WWII Ranger Leads the Way

Posted By Blackfive

Ed Black recalls his time in the Rangers during WWII.  He took part in three invasions and was one of the very few survivors of his unit.  Hit the link to read the story.  Here is his video interview:

 

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How to get a job, Part 1

Posted By Blackfive

The guys at Ranger Up are putting together a series on how to help vets get hired.  Check this out and share it!

 

Nick totally nails it. This is advice anyone, but vets in particular, should listen to.

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Maybe It Is Time To Start My Own Army....

Posted By Deebow

Who's in?

Because this is what happens when you let the Puzzle Palace Douchebags (known to all hackers that pack the gear to serve overseas in a forward area as "PPDs") run the war.

Joshua Waddell, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, appeared on his way to a stellar career as an American military officer. The son of a retired Navy SEAL commander, Waddell was awarded a Bronze Star during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan and had returned for a second.

Then he made a decision in combat that military experts say has severely jeopardized his future in the corps.

But some military experts say the black mark on Waddell's record was undeserved, that he and other young American officers are being put in a difficult, if not impossible, situation by unreasonable rules of engagement foisted upon the military by politically sensitive commanders in the Pentagon.

Unreasonable ROE from the PPDs?  Really?  Hell you say!!!  Now, I suggest you read the story, but it appears that the glittering jewels of colossal retardation that think up the ROE (and then print it on a handy GTA reference card to be carried in your IFAK at all times) have decided it is OK to shoot bad guys (probably with some caveat like "on a Tuesday only when receiving permission from COMSUBLANT only after PSYOPS broadcasts the days of the engagements and the locations to be engaged, and only with 5 rounds fired at 3 hour intervals with watches synchronized to Zulu Time"), but if you kill a vehicle, why, it is the stocks for you young patriot, because we don't want any of that "can do" spirit here.  No, that just won't do... Seems that putting a bullet in a tractor will get you hemmed up for promotion and potentially drummed out of the service.

This is the insanity that I used to listen to my step-dad (101st in Vietnam) tell stories about when he talked about the war.  This is the insanity of fighting wars while paying close attention to the counsel of our fears that we may offend ourselves in the process of killing our foes and God Forbid, the equipment they use. This is also what happens when you put the lawyers and the bureaucrats in charge of fluid and ambiguous situations that have no real solutions other than cover fire and repeated mortar barrages.  This Battalion Commander of his is a real peach; must be an honest-to-goodness incarnation of that mental midget from supply that wanted to be in the Infantry that Gunny Highway had to endure.  What a Douche-bag... 

And I will say it; our OinC has turned up the pussification of this "right war" to a level that history will call him to account for.  Lives hang in the balance and this guy is driving without a license in the biggest, baddest, most advanced car on the planet and he is weaving aroung the lanes with zero clue and no cares as to where it might end up when he is done driving it.

Our enemies don't fear us because they are busy belly laughing themselves into oxygen deprivation over the fact that we worry about perceptions, appearances, and ensuring that we don't say or do scary things to make the villagers not like us; while they are burning down clinics, beheading aid workers, and throwing acid in women's faces.  It is like an episode of "Mean Girls" in Bizarro World....

I don't know how far we are going to free-fall down this rabbit hole, and every morning I wake up hoping I can just take the blue pill and this will all just go back to normal (as in bad guys dead, good guys safe and no one in trouble), but honestly, I never thought grown-ups could be this clueless and stupid....

So really PPDs, leave the fighting to those of us who know how to get it done...

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One Veteran’s Struggle With the VA

Posted By McQ

Despite 10 years of war and demands by the American people that government take care of our veterans, the Veteran’s Administration still has a long way to go.

Airforce veteran Chis Short reports about his experience with the VA bureaucracy.

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From The Thunder Run to Home...

Posted By Blackfive

US Army Col. Eric Shwartz led the attack into Baghdad, now known as the 'Thunder Run.' He looks back on his service, and the toll the long fight has taken on American families.

I hope Colonel Schwartz is correct about Iraq.

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The Definition of Insanity

Posted By Deebow

is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.

