God Bless Our Troops……….

Sometimes you see a sticker and just have to take a picture.

And it reminds me of this:

While interviewing a US Army Special Forces soldier in Afghanistan, a Reuters News reporter asked the soldier what he felt when killing Al Qaeda with a sniper rifle.
The soldier thought for a moment and replied, "Recoil."

I hope the dog is inside.

Murphy's Laws of Combat

Murphy's Laws of Combat

Today at work I was helping a contractor install one of the multitude of new systems at our new base. The installation was going easier than expected and somewhere along the way Murphy's Laws of Combat came to mind, especially the one, "If your attack is going well, then it's an ambush." Paraphrased to the communications world, "if the install is going too good, there's an option the contractor won't mention until you contact the help desk - after the system blows up."

Enjoy the laws.

Dave

1. If the enemy is in range, so are you.
2. Incoming fire has the right of way.
3. Don't look conspicuous, it draws fire.
4. There is always a way, and it usually doesn't work.
5. The problem with the easy way out is that it has already been mined.
6. Try to look unimportant, they may be low on ammo.
7. Professionals are predictable, it's the amateurs that are dangerous.
8. The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions:
   a. when you're ready for them.
   b. when you're not ready for them.
9. Teamwork is essential, it gives them someone else to shoot at.
10. If you can't remember, then the claymore IS pointed at you.
11. The enemy diversion you have been ignoring will be the main attack.
12. A "sucking chest wound" is nature's way of telling you to slow down.
13. If your attack is going well, then it's an ambush.
14. Never draw fire, it irritates everyone around you.
15. Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing.
16. If you build yourself a bunker that's tough for the enemy to get into quickly, then you won't be able to get out of it quickly either.
17. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.
18. If you're short of everything but the enemy, you're in a combat zone.
19. When you've secured the area, don't forget to tell the enemy.
20. Never forget that your weapon is made by the lowest bidder.
21. Friendly fire isn't.
22. If the sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
23. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep.
24. The most dangerous thing in the world is a second lieutenant with a map and a compass.
25. There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.
26. A grenade with a seven second fuse will always burn down in four seconds.
27. Remember, a retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.
28. If at first you don't succeed call in an air-strike.
29. Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan.
30. Everything always works in your HQ, everything always fails in the colonel's HQ.
31. The enemy never watches until you make a mistake.
32. One enemy soldier is never enough, but two is entirely too many.
33. A clean (and dry) set of BDU's is a magnet for mud and rain.
34. Whenever you have plenty of ammo, you never miss. Whenever you are low on ammo, you can't hit the broad side of a barn.
35. The more a weapon costs, the farther you will have to send it away to be repaired.
36. Field experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
37. Interchangeable parts aren't.
38. No matter which way you have to march, its always uphill.
39. If enough data is collected, a board of inquiry can prove ANYTHING.
40. For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. (in boot camp)
41. The one item you need is always in short supply.
42. The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it.
43. The complexity of a weapon is inversely proportional to the IQ of the weapon's operator.
44. Airstrikes always overshoot the target, artillery always falls short.
45. When reviewing the radio frequencies that you just wrote down, the most important ones are always illegible.
46. Those who hesitate under fire usually do not end up KIA or WIA.
47. The tough part about being an officer is that the troops don't know what they want, but they know for certain what they DON'T want.
48. To steal information from a person is called plagiarism. To steal information from the enemy is called gathering intelligence.
49. The weapon that usually jams when you need it the most is the M60.
50. The perfect officer for the job will transfer in the day after that billet is filled by someone else.
51. When you have sufficient supplies & ammo, the enemy takes 2 weeks to attack. When you are low on supplies & ammo the enemy decides to attack that night.
52. The newest and least experienced soldier will usually win the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
53. A Purple Heart just goes to prove that were you smart enough to think of a plan, stupid enough to try it, and lucky enough to survive.
54. Murphy was a grunt.
    

A Tanker - The Needs of the Air Force Comes First

The Air Force is buying a new refueling tanker aircraft. By now, most have heard that they chose the Northrop Grumman/EADS Airbus model over the Boeing model. There has been controversy. For a moment forget where each plane would be built, assembled and who is providing the parts. The question comes down to this: What are the needs of the Air Force?
All members of the military are probably asked that sort of question at one time or another when they query why they got a certain assignment (posting), job, or task. The initial answers vary from “that’s where you’re needed” to “someone has to do it.” The final answer always boils down to “the needs of the military come first.”
The Air Force tries to be accommodating when they can. Leadership knows that when airmen are where they want to be and doing what they want to do they are more liable to be happy and productive. But again, at times things just cannot work out that way and the needs of the Air Force are first and foremost the most important aspect of a decision. Sometimes airmen end up where they don’t want to be doing what they don’t want to do.
This brings us back to the tanker. Companies were solicited for designs and pricing. They were given minimum specifications that had to be met. Two proposals were considered and evaluated. One plane could carry more fuel and cargo, fly further, and based on those factors was cheaper.
The Air Force took all things into consideration including their “needs” and chose what they thought would best accomplish the mission. That choice was the Northrop Grumman/EADS submission to the competition – the KC-45.
The decision to go with the KC-45 has generated a storm of controversy in Congress, the states involved, industry, bloggers, and the general public. This controversy is not arising over the plane or its capabilities, but rather where it’s going to be made and where the parts are coming from.
I will not get into that argument on either side. Neither (I think) will the pilots who fly them, the pilots who receive fuel from them, or all the support people whose job it is to keep them in the air. All will be focused on one overall aspect – successful completion of the mission.
Meanwhile, back in the hall of justice, congress is calling for hearings, Boeing is filing a protest, and the Air Force is defending their decision. All the first tow things can do is delay production of a vital aircraft that the Air Force needs to replace its aging fleet of KC-135 Stratotankers.
The KC-135 has been an extremely valuable asset that has contributed to many successful operations. However, this plane designed and built 50 years ago is getting long in the tooth and expensive to maintain. Unlike people, we can’t enroll aircraft into AARP and get a reduction in health care.
Not much can be done about Boeing lodging a complaint. It’s their right. They missed out on a large contract that would have sustained them for years. It would have kept large amounts of people gainfully employed.
I understand why some lawmakers in Congress from Washington and Kansas are upset that Boeing didn’t get the contract. The feel jobs are being taken from their constituents. They need to get over it.
I can understand why some lawmakers from Alabama and I imagine Florida and Mississippi are jubilant. Having the plane assembled in Mobile will be an infusion of jobs and money (both building the plane and in support jobs) into their economy. I think the good people of that area will build some of the best planes ever to serve the military. I congratulate them on their luck.
Members of Congress always talk loudly that the military have the best equipment to do the job. It is time to make them stick to their words and not to treat this as a campaign promise that flutters in the wind. There are enough breezes created by Mother Nature without any help from them.
It is also time to welcome the KC-45 into the inventory so that the needs of the Air Force come first.