At 8/3/09 01:30 AM, Alwngnome wrote: I've spent a total of 2.5 years over there. None of that pog s&*T either. I was a medic assigned to the infantry. We spent 12 hours a day at least patrolling. after my second tour I was glad to be back for good. Too many stories I can't tell anyone. If you haven't gone don't be in any hurry too go. If you arn't infantry you will probably never leave the wire, so don't talk it up. All it is is a year long shit show where you prove that you can go for a year without going to bars, and restaurants and stuff. It has to be done, but like I said, if you arn't infantry don't talk it up, it will be a waste of your life.

I wasn't infantry and I'd be outside the wire for a minimum of two weeks at a time. Most I was outside was almost two months. I hate when infantry think that they're all hard and shit. Other people have jobs too.

I wasn't infantry and I'd be outside the wire for a minimum of two weeks at a time. Most I was outside was almost two months. I hate when infantry think that they're all hard and shit. Other people have jobs too.

Yeah other people have jobs, But I don't know how many times we bailed pog units out. Engineers, MPs EOD. Sure they did their part out there, but They would get shot the heck up, a lot. My unit ran 7000+ comb at patrols in Iraq. we had 44 wounded and no one killed. We were the first regular army infantry battalion to go a full tour in Iraq with no deaths. To top that we were in charge of the security ar Abu Gahrib, and we patrolled a quarter of baghdad. All this was during the first and second elections. Sure other people have to leave the wire. I'm not saying that they don't and they aren't in danger. I'm sick and tired of people who go over there and work in an office and go on a patrol once or twice talking up what they did. If you patroled as much as you say you did i'm sure it pisses you off too.

Yeah other people have jobs, But I don't know how many times we bailed pog units out. Engineers, MPs EOD. Sure they did their part out there, but They would get shot the heck up, a lot. My unit ran 7000+ comb at patrols in Iraq. we had 44 wounded and no one killed. We were the first regular army infantry battalion to go a full tour in Iraq with no deaths. To top that we were in charge of the security ar Abu Gahrib, and we patrolled a quarter of baghdad. All this was during the first and second elections. Sure other people have to leave the wire. I'm not saying that they don't and they aren't in danger. I'm sick and tired of people who go over there and work in an office and go on a patrol once or twice talking up what they did. If you patroled as much as you say you did i'm sure it pisses you off too.

Joined the Canadian Force 3yrs ago
Weapon Technicien and love it.

At 7/29/09 10:57 PM, B4gle wrote: That is awesome. Didn't you wear ear protection though? or is it just not that effective? I always wondered if you can put on music while driving a humvee or a tank or something like that. i couldnt imagine anything cooler than shooting shit with hip-hop or death metal blaring in the background. So can you? or is that a stupid question.

well ear protection only gets you so far. your eyes and ears are the guys inside the truck. if you can't hear what they're saying you you're a sitting duck. and yeah we'd buy those little shitty 20 dollar battery powered speakers that you can hook up to an ipod and listen to that shit just to pass the time. (for the record i was never deployed sadly. i just did a month long training stint in barstow cali.) we don't have like headphones or anything blaring music while we're shooting because you have the guy riding shotgun has the radio and you HAVE to be able to hear him or your fucked.

wonko i want to tell you a story about when i arrived at beautiful fort gordon georgia. we got our post introduction from a lady sergeant major who talked to us about PTSD. she went on to talk about her unit (she was in the signal core, about as POG as it gets) got sent out on patrols and did all the same shit we did and how she was never in the wire. i simply asked her how did that work out for you? she told me that she watched some of her own men burn alive and they lost half of their platoon. pogs aren't meant to be outside the wire. if you WANTED to go out and kill motherfuckers and do all the crazy shit, you would've signed up for it. to go out in a unit that knows nothing about combat and expect to come back alive? that's more balls than i have. touche my friend.

b4gle, i know nothing about the canadian rifle, but i like the m4, because despite all the rumors about how much it jams and explodes on you and stuff, if you keep it clean, i've never shot a rifle that was as maneuverable in a small area or as accurate for it's size as the m4. i prefer the m249 because nothing makes walking into a house easier than knowing you've got 750-850 rounds per minute at your disposal. :)

and spiffy, i didn't see anything of yours that i needed to quote, but you know i love you. :)

As for me, well, I'm also a current soldier. A seaman, to be accurate. I am a 1st Lt. in the Navy, currently on a naval tour to patrol India. I was a '07 grad of the US Naval Academy, and is happy to be an officer.

