Preparedness Notes for Saturday — October 3, 2020

20 Comments

1. Why we should use infrared illuminators on our long rang rifles:
   https://youtu.be/ocmaUxEfZrc

2. One of the Rangers involved in the relief effort during the Battle of Mogadishu was then SSG Jeff Struecker. He later became a Chaplain, retiring at the rank of Major. I attended his church in Columbus, Georgia for a few months while I was stationed at Benning, and found him to be a remarkably humble man with a true servant’s heart. His book THE ROAD TO UNAFRAID is an outstanding story of his testimony as a Soldier, Christian, Minister, and family man.

3. Some of the takeaway’s from that movie: The choice to leave some of the heavier body armor behind was a fatal decision. This naturally reflects on the belief that women can go into combat when they cannot even carry the combat load.
   Another problem many of the American troops had was running out of ammo. This would have happened even earlier in their battle if the 5.56 ammo was not the choice and they carried the heavier .30 cal ammo. The ear damage from firing weapons in close quarters, alleyways and streets. Since I have a hearing problem from firing the M16 in the 60’s. The lack of communication and tactical knowledge of the ‘terrain’ in that city that complicated the aid and escape. AND perhaps the most important lesson learned was to never depend on another country or another countries assets to save our butt when the SHTF.

   1. Leaving their armour behind was done since at the latest the Royal Shieldbearers, the elite infantry guard of Alexander the great did it during their long range commando missions.

      Woman´ve a tradition and history of going into combat and war much older than the short history of the thirteen colonies.

   2. What are you talking about women can’t be in combat? They can’t even be in a mans role in corporate America. Ten trillion in gender equality law suits. 70,000,000 babies aborted to women can leave the family into a mans role and the divorce rate always equal to the women employment rate. (In 1960 we had a 10% divorce rate and a 10% women employment rate – today both are hovering 60-70% depending on statistics ).

      I agree. Demeaning or removing the patriarchy where women get their provisions from their husbands is a threat to national security.

      Oh and women liberating themselves from the marriage bed till age 40 isn’t sexual harassment towards men???

      So much for feminism and the notion of putting women in combat. Just look at all the navy admirals and sea captions and other generals kissing their jobs for some off the wall feministic violation against women in uniform. Hundreds have been removed without a bullet fired.

      Bring the women back home into the families as helpmates once again.

      1. They were in this role in economy and profession for millenia, since before history since before we left the caves

4. I’ve still got a lot of heartburn about President Klinton making our armor unit sit it out pretending to the public that it was a humanitarian mission. We coulda made the difference to the point it wouldn’t have even been a historical event.
   This event taught a of lessons made some changes in the way things were done.

   1. had you enough infantry support?

      1. I didn’t get to go because I was in an armor division in mechanized infantry. The answer though is obviously no they didn’t have enough support.
         The armor support, Bradley’s and M1 Tanks, was pulled so the democrat President didn’t look like he was operating a military mission but instead to pacify his critics pretended it was a humanitarian mission just passing out rice.
         The Klintons have a history of getting us killed with lack of support as most know from more recent history in Benghazi. They then had the audacity to show up at Baumholder where many of us were to make a big show. I was sent home, during the visit, across the valley because of my vocal opinions. My punishment was spending a day with the wife and kids. Oh no says the briar rabbit.

         1. I asked if the Tanks ´d enough infantry support, IIRC being in a tank or unit of tanks in an enemy occupied city without a strong enough infantry support, or more likely the tanks support the infantry , is a death warrant executed at the enemys leisure.
            That even if it´s practicable when possible to operate with tanks in this city, If!

            1. That’s what the Bradley’s were for. Dismounted infantry.

            2. I served in an armour division, that was one of the reasons i asked about the infantry support and btw where there any tank and APC units in the area at the time, and then if they would be capable of operating in the city?

5. Lest we forget: Les Aspin, a socialist idiot and military bugaboo was Sec. of Defense at the time of this fiasco and was directly responsible for it. He disallowed the re -enforcement of armor units requested by the officers in charge of the operation, worried about an escalation of the mission. While he was in Congress as a representative, he constantly was the tip of the hippie spear trying to tear down the military services, both with reductions in force, and denial of new weapons systems. Why this poor excuse of a man was put in a position of responsibility over fighting forces is proof positive as to how lousy our govt. already was at that time.

