The Tulsa news is reporting that people shooting machine guns at a gun range close to Muskogee started a wild fire that sent lots and lots of smoke into the city of Tulsa.
This got me to wondering. If you are in a firefight while in Iraq or Afghanistan and you are using a machine gun and it starts a fire, what do you do? Do you try to put the fire out? Do you not worry about it because maybe it will burn up the enemy? What is the responsibility of the military in a war zone?
I know to those of you who have fought in wars think this is a stupid questions, but I think about things like this. I have never been in a firefight of any kind and have never served in the military, so someone tell me what the thought is when this happens.
i've heard it said that if you want something destroyed send in the marine corp. I suspect fires usually are left up to the civilians to put out unless it jeapordizes the military operation.
Quote from: srkruzich on September 12, 2011, 04:54:07 PM
i've heard it said that if you want something destroyed send in the marine corp. I suspect fires usually are left up to the civilians to put out unless it jeapordizes the military operation.
LOL, skruzich. Wonder what jarhead will say about that?
Quote from: Janet Harrington on September 12, 2011, 04:56:25 PM
LOL, skruzich. Wonder what jarhead will say about that?
I'll bet he'll agree! :D
My God Janet-----In all your years working for the SO you never had a call from Elk Falls concerning "Fire Started From Gunfire"????????Isn't that a 10-88?????
doobie, I don't remember ever responding to any fires like that. LOL Doesn't mean it didn't happen and doesn't mean that I didn't know about it. I have just forgotten. Getting as old as you, almost.
I can answer that but I'll wait for the "guys of old" to answer first. :angel:
Janet.
Don't know about other wars but in Nam why would we worry about a fire that might have been started by a tracer round when there's a pretty good chance if we were firing a M-60 there was a real good chance we would be calling for a Phantom to drop a little Napalm. Now that made a REAL fire---and crispy critters !!
Now Steve, that just aint fair saying my beloved Corps destroys things. Me and my buddies in Nam were all pacifist. More than once I heard our motto was "Peace love--peace love-------but "mess " with us and we will kill all you sons a bitches "
Now, Jarhead, old buddy, old pal.....................everyone knows that the m.......Marines go in first and level everything in sight. Then the Army goes in, does a little spot cleaning and then rebuilds what the Marines tore down. That's how it has always been. That's why the Army has all those plumbers, electricians, carpenters, etc. Marines ain't got none of those. Don't need 'em.
What you say about fires is true. Why worry about a little brush fire when the Phantoms are coming? Remember the movie "Apocalypse Now"? Robert DuVall standing up during a firefight............."I love the smell of napalm in the morning.."
Larryj
The last thing on your mind when bullets are flying is a fire that may have started and as tarhead said, napalm makes a big fire.
My Grandad, a WWI veteran, said that the Army done all the fighting and when that was over the Marines came in to get their pictures taken.
Quote from: Sarge on September 13, 2011, 04:00:38 PM
The last thing on your mind when bullets are flying is a fire that may have started and as tarhead said, napalm makes a big fire.
My Grandad, a WWI veteran, said that the Army done all the fighting and when that was over the Marines came in to get their pictures taken.
That explains why every time a camera is brought out.. Ole jarhead "tries" to suck in his belly and swells his chest out and smiles real big.. even when the camera isn't pointing at him.. Guess its all those years of practice... ;D
Quote from: Janet Harrington on September 12, 2011, 04:48:21 PMIf you are in a firefight while in Iraq or Afghanistan and you are using a machine gun and it starts a fire, what do you do?
I'm not sure there's enough plant life over there to even start a very big fire. :laugh:
This is a horse of a different color.
In 1966, I was a holdover at Fort Ord, California, a major infantry training center during the Vietnam War. After training, I was waiting for my next assignment and was given an array of odd jobs such as helping to build a Vietnamese village on a back range and to provide manpower for a Viet Cong assault force against units training for immediate shipment to Vietnam. This was all done miles from the main part of the post.
Fort Ord fronted on the Pacific Ocean and extended back a number of miles with acres and acres of artillery and exercise ranges. Some of the live firing ranges were right on the ocean and firing was toward the water. There was an area designated as a "no sail" zone extending out from those ranges to keep boats from being hit.
One area of the post was really remote and held a WWII training center capable of holding several thousand soldiers. Hundreds of buildings were still sitting there, abandoned when that war ended.
On one occasion, I found a large smoke pot just sitting out on the range under a bush. This was not the ordinary hand held smoke grenade, but a large metal can somewhat bigger than a number 10 can. To add a little variety, we decided to use smoke on our next assault exercise.
At the proper moment, the smoke was set off and it immediately started a range fire that spread rather quickly. Both friend and foe had to stop shooting blanks at each other and tend to fight the fire with ponchos, blankets, or whatever else could be located--without much success. There were very few trees on the back ranges and most terrain was sage brush type matter.