Follow my command boys !!! (haha)

At 8/9/09 08:47 AM, TracyJackson wrote: seaman

[Navy Joke Goes Here]

For myself, I'm a rifleman with the Canadian military. I get to drive around in LAV III (like the stryker, but better). Currently we're training a new set of officers. Which means that we play their bitches while they muck things up.

The LAV III, for those who haven't seen it (25mm chain gun, 7.62mm coax, 7.62mm or 5.56mm pintle):

I can't answer these, not my country ^^

At 8/7/09 11:27 PM, B4gle wrote: Which do you think is the better rifle, the C7A1 ( canadian forces ) or the M4?

C8 heavy barrel :D

But seriously, between the 2, I'd stick with my C7

At 8/9/09 09:42 AM, Lizzardis wrote: If someone were to join the military and become a soldier, what are the chances of them going to Iraq? If its a low percent/odd, where do the other soldiers go when those in Iraq have gone?

i can only speak for the u.s. army, but it depends on what job you join as. if you sign up as Infantry, then you're going to deploy, whereas if you sign up as a band member (bet that blew your mind huh?) you probably won't go.

Also, if you were a soldier, what are the chances of you getting wounded by a bullet? Major or minor? Is it a different chance if you were in Iraq?

in the army, it seems like it's the people that aren't infantry are the ones that are always getting hurt. since it's our job to go on patrols and all the cool infantry stuff, we're pretty good at it. it's the people who work at a desk and one day they get sent on patrol because a patrol was short a guy. that's usually who gets hurt. and my 3000 man brigade has been in afghanistan for about 6 months and only a few people have been injured and even less have been killed. most of the injuries are concussions from ieds flipping trucks. nothing too serious.

At 2/18/09 07:53 PM, SpiffyMasta wrote: Don't know or think anyone's done this before, but I thought I would start a club for anyone who is current or former military. I realize most of the people on this website aren't even old enough for this, but why not give it a shot.
I'm currently a LCpl in the Marine Corps, reservist for now until I finish school, and I'm based up in Portland, OR.
Hopefully I get some interest, and we go from there.
OohRah

Well I'm not in the military, but can I join (because I think long hours of Halo gives you some experience, no I'm kidding).

At 8/9/09 04:34 PM, B4gle wrote: so if your still driving your LAV in about 5 years maybe I'll get to boss you around a bit for training :P

I'm currently not driver, I'm dismount. In 5 years, I won't be driver, more likely gunner or section 2IC (if all goes well).

Oh, and I'll be sure to visibly facepalm your screw ups :)

peregrinius, i'm curious about the canadian officers in the army since b4gle has brought it up. in ours, the officers kind of get looked down on because they usually have no time in service, yet think they know everything. the only difference between a private and an officer is usually the private has been in the army longer.

At 8/9/09 06:36 PM, B4gle wrote: I think when you first become an infantry officer you command 20 men and a LAV?

You start as a platoon commander. Roughly 30 troops, 4 LAV (3 rifle sections + HQ section)

At 8/9/09 07:04 PM, michelinman wrote: peregrinus, i'm curious about the canadian officers in the army since b4gle has brought it up. in ours, the officers kind of get looked down on because they usually have no time in service, yet think they know everything. the only difference between a private and an officer is usually the private has been in the army longer.

I've been fairly lucky with the officers I've had. Our most recent was on last year's DP1.2 summer cycle. We shot at hi, then he commanded us once he graduated. He's turned out fairly well. The smart ones learn from the NCO's. And if they end up being complete tools, well, they find their way out of command position fairly quickly.

Their training cycle varies based on where they do their university. If a civy university, they do their training in the summers only. Those that choose the path of RMC (Royal Military College) intermingle training with their studies the way they would at West Point or Sandhurst.

The DP1.2 portion of their training is the final phase of their training. It consists of dismounted operations, as well as a mounted portion. Really the only difference between the two, is that in the mounted training, you ride in a "big green monster that shits out white people" (one of the names the Afghans have called the LAV apparently), instead of walking to attack position.

They roll up to whatever distance they decide, dismount, and proceed to attack with LAV's as fire support (the whole bunch being commanded by the "LAV Captain".)

At 8/9/09 08:53 PM, Peregrinus wrote: DP1.2

On that note, I'm away from here for a week while I play bitch to officer-trainees. I'll field more questions when I get back (with photos aplenty!)

