"Always be: Polite, Professional, and Prepared to Kill. That is the world we live in. " Major K

LAV- U.S. Army 

Marine Corps Moms: HARD Fighting Marines

Marine Corps Moms: HARD Fighting Marines: "LtCol Jurney's philosophy of leadership for his 1/6 Marines:

My personal leadership philosophy can be captured in one phrase 'Lead by Example.' When in charge, take charge. Lead from the front and by example. All values and ethical behavior for leading Marines stem from this basic position. When maintaining the standard in both our words and our deeds we consistently establish clear standards of what is expected. Time gets wasted when a leader sends mixed signals. Our actions must support our words. To lead by example is to tell our Marines what the standards are; why the standards are important and how the standards will accomplish the mission and save lives on the battlefield. Personal example is the strongest and most persuasive tool in our leadership kit bag. I expect every member of this command to embrace this simple philosophy, and 'walk their talk' to garner the loyalty and respect from those with which we have the honor to serve.

Tenets of 1/6 'HARD':

Marine leaders in 1/6 should always be doing one of two things;
leading their Marines in combat or preparing their Marines for combat. Nothing is more fundamental to war fighting excellence than a solid base of character. We must have trust and confidence in one another’s actions and commitments:
# HONESTY If you say you are going to do something, do it.
# ACTION If you see something is wrong, fix it.
# RESPECT If you want to be treated well, treat others well.
# DUTY If you put the mission and the welfare of those with which you serve first… then our team will be second to none."

Summer is here and this hard working "war pig" is taking a break at the beach, today. 

"Whose your enabler these days..." taking down the mid-level thuggies

The war effort focus is to take out the mid-level managment level. according to a WashTimes article this morning. "...more emphasis on killing, capturing or discouraging midlevel operators who enable top al Qaeda leadership to function." "...to ultimately win the war is to take down the lower-level operators who form the networks that support Osama bin Laden and scores of other al Qaeda lieutenants around the world." Of course, that still all the enablers who run their mouth w/o facts to support their claims.

Pentagon takes aim at rank and file of al Qaeda - The Washington Times: Nation/Politics - June 07, 2005

This dude is the head of Amnesty International who says he really doesn't know what he is talking about but since it is about Guantanamo, hey, he is going to run his mouth anyway after all he has his rights and if he wants to lie he can. The secretary-general has called the terrorist prison run at a U.S. military base in Cuba a "gulag." As in "soviet evil empire" when 20 million people could be offed with out squat one from the lefties. 

An stateside LAV-25 "WAR PIG" all cleaned up for the photographer. 

from the spin zone athttp://p090.ezboard.com/fsoonerpoliticsfrm2.showMessage?topicID=1619.topic 

Michael Yon is in Dohuk, Northern Iraq where the war is over. "A visit to this place affords more than a break from the rugged routine of war; it also provides a postcard of a possible future for all of Iraq." Lots more photos at his http://www.michaelyon.blogspot.com/

M242
US M242
Technical Summary
250px
Caliber: 25 mm NATO
Firearm action: Chain gun
Manufactured by: ATK
Barrel Length: 85.6 in (2.175 m)
Effective Range: 1.2 miles (2 km)
Maximum Range: 4.23 miles (6,800 m)
Maximum ROF: 200 Rounds/Minute
Muzzle velocity: 3,609 ft/s (1,100 m/s)
Total Weight: 242.5 lb (110 kg)

The M242 Bushmaster is a 25 mm chain gun. It is currently used by the US Armed Forces and other NATO forces. It is used extensively on vehicles and aircraft.

It is an externally powered, chain driven, single-barrel weapon which may be fired in semi-automatic or automatic modes. It is fed by a metallic link belt and has dual-feed capability. The term "chain gun" derives from the use of a roller chain that drives the bolt back and forth.

It can destroy lightly armored vehicles, aerial targets (such as helicopters and slow-flying aircraft). It can also suppress enemy positions such as troops in the open, dug-in positions, and built-up areas. The standard rate of fire is 200 rounds per minute, and has a range of 2,000 meters (depending on the type of ammunition used). 

