What have you always wante to ask someone in the Army?

[theycallmemang]

I don't really have any questions for you, just to say thanks for doing what you do.

That said, curse you for making this thread!

I'm stuck in a dead-end job in a failing coffee shop, and every time I think about enlisting, I talk myself, or get talked out of it. I'm 22 and I've been thinking about it off an on since Highschool (Where I just about aced the ASVAB my senior year).

Oh, nevermind found a question: Why'd you pick CavScout? Or did you go in for something else, and get shuffled into CavScout? I keep hearing that happening to people, but never from actual members of the Army.

I chose it, and I fought to keep it, hahaha. I wanted to best training. knowing that no matter what I'll be on the business end of someone's weapon, I wanted to be able to fall back on the finest training one can get.


I gotta say. I learned far more than I ever thought I would.

 

[Cewebwalz]

Are Afghani snipers a problem? I keep hearing about em, and there are a few myths/propaganda videos out there.

 

[theycallmemang]

Are Afghani snipers a problem? I keep hearing about em, and there are a few myths/propaganda videos out there.

They certainly scared the piss out of me. I had a handful I couldn't take care of without airborne help.

 

[Doctor Glocktor]

As a Canadian, I'd like to know, have you met any of the Canadian forces over there? Whwat do you guy think of them?

 

[10zack986]

Wait, where the heck did we have troops in combat in 2001?

Afghanistan

Are we still fighting these guys?

Yes. There are still enemies in Afghanistan (and Pakistan).

 

[Arikarin Aririkamei]

My dad went out to Afghan with the army two years ago, he got injured, but he apparently liked it out there. As wierd as this sounds; did you find it good fun? Or is my dad just messed up? Also: What was the most terrifying part of going out there?

 

[Oilerfan92]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

In regards to the Op:

1: Are there any games out there that you feel show what its like in combat. Im not comparing games to actual warfare. But are there any games that display the realities of war in a vaugly close way ? Or is it like i imagine and pretty much every war game is blowing it out their ass

2: Have you ever encountered a situation where there was something you felt you should/had to do. But were stopped by the Rules Of Engagement ? What are your thoughts on them in general ^

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

 

[Oilerfan92]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

Oh definitly. Im just tired of people thinking that the people were fighting are nothing more than cave-dwelling savages. The people were fighting are a justifiable threat. And theyre going to be worse if we leave them unchecked. Its the militaries job to protect us from the people who want to kill us, its just an unfortunate reality that innocent people will die too. Thats what happens when you fight people who dont care about innocent people. People give the military a hard time for killing innocents, when the people were fighting dont even care, they will walk to the middle of a marketplace with no military value and blow themselves up. And what do they think the terrorists would do to them. IF we do get invaded/ or they get kidnapped, do they really expect the terrorists to follow the ROI ? Would Michael Moore sit on his big fat ass surrounded by terrorists and expect them to be civil. You dont win a war against these type of people by limitating the actions possible by the military, and hold them to a unfair moral standign.

And yes, i understand their unhappiness. But as unlikeable as the military prescence might be, id take it over bombings and that.

 

[ThePlasmatizer]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

Oh definitly. Im just tired of people thinking that the people were fighting are nothing more than cave-dwelling savages. The people were fighting are a justifiable threat. And theyre going to be worse if we leave them unchecked. Its the militaries job to protect us from the people who want to kill us, its just an unfortunate reality that innocent people will die too. Thats what happens when you fight people who dont care about innocent people. People give the military a hard time for killing innocents, when the people were fighting dont even care, they will walk to the middle of a marketplace with no military value and blow themselves up. And what do they think the terrorists would do to them. IF we do get invaded/ or they get kidnapped, do they really expect the terrorists to follow the ROI ? Would Michael Moore sit on his big fat ass surrounded by terrorists and expect them to be civil. You dont win a war against these type of people by limitating the actions possible by the military, and hold them to a unfair moral standign.

And yes, i understand their unhappiness. But as unlikeable as the military prescence might be, id take it over bombings and that.

You don't beat terrorists by becoming one, the rules of engagement are there for a reason, they are there because countries want to show even though they are in a war they respect human life. By bringing ourselves to the level of terrorists they would be furthering their cause because with moral outrage at innocent people killed you'll not only make an enemy of the terrorists you'll make an enemy of the entire country you are occupying and the country you are defending.

 

[Oilerfan92]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

The word Terrorist is a funny one too Afghans Americans are terrorists and vice versa its a term that has been thrown around too much. One mans terrorist is another's freedom fighter, and you can't be a freedom fighter if your fighting in a foreign land.

I know what terroist means, i know that all military forces use a degree of terror, thats basic military strategy.