At 8/9/09 09:46 PM, Eman110 wrote: Also in addition to my other questions, i was wondering about reconnaissance.

SF. ugh. the definition of overrated.

1. Is it more dangerous than other posts, like infantry?

not really because those guys can handle their shit. the thing is, they spend most of their time training iraqi/afghani army instead of getting in the fights. once you pass sf selection you're allowed to sit on your ass and get fat. ranger is a way more prestigious way to go in my eyes.

2. How often do you actually cross into enemy territory?

with the wars we're fighting, it's more of an occupation than anything. there's not really "enemy territory," just areas where people fuck with you and take off more than others.

3.Is there a high risk of being captured?

meh. no.

4. Is the only job of a recon officer to gather intel, or are there other duties too?

for that you should probably ask a recon officer instead of NG. haha.

:At 8/9/09 09:55 PM, B4gle wrote:

Okay, I'm not 100% on this.. more like 50% actually. But I think Recon also includes snipers, Armored vehicles checking out the area, and spotting for artillery. I'm pretty sure you can't just sign up for "recon" though. If you sign for armored personnel , then you could still be sent on a recon mission.

there's "recon" in pretty much any infantry division, not just armored personnel. it's a lot of ruck-marching, and a lot of putting up with shit that sucks with not much payout. there's nothing really special about regular recon, they're just randomly drawn people throughout the battalion. not like an elite select few or anything. as far as sf recon, you have to be 21 and go to the sf q course which all in all adds up to about two years of hard ass shit trying to break you mentally and physically. totally not worth it in my eyes.

in my eyes, the Navy is the best thing out there(in regard to jobs)...I was selected at 1st for Submarine Officer...but that's boring...as a Sub officer, all you really do is help the commander manage the bridge, and boss people around...but...

a Surface Warfare officer is better than a Sub-butterbar(Lt.)...as a SW officer, I have to help manage the bridge and operate the controls at times...then, we have a shift for us to go to the flight deck, and oversee the launch operations(boring stuffs)...the 3rd shift is break, then it's all over again...

all in all, a SW officer have more variety in their day-to-day job...a Sub or Flight officer have same jobs pretty all day, with little excitement('cept in battle station)

gggrrrhh you better not beat the number of pages in the AOE crew post again.

Is this only for the American Forces, or is England included?

I'm pretty sure it's every nationality. There's a few Australians and Canadians that post here, but I THINK you're the first from the UK. Are you potential military or already in?

haha i play Call of duty, but nahh, if i cant be part id just like to learn some stuff from your Military Veteran, id one day, maby like to join the R.A.F, but i dunno.

haha...the RAF was renown as the #2 air force in the world, next to the USAF...the only reason we have the best air force is because of our size and aircraft number...but all in all, the RAF was the best in term of skills and wars fought...

At 8/10/09 10:11 PM, Grubby wrote: Is being an Air Force medic or Navy Corpsman better?

If you want real action, go Navy Corpsman. They are attached to Marines, cause we don't have our own medics. I have the utmost respect for Corpsmen, those guys will save your life and know how to do it any day of the week, under fire. It takes a special kind of person to be a combat medic altogether either way. They see shit you wouldn't believe and they get to fix it.

Being an Army medic is better in term of action...there are over 1,000 Army medics in active duty all over the world, with 600+ in combat duty...the medics over there in the Army are pretty hardcore...I personally know a medic in Iraq who've saw more than 30+ people died in his hands...

it take a special kind of guts and courage to be a medic for any armed forces...I contemplated being a medic when I was deciding to join, but took a 2nd thought about it...Navy officer is great, you get to control people and oversee a great weapon of power

At 8/10/09 08:04 PM, TracyJackson wrote: haha...the RAF was renown as the #2 air force in the world, next to the USAF...the only reason we have the best air force is because of our size and aircraft number...but all in all, the RAF was the best in term of skills and wars fought...

Definitely, but I'm not gonna plod along into the US and want to join your Air force.

i like the British way, but even if i wasn't involved in a War, or reconnaissance, whatever they do, then it would be awesome to Join the Red Arrows, obviously you have to have amazing skill but you know, i can Dream.

I will be heading to Somalia tomorrow, so I will only be on a few times. The US have launched a major campaign to eradicate the pirates there. Myself and 4 other USN ships will be heading there to meet up with an international group of 15 ships to push onto the pirates' base off the nation's coast. I will be taking operational control of the carrier, as the Captain is heading back to the