meaningless names for wars? It's said it is supposed to reflect the withdraw of troops later this year. Why is it seemed important to have some significant name to any type of conflict or war anymore? If anything it trivializes it as far as I'm concerned. Makes it seem like a friggen' comic book. It's the Iraq war, and no name will make it seem anything more or less.
I see. He's trying to get the retarded-ass Twilight girls behind the war. Very clever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/qfTIUfDO304
Love it
interesting. i just had a similar conversation with my marines this morning regarding their ability to clean the bathroom.
as our numbers dwindle down in iraq, one of 2 things will happen.
a. they'll get their shtein together and actually start farging people up and defending themselves.
b. all hell will break lose and all of the time and money spent by the gov't to train the iraqis will be down the toilet in less than 3 months.
my money's on b.
Quote"I'm gonna let 'em bomb your ass into oblivion because you won't do anything about it."
Quote"You sit here with your thumbs up your ass because your too scared to do your job."
When the U.S. pulls out, they're all gonna' kiss suni ass and be lucky not to get there heads cut off. You can't train those type of people (scared shteinless) to fight an enemy who is raised from birth to kill and thinks it's a garaunteed ticket to paradise if you die for the cause. It's almost like the U.S. training the Rebublic of Vietnam soldiers. We left and they all got slaughtered. Which is one of the big reasons why Americans shouldn't be dying over there.
http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/ajc/swf/blueangels/blueangels.swf
LOL, this reporter passes out 3 times doing manuvers in an F18
Japan starting to balk at footing bill for U.S. forces. (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100225f2.html)
QuoteAmerican officials say the deployment in Japan of troops, fighter jets and the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier based outside the U.S. has enabled Japan to hold down its own defense costs in line with the pacifist Constitution.
They say the U.S. presence also prevents an arms race in East Asia, acts as a deterrent against North Korea and counters the rise of China.
Interesting.
all because of farging Toyota
Related since we are fighting these guys. Surprised he wasn't beheaded. I'm guessing these are pretty low line guys. Not nearly as hardcore as others. Good watch
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/talibanlines/
really good pics of recent actions in afghan
http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2010/02/23/troops-storm-marjah-afghanistan/
I had been checking out this website for awhile because there are some amazing pics as well. Tons of photos you just have to spend sometime here.
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/
Get this, just got off the phone with my son from Japan. He says he's a little home sick. Says the Navy is almost like high school except the penalties for screwing up are a lot more severe. He says a girl he knows was 5 min. late getting back from leave and now can't leave the base for the rest of the time she's in Japan. Keep in mind he hasn't been deployed yet. I told him that if they weren't so strict more people would be screwing up, and when he goes out on deployment he'll be working at his regular job and have more responsiblity and be a lot busier. I think that will help. Also, he just finished up with fiber optics school. No one is learning stuff like that in high school!!
Quote from: shorebird on March 01, 2010, 06:36:53 AM
He says a girl he knows was 5 min. late getting back from leave and now can't leave the base for the rest of the time she's in Japan.
i can all but guarantee that she is not restricted to base just for showing up 5min late. that may have been the straw that broke the camel's back, but i'm fairly certain that in order for it to get to that point, she's had multiple counselings for other infractions (probably for being late).
in the military, the offense you get charged and punished for is often times the least severe infraction you've committed. i deal with it all the time, especially with my younger marines because despite the training and everything they received at boot camp and in their job schools, they're still a bunch of 18-21 year old dumbasses. they do stupid shtein, i correct them and do an informal counseling (which means it doesn't go on their service record). but when i get a kid that i find myself repeatedly counseling, then it eventually escalates to the point where i have to write him/her up and put them on restriction because they couldn't pull their heads out of their asses from the previous incidents.
the military really isn't as tough and as strict as people think....or as it was in the stories your grandparents tell you. there's an escalation of punishment that you have to give people, so long as it's a minor infraction (ie: showing up late). if it's something major like stealing, dui or something like that, then you're going straight to non-judicial punishment or court martial.
for me, the first time it happens i chew your ass for about 20 minutes and give you some shtein detail for the rest of the day. 2nd time, informal counseling where i draft up a letter detailing your offense and then provide a means for you to fix it. in the case of someone who keeps showing up late to work, i will make you show up to work 15 minutes earlier than everyone else. if you still can't get there on time, then another 15 minutes. i'll also usually make them do something stupid too like write a 15,000 word essay on the importance of punctuality.....but i'll wait until the end of the day on friday to tell them and have them turn it in to me first thing monday morning. i also tell them that words like "i" "and" "but" and "the" don't count.
and if that doesn't work and the idiot still shows up late again, then i'll write him up and have him reduced a rank, lose some pay and get restricted to the barracks for 45 days where he has to stay in uniform all day/night (except for sleep) and every 2 hours has to go to the marine on duty and sign in from 6am until 10pm 7 days a week.
i try not to write people up very often. in fact, i just wrote a marine up last week and it's the first one i've done in over a year. normally, i just keep the marine on my shtein list and work the living hell out of him until he gets his shtein together.
Thats something else, I mean, how farging hard is it to be on time? I know that there can be times were certain unforeseen circumstances can make you late no matter what. The job I have now, my boss is a fanatic about it. I leave a half hour early just in case something happens. I seems to me that people who are late a lot of the time aren't very good workers and don't take what they are doing very serious. When I got out of high school, I worked for my father, and being on time meant you were on the job with tools out, nail apron on and working at 6am. You didn't just arrive at 6, you were working at six. Same thing with lunch and quitting time. I guess it was driven home to me at a young age.
yeah, that's pretty much how i operate, how i was taught as a kid and reinforced in the marines. we have an "unwritten" rule that says you're supposed to be at your appointed place of duty 15 minutes before you're actually supposed to be there. for me, a normal workday starts at 730. i leave my uniform at work so i show up at 715. gives me enough time to change into my uniform, start a pot of coffee and set my plan for the day.
and in today's society, where everyone has a freaking cell phone, there's absolutely no excuse not to call if you know you're going to be late. shtein happens. people oversleep. there's an accident and you're stuck in traffic. flat tire. severe case of mud butt. walked out of the house and locked your keys inside. any number of things can happen to cause you to be late. i don't have a problem with that. just pick up your phone and make a farging phone call. it's ok every once in a while, but if you're constantly late and have some crazy ass story every time, then you've got a problem.
hell, i remember when i was stationed near seattle (i was only 21 at the time) i had a marine who worked for me who was late almost every day......and he lived on base. the final straw was when he showed up to work almost an hour late and said that when he walked out of his house to go to his car, there was a mountain lion that chased him up a tree and he had to sit there and wait it out. i actually had to leave the room for about 10 minutes before i could deal with him with a straight face.
They don't cover mountain lions in basic training?
oh no, they cover it. they tell us not to run up a farging tree because they're such excellent climbers. that's like jumping in the ocean to try and get away from a shark.
What about land sharks?
Land sharks are extinct dummy.
Why no one invades Switzerland.
http://www.youtube.com/v/0ufkwTM82e4
QuoteThe key to freedom is having the ability to be able to defend yourself. The tools for that are guns.
Yeah, yeah, we can all appreciate some gun porn.
But dude, the mountains help. And the fact that pretty much the whole world has decided the Swiss can have it doesn't hurt.
Quote from: shorebird on March 01, 2010, 05:24:55 PM
Thats something else, I mean, how farging hard is it to be on time? I know that there can be times were certain unforeseen circumstances can make you late no matter what. The job I have now, my boss is a fanatic about it. I leave a half hour early just in case something happens. I seems to me that people who are late a lot of the time aren't very good workers and don't take what they are doing very serious. When I got out of high school, I worked for my father, and being on time meant you were on the job with tools out, nail apron on and working at 6am. You didn't just arrive at 6, you were working at six. Same thing with lunch and quitting time. I guess it was driven home to me at a young age.
In the military I understand the reason for this because things change so much. I always hated it as far as a job goes though. It is the biggest crock of shtein I have ever heard you are not being paid to be there early, in the military you are your salary and that is what is expected.
I don't think you should show up right on time you should be there slightly early. I just heard guys say exactly what you did there a lot while working in the trades and found it complete bs. They aren't paying you to be there at 545, they are paying you to be there at 600.
Yes, they are paying you to be there working at six, not pulling up, getting out of the truck and getting ready to work at six. If anyone can be at work 5 minutes early and be working at starting time, more power to them. I don't like rushing around in the morning.
