Oerdin's Iraq thread - Continued

[johnj92131]

Don't get complacent and don't take this as a spectator sport.

Keep the kevlar on, stick with the ice tea and stay alert all the time. From what you have said, the Iraquis don't have a real good aim. That means just because they are not firing at you doesn't mean the won't hit you.

Know all this is easier said than done. But more people get hurt at the start or end of their tour because they don't know what to do at the start of the tour or get short timers disease at the end of the tour.

You made it thru the start of the tour, don't get complacent. towards the end! Somebody has to pay your bills!

U-know-who

[Dinner]

Hi, Dad.

[Dinner]

Well, I've now arrived in Balad and I just saw on the news that the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) desolved themselves two days ahead of schedule and transfered control back to the Iraqi Government. The government didn't even bother to tell us common soldiers what was going on and dispite the fact that we're serving in Iraq we had to find out from CNN. So far absolutely nothing looks or feels different.

Speaking of Balad it seems a US Marine of Lebonese desent was captured on this base a few days ago. Aparently, they inflitrated the base and then singled out a guy who was walking by himself after dark. The security of the base doesn't seem to be as good as we've all been lead to believe.

[Kropotkin]

A piece of paper arrived and was signed two days ahead of schedule. What a glorious victory for the great leader of the US of A!!!!

Oh, OK. So I'm a tad sarcastic, ban me!

[Chemical Ollie]

Originally posted by Oerdin

---
Speaking of Balad it seems a US Marine of Lebonese desent was captured on this base a few days ago. Aparently, they inflitrated the base and then singled out a guy who was walking by himself after dark. The security of the base doesn't seem to be as good as we've all been lead to believe.

That's the way they captured the guy they are threatening to cut the head off? An armed marine, right at your current base?

You should fix your bayonnet whenever taking a leak or something.

[pchang]

The good answer is to not walk by yourself - in daylight or at night.

[Verto]

Originally posted by Chemical Ollie


You should fix your bayonnet whenever taking a leak or something.

Stick it to 'em!

[pchang]

We should work on building an armored vest lined with some light antipersonnel charges on the outside. The idea is that the rigid structure of the vest will protect the wearer, while the charges pepper any unarmored people around the wearer. If insurgents try to grab you - boom! Hopefully, this will give the wearer the opportunity to get away/counter attack.

[:) Smiley]

Kevlar
Being American does not mean the laws of physics do not apply. Having American technology does.

[Dinner]

I'm not even sure that guy was armed. I haven't heard more about the story.

[Chemical Ollie]

When I was in the military, I was tought to never be more than an arm's length from my rifle. You could even get a penalty if you broke that rule. Wouldn't that be the regular policy in any army, especially when deployed in a war zone?

[Dinner]

The one case when you don't have to be armed is if you are doing PT. This guy could have been going for a jog and got nabbed. It's reasons like that I don't go jogging at night.

BTW everyone I'm now at FOB Orion which is located 20 minutes south of FOB Anaconda. Anaconda is the main US Air Base in the Balad area. They have us living in an old concrete ammo bunker which seems safe enough. The base isn't very well built up and even the chow hall is still a tent.

Last night at Anaconda the air raid alarm had to go off four or five times in the night. It was really annoy but I eventually fell asleep with my body armor on. Unfortunately all we have in Anaconda are cheap mobile homes which don't stop mortar rounds very well so wearing body armor just might be necisary at that camp.

[:) Smiley]

Just to be on the safe side though I've ordered a couple of books from Amazon.com

They deliver to Iraq?

[Dinner]

Yep, though you have to fill out the online forms in a special way in order to fit in an APO address. The US Post Office considers all military addresses to be domestic addresses even though they might be any where in the world.

[:) Smiley]

Impressive. It's almost like e-mail, where you can get your mail no matter where you are at the same address.