The Obama administration will unveil a “more realistic” vision for the military on Thursday, with plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops and invest more in air and sea power at a time of fiscal restraint, officials familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

The strategic review of U.S. security interests will also emphasize an American presence in Asia, with less attention overall to Europe, Africa and Latin America alongside slower growth in the Pentagon’s budget, the officials said.

Though specific budget cut and troop reduction figures are not set to be announced on Thursday, officials confirmed to Reuters they would amount to a 10-15 percent decline in Army and Marine Corps numbers over the next decade, translating to tens of thousands of troops.

The most profound shift in the strategic review is an acceptance that the United States, even with the world’s largest military budget, cannot afford to maintain the ground troops to fight more than one major war at once. That is a move away from the “win-win” strategy that has dominated Pentagon funding decisions for decades.

The move to a “win-spoil” plan, allowing U.S. forces to fight one campaign and stop or block another conflict, includes a recognition that the White House would need to ramp up public support for further engagement and draw more heavily on reserve and national guard troops when required.

Does anyone with three brain cells to rub together (which does NOT describe the current president's NS Team), think this is a good idea?  We did this after WWI, WWII and during the decade of Slick Willie and the Peace Dividend.  Resurgent China, collapsing Norks, Nuclear Iran, unfinished Afghanistan; really, I probably could go on and on with people who would wish us ill.

"As Libya showed, you don't necessarily have to have boots on the ground all the time," an official said, explaining the White House view.

"We are refining our strategy to something that is more realistic," the official added.

REALLY?  FFS, did anyone consult any random first sergeant out in the motor pool or Infantry branch officer on what they learned at West Point?, I mean, besides the mandatory attendance at presidential speeches and diversity classes?  You know, the strategy and tactics part, theatre logistics, air land battle?  Have any of those mental midgets heard of being there "firstest with the mostest" to win the battle?  The 82nd Airborne is built around the idea that we are not going to spend time in the mutual circle jerk of international diplomacy, we are going to put men on the ground to influence our enemies decision making process and get inside their OODA Loop. Ships and airplanes driven and flown by men can still not own the ground that young men in the mud will be forced to wrest from our nation's foes.  We owe it to them to give them enough comrades to ensure it can be done.

And the last time I walked the battlefield, the only dude who owned the ground was not the pilot in the B-1B I invited to the party after I kicked it off with my own fireworks; it was me, and all the other dudes on the bad-ass list I brought with me; standing on the earth I wanted to own and kicking the stinking jihadis off of it in the nastiest, most lethal and final fashion I could come up with moment to moment.

Wars are not something you can fight with a coupon or try to duck out on the cheap and my bet is that we could afford a poop ton more troops and equipment if we weren't making loans/campaign contributions to outfits like Solyndra and putting our debt at 100.3 percent of our GDP, along with all of the other Marxist crap that the OinC has decided is good for America.

This is bad voodoo and the sooner the amateurs in Foggy Bottom and the Puzzle Palace that are entertaining the whisperings of the Good Idea Fairy are on the rocket sled to irrelevance, the better.

Mark my words, this is the worst idea this administration has ever had, and the Libturds that thought this up better start studying up on their Chinese and getting familiar with the 12th Imam, because there may test questions at the re-education camp later.

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Hey Taliban! Happy Christmas from 40 Commando...

Posted By Deebow

[From 40 Commando in Afghanistan in 2008...]

For those that have ever met and/or partied with these guys know that this is what what you can usually expect...

Christmas for the Commandos in Afghanistan was always going to be different - but no one could have predicted just how different.

One minute they were singing carols at dusk beneath a mellow sun in the baked bare wasteland of Helmand province while wearing festive Santa hats, the next they were firing mortars after their Christmas Day service came under attack from the Taliban.

So rapid was the reaction of Royal Marines of 40 Commando that within less than a minute of the first "contact" from the Taliban's machine guns, they had sprinted the 200 metres to their mortar lines and had begun to return fire. And as these remarkable pictures show, such was the urgency there was no time to change their festive head gear into helmets and for 45 minutes they mortared Taliban positions with their ear defenders over their floppy bright red hats - and in one case a Christmas tree hat complete with coloured baubles.  A helmet with reindeer antlers and bells was left on the ground in the rush.

Once the skirmish was over - and with no British casualties - the men and women calmly resumed their carol service in virtual darkness around the simple war memorial at Forward Operating Base Inkerman in northern Helmand.