When I was on the Reagan liberty expired at 6 AM. I had a 20 minute drive to base, but if I didn't leave by 430 I was cutting it close. Reason being is traffic getting on base is usually backed up for miles, they do I.D. checks at the gate, it's a 20 minute walk from the parking lot to the ship, you have to go through another I.D. check to get onto the pier, then another one when you get onto the ship. Yeah it sucks but if you chose to sign up you chose to live by those rules.
Apache Gunship Snuffs 4 Iraqi Terrorists Planting Bomb on Roadside (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7314662704817956169#)
Not that it makes this any less awesome but that video is about 7 yrs old
I like the part of, "wait for movement."
Is that the clip where the reporters get killed?
Quote from: Diomedes on April 10, 2010, 11:45:04 AM
Is that the clip where the reporters get killed?
Quote from: SD on April 06, 2010, 07:50:49 PM
Apache Gunship Snuffs 4 Iraqi Terrorists Planting Bomb on Roadside (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7314662704817956169#)
No.
The one I'm talking about some terrorists were killed as well. Or at least, some people with rifles and rocket launchers, which appears to be what most people require in order to call a dead muslim a terrorist.
i don't think that's the same one dio. as i mentioned earlier, i think that video was from the very early stages of the war and i think what you're talking about happened a little later. do you remember when the reporters got killed?
No, but it's been in the news recently because the video was leaked, so that's why I thought this video might be it. I don't watch snuff videos, so I had to ask.
Reporters know what they're getting into when they go there, and they get killed by both sides. If they get killed by Americans it's an accident, but most of the time when they get killed by terrorists, they get tortured first, and then have their heads cut off.
Actually Shore, them getting there heads cutoff is the exception, not the norm. It was much more prevalent when Zarqawi was doing it, but almost the entire insurgency turned on him because of it. Since then, the basically just try to ransom off the folks they capture.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=747_1211406529
BOOM
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on April 11, 2010, 10:22:57 AM
Actually Shore, them getting there heads cutoff is the exception, not the norm. It was much more prevalent when Zarqawi was doing it, but almost the entire insurgency turned on him because of it. Since then, the basically just try to ransom off the folks they capture.
Yeah, but aren't most killed if the ransom isn't paid? And it's not just reporters, it's anyone who is not a Muslim.
Obama: Al-Qaida would use nukes if it had them. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100411/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama)
Quote"We know that organizations like al-Qaida are in the process of trying to secure nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction, and would have no compunction at using them," Obama said.
Does this sound familiar to anyone, or is it just me?
Quote"The single biggest threat to U.S. security, both short-term, medium-term and long-term, would be the possibility of a terrorist organization obtaining a nuclear weapon," Obama said. "This is something that could change the security landscape in this country and around the world for years to come."
"If there was ever a detonation in New York City, or London, or Johannesburg, the ramifications economically, politically and from a security perspective would be devastating," the president said
This, imo, doesn't sound like the same Obama we heard before the election, or the one that sat down with a known terrorist organizational leader from Hamas.
Yes it does. He always took a hardlinr against nuclear weapons for that reason
Quote from: Seabiscuit36 on April 11, 2010, 11:01:33 AM
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=747_1211406529
BOOM
There was a video of our lead truck of our convoy getting hit by an ied on liveleak, I can't find it anymore.
It was a propaganda video they said they killed two of our guys. It wasn't true, the only thing that happened was one of our guys got his foot broken. You can actually can here me trying to shoot the trigger man/spotter.
damn, you gotta find that and DL it to show your grandkids one day. And Barry was trying to open dialogue with Hamas, and the hardline groups, in an attempt to control a shtein storm from being unleashed. Obviously he's getting different updates daily, but i'd imagine the amount of effort to keep nuclear weapons from those groups is off the charts.
I've looked for it but I can't find it at all. I have a ton of other videos, but that one was one posted by the insurgents.
Virtual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (http://www.virtualwall.org/index.html)
If you knew anyone who died there, you can view their memorial page, and see a full profile. If you haven't been to the memorial you can find out the panel and line their name is on so it's easier to find if you ever go there.
Quote from: shorebird on April 17, 2010, 09:18:23 PM
Virtual Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall (http://www.virtualwall.org/index.html)
If you knew anyone who died there, you can view their memorial page, and see a full profile. If you haven't been to the memorial you can find out the panel and line their name is on so it's easier to find if you ever go there.
I think this is great. Good find, shore.
Thanks man, had it sent to me from a buddy who knows my brother died over there. I never knew it, but he only lasted three months. He was a Marine so he went from boot camp right into the shtein. Finally found out were and how. Might not sound like much but it meant a lot to me 'cause my Mom forbid us form ever asking or talking about it. She just couldn't take it and never really got over it right up until the day she died. He was 19.
Him dying over there was the only reason I didn't join 'cause I was the last surviving son and she flipped when I told her I wanted to join up. My whole family was Military, and I'll just say I honored her wishes.
power point presentations are freedom's newest enemy (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint.html?hp)
(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/04/27/world/27powerpoint_CA0_337-span/27powerpoint_CA0-articleLarge.jpg)
QuoteLike an insurgency, PowerPoint has crept into the daily lives of military commanders and reached the level of near obsession. The amount of time expended on PowerPoint, the Microsoft presentation program of computer-generated charts, graphs and bullet points, has made it a running joke in the Pentagon and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
[b[PowerPoint makes us stupid,[/b] Gen. James N. Mattis of the Marine Corps, the Joint Forces commander, said this month at a military conference in North Carolina. (He spoke without PowerPoint.) Brig. Gen. H. R. McMaster, who banned PowerPoint presentations when he led the successful effort to secure the northern Iraqi city of Tal Afar in 2005, followed up at the same conference by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat.
a-farging-men. even at the lowly enlisted level i still deal with power point more often than i'd like. if i'm giving a brief, it has to be in power point. if i'm being briefed, it has to be in power point. personally, i'm a huge fan of the white board. we're planning a deployment to south america in july and i've got a 5'x8' white board in my office that is my planning board and it's got every minute detail of this deployment laid out on it. some of the officers wanted a brief on this stuff about 2 weeks ago and i invited them into my office and showed them the board. they said "this is great, but put it in a power point, then brief us."
so i snapped a pic of the board with my phone and then pasted it to a ppt slide. my entire "presentation" was 3 slides total. the intro slide, the slide with a picture of my white board, and a "questions?" slide.
i figured they would have been pissed because i was clearly being a smart ass but they farging loved it. wtf? it was so much harder to read the slide version of my white board than it was to read the real thing but these chuckleheads simply aren't comfortable with it if it isn't being presented to them in power point. farging amazing.
Agreed on the ppt shtein, they rely way too much on it
I found the video on live leak I was looking for. Right after the explosion you hear a short burst that is me firing at the trigger man. At the 225 mark they fire some hellfire rockets into a hillside just to scare people away.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d95_1216038037 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d95_1216038037)
Dam, so the 23second mark is the beginning IED, and you were firing in that? Thats some crazy shtein. Can you contact them about DL'ing the video? I know there's software to rip stuff like that too.
Quote from: Drunkmasterflex on April 28, 2010, 10:03:35 PM
Agreed on the ppt shtein, they rely way too much on it
I found the video on live leak I was looking for. Right after the explosion you hear a short burst that is me firing at the trigger man. At the 225 mark they fire some hellfire rockets into a hillside just to scare people away.
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d95_1216038037 (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d95_1216038037)
Jesus christ man....did you nail him at least? God damn.
Damn, they must have some serious armour plating underneath those humvee's now for anyone to have survived that. Thats some scary shtein.
Don't understand the soundtrack, but it's totally awesome.
The soundtrack was perfectly timed, i have no idea what the song is about, but i give them credit it sounds like arabic rap.
No...I didn't hit the guy he was peaking around the corner of a wall and I never saw a human move that fast. I guess adrenaline really is a crazy thing. The video is actually a propaganda video, they said they killed 3 of our guys.
Truth is they didn't kill anybody and the driver was the only one that was really injured and he has a broken ankle. And shore that is no a Humvee, it is a RG 31 they have a v-shaped hull. They are 10x's better than a Humvee.
Hummers should have never been more than what they were, an offroad vehicle that can go thru a ton a shtein. The military should have used more heavy duty transport options like the MRAPs. I saw one the other day being transported up I95. What a beast of a truck
MRAP is a generic term really. From my experience and I was on a route clearance team pretty much what these vehicles are designed for the RG 31 is the best vehicle to be in. The Buffalo is the safest, but I hated it they don't typically have weapons systems.