'We have ruled the world before, and by Allah, the day will come when we will rule via:The Volokh Conspiracy - -

The Volokh Conspiracy - -:

"The Sermon on Palestinian Authority Television

in which Sheik Ibrahim Mudeiris says the following is now available in video and audio, with English subtitles; readers who speak Arabic can then check the translation for themselves:

'With the establishment of the state of Israel, the entire Islamic nation was lost, because Israel is a cancer spreading through the body of the Islamic nation, and because the Jews are a virus resembling AIDS, from which the entire world suffers.

'You will find that the Jews were behind all the civil strife in this world. The Jews are behind the suffering of the nations. . . .

'We have ruled the world before, and by Allah, the day will come when we will rule the entire world again. The day will come when we will rule America. The day will come when we will rule Britain and the entire world -– except for the Jews. The Jews will not enjoy a life of tranquility under our rule, because they are treacherous by nature, as they have been throughout history. The day will come when everything will be relived [likely relieved -EV] of the Jews — even the stones and trees which were harmed by them. Listen to the Prophet Muhammad, who tells you about the evil end that awaits Jews. The stones and trees will want the Muslims to finish off every Jew.'"

OK, Dude. Don't say you didn't get the word.

Second Marine Division discovers Thug Lair

A pretty good size thug lair complete with AC and high tech military gear as well as night vision scopes were found inside a underground bunker as big as a quarter of the Empire State building. No thuggies were found inside the bunker cut from a rock quarry in Karmh, west of Baghdad. The rooms inside the fully furnished bunkers are a renter's dream that included a kitchen with a fully loaded pantry, showers, AC, weapons such as machine guns mortars, rockets, artillery rounds and ammunition.

The Washington Times: AP

A very young protester in Baku, Azerbaijan knows precisely what he wants to tell Dubya.

Via:From My Position... On the way!: Land Mines and Ass Whoopings

Create your own rut and mad dog thugs will install a land mine.
From My Position... On the way!: Land Mines and Ass Whoopings: "I had an interesting day. I went on another patrol, but this one got pretty interesting right off the bat. We were walking through a palm grove—just looking around—and I looked about 3 feet to my right and saw a land mine. It's called a vs1.6—you can see it here:

http://ndmic-cidnm.forces.gc.ca/landmine.asp?lang=e&LandmineID=204.

So I see this mine. And immediately look at my feet. (Not making the connection that if I already stepped on a mine, I'd not have any feet). I pointed it out it to my driver. I said 'Hey, isn't that a mine?'

Well, we cordoned off the area and swept for more mines as some of the boys
prepped it for demolition. About 30 minutes later, I'm 50 yards away
talking to one of my platoon sergeants, and I find ANOTHER mine. Same kind, but this one is about 15 feet away, under a piece of cinderblock. It's been positioned near the road we're patrolling on, where a BFV had been sitting a few days ago. Since Americans tend to be lazy and visit the same spot, Haji will put mines there for the next time we come.

Again, I look at my feet before saying 'Hey, isn't that a mine?' We blew them both up and went about our business. The weird thing about all this was how normal it all seemed. I didn't get excited, just went about doing my job. I guess it'll all end up as part of my PTSD later."

"War Pig" { LAV-25} in a sea of tan sand w/defenders of freedom and democracy.
".....And the promise of a return to the eighth century has always had an appeal limited to a few thousand pampered elites, like Osama bin Laden, Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi. These losers figured they might become Saladins if they convinced an Arab populace the Jews and America, not their own corrupt regimes, kept them poor. Now they are reduced to ranting about the evils of freedom and democracy. " Victor Davis Hanson

DefenseLINK News: Americans Have Confidence in Military...Gallup Poll

DefenseLINK News: Military Tops Public Confidence List in New Gallup Poll: "The poll, conducted between May 23 and 26, involved telephone interviews with a randomly selected sample of 1,004 people 18 and older, Gallup officials said. Those surveyed expressed strong confidence in the military, with 42 percent expressing 'a great deal' of confidence in the military and 32 percent, 'quite a lot' of confidence. Eighteen percent said they have 'some' confidence, 7 percent, 'very little,' and 1 percent, 'none.'