6. Somalia?
   Why?

   Afghanistan has opium.
   Iraq has oil.
   Grenada has schools.
   Iwo Jima has sulphur and guano.
   Germany has culture and manufacturing.

   But, Somalia?
   Hang on a sec… were the ClintonCrimeSyndicate involved?
   That explains everything.
   Another ‘Haiti’ to pump the books.
   It is all so obvious after I realize the ClintonCrimeSyndicate were involved.

   1. Somalia and Ethiopia are part of the Sahel. Long range climate cycles indicate that they will be coming on line as the great new agricultural bread basket. Right now, for the past two years, the whole Sahel and Middle East have been receiving terrible rains and flooding. This is why China has made many deals with African leaders to, I think, buy up or lease the land where the waters are returning to. World leaders are in cahoots with each other and know what is coming climate wise and are not telling the general public the truth. During Global Solar Minimums areas that were desert, become lush and fertile again. See Adapt 2030 David Dubyne’s YouTube channel. He talks about this at length.

      1. The past few winters Israel has had amazing amounts of rainfall. The Kinneret is full which hadn’t been the case for a long time.

         1. כן, כן ראיתי את זה!

7. Copied from = thehistoryreader(dot)com/military-history/1993-battle-mogadishu-seals-eye-view:

   “Before the Battle of Mogadishu, the Clinton administration’s support for our troops had sagged like a sack of turds. They had rejected or removed M-2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, M-1 Abrams tanks, and AC- 130 Spectre gunships. The Clinton camp was more interested in maintaining politi cal points than keeping some of America’s finest troops alive.”

   “During the Battle of Mogadishu, eighteen Americans were killed and eighty-four wounded. Also, one Malaysian died and seven were injured. Two Pakistanis and one Spaniard were wounded, too. In spite of only about 180 soldiers fighting against nearly 3,000 of Aidid’s militia and civilian fighters, we captured Omar Salad, Mohamed Hassan Awale, Abdi Yusef Herse, and others. Thousands of Aidid’s clan members were killed, with thousands more wounded. They’d depleted much of their ammunition. A number of the chieftains evacuated in fear of America’s inevitable counterattack. Some were ready to turn in Aidid to save themselves. Four fresh SEAL Team Six snipers from Blue Team were on their way to relieve us. Delta’s Alpha Squadron was gearing up to relieve Charlie Squadron. A new batch of Rangers was coming, too. We had broken Aidid’s back, and we wanted to finish the job.”

   “In spite of the gains, President Clinton saw our sacrifices as losses. Even though we could’ve finished the job of taking down Aidid and getting food to the people, Clinton turned tail and ran. He ordered all actions against Aidid stopped. Four months later, Clinton released Osman Atto, Omar Salad, Mohamed Hassan Awale, Abdi Yusef Herse, and the other prisoners. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.”

   “We had spent so much time working with local Somalis to build their trust, to convince them that we would be with them in the long run. Many of these Somalis risked their lives to help us. Some endangered their families. Our former Somali guards at Pasha joined in the Battle of Mogadishu, loyal to the end. Only one of them survived. Other Somalis died on our side trying to stop Aidid. We left our Somali friends dangling in the breeze. I felt like our sacrifices had been in vain. Why did they send us if they weren’t willing to finish the job? We shouldn’t have become involved in Somalia’s civil war— this was their problem, not ours— but once we committed, we should’ve finished what we started: a lesson we are required to keep relearning over and over again.”

   “Somalia lost the assistance of the international community to bring peace and food to the country. Chaos and starvation spiked sharply. Aidid tried to downplay his losses, but he would never rule over a united Somalia. He died in 1996 during an internal battle against his evil genius, Osman Atto.”

   “Excerpted from SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin.”

   1. Difference to Desert Storm?

8. If I have learned ONE TRUTH in almost 80 years it is this expressed by Smedley Butler. He was US Marine Corps major general, the highest ranking and the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. In ‘War is a Racket’ he wrote, “I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else.”

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