Quote from: Drunkmasterflex on April 29, 2010, 05:35:45 PM
MRAP is a generic term really. From my experience and I was on a route clearance team pretty much what these vehicles are designed for the RG 31 is the best vehicle to be in. The Buffalo is the safest, but I hated it they don't typically have weapons systems.
i saw a few on FutureWeapons, they were doing testing down the road at APG, and these things were impressive. 6 Wheeled armored with some good weaponry to protect, and others just blastproof carriers.
So tomorrow I'm boarding this boat...
(http://www.quickflashnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/uss-new-orleans.jpg)
and heading down to Peru. Interesting that they'd name a ship after New Orleans. You'd think a sub would make more sense since it too can only be found below sea level. Zinger!
Be back in about 6 weeks. Peace bitches.
BTW.......
Now the Navy has a new uniform that has a digital pattern like the the ones the Marines started wearing about 6 years ago. Here's what I don't get though.....
(http://www.navytimes.com/xml/news/2008/12/navy_uniform_faq_121508w/120208nt_uniform_800.JPG)
It's blue. Why the farg would you wear blue camouflage on a farging ship in the middle of the ocean? More specifically, why the farg would you want to wear something that is going to make you harder to find in the ocean should you happen to fall off the farging boat? Stupid farging squids.
Because you'd go blind looking at 100 men with orange camo pants around their ankles working over 100 other guys with orange pants around their ankles?
Quote from: Sgt PSN on June 09, 2010, 01:38:12 AM
It's blue. Why the farg would you wear blue camouflage on a farging ship in the middle of the ocean? More specifically, why the farg would you want to wear something that is going to make you harder to find in the ocean should you happen to fall off the farging boat? Stupid farging squids.
It's funny you mention this because my room mate and I were saying the exact same thing the other day. I personally liked the dungarees and coveralls we wore when I was on active duty. Camouflage should be saved for people who actually need it. I guess they changed the working blues and khaki's too.
Have a nice vacation and make sure you stay in your berthing if they call away GQ
The Brits know aviation. The 2010 Eurofighter Typhoon is one great aircraft. At the cost of 69 mil euro dollars, it's around half the cost of a 150 milliion dollar F-22 Raptor. They are selling the crap outta' them to Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the United Kingdom. A great tried and true design of a delta wing, with a twist. Two kenard wings at the nose of the aircraft give it supermanuveralbility. The F-22 is a great aircraft, but the cost has bogged down it's funding. On 28 October 2009, President Barack Obama signed a defense bill that terminated some weapons projects and expanded war efforts for the current conflicts. The bill terminates production of the F-22 jet fighter program. He had the Dod prepare a report on the costs and feasibility for an F-22 export variant and another report on the impact of F-22 export sales on the U.S. aerospace industry. But know the whole program looks done.
http://www.youtube.com/v/sg3R6vJWWuc&feature=related
This is the jet the United States will most likely continue funding for. The F-35 joint strike fighter. At 89 million per it's a lot more affordable, and even though it has a top speed of Mach 1.7, it's powered by a single engine design, which is much more mantainable. It's stealthy, and has a variant in production with vertical takeoff capability. It's able to carry more armament than any other aircraft in the world, and any weapon that the U.S. has, even cruise missles. And it's being exported to the friendlys.
http://www.youtube.com/v/xTSRbXTh-_A&feature=related
this is especially important because of all the dog fights we get into
The F-35 B is the variant with STOVL (short takeoff and vertical landing) capability. It's going to be exported the the RAF to replace the Harrier jump jet. The U.S. Marines oredered 140 of them to replace their entire inventory of F-18's and Harriers. It's the first STOVL aircraft since the Harrier. It can take off from a carrer with a full load and not need a catapult on the Royal Navy's Invincible class carriers that have ramps on them. It's an amazing aircraft.
http://www.youtube.com/v/LPy7FuA0Z6A
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 27, 2010, 08:26:50 PM
this is especially important because of all the dog fights we get into
Goose and Maverick fart in your general direction!
Quote from: ice grillin you on June 27, 2010, 08:26:50 PM
this is especially important because of all the dog fights we get into
lol
the military is the biggest welfare project going. then corporations. then you get to actual individual citizens.
And of those individual citizens, about 50,000 are men and women in the military who are currently receiving food stamps and other forms of gov't aid.
I agree, use our military superiority to fight off the bottom feeders
How bout we just get rid of the military all together? Save money by eliminating the biggest welfare project ever.
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs073.ash2/37000_411970387397_177732872397_4356254_549937_n.jpg)
USS McCampbell (DDG 85) and USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) steam in formation through the Western Pacific Ocean before taking part in a live-fire exercise. Curtis Wilbur and McCampbell are assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 15, part of the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed naval forces which are currently underway supporting security and stability in the western Pacific Ocean
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs073.ash2/37000_411970392397_177732872397_4356255_6157536_n.jpg)
USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 85) fires an MK-45 five-inch gun during a live-fire exercise. The MK 45 five inch gun is a fully-automatic naval gun capable of providing accurate naval gunfire against fast, highly-maneuverable surface targets, air threats and shore batteries. Curtis Wilbur is assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, part of the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed naval forces which is currently underway supporting security and stability in the western Pacific Ocean.
how many Al Queda fargers have been killed with a 45 inch battleship gun?
All of them?
Try again Osama Hussein Bin Taliban.
Hugh Bin Talinbad jokes.
Hugh Douglas said what?
Quote from: Diomedes on June 28, 2010, 10:04:10 PM
how many Al Queda fargers have been killed with a 45 inch battleship gun?
on the positive side aint no pirates comin aboard that baby
...and it's a cool pic.
http://www.technewsdaily.com/seven-sci-fi-weapons-from-tomorrow-are-here-today-0694/1
Some cool shtein. Rail gun is my favorite. Can't wait for the Russians and Chinese to steal this technology once we've perfected it.
Quote from: Diomedes on June 28, 2010, 10:04:10 PM
how many Al Queda fargers have been killed with a 45 inch battleship gun?
there's currently no commissioned battleships so my vote is zero.
Quote from: LBIggle on June 30, 2010, 02:05:25 PM
Quote from: Diomedes on June 28, 2010, 10:04:10 PM
how many Al Queda fargers have been killed with a 45 inch battleship gun?
there's currently no commissioned battleships so my vote is zero.
Exactly, the battleship is obsolete. The Curtis Wilbur and the McCampbell are part of the USS George Washingtons carrier strike group.
Some good in Afghanistan
Drug smugglers and terrorist killed, civilians freed. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100704/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan)
Nothing good about that if you're a dope addict in Baltimore.
Maybe you did't read that part about the suicide vests they found?
Man, I hope you're not doing the chemical based kinda' drugs. I thought you was just a weed guy. You can get weed thats all Americana', that way your money isn't going to dirt bags like what was killed over there.
Meh, I can't get American gas for my car either, so what's the biggie? You live in America, you fund the terrorists. It's the circle of life.
Quote from: Diomedes on July 04, 2010, 08:47:08 AM
Meh, I can't get American gas for my car either, so what's the biggie? You live in America, you fund the terrorists. It's the circle of life.
Now
thats scary, how you so casually, or indifferently justify were the money goes for your drug use.
Hey man, Saudi Princes gotta eat, too.
...and the wheel keeps turning.
(http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs048.ash2/35738_413756352397_177732872397_4396646_153324_n.jpg)
Sailors aboard USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73) "man the rails" as the ship steams into port. Manning the rails is a time-honored Navy tradition carried out when entering and exiting U.S. and foreign ports.
We manned the rails on the Tarawa when we ported in Vancouver, we were met with about 5000 protesters
wasn't that just after 9/11? what the farg were those iceholes protesting?
Anyone in bellbottoms being referred to as a man?
Quote from: Rome on July 04, 2010, 08:53:09 PM
wasn't that just after 9/11? what the farg were those iceholes protesting?
no this was in 99. I still have no idea what they were protesting though, there was some clown with a megaphone that said "we're not asking you to do anything harmful, all we're asking is that you leave the military". The whole thing was pretty hilarious.
They protest the hell outta' the GW being in Japan also. Supposedly, they don't like the thought of anything nuclear being there. I don't know if it's the powerplant in the carrier, or that they might think there are nukes on board the ship. Anyway, it seems kinda pointless because there are all kinds of nuclear power plants in Japan. Over fifty of them.