The only way to contact the fire department was by radio to our parent unit and then that unit called the Fort Ord fire department.
The fire department arrived to help the amateur fire fighters and put the fire out.
Of course, when the fire department filled out its report, no one knew just exactly how that fire got started.
I wouldn't have admitted to helping that fire start either. LOL
Since I didn't get to serve in any military, I really didn't pay much attention to the wars. I pretty much forgotten about the napalm stuff. Thanks for telling me.
You are probably right about that MT, but Heaven forbid we burn up a poppy field. Need that cash crop.
Teresa, For your information my chest is always puffed out---it's just that the ol chest aint where it used to be--kinda slid south !!
Yes Sarge, I heard your grand dad (my great uncle) say that about a kazillion times and a kazillion times I threatened to whup his ass for saying it. Uncle Bob was a character. Celebrated his 16th birthday in a trench in France. Just before I left for Nam I went to Uncle Bob and asked him what it was like to be in combat. He said he could talk for hours about it but the minute I came under fire I wasn't going to be thinking of a damn thing he could tell me---he was right. I'm sure you heard him tell about before he left for over seas, the instructor told them if a potato masher (German grenade) landed in the trench, the closest soldier was supposed to jump on it to save the soldiers around him. Uncle Bob said, " I told myself, self you might put your foot on it but by damn you aint jumping on that SOB "
Larry, I hate that movie, "Apocalypse Now'---aint no Marines in it . :D
Quote from: Teresa on September 13, 2011, 04:11:17 PM
That explains why every time a camera is brought out.. Ole jarhead "tries" to suck in his belly and swells his chest out and smiles real big.. even when the camera isn't pointing at him.. Guess its all those years of practice... ;D
Teresa all them Marines look that way. I noticed it when my sons graduated from boot. Seems the DI's kicked them in the ass so hard so many times it pushed their chests out!
Jarhead.......LOL...........I guess that is why it was such a good movie.....
Larryj
Damn Larry, this is really going to hurt me to say this but 'Platoon" is my favorite Nam movie and It's Army. Don't like the parts where they go around shooting each other and civilians but they talk the talk like we did, the jungle looks right, and the characters just had a "grunt look" to them---for movie stars.
I do like the boot camp part of Full Metal Jacket, but not the Nam part. I might be a tad prejudice about R. Lee Ermey playing the D.I. in the movie because when he was a real DI he was a junior DI under Gunny Hensley, who was my senior DI in boot camp, so Ermey learned from the best. 4-5 years back when I first found Hensley (retired Sgt Maj ) we were talking about the "attitude adjustments" the DI's did to the recruits. He told me he never laid a hand on a recruit that he felt didn't have what it took to be a Marine. I told him I guess he seen great potential in my sorry ass. :D
Steve,
Your sons DI's kicked them ? That is against the law you know. After training all day I would go in the drill instructors hootch and kick back and drink cold beer and smoke Cohiba cigars with them------------------------------OK, that's a big fat lie. ;D
Jarhead,
The movie Full Metal Jacket was made by the same guy that made 2001, A Space Odyssey.
R. Lee Ermey was not the first choice for the drill sergeant as he was hired to be a technical consultant. But his military presence and his drill demonstrations and recommendations through his on site consulting caused the original guy to be fired. I believe I have seen Ermey in at least a dozen movies including one western.
That Vietnam urban assault where the female Cong was killed was actually filmed in London at an abandoned port facility and at an abandoned gasworks facility.
Ah, yes, boot camp.............well, it was called basic training in the Army. Remember back in the day, if a young feller got into deep doo-doo, a judge might send the perpetrator to the Army rather than jail. Don't know if they still do that. Anyway, after I had finished basic, I always thought that every young person (well, at the time, males) should just automatically go through basic training. Especially with a group of Airborne or some special unit like the Rangers, etc. Eight weeks of the psychological "re-braining" would work wonders. I remember feeling that I had been totally stripped of whatever my mind thought was worthwhile and came out a different person altogether. I think the Israelis have the right idea. Everyone serves.........period. Going through that psychological change would really turn around a lot of young people who might otherwise wind up becoming criminals. Add a heavy emphasis on patriotism and God-fearing trust would make a world of difference in this society. It was once suggested that all the L.A. gangs should be rounded up and sent to Iraq or Afghanistan and let them blast away. But then the idea was phoo-phooed, because the bangers can't hit the broad side of a barn. Of course, with a little training on a firing range that could be corrected.
As far as movies..............both Full Metal Jacket and Platoon were a little too violent for my taste. Even when The Deer Hunter came out I was a little disturbed, also. But then, I'm a "lighter side of the moment" kind of guy and prefer humorous flicks. As to Apocolypse Now, it was a good movie til it got weird at the end. But, I always remember the Robert Duvall quote and it makes me laugh. It makes me think of a D.I. that I had in Basic, a young sergeant, not more than 25 years of age. So gung ho.......