God Bless her Majesty's Royal Marine Commandos and Merry Christmas from the (former) Colonies...

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Good going, Texans!

Posted By Blackfive

At the Houston Texans game, a plot was revealed...

Marine Scott Wood died four weeks ago after suffering injuries during combat in Iraq. Before his burial, his wife dressed him in two uniforms. On the outside, Scott wore his military dress blues. Underneath, he wore the blue No. 80 jersey of Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson.

Sara Wood had been married to Scott for eight years. They have a five-year-old son together named Landon. Now he and Sara live in a single room in her parent's house.
<...>
When Sara got an offer to go watch the Houston Texans play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, she jumped at the opportunity. She knew her husband would have loved to go the Reliant Stadium to watch his beloved team play. Plus, she and Landon had never been to a game before.

As described in a column by Tully Corcoran on FSHouston.com, the team brought Sara to the game under the pretense that she and her son would be part of a halftime ceremony in which Landon would receive a bike and Scott's memory would be celebrated by the 71,500 in attendance. Both those things happened, but a much bigger surprise awaited...

Go check out what awaited Scott Wood's family.  Nice going, Texas!

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Want jobs? Yeah, we got jobs!

Posted By Mr Wolf

As we are always for helping veterans here at BlackFive, I'm posting up some more positions for companies that are wanting to hire VETERANS for some really good jobs.

This time, we take you to the great state of.... WYOMING!

A buddy of mine has been setting up a new facility in Wyoming, and his company is looking for people to fill up to 6 (six!) positions- the location is near Rawlins, Wyoming.  So you'd get to live and work in the Rocky Moutain region.

Here is a summary job requirements and positions- and remember, these are VET PREFERENCE- they know what they get with ex-service members, so they've contacted us to get the word out:

Water Processing Technician-
    Education- High School diploma required; some college preferred.  Degree is desired.
    Skills/Experience- Water treatment experience preferred; Record keeping; mechanical experience and aptitude; Plant Operations experience; OSHA, PPE safety certification preferred; Willingness/ability to wear and perform using PPE required (to include respirator); EMT training/CPR certification; first aid; chemical environment or laboratory background preferred; will train right candidate in small generator water treatment.
    Physical requirements- Climb ladders; lift 50 lbs repeatedly; wear PPE as required; ability to stand/walk up 12 consecutive hours; working outdoors.

Truck Off-load and general maintenance Tech:
    Education- High school diploma; some college helpful.
    Skills/Experience- Self-motivated without constant supervision; Mechanical aptitude and experience; Experience with various types of motorized equipment (loaders, forklifts, tractors, etc); Pipefitter, pumper, guager experience preferred; oil field experience is a big plus; OSHA safety training experience, HAZWOPER, and first-aid/CPR a big plus; Record keeping; water treatment experience preferred; strong, motivated and a willingness to learn will get right candidate noticed quickly.
    Physical requirements- Climb ladders; Lift 50lbs repeatedly; Wear PPE as required; ability to stand/walk continuously for up to 10 hours; Working outdoors for extended periods required.

Now, I don't know about you, but this sounds really tempting.  Outdoors, Wyoming, unsupervised, I mean hey, beats the motor pool and the SGM pounding your head all day...

Oh, and for an extra bonus- for the right individual, they will consider promoting to Manager of the plant within a few months, so they are looking for good people.    

If this sounds good to you, send a resume' to RedDesertWater@gmail.com.  Tell 'em Wolf at Blackfive sends.  And good luck!

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For The Cause....

Posted By Deebow

Now normally, I enjoy my the anonymous nature of our work here, as opposed to my work overseas, where the most often quoted phrase to my terp was "tell them that I will be in this area and if they are looking for a fight, this is where you can find me."

And I also have had a hard weekend (the holiday season and the f'ing Dallas Cowboys...  But that is another matter).  And as you can see, I would not do well trying to be a wahhabi, where beards are required, but it was all for a good cause and since I am retired now, I can keep it.

I want to thank all that dug deep despite to craptastic economy and Christmas and gave to a worthy cause.  Your dedication to the brave men and women who do there best so that we can be safe and free is not unnoticed.

And try not to be too hard on me, that Dallas Cowboys game left me emotionally spent...

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