Clearly worried they may be attacked on a Sunday morning
Quote from: shorebird on July 05, 2010, 12:33:02 AM
They protest the hell outta' the GW being in Japan also. Supposedly, they don't like the thought of anything nuclear being there.
Can't imagine why......
Also, they're getting pretty sick of our GI's raping their women. No highly developed country in their right mind would want any foreign military presence within their own borders. That's why Thailand, Guam and the Philipines farging love having us there......the amount of money the military pays to the ports along with the steady flow of greenbacks from servicemen/women is a welcomed source of revenue and boost to their economy.
Tension high in Korea after sinking of South Korean naval vessel. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100725/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_us_military_drills)
Kim Joung Il threatens nuclear war....again.
Quote"Our military and people will squarely respond to the nuclear war preparation by the American imperialists and the South Korean puppet regime with our powerful nuclear deterrent," the North's government-run Minju Joson newspaper said in a commentary Sunday headlined, "We also have nuclear weapons."
Good thing our military isn't stretched to the breaking point by multiple actions elsewhere.
One carrier strike group working with the South Korean Navy is anything but stretching the American military to the breaking point. Thats one of the big reasons they're in Japan in the first place.
If you're going to troll, or act the hippo, at least try to make it somewhat reasonable or believable.
Not to mention that you're tunnel visioned hatred of the military, and your country in general seems to have you totally oblivious to the point of the whole exercise or what might become of it.
reading comprehension isn't your strong suit, eh?
let me spell out what I meant: our military is currently stretched to the breaking point by invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, which does not put us in a good position if North Korea does in fact start something.
if north korea starts something there isn't a thing the american military can do to stop them.
well, there's 30k troops in South Korea, who could do something. Not sure how much, and if they get nuked then nothing at all, but yeah....the U.S. is kinda farged if NK kicks off a war
thanks George Bush
the u.s. military presence in s.k. is a token gesture. they'd be a speed bump if the north koreans ever got it into their heads to invade it would start world war iii without a doubt.
I think the hope there is that China would do something about it, since they don't want to be in the mushroom cloud that would immediately follow.
Bush had a lot to do with it, but no more than Obama. He hasn't brought troops home, he's sent even more over. Right now it's been projected by Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen that the fighting in Afganistan will get worse as the summer goes on, and the end is over a year away. If then the way I see it. This after two sailors came up missing last Friday and now, the Taliban says they have the body of one and are holding the other captive. Right now it's as bad as it's ever been over there and as bad as I wanted action after 9-11, I want even more now to see our troops home. It's also very disheartening to hear that as long as we've been in Iraq, as we pull out the military and police there are still no were near ready.
link (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/25/AR2010072501324.html)
QuoteIraq's military chief says that without a U.S. presence, the Iraqi forces won't be able to fully fend for themselves before 2020. Anthony Cordesman, a former director of intelligence assessment in the Pentagon, agrees it will take years.
QuoteBut bombings still happen almost daily across Iraq, often targeting the security forces. Drive-by shootings and kidnappings are common. And despite at least $22 billion the U.S. has spent on training and equipping the forces since 2004, many of the problems that have long plagued the army and police remain unresolved.
The U.S. military, preparing to pull out completely by the end of 2011, has been promoting an image of a capable Iraqi security force. Barely a day passes without an announcement of the arrest or killing by homegrown security forces of insurgents, mostly suspects from al-Qaida in Iraq, as well as ordinary criminals.
Dio, you're right, my bad, the troops are spread so thin there isn't even enough to man the border in California or Texas, and yeah, if the North Koreans let fly with nukes, there is probably not a lot the U.S. could do. Still, you have to think there are big time defense systems at the border and throughout the South. There are an additional 50,000 troops in Japan along with the 28,500 in South Korea, and one other big deterant, probably the only reason it hasn't yet happened, is that there are three other strike groups on the West Coast that would more than likely bomb the North into oblivion. The F-22 Raptor would be in and out of there before anyone in the knew it, 'cause the North has no way to pick it up on radar.
China would do something alright, they're as pissed about the exercises going on as is NK.
link (http://in.reuters.com/article/idINIndia-50252920100720)
QuoteBeijing has condemned those drills, which many in China feel are also aimed at their country. Zhu Chenghu, a strategic studies professor at the National Defence University, told the China News Service that the U.S.-South Korean drills were clearly aimed at sending Beijing a message as much as they were directed at North Korea. "They will take place in the Yellow Sea, which is the entry point to China's house, and they obviously want to show off their military strength," he said.
It's a farged up situation, and it doesn't seem to be getting better, especially when you hear Hillary Clinton talking about peace in Korea. STFU bitch. When you think about a carrier group, it's been said by the military that they are as close to untouchable as any military force can be. But thats changed, imo. Although still the most powerful Naval group in the world, carrier strike groups are venerable to cruise missiles that travel faster than the speed of sound and have change of direction capability to avoid being hit before they reach their target. They almost think for themselves. Also, NK has a viable Air Force, ships and submarines. The U.S. Navy wouldn't get through any kind of fight against North Korea without big losses, imo. if anyone thinks otherwise they're living in la' la' land. And if China were to get involved it would be the worst thing that could possibly happen to the U.S. right now. It could mean the loss of tens of thousands of lives in the Pacific.
calling the Secretary of State a bitch = classy
She was a bitch long before that.
...not to mention I've never been one to be classy or try to use class, like 99.9% of this board. Guess which percentile you fall in.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/4831836181_ac5cba8505_b.jpg)
QuoteNavy and Republic of Korea (ROK) ships transit the Pacific Ocean in a 13-ship formation led by USS Tuscon (SSN 770). The Republic of Korea and the United States are conducting the combined alliance maritime and air readiness exercise "Invincible Spirit" in the seas east of the Korean peninsula from July 25-28, 2010. This is the first in a series of joint military exercises that will occur over the coming months in the East and West Seas.
I wonder why the North Korean's don't have a sub out there sinking ROK ships now?
US Stalls on Trial for Five at Gitmo (http://www.military.com/news/article/us-stalls-on-trial-for-five-at-gitmo.html?col=1186032310810)
What a mess, like it's never gonna' end.
(http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefQBHFZM6AoAequjzbkF/SIG=13hmbr09r/EXP=1280798081/**http%3a//www.nemsplace.co.uk/e107_images/conflict_military_b/khalid%2520sheikh%2520mohammed.jpg)
Self professed 9-11 mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. I guess he didn't have his blow dryer after he was waterboarded.
some take the situation as proof that Obama can't get anything done
others take it as proof that Bush handed the United States a dilemma no president could resolve to everyone's satisfaction
Quote from: Diomedes on August 01, 2010, 10:05:50 PM
some take the situation as proof that Obama can't get anything done
others take it as proof that Bush handed the United States a dilemma no president could resolve to everyone's satisfaction
Thats pretty much the way I see it.
The big thing being were to have the trial. I don't think it would be a good thing to have it in the States, or let the Military hold it. Probably should be an international trial but I don't know how that could be done.
China invents Carrier killer missile (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100805/ap_on_re_as/as_china_us_carrier_killer)
Happy to be off a Carrier
Damn thing travels at 10 times the speed of sound. How do you stop something like that? imo, you don't. The real worry to me is not actually the Chinease, but who they might possibly sell it too.
Bagdad car bomb kill 8 (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100808/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq)
Just the word of the U.S. pulling out and the violence there gets stepped up. I'll bet that even if a new government is formed it gets overthrown in time. And really, with all the delays, it doesn't look like Iraq will have a new government anytime soon. I'm willing to say that in 5 years after we're gone the only difference will be that there is no Saddam Hussein.
Saddam was good for that country. He kept the peace. By killing people, sure. But here is what you've got for options in Iraq:
Chaos and civil war, criminals running what the religious clans don't, people being murdered all over the place.
Oppressive government killing particular people...peace and order otherwise.
Freedom and democracy are not options. That's it, those are the two options.
Tito was a real bastich too, but he kept this tight. What happened after him? Genocide.
I don't know if I'd say Saddam was good for Iraq, especially after using chemical weapons on his own friggen' people.
Chemical weapons the U.S. supplied and knew he was using.
Besides, the Kurds aren't his own people.
Viva Saddam!
there arent many things in the world shore cares less about than dead muslims...hes just wants to legitimize the us going in any way he can
As twisted as Saddam was, he kept the Kurds, Sunni and Shi'ites in check and for the most part, they all stayed in their respective yards. Once he was removed from power, those boundries went with him and shtein really hit the fan.
