Oerdin's Iraq thread.

[GePap]

So much for the theory that a heavily armed populace is a bulkward against tyranny (during Saddam's time).

Good to hear you continue to be OK.

[oerdin's sis]

Gosh, and I was going to send mouthwash!! Just kidding, I am really sending bug repellant and anti-itch cream!!

[Dinner]

In other news our company 1SG has been relieved of duty. Basically, everyone has hated him since day one because he's an ******* but the kicker was that he never did anything. A 1SG's job is to take care of the "beans & bullets" for the company that means he handles the paper work behind the scenes and makes sure everyone has the things they need in order to do their jobs. Our 1SG never seemed to handle anything. We've been in Iraq for three months (plus there was three months build up before arriving in Iraq) yet everyones' pay is still screwed up. No one is getting their hostile fire pay or other incentive pay nor is anyone getting their taxes refunded as they are supposed to when serving in a combat zone. Some of you might also remember last Nov-Jan when I didn't get paid for three whole months and this A-Hole kept saying he'd fix the problem but he never did. I was totally flat broke because I hadn't been paid for a quarter of a year and if my parent's hadn't lent me money I don't know what I would have done.

In any event the last straw was when one of our teams was assigned to support a unit in Najaf and they got attacked by 3 RPGs. Their humvee was the only one not uparmored or without the new armored ballistic doors which can be mounted on regular nonarmored humvees. They only survived because the Arabs can't aim worth **** and missed their vehicle. It turns out the 1SG hadn't even bothered to turn in the paperwork to get the armored doors dispite the fact that we have all sent in written requests for them multiple times.

I actually meet our new 1SG four years ago when I was mobilizing to go to Kosovo. He was the 1SG for the Psyop company that was going to Bosnia and he was in the infantry during Vietnam where he was awarded a Silver Star with V device for bravery under fire. He was stationed with the Brigade HQ in Baghdad but he will now move to our company's HQ in Tikrit. I think he will be a big improvement.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Auntie H
Clearly Lancer has far better shelf stable cheese than Auntie H! I thought the gouda in wax required a fridge!

Yours was very nice too. Thank you.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by GePap
So much for the theory that a heavily armed populace is a bulkward against tyranny (during Saddam's time).

He didn't arm the populace until it became obvious the Coalition was going to invade. I guess he figured he was going down so he'd arm everyone to make things more difficult after his government was gone.

Good to hear you continue to be OK.

Thanks.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Oerdin


He didn't arm the populace until it became obvious the Coalition was going to invade. I guess he figured he was going down so he'd arm everyone to make things more difficult after his government was gone.

They could have used them agaisnt him anyway.

Thanks.

East your salami

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Oerdin
In other news our company 1SG has been relieved of duty.

Good to hear.
Its terrible when someone's incompetence or laziness puts other peoples lives in danger.

[self biased]

Originally posted by GePap
East your salami

that sounds perverse. especially with that smilie.

[Lonestar]

Re: Rap and Hip Hop

Originally posted by pchang
I believe rap and hip hop were the preferred weapons against Mr. Noriega.

Pantera, baby.

[pchang]

1st SGT

So what happens to the guy after being relieved of duty? Does he get demoted and put to work doing domething else? Does he get discharged and sent home?

[Kropotkin]

Don't be to happy about the 1sgt being removed. He'll probably end up getting what's in reality a promotion - just in some other unit. Incompetent morons almost always end up getting promotions in big organisations.

[Dinner]

A busy day

This morning at 0900 I had just finished eatting breakfest and I was sitting in my humvee, with our team's gunner, waiting for the Captain and our SSG to finish eatting when four mortars were fired at the base. I had my body armor on but my helmet was sitting next to me while my friend had (against standing orders) taken both off when we heard the rounds fired. I scrambled to get my helmet on, grab my rifle, and was running the 30 meters to the nearest bunker when the first mortar impacted 100-150 meters away from me. The explosion was very loud but I was a safe distance away from it. Right before the explosion I heard the tell tail incoming "whistle" of the mortar round and I hit the deck. After the impact I got up and was once again running to the bunker when the next three hit. They were all impacted further away (one in an open field, one on the Air Bases flightline, and another in the K-9 Company's compound). I made it to the shelter with all of my gear with my friend right behind me though he had run the 30 meters with his body armor only half on and his helmet not strapped on his head.

We waited 1-2 minutes in the bunker just to make sure no more mortars would be fired then we collected the rest of the team and went to find the impact sites. We were thinking that if there were wounded they might need our medical kits our we could use our humvees as ambulances but luckily no one was hurt. The K-9 units compound was hit but miraculously no one was at the compound at the time.

After that the day seemed to be going normally like any other day. We went with IO to help sort out a few issues at TV stations (essentally there are to many stations and not enough channels so the stations are interfering with each other's broadcasts) and distributed magazines at the town market. After that we went to Kirkuk Air Base so we could pick up the Captain after he got done with the eving operations brief at the 25th ID's division HQ and it was when we were driving back to the CMOC when things got interesting again.

In order to get home we have to drive one of two routes through a shi'a neighborhood where we've seen a fair amount pro-Sadr grafitti before and while we were driving someone opened fire on us with an AK-47. Right before the shooting the gunner was distracted by two shi'a Arab boys who flipped him off and began yelling "**** you, America!!" and he was looking at the kids so he didn't see exactly where the shots came from (though he knew the general area). I was driving and due to the noise of the (floored) engine I didn't hear the first three round burst being fired and didn't know what was going on until the turret gunner yelled that someone was shooting at us. We quickly radioed the other vehicles in the convoy telling them what had occured, but, unfortunately the road makes a sharp right turn at that point meaning we would once again be driving right by the spot where the sniper was sitting. It was about then that the gunman opened up with a second much longer 10-12 round burst. This time both of the humvee gunners saw three men crouching on a rooftop, one with an AK-47, and they both fired a steady stream of machinegun fire at them.

The whole thing took maybe 60 seconds. As we were driving we considered going into the shi'a neighborhood to find the three guys but the captain decided engaging in possible urban combat with six men without back up in a shi'a neighborhood wouldn't be wise. Especially considering what has recently happened in Sadr City, Fallujah, and Najaf. Instead we radioed the location and "report of contact" into the local infantry company and left the ambush site. In Najaf the Shi'a tried to trick soldiers into a bigger ambush by firing a few rounds and getting the soldiers to move down narrow streets.

As of right now I don't know if the infantry has acted on our ambush report.

[chequita guevara]

When you hit the deck, do you take a flying leap or just drop like a sack of potatoes?

[PLATO]

*PLATO is thankful that Oerdin remains safe*

[Stuie]

Re: A busy day

Originally posted by Oerdin
As we were driving we considered going into the shi'a neighborhood to find the three guys but the captain decided engaging in possible urban combat with six men without back up in a shi'a neighborhood wouldn't be wise.

Don't go looking for trouble!! Minute you got out the "three" probably would have turned into thirty.