When I went through Basic at Ft. Campbell (101st Airborne) he was signing up for his third tour of Vietnam. I thought he was an idiot, of course, and so did everybody else around there. But, he was AIRBORNE!!!!!!!!!!! GO SCREAMING EAGLES!!!!!
Gotta shut up and get my afternoon coffee.
Larryj
Oh My Gosh --- I have enjoyed reading all of these post.
Janet.....I'm so glad you asked the question that got these great guy's memories charged up.
Our country is indebted to all the military personnel since our country was born.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU !!
I pulled up Rachaels picture's while she was in Iraq and they could shoot anywhere for miles and not hit anything but sand.
Hey Jar; I thought I read somewhere that R. Lee was from Kansas, any truth? (Yeah, I can read a little bit)
Aw Waldo, I pity you if R. Lee Ermey ever finds out you referred to him as a drill Sgt. R.Lee will do a tap dance on your head. Army has drill sgt's--the Corps has drill instructors. Before I'm done I'm gonna have you and ol Larry straightened out. Aint nothing I can do for ol Sarge, Patriot and WARPH---them Fly Boys dance to a different drummer.
Think I read somewhere that Ermey was also recovering from a car wreck and was kinda banged up when they filmed FMJ. I know he was injured in Nam and medically retired as a S/Sgt. Did you know he was born and spent a few years of his young life in Emporia? He was in Emporia a few years back for a Veterans deal. He's quite a guy.
Now Larry I have a friend that served in Nam in 68 with the 101'st and he don't call them the Screaming Eagles but calls them the Puking Buzzards. He calls them that but won't allow me to. Not positive but I think it was Operation Virginia Ridge that we did with the Screaming Eagles. I know we were told we would be a blocking force---which I thought the Puk---I mean Screaming Eagles were gonna drive the NVA out of the A Shau valley and we would be blocking their escape route-WRONG !!! All we did was hump, hump hump and hump some more. No wonder I never reached 6 ft 3 in like both my brothers cause I wore my legs down to a nub humping them damn mountains/hills. Oh yea, never did see any Screeching Eagles but did stumble across a couple nice bunker complexes----where Mr. Charles invited me in to share a bowl of rice and share a big fat doobie for dessert. Yea life was good back then-------OK, that part is another big fat lie.
Whoops---missed your post doobie---but just answered it
Jarhead,
Yes, I knew he was born in Emporia: in 1944. His first name is Ronald, which I guess he does not like. He attended the University of Manila, but I dont know whether he graduated. That was his connection to getting a role in Apocalypse Now, which was filmed with the cooperation of the Philippines Army.
There are some scenes in the movie Full Metal Jacket where he does not move his left side because of the automobile accident.
I looked up his screen bio and he has over 60 credits for motion pictures, TV dramas, and his stint on the two History Channel series.
He had something to do with a Spongebob Squarepants movie.
Surprisingly, he spent only 11 years in the Marine Corps and was medically retired. Believe it or not he was an E-6 when he was retired but was promoted after retirement to E-7. He is the first man in the history of the Marine Corps to be promoted after retirement, but I think it was only honorary with no pay increase.
Waldo,
The Leatherneck magazine had an article about when the Corps made Ermey an "honorary gunny". I think it was when he was doing his Mail Call history channel show. They said he was the best recruiting tool the Marines had at that time. Think a bunker caved in on him in Nam that caused his injuries, but not positive about that. Watched a you tube thing once of all the bloopers in FMJ-----and there was a bunch.
I think Platoon was filmed in the Philippines too---but again not positive
Jo, I'm glad I asked that question, too. And when I asked it, I thought, how dumb are people going to thiink I am. I have never laughed as much at jarhead's post as I have on this thread.
When I get a minute, I'll think of something else dumb to ask. LOL
All that information on Ermey has been fantastic. I love him in Full Metal Jacket and have enjoyed wathcing him on that other stuff. I really love him on that one commericial where he throws the tissues at the psych patient.
I wanted to say, above, that R. Lee Ermey besides being the only person in the history of the Marine Corps to be promoted after retirement may have been the only person in the history of the military to be promoted after retirement.
However, that is not the case. Both George Washington and Black Jack Pershing were promoted after retirement to 6-star general rank, i.e. General of the Armies so that the 5-star General of the Army men such as Eisenhower, Bradley, etc. would not outrank both of them. George was given a date of rank back to the late 1700s, I think, so that he would out rank everyone.
The insignia for a 6-star general was designed on the drafting board as a single star within a circle of five stars but the design has never been placed into practice.
Sheriff- your rapier-like wit and wisdom has brought about marvelous banter and brotherhood again......come hither with another subject please!!!
Okay, doobie. As soon as I see something that catches my eye, I will come up with another topic. LOL