At the time, I was all about getting Saddam out of power, but hind sight being 20/20, Iraq was actually more stable under his rule. Don't get me wrong, I don't miss that sumbitch at all, but at the same time, he did something that we have failed to do in nearly a decade of occupation......provide stability in Iraq.
but they have soccer back!
I know......that's the worst part.
yeah time for another bombing campaign
Quote from: ice grillin you on August 09, 2010, 11:50:40 AM
there arent many things in the world shore cares less about than dead muslims...hes just wants to legitimize the us going in any way he can
You don't have a clue as to what I care about or the fact that I've wanted the U.S. outta' the middle east for years.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on August 09, 2010, 11:55:45 AM
As twisted as Saddam was, he kept the Kurds, Sunni and Shi'ites in check and for the most part, they all stayed in their respective yards. Once he was removed from power, those boundries went with him and shtein really hit the fan.
At the time, I was all about getting Saddam out of power, but hind sight being 20/20, Iraq was actually more stable under his rule. Don't get me wrong, I don't miss that sumbitch at all, but at the same time, he did something that we have failed to do in nearly a decade of occupation......provide stability in Iraq.
At the time so was I, but I don't call "providing stability in Iraq" the genocidal gassing and murdering of over 180,000 people. Anfal was a slaughter, no more, no less.
But, like I said, 5 years, might even be less, it'll be like we were never even there and all the lives lost over there will more or less have no more meaning than the lives lost in Nam.
It wasn't nearly as stable as it was perceived, I talked to many of the Iraqi nationals I worked with about it. For the most part the Kurds still do stay in the north and don't have much to do with the rest of the country.
I don't know if democracy will work there or not, at this point it sure doesn't look like it. The way I look at it though is at least there is an opportunity. Is it worth the cost maybe....maybe not.
Peace, by means of fear, genocide and oppression, is not a preferable state of being.
Quote from: Drunkmasterflex on August 09, 2010, 06:43:22 PM
It wasn't nearly as stable as it was perceived, I talked to many of the Iraqi nationals I worked with about it. For the most part the Kurds still do stay in the north and don't have much to do with the rest of the country.
I don't know if democracy will work there or not, at this point it sure doesn't look like it. The way I look at it though is at least there is an opportunity. Is it worth the cost maybe....maybe not.
One thing is for sure, the world is a better place without Hussein. He was a little Hitler. Who knows how many people he would have slaughtered if he was allowed to go on. The bad is Bin Laden hasn't been caught, and it doesn't look like the Iraqi nationals will be able to hold onto power even if the Iraqi politicians can stop their arguing and finally form a new government. But, like you say, at least they have been given the opportunity.
Saddam was a psycho who kept the really bad guys in check. Necessary evil, probably, but he had an expiration date, i just dont approve of how it was done.
Quote from: Seabiscuit36 on August 09, 2010, 10:05:28 PM
Saddam was a psycho who kept the really bad guys in check. Necessary evil, probably, but he had an expiration date, i just dont approve of how it was done.
Yeah, after 9-11 Bush and co. were looking for a reason, any reason, to take him out. And when they couldn't find any proof of ties to the WTC tragedy, it would seem they made something up. Still, even if Iraq had nukes, who is the U.S. to say that they shouldn't be allowed to have them? With the oil money in the middle east, it's only a matter of time before one of the countries there develops nuclear weapons. I just hope we don't end up with a president that thinks we should police the friggen' world and want to invade any country that gets WOMD just because he thinks they are too dangerous to have them.
North Korea answers the South (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100809/ts_nm/us_korea_north) by firing artillery rounds into ROK waters and capturing an unarmed fishing boat. Unknown to them at the time, the fishing boat had three Chinease nationals on it, and China was not pleased.
QuoteIt said North Korea had fired more than 100 artillery rounds into its waters off the west coast, near its disputed sea border with the South, soon after the latest military drills by South Korea had ended.
QuoteAt the weekend, ties were further strained by the detention of a South Korean fishing boat by a North Korean patrol. Three Chinese nationals were among the seven sailors aboard.
The issue prompted a rare prod of its ally by China which expressed concern over reports its nationals were among those held.
I just saw my brother leave before he gets shipped out to Iraq. Its a weird feeling because you don't want to be negative. But for the first time...this war comes home and it becomes real. No longer does it exist only on the internet, television, radio, and street banners...it is here.
I had another brother that was inspired to enlist and he leaves for boot camp in September or October. I feel for my mom...its kind of a twisted feeling for obvious reasons.
I guess its our turn to feel the burden of a family member participating in an active war.
1st brother is supposed to be the last of the troops in Iraq...his deployment is supposed to be through December of 2011. He was supposed to go to Afghanistan...but it was changed to Iraq. He's enlisted as a medic.
Is he a Navy Corpsman or an Army Medic?
Army Medic.
Four U.S. soilders killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201354.html?hpid=topnews)
QuoteThree of the soldiers were killed in insurgent attacks in the south and east and one was killed by a homemade bomb in the south, NATO officials said. The Taliban has stepped up its campaign of violence in those regions to counter a buildup of international forces.
QuoteWith the arrival of 30,000 additional U.S. troops this summer for a fall push into Taliban-controlled areas, NATO officials have predicted an increase in violence and casualties. Taliban fighters have spread beyond their traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once-peaceful north.
As the Taliban increases its attacks on troops, it has also killed a record number of civilians, through targeted assassinations, roadside bombs and suicide attacks. The insurgents' methods have grown more gruesome, including a reported stoning death of a young married couple this month -- the first such execution since the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001.
Long article, but my wifes Great Uncle was mentioned in this recollection of the Battle of the Bulge {Sgt Datte}
http://www.indianamilitary.org/106ID/Diaries/None-POW/Robert%20Ringer/Robert%20Ringer.htm
QuoteEventually, all of us made it through for ammunition, but Sgt. Datte had the greatest adventure. He picked up 900 rounds of 105 mm ammunition from the 7th Armored Division's trains at Sprimont, and while returning ran into the final battle at Parker's Crossroads. He turned back to Werbomont and there turned east to Trois Pants and somewhere along the way joined forces with Lt. Pratt and some trucks of the 590th FA Bn now hauling ammunition for the division. Along the way they were ambushed and the right front tire of my lead truck was flattened and Pratt's windshield was shot out. A private first class I had court-martialed for throwing a pick away in the States must have decided I might make him pay for the trucks, so single-handedly he charged the Germans and created so much confusion on that the trucks were able to back away and the tire was repaired. Later a fire fight developed, with some paratroopers coming from Vielsalm to join the melee. During this fight Corporals Ekstrom and Cox along with a paratrooper ran between two buildings, and were greeted with a burst of fire. The paratrooper was killed, but both my men were unscathed. Our fabulous luck remained with us. Although shot at many times, not one member was killed or wounded, despite being in the battle from December 16, 1944 until January 25, 1945. In contrast, I had three men wounded in Service Battery, 590th FA Battalion the Sunday after the war was over near Kerbihan, France, while containing the Lorient Pocket.
While still in the area of the fire fight, Sgt. Datte met a British Captain, who turned out to be one of six sent by Field Marshall Montgomery to find out what was going on in the St. Vith sector. Inasmuch as Lt. Pratt had left with his trucks, the British Captain, spent a half-hour with Sgt. Datte while waiting for the road to be opened Into Vielsalm. I always told Sgt. Datte that he talked the British Captain into straightening the line and withdrawing from the 'Goose Egg.' At any rate, Field Marshall Montgomery's decision to withdraw to a new line was the correct decision, because a major part of four divisions could have been captured in the 'Goose Egg,' and without ammunition, would have been 'easy pickings.
At Aywaille, where Datte and I finally got together, we saw four Germans in American uniforms captured by the bridge guards. This was the first that we knew that the rumor was true, and that there were Germans around in American uniforms. They passed within a few feet of us and the only thing I noticed was that one had an overcoat reaching to his ankles. Lucky for us they surrendered Instead of fighting. (See Gen. Manteuffel's remarks in attached letter.)
The story of the escape from the 'Goose Egg' is an interesting one, and although lacking in coordination, it was almost entirely successful. Only a small number of vehicles were lost and 23,000 troops from four divisions were saved to fight another day. It was quite a job sorting units out, since troops came out as they could break off from the fire fights.
