LINK.
The all knowing seem to constantly stumble over small things. Amazing..
The false attribution to P. Arbiter is deemed due to the fact that no one likes to credit Americans with capability for original thought. S'Okay, we're used to it and don't mind a bit...
Charlton Ogburn, "Merrill's Marauders", thank you I stand corrected.
Now "Merrill's Marauders" was some outfit!
Distinguished Unit Citation: "The unit must display such gallantry, determination, and esprit de corps in accomplishing its mission under extremely difficult and hazardous conditions as to set it apart and above other units participating in the same campaign."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill's_Marauders
We need some more of that derring-do in the current conflicts.
reading the results of such derring-do at breakfast, would become very upset by the casualties - from the Wiki:
The cost to the Chindits was as great, but did generate at least two good books by Chindit brigadiers - Bidwell, Shelford (1979). The Chindit war : the campaigns in Burma, 1944. London: Hodder & Stoughton. OCLC 221110416; and Masters, John (2002) [1961]. The Road Past Mandalay. London: Cassel. ISBN 0304361577.A week after Myitkyina fell, on August 10, 1944, the 5307th was disbanded with a final total of 130 combat-effective officers and men (out of the original 2,997). Of the 2,750 to enter Burma, only 2 were left alive who had never been hospitalized with wounds or major illness.
While the campaign exemplified bravery and courage under impossible conditions, its long-term strategic goals never came close to being realized - and a lot of good men were killed for little lasting purpose.
Regards
Mike
I looked through this thread and couldn't find what I needed, hopefully someone knows offhand:
Would there be such things as ballistic tests done on the Mk262 round against the M855 green tip that are available on the interwebs?
derring do, no question -- but on balance, they were only marginally effective militarily and what little they did achieve was at excessive cost. I've talked to several former members and most were and are quite proud of their service but have little good to say about the efforts overall effectiveness.
Different time. While daring action occurs on a small scale and locally today, it is not broadly tolerated in the west. Those days are gone, they were killed off by the politically correct movements of the 70s and are highly unlikely to return short of a major, existential war. Risk avoidance is all too prevalent today, a societal (and thus quite difficult to reverse), not a military impact.
Sadly it seems the same will be written about most of the forces deployed in Afghanistan.
So exactly is the point of going into action in Afghanistan then?Different time. While daring action occurs on a small scale and locally today, it is not broadly tolerated in the west. Those days are gone, they were killed off by the politically correct movements of the 70s and are highly unlikely to return short of a major, existential war. Risk avoidance is all too prevalent today, a societal (and thus quite difficult to reverse), not a military impact.
Probably not but it today is, as I said, a different time, different even to your and my wars, much less Burma in WW II.I'm the wrong guy to ask. You'll need to ask G. W. Bush who made the determination to stay there or B. H. Obama who made the decision to continue the effort there. I agreed with going and toppling the Taliban. I did not agree with staying. I do now believe we cannot leave to precipitously but neither can we stay indefinitely (which has always been true and is why I didn't and don't agree with the decision to stay...). No win situation -- it always was.So exactly is the point of going into action in Afghanistan then?
Ken, I will respectfully disagree. In fact, when I was a young LT in the Army fighting in Iraq in 2003, my platoon single-handedly escorted the 82nd Airborne Division Chorus (see link) across Fallujah from Division HQ in Ramadi.
If a bunch of Soldiers in ascots singing and dancing doesn't epitomize "daring action", then I don't know what does.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1IjaJwLz58
My post is related to the topic at hand b/c I'm pretty sure every one of my soldiers wanted to shoot the Chorus with something larger than 5.56mm.
Last edited by Vojnik; 09-15-2011 at 11:41 PM.
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