I just dont see the "freedom fighters" who blow themselves up in marketplaces, or who spread through the world spreading their hate, regardless of race, country, creed or other aspects. Its just that i feel that at the present time, Muslim Extreamists are the biggest threat. There are Extreamists in all aspects and groups, but the Extreamists are the biggest threat.

 

[Oilerfan92]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

Oh definitly. Im just tired of people thinking that the people were fighting are nothing more than cave-dwelling savages. The people were fighting are a justifiable threat. And theyre going to be worse if we leave them unchecked. Its the militaries job to protect us from the people who want to kill us, its just an unfortunate reality that innocent people will die too. Thats what happens when you fight people who dont care about innocent people. People give the military a hard time for killing innocents, when the people were fighting dont even care, they will walk to the middle of a marketplace with no military value and blow themselves up. And what do they think the terrorists would do to them. IF we do get invaded/ or they get kidnapped, do they really expect the terrorists to follow the ROI ? Would Michael Moore sit on his big fat ass surrounded by terrorists and expect them to be civil. You dont win a war against these type of people by limitating the actions possible by the military, and hold them to a unfair moral standign.

And yes, i understand their unhappiness. But as unlikeable as the military prescence might be, id take it over bombings and that.

You don't beat terrorists by becoming one, the rules of engagement are there for a reason, they are there because countries want to show even though they are in a war they respect human life. By bringing ourselves to the level of terrorists they would be furthering their cause because with moral outrage at innocent people killed you'll not only make an enemy of the terrorists you'll make an enemy of the entire country you are occupying and the country you are defending.

Im not implying that we should go to their level. But when you hear stories about a squad getting killed because they were unable to kill 2 terrorist squads because they were dressed like sheep herders. Thats what i mean. Rules that seem more interested in Public Relations and stopping Left-wingists from spazzing then protecting our boys.

 

[Eldarion]

I've already decided on a career path that doesn't involve any armed forces (I doubt they'd have any specialization that would qualify me for a media arts degree).

Actually thats where your wrong. The U.S. army does have such a specialization. More than one in fact.

http://www.goarmy.com/JobCatDetail.do?id=2

More specifically this one.

http://www.goarmy.com/JobDetail.do?id=9

 

[Rasputin1]

Probably something that you've already been asked, but I don't feel like filtering through all those posts..
So my question, have you directly killed someone? And have you almost been killed?

 

[Oilerfan92]

Do you like going to foreign countries killing foreigns cause your country says so.

Cause the people were fighting have absolutely zero interest in killing all of us. The terrorists are a peaceful people.

Lets not make the common mistake here that every enemy killed is a terrorist, this war has been responsible for plenty of innocent deaths. The Afghans obviously aren't happy with an occupying force, would you be?

The word Terrorist is a funny one too Afghans Americans are terrorists and vice versa its a term that has been thrown around too much. One mans terrorist is another's freedom fighter, and you can't be a freedom fighter if your fighting in a foreign land.

I know what terroist means, i know that all military forces use a degree of terror, thats basic military strategy.

I just dont see the "freedom fighters" who blow themselves up in marketplaces, or who spread through the world spreading their hate, regardless of race, country, creed or other aspects. Its just that i feel that at the present time, Muslim Extreamists are the biggest threat. There are Extreamists in all aspects and groups, but the Extreamists are the biggest threat.

I see where you are coming from but do you think the only reason people think Muslim Extremists are seen as a big threat is cause that's how the media portrays them. There are Christian extremists in Africa that burn and torture homosexuals, telly Evangelists are a form of extremists.

I agee, and all extreamists should be punished. But in regards to specific groups, Muslim Extreamists are one of the biggest and most recurring threats ( numbers wise ) which is unfortunate, becaus i know many good muslim people.

 

[Oilerfan92]

Look. Were taking this thread away from its initial topic. If i feel like it, maybe well have this discussion another time.

What i want to know is how is day to day life in combat ?

 

[Shoqiyqa]

Is it offensive if somebody says "pwned" after killing someone?

Offensive to whom? It depends largely on whom you killed and how.

Any sort of rivalry between the US Army and the Marines?

Army and Marines, no. Paras and Marines, hell yes. Not my problem. I was a REMF. I had to deal with the RAF squirts getting high opinions of themselves instead. Children, we could have done your training by accident on the way to ours.

What was Boot Camp and Tech School like?

Miserable, but it was planned misery. Everything's worked out to give you a calculated diet of bullshit and hassle and slowly improve your life as you make progress while forging you into a team by making you all hate the wankers together. Then the team got split into streams for different trades. Life got better and the amount of stuff you had to do for yourself without being told (like stay in condition and go and get your weapon out and clean it) increased.

Are drill sergeants ACTUALLY like in Full Metal Jacket?

Whats the most common non-combat injury soldiers get?

I never met one like that but I have heard lines from The Virgin Soldiers (1966) used on the parade square: "Am I hurtin' you, son? I should be. I'm STANDING on your HAIR!"