Interestingly enough, from reading this article its entirely possible her great uncle served with my grandfather as they were in the same division/battles, wish i had found this prior to both of them passing. I've been trying to find other articles related to the family, they had all 5 children participate in WWII. My wife's grandfather signed up for the Navy with illegal paperwork at 16 years old, and went to the pacific theater where his ship was struck by torpedos, and he had to swim to shore. Just a whole different generation to read and remember.
Was your wife's grandfather named Quint by any chance?
nah, Joe Datte. Her Great uncle was Charles. The other brother passed away in the war, dont think he was named Quint though.
Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain. For we've received orders for to sail back to Boston. And so nevermore shall we see you again.
Quote from: shorebird on August 23, 2010, 06:34:42 AM
Four U.S. soilders killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/22/AR2010082201354.html?hpid=topnews)
QuoteThree of the soldiers were killed in insurgent attacks in the south and east and one was killed by a homemade bomb in the south, NATO officials said. The Taliban has stepped up its campaign of violence in those regions to counter a buildup of international forces.
QuoteWith the arrival of 30,000 additional U.S. troops this summer for a fall push into Taliban-controlled areas, NATO officials have predicted an increase in violence and casualties. Taliban fighters have spread beyond their traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once-peaceful north.
As the Taliban increases its attacks on troops, it has also killed a record number of civilians, through targeted assassinations, roadside bombs and suicide attacks. The insurgents' methods have grown more gruesome, including a reported stoning death of a young married couple this month -- the first such execution since the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001.
yeah but at least we got all those nasty WMD's out of iraq.
AP says billions wasted in Iraq. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100829/ap_on_bi_ge/ml_iraq_us_reconstruction_legacy)
QuoteA $40 million prison sits in the desert north of Baghdad, empty. A $165 million children's hospital goes unused in the south. A $100 million waste water treatment system in Fallujah has cost three times more than projected, yet sewage still runs through the streets
As the U.S. draws down in Iraq, it is leaving behind hundreds of abandoned or incomplete projects. More than $5 billion in American taxpayer funds has been wasted — more than 10 percent of the some $50 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction in Iraq, according to audits from a U.S. watchdog agency.
That amount is likely an underestimate, based on an analysis of more than 300 reports by auditors with the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. And it does not take into account security costs, which have run almost 17 percent for some projects.
Wow.
and emergency services and funding for schools over here continues to dry up. you blow the shtein out of a country you have to fix it as we've learned from the past. why don't they out source jobs over there for the unemployed looking for them here and train people to use the shtein over there. like were doing with our military training their security forces.
Reading that made me sick.
^Me too. Our economy is as bad as it's been in most of our lifetimes, and shtein like that is going on.
gee, I wonder if there's a connection
I did another BBQ for the Wounded Warriors again Friday. Lobster tail and Filets. We were at a guys house right on the Chesapeake, the vets were all relaxing, fishing with brand new rods the were donated from a local sportsmans shop. They were catching all kinds of white perch and sea trout that we were putting on the grill. Everything was going great until the Kent Island fire whistle went off. Poor guy in a wheel chair threw himself out of the chair on the ground covering his head up with his hands. Another girl started shaking and looked like she was gonna' pass out. It was fargin' ugly. It took a while for everyone to get it all back together. Makes you think, poor people never, ever really get over whatever it was they went through. I can't imagine.
But, it ended well, they rode a bus to the KI high school football opener were they were honored at halftime. They had a good time and were more than thankful.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAqbN9HO68A
hearts and minds
and fingers
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/09/us-soldiers-afghan-civilians-fingers
South Korea: North Korea opens fire at border
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101029/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_tensions)
Tension is higher there than it's been in a long while. Don't know if they get past this without the end of the 60 year cease fire.
Quote from: ice grillin you on November 09, 2010, 04:36:52 PM
Quote
The Pentagon said Tuesday it was trying to determine if a missile was launched Monday off the coast of Southern California and, if so, who might have fired it.
Spokesmen for the Navy, Air Force, and other military organizations said they were looking into a video posted on the CBS News website that shows an object shooting across the sky and leaving a large contrail, or vapor trail, over the Pacific Ocean.
The video was shot by a KCBS helicopter, the station said Tuesday.
"Nobody within the Department of Defense that we've reached out to has been able to explain what this contrail is, where it came from," Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said.
sweet
THIS (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UGM-133_Trident_II) is the
only thing it could have possibly been. Sabre rattling by the U.S. with Obama in the Orient, most notably South Korea today.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Trident_II_missile_image.jpg/270px-Trident_II_missile_image.jpg)
UGM-133 Trident II
Happy Birthday, Sarge.
Ohh Rah.............devil.
Commandant's Annual Birthday Message Commemorating Marines Who Fought In Korea. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW4Gm5uFYQk&feature=share)
I'm not watching all that propaganda at once. I got far enough in to say that Obama gets an A+ for his delivery of the line "Freedom is not free, but the United States Marine Corps will pay most of your share."
Also, I had never before heard the line "There are only two kinds of people who understand Marines: Marines, and the enemy."
Funny that you use the word "propaganda" because that's really how I viewed this year's message too. It honestly didn't invoke much emotion from me at all and most of them do. I thought last year's was pretty awesome and there's been a few throughout the years that have been exceptional. This one definitely had that "corporate media production" overtone. I bet the crew who shot that had just wrapped up production on an OSHA workplace safety video. Or maybe one of those BP "We're not leaving until the job's done" commercials.
To all the vets on the board - SD, Sarge, DMF, Shore, and all others - thank you for your service.
:yay
and to celebrate, here's some free stuff (http://themilitarywallet.com/veterans-day-free-meals-and-discounts/)
Quote from: Die-Hard on November 11, 2010, 09:39:52 AM
To all the vets on the board - SD, Sarge, DMF, Shore, and all others - thank you for your service.
Seconded.
And here's (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2010/11/the-true-liberty-to-forget) a great article by a recruiter for the Marines.
Happy Veterans Day, vets
Quote from: Die-Hard on November 11, 2010, 09:39:52 AM
To all the vets on the board - SD, Sarge, DMF, Shore, and all others - thank you for your service.
Seconded. Except for Sarge, who is a disgrace to his country.
(Just kidding, I love your sexy body, Sargeypoo.)
That is a damn good article.
QuoteThe encounter reminded me that the reason I served my country was because I loved freedom. I loved it so much that I was willing to sacrifice some of my own freedom, or even my life if necessary, to secure it for myself and for my nation. The young woman had the luxury of being uninformed about the military because my fellow Marines had bought that liberty for her. For over two centuries, American soldiers and sailors had paid the cost necessary to give her to have the freedom to think—or not think—as she chooses. We had provided her with the safety and security needed to forget that people like us existed.
This more or less sums up my thoughts about why I joined and have stuck with it for 16 years. I've actually got a lot to say about this but I'll hold off for now because I don't really want to set a negative tone on a day that should be positive in nature. So I'll probably wait until Xmas or something.
thanks to all of you that have served. voluntarily at that.
great job girls !
That makes no sense to me. I give more credit to those who served involuntarily.
Someone just posted this on facebook and it made me think of cf.
Quotethanks to all the service men and woman and gays for opening up a can of woopass on the the freedom haters out there.
Quote from: Die-Hard on November 11, 2010, 09:39:52 AM
To all the vets on the board - SD, Sarge, DMF, Shore, and all others - thank you for your service.
Thanks yo...and same to my fellow vets. Tribute video for you all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQZBVTp_-9Y
Quote from: Die-Hard on November 11, 2010, 09:39:52 AM
To all the vets on the board - SD, Sarge, DMF, Shore, and all others - thank you for your service.
This thread dropped before I could get too it.
I know my grandfather, father, brother, and son, the latter who is currently serving appreciate your thanking them. I myself, never served, having a brother killed in Vietnam and being the last surviving son, my mom forbid me going in the military, and if I didn't understand then, I do now. Still, having four generations of my family that have served or are serving makes me do whatever I can to support our troops. I'm fascinated by the military's technology, mostly the naval and aviation parts. I know there are people who hate the military, how they operated and most everything they stand for. Let's just say I'm not one of them and I thank each and every one of our veterans for their service.
Good for you, Jesus Christ.
Wait..Shorebird is Jesus Christ?? Holy shtein.
Explains a lot doesn't it.
Quote from: Diomedes on November 17, 2010, 05:40:15 PM
Good for you, Jesus Christ.
Touch a nerve? Why would you care?
Here we go... (http://www.etsy.com/listing/61431232/he-man-high-class-fine-art-original)
Quote from: rjs246 on November 23, 2010, 09:35:25 AM
Here we go... (http://www.etsy.com/listing/61431232/he-man-high-class-fine-art-original)
Uh, yeah.....we got it the first time. (http://www.concretefield.info/forum/index.php?topic=18105.msg792031#msg792031)
Ha! Well I obviously posted the wrong link in this thread... let's try that again, shall we?
North Korea is trying to start a war. (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/11/23/nkorea.skorea.military.fire/index.html?hpt=T1)
Which brings up a question I've always had. Why did they scrap neutron bombs? I seem to remember in the debate some question of ethics in using them as opposed to fission type nuclear weapons, but they'd seem just perfect for N Korea if it ever came to that (recently western experts were all but shocked to see how advanced N Korea's centrifuge capacity is for concentrating uranium).
The carrier my son is on went to see yesterday. With sea trials already scheduled between SK and the U.S., I have to think the GW will again be back in the yellow sea. If anything goes down I just hope that China doesn't get invovled.
China face palms every time North Korea fargs off. China wants nothing to do with it, it would cost them everything they've built up to this point.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/23/obama-s-korea-stage-military-exercises/ (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/23/obama-s-korea-stage-military-exercises/)
QuoteA U.S. aircraft carrier strike group set off for Korean waters Wednesday after President Obama pledged America would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with South Korea and stage joint military exercises in response to what the White House branded a provocative, outrageous attack by North Korea on its neighbor.
The nuclear-powered USS George Washington carrier strike group, which carries 75 warplanes and has a crew of over 6,000, left a naval base south of Tokyo and will join exercises with South Korea from Sunday to the following Wednesday, U.S. officials in Seoul told Reuters.
Can someone in the military or with better understanding it tell me what exactly "military exercises" are? In my mind I just view it as "look how big our cocks I mean boats are" where they just sail around in view of the enemy.
If it's in reference to a ship at sea it means launching aircraft (for carriers etc.), navigation, firing weapons, doing drills at sea like GQ (firefighting/flooding/damage control), seamanship stuff like rigging and underway replenishment etc.
When I was on an LHA military excercises for Marines was them riding LCACs and LCU's to land and doing ops in the field.
Defiant North Korea fires artillery warning shots
(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101126/ap_on_re_as/as_koreas_clash)
QuoteA defiant flash of North Korean artillery within sight of the island that it attacked this week sent a warning signal to Seoul and Washington: The North is not backing down.
Quote from: Munson on November 26, 2010, 03:28:18 PM
Can someone in the military or with better understanding it tell me what exactly "military exercises" are? In my mind I just view it as "look how big our cocks I mean boats are" where they just sail around in view of the enemy.
Lol!
Forreal. It's the mental image I get every time I hear the phrase. Like taking a piss in the urinal and knowing your cock is so huge that you stand back enough so other dudes can catch a glimpse of what they'll never have.
But for serious, this shtein seems to be escalating. The good news is China has been relatively silent on the matter. Good news only because usually they're like "farg off, America." They seem to be getting a little impatient with North Korea, finally.
Quote from: Munson on November 26, 2010, 11:02:19 PM
Forreal. It's the mental image I get every time I hear the phrase. Like taking a piss in the urinal and knowing your cock is so huge that you stand back enough so other dudes can catch a glimpse of what they'll never have.
I've never had to worry about that...
Quote from: Munson on November 26, 2010, 11:02:19 PM
But for serious, this shtein seems to be escalating. The good news is China has been relatively silent on the matter. Good news only because usually they're like "farg off, America." They seem to be getting a little impatient with North Korea, finally.
China worries me also.
It won't end with Kim Jong Il either. His son, Kim Jong Un, is Jong Il's successor and said to be exactly like his father, a big drinker who never admits defeat.
Quote from: shorebird on November 26, 2010, 11:22:16 PM
Quote from: Munson on November 26, 2010, 11:02:19 PM
Forreal. It's the mental image I get every time I hear the phrase. Like taking a piss in the urinal and knowing your cock is so huge that you stand back enough so other dudes can catch a glimpse of what they'll never have.
I've never had to worry about that...
Quote from: Munson on November 26, 2010, 11:02:19 PM
But for serious, this shtein seems to be escalating. The good news is China has been relatively silent on the matter. Good news only because usually they're like "farg off, America." They seem to be getting a little impatient with North Korea, finally.
China worries me also.
It won't end with Kim Jong Il either. His son, Kim Jong Un, is Jong Il's successor and said to be exactly like his father, a big drinker who never admits defeat.
Sounds like me
Completely unrelated....
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/03/saving-ryans-privates/?test=faces
59 years ago today...
(http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/explorers_history/Pearl_Harbor_USS_Arizona_ablaze.jpg)
In less than nine minutes the USS Arizona sank with 1,177 of her crew who are still today entombed insider her hull. All in all, there were over 3,000 casualties that resulted from the Japanease attack.
In remembrance of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I'll be shooting down kamikazes after work
I'm gonna bang a Japanese chick
I'm gonna play Battleship.
im gonna build a computer out of a watch
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 07, 2010, 02:15:43 PM
I'm gonna play Battleship.
That's one of the most offensive and insensitive things I've ever read
Quote from: Tomahawk on December 07, 2010, 02:55:34 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 07, 2010, 02:15:43 PM
I'm gonna play Battleship.
That's one of the most offensive and insensitive things I've ever read
If that's the case, I would say you don't read enough.
Quote from: PhillyPhanInDC on December 07, 2010, 03:36:54 PM
Quote from: Tomahawk on December 07, 2010, 02:55:34 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on December 07, 2010, 02:15:43 PM
I'm gonna play Battleship.
That's one of the most offensive and insensitive things I've ever read
If that's the case, I would say you don't read enough.
hahahaha....truth
Quote from: shorebird on December 07, 2010, 06:43:26 AM
569 years ago today...
(http://www.solarnavigator.net/history/explorers_history/Pearl_Harbor_USS_Arizona_ablaze.jpg)
In less than nine minutes the USS Arizona sank with 1,177 of her crew who are still today entombed insider her hull. All in all, there were over 3,000 casualties that resulted from the Japanease attack.
Can't believe no one caught that mistake, or maybe no one cared enough to give the the compulsory belittling.
If you think about it, the bombing of Pearl Harbor started the greatest technological movement this world has ever seen in such a short time.
recognizing pearl harbor is so 1975
next year will matter a little because its 70 but no one gives a farg about the 69 year anniversary of anything
I do
A) 69 is probably the best number invented
2) Drinking kamikazes kicks ass
Quote from: ice grillin you on December 08, 2010, 07:41:34 AM
recognizing pearl harbor is so 1975
next year will matter a little because its 70 but no one gives a farg about the 69 year anniversary of anything
Lol! Wrong...again. It matters a lot, to a whole lot of people every year no matter what the anniversary. It was the event that put us in WWII. If your working at a government facility that flys Old Glory, then it was probably at half mast, not that you'd notice. Ask our prez if it matters. But you, like how you think it's an act when he goes to church, are probably sure that whatever he'd say about Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day would also be an act.
I might not matter in the little world of CF, but it matters to me and I'll spread the word, wether you like it or not.
Huh, over 3,000 dead in a sneak attack of a Naval Base that thrust our country into WWII, and you think no one cares. ::)
Quote from: shorebird on December 08, 2010, 01:05:37 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on December 08, 2010, 07:41:34 AM
recognizing pearl harbor is so 1975
next year will matter a little because its 70 but no one gives a farg about the 69 year anniversary of anything
Lol! Wrong...again. It matters a lot, to a whole lot of people every year no matter what the anniversary. It was the event that put us in WWII. If your working at a government facility that flys Old Glory, then it was probably at half mast, not that you'd notice. Ask our prez if it matters. But you, like how you think it's an act when he goes to church, are probably sure that whatever he'd say about Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day would also be an act.
I might not matter in the little world of CF, but it matters to me and I'll spread the word, wether you like it or not.
Huh, over 3,000 dead in a sneak attack of a Naval Base that thrust our country into WWII, and you think no one cares. ::)
you finished?
Did his post go on?
A few weeks back, my brother in law put in for retirement. Turns out, if he waited 4 days, he would have been selected for a 1 year stint in afganistan.
You all care.
Quote from: ice grillin you on December 08, 2010, 03:43:27 PM
Quote from: shorebird on December 08, 2010, 01:05:37 PM
Quote from: ice grillin you on December 08, 2010, 07:41:34 AM
recognizing pearl harbor is so 1975
next year will matter a little because its 70 but no one gives a farg about the 69 year anniversary of anything
Lol! Wrong...again. It matters a lot, to a whole lot of people every year no matter what the anniversary. It was the event that put us in WWII. If your working at a government facility that flys Old Glory, then it was probably at half mast, not that you'd notice. Ask our prez if it matters. But you, like how you think it's an act when he goes to church, are probably sure that whatever he'd say about Pearl Harbor Rememberance Day would also be an act.
I might not matter in the little world of CF, but it matters to me and I'll spread the word, wether you like it or not.
Huh, over 3,000 dead in a sneak attack of a Naval Base that thrust our country into WWII, and you think no one cares. ::)
you finished?
For now.
He still could have dropped his papers and not deployed.
The way he tells it, it wouldnt have worked that way. I cant say for sure either way tho, since I dont know how it all goes down.
Here's the full video that got the XO on the Enterprise canned:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srbLyuMgDe8
There are some funny parts, like when he's doing the montage on masterbating and you see just feet dangling from a bathroom stall demonstrating autoerotic asphyxiation.
I'm thinking about joining the Coast Guard, but with my luck I'd be stationed on the farging Euphrates or something.
Idiot deserves firing.
I have a neighbor with a 2 year old who is 4 months pregnant and her husband just got orders to Egypt for a year.
I get that soldiers die for the country and all, but the sacrifice that happens at home strikes me as somehow more profound. This lady is going to be carrying a heavy load no matter what happens.
Who the hell farged a two year old without a condom?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_TlXlo1YUQ&feature=player_embedded
Marine boot camp compared to Army boot camp
:-D
Might have posted this before but it's an SNL spoof on the 80's Navy commercials:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL-OtsN9VdM
It's not just a job...it's $96.78 a week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_popular_veteran_suicide
Yeah so....yay war?
Suicide rates among veterans, especially combat vets is a dirty little secret of the military. More Vietnam vets died by suicide after returning than were killed in the war itself, which is a pretty sobering statistic.
One of the reasons I am so anti-war is that I know damn well that the soldiers who die in war are often the lucky ones.
USS Tarawa loses its anchor chain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7pRfix_sNg
As far as oh shtein moments in the Navy go this one ranks near the top. I was onboard when this happened. This was when we were off the coast of Hong Kong. Interesting deployment: we went through the Bush/Gore voter mess...made a stop in East Timor for a relief mission...the Commodore was relieved in Hong Kong during the change of command ceremony for being an old school bitches don't belong in the Navy icehole...this was the year the Eagles lost to the Giants in the playoffs, had to get up at 2AM to watch the games...and of course we had to save the USS Cole after the terrorist attack. Sprinkle in some crazy port visits to Australia/Singapore/Thailand/Hong Kong and hitting up the Pro Bowl when we pulled into Hawaii a week before arriving back in Port.
You know shtein got real when that Chief decided to start cranking. I assume that the newer boats are more of a push button operation rather than manual.
please to explain wtf is going on in this video thanks
The boat lost it's anchor.
And chain.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 16, 2013, 02:21:14 PMThe boat lost it's anchor.
fargs to you, I can see that much. Generally it would be good if you could aspire to brevity but in this particular instance, I'm looking for some farging exposition of the situation.
What's happening? Do these sailors realize from the beginning that there is a problem? Is the dust/smoke billowing from the stern when the anchor first drops normal? Is it normal inside the ship to have same?
Why are the two sailors cranking that wheel/what are they doing by cranking it? Letting the anchor go, trying to bring it up, trying to slow it?
WTF is going on?
I presume the white paint is what marks the fathoms?
That was one long-ass chain. Holy christ. Seems to me that half the fuel a ship burns through is due to the weight of that chain.
Had no clue they were that big. (insert dick jokes here).
The ocean gets deep in some places. If you're going to drop anchor, you'd like for it to reach the bottom, preferably while still attached.
I guess it's not that hard to fathom.
Quote from: Diomedes on February 16, 2013, 02:30:21 PM
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 16, 2013, 02:21:14 PMThe boat lost it's anchor.
fargs to you, I can see that much. Generally it would be good if you could aspire to brevity but in this particular instance, I'm looking for some farging exposition of the situation.
Haha. SD will obviously have a better answer than me, but I'm taking a stab at it given my limited working knowledge of naval vessels.
QuoteWhat's happening?
They're dropping anchor deeper than the length of chain they have.
QuoteDo these sailors realize from the beginning that there is a problem?
I don't think they initially realized there was a problem. If there was a problem, the chief (dude in the khakis and hard hat) would have probably been going apeshtein. Once he got involved in helping the 2 sailors turn that wheel (no idea what the naval term is), that's when iceholes really start to pucker. You can see him get in there shortly before the cloud gets too thick.
QuoteIs the dust/smoke billowing from the stern when the anchor first drops normal?
I believe the dust is actually rust.
QuoteIs it normal inside the ship to have same?
Yes.
QuoteWhy are the two sailors cranking that wheel/what are they doing by cranking it? Letting the anchor go, trying to bring it up, trying to slow it?
The sailors cranking the wheel are controlling the release of the anchor. Turn counter-clockwise, the anchor and chain drop. Turn clockwise and the anchor and chain stop. Prior to the 4:24 mark in the video, you can see them turning it counter-clockwise. At 4:24 they start frantically turning clockwise. I'm guessing that the chain got stuck somehow and the sailors kept "opening the valve" so to speak. Once the chain finally started moving, they had opened up so far that they couldn't get it closed before the chain was completely through.
QuoteWTF is going on?
They're making a "How Not To Lower An Anchor" safety video.
QuoteI presume the white paint is what marks the fathoms?
Not sure if it's to mark the fathoms or the shots. I know that in naval terms, a fathom is 6 feet. So when the video shows 90 fathoms, I assume that means 540' of chain has already been let out.
Okay, I take back the mean things I said to you.
What does the term "shot" mean?
I've never heard "shot" used as a naval term like that.
60 fathoms/4th shot
75 fathoms/5th shot
90 fathoms/6th shot
Seems that 1 shot = 15 fathoms (90')
That's the best I can come up with. A quick google search gave me nothing.
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 16, 2013, 01:32:23 PM
You know shtein got real when that Chief decided to start cranking. I assume that the newer boats are more of a push button operation rather than manual.
That was the 1st division officer otherwise known as the Ship's Boatswain. The hispanic guy in coveralls who's barking orders at the end is the Chief [cool guy].
Hmm. Never seen a Boatswain in khaki before. When I was on the New Orleans, he always wore the blue cammies. Then again, your video is over 10 years old.....could have been the norm back then you old salt dog. Or maybe my Boatswain just didn't give a shtein and opted for comfort.
So even more to the point, you know shtein just got real when the Boatswain gets involved.
How'd I do with everything else?
Quote from: Sgt PSN on February 16, 2013, 03:41:19 PM
I've never heard "shot" used as a naval term like that.
60 fathoms/4th shot
75 fathoms/5th shot
90 fathoms/6th shot
Seems that 1 shot = 15 fathoms (90')
That's the best I can come up with. A quick google search gave me nothing.
This is correct and the rest of your seamanship is also correct. I spent my first 3 years in deck although it was on a DDG [Destroyer] and this is an LHA which is a much larger ship. Sea and anchor details are essentially the same though this was indoors. You mark the depth by the white marks which mark a fathom, when you've reached the next to last shot they're painted yellow...the last one is red but if you're around to see red you're in deep shtein. And as you can see there's so much dust and rust that gets brought up that you can't see shtein.
What usually happens is the anchor chain runs and the person who's leading sea and anchor detail will stand on the side of the chain as it runs with their hand up. Every fathom that they see they hold up a finger. The two guys on the brake take orders from the POIC. You have to crank that sucker for a while to let some chain go and to stop it. The brake is actually an arm inside the chain pipe that is supposed to stop the chain. Once the chain gets too much momentum it runs. A lot of people gave the boatswain on the Tarawa shtein for this but sometimes shtein happens.
Here's a layman's diagram:
(https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRt8gry5kcuQFLwmO2oQav0LZpk9ubIo7hIHsM2SHi99nbXeB1k)
Open Letter to Bush/Cheney from Veteran (http://www.truthdig.com/dig/item/the_last_letter_20130318/)
He thinks they're both dickheads and I agree.