Public confidence in the military jumped following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and has remained consistently high, Gallup officials noted. The 2002 survey reflected a 13 percent increase in confidence in the military over the previous year's poll. The public expressed a 79 percent high-confidence rate in the military in 2002, an 82 percent rate in 2003, and a 75 percent rate in 2004.

This year's 74 percent confidence level exceeded that of all 15 institutions included in the 2005 survey. Police ranked second, with 63 percent of responders expressing 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in them. Organized religion rated third, with 53 percent of responders expressing high confidence, and banks rated a 49 percent high-confidence rate."

Lt Pantano Resigns.


Lt Ilario Pantano submitted his letter of resignation on Wednesday, and is announcing it today at a fish fry in Wilmington, given to honor the volunteers of the American Legion and Congressman Walter Jones for their support during his case. Details at Euphoria

Hang on to your Losers... Army's Answer to Manpower Shortage By Phillip Carter and Owen West

This is Army's answer to keeping up with the manpower quotas. Keep the losers. Keep the trouble makers, gold bricks, dirt bags, skaters, and squad leaders of the don't give a damn brigade. If you live long enough you get to see everything twice. Keeping the losers was not the answer in the 70's when the Marine Corps saw the light and let go 6000 of these bad boys and it beats me how the Army now thinks that sweet talk and incentives will help with shortages. As this article states, the true "warrior class is small" but it is powerful and faithful. The tip of the spear, the warriors, need to have more attention and incentives directed towards reenlistment. The men who have the guts to go toe to toe with mad dog thugs, to preserve our cherished freedoms, deserve the best our budgets can provide not lame brain proposals recycled from the 70's round file.

"This new retention directive represents a regression by the Army, from the vaunted all-volunteer force of today back in the direction of the all-volunteer force of the 1970s, when drug use, race riots, and AWOL incidents were common among all services. The Marine Corps Historical Branch traces its own severe spiral to 'the end of the draft and the pressure of keeping up the size of the Marine Corps. In the process, a number of society's misfits had been recruited.' By 1975, the corps had so decayed that newly appointed Commandant Lewis Wilson sought permission from Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger to implement a radical personnel proposal: Push the authority to discharge unworthy Marines down to the battalion level. Under the 'expeditious discharge program,' commanders quickly cut 6,000 undesirables, sending a message that reverberated throughout the military, paving the way for the subsequent military performance surge credited to President Reagan.
Now the Army intends to reverse the policy, implying that battalion commanders are not able to weigh the needs of the total force against those of their units. By the time a soldier reaches the discharge point, the officers above him have already invested a great deal of rehabilitative effort. Forcing units to keep these troops—and indeed, to take them to war—puts a very heavy rock in the rucksack of any field commander who must now balance managing these subpar performers with his mission and the needs of his unit.

It does not have to be this way. While faced with an unprecedented personnel squeeze, the military has a golden opportunity to implement structural reforms so it can better face the challenges of the 21st century.
The services must shift the manpower priority from recruiting to retention. The fact that the Navy and Air Force have consistently met their recruiting quotas in the face of a global war demonstrates that there is no shortage of young Americans willing to join the military. Shouldering a rifle in the mountains of Tora Bora or on Fallujah's streets is a different story, however. Though the Army and Marines have to recruit less than a quarter of 1 percent of the eligible population each year, they are finding that America's warrior class is small. 'There's a difference between those who want some life experience and those who want to fight,' says a Marine recruiter. 'And most of [the latter] sign up anyway.' The focus should be on retaining those who gravitate to the tip of the spear instead of coercing those more comfortable with service than soldiering."

Quantico Marines of 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion display their light armored vehicles Fleet Week in New York

The New York USO came to sing for the "war Pigs" and Sgt. Jason Ehlers was forced to participate in the festivities.

4th LAR Marines gave tours of the "War Pigs" last Sunday in New York.