The most common significant injury (tearing a small chunk like a mouse-bite out of your thumb with a greasy piece of jagged metal because The Kit Is Shit is not a significant injury) would be muscle or tendon injuries below the knee. These are largely caused by the fact that The Kit Is Shit.

do you reckon you should be hailed as a hero or would rather just be accepted as a guy who does his job?

I think we'd mostly prefer to just be "dude" or whatever. Good at the job and so on, yes, but anyone who wants personal glory is a liability with serious psychological issues. A hero is someone who knowingly did something really bloody stupid for some sort of good cause and got a good result. I've read some of the George Cross and Victoria Cross citations and I don't want to ever do anything that might get me recommended for one of them, ever. If the situation had arisen, maybe, but ... no. Not a dream of mine.

What's the army's attitude towards pacifists? Does the normal soldier examine conflicts, their reasons and his/her actions' consequences or is it just about obeying orders?

Pacifists: they're weird but whatever.
Reasons and consequences: you're trained not to, and then there isn't time. There's a big culture of heirarchy, and the bigger decisions get taken higher up. A Corporal leads a section, and gives orders along the lines of "you two take up position in that depression." The Captain or Lieutenant commands the platoon or troop and the Sergeant runs it, and they give orders like "harbour area here" or "3 section will conduct reconnaissance to the east of the village." The Major commands the Company or Squadron and the CSM or SSM runs it, and they get to give orders like "support this aid convoy" or "secure that bridge." The Lieutenant-Colonel commands the Battalion and the RSM runs it and it is generally accepted that the RSM is God. This is about where the Navy Captain is, commanding a ship. Above Lt-Col, officers cease to be "of the Royal Corps of Signals" or "of the Corps of Royal Engineers" and start being politicians. As a private, gunner, driver, sapper, signaller, lancer, rifleman or any other equivalent rank, you really don't get to hear about what goes on up there. You get a job to do. Time for thinking about "WTF we're doing here" can be a precious resource better used for writing to your sweetheart.

If you're a Middle East specialist in intel, you do get to think about it a lot and wonder how many layers of lies there are between the real decisions and what you're hearing and how many of them your Captain has noticed and how many she was supposed to notice ...

have you heard of the M4/M16 fault where if you get dust or water in the mechanism, the gun misfires and the carry handle flips up into your face. must suck in a desert enviroment.

actualy. is this fault even real?

oh and have you every made a quip while calling in an airstrike?

Never heard of that fault because we used the tinfoil-bodied dirt-magnet called the SA80 until someone noticed a problem and renamed it the L85A1, both of which names it had had since creation, "because SA80 stands for Small Arms of the 80s and if we were still using SA80s now it'd mean we were using twenty-years-out-of-date kit." The one special fault it generally suffered was failure to close, which is why you see British soldiers slap the cocking handle forwards after closing the bolt. Feeding two rounds into the chamber at once and bending both of them was more of a special kind of fault.

As for quips, does quoting William Wallace saying "Burrrn et!" count? I know someone who did that.

Doesn't it get to you that whilst you signed up voluntarily to help your family, you might be destroying families of others by killing men who had no choice but were forced to sign up?

It depends on circumstances again. Watch "Warriors" from the BBC (called "Peacekeepers" in the USA, I think) and ask yourself whether you'd care how they got into their army after some of that. March '03, yes. Taliban, no.

If a General (4 or 5 star) says too your platoon(or company, I'm not really that big on military terminology) to go kill the innocents of a village and make it seem as though the rival faction did it,would you have to carry out said order?

You'd have to refuse, and if it came to it you'd have to shoot anyone who tried to follow that order. Then you get to tell the General he just made you kill your best buddy and then you kill him and then you kill yourself ... unless this isn't Hollywood, in which case that's pretty unlikely.

If they want to wipe out half a village they just bomb hell out of it and say "tough titty, bitches." Well, the IDF seem to, anyway.

Do you think the war in Afghanistan is actually winnable? If so, what sort of timeline would you give it, based on what you know? If not, how does that make you feel from day to day doing your job, and especially when people die (on either side)?

You need to define "win". We won the war there, then abandoned the country while we went off and invaded Iraq instead because rebuilding is boring and doesn't win votes the way "Mission Accomplished" does, and Afghanistan went to shit and al-Q and the Talis learned a lot about how to be bad news.

Now, I think Afghanistan needs a lot more boots per square kilometre in selected areas, a lot of investment and a lot less corruption. Given the power to do so, I'd use walls, gates and bombard towers to play Qix out there, securing a town and its fields and then joining secured towns together, slowly dividing the country into more and more numerous and less and less expansive pockets of uncleared land, then clear them one at a time. It doesn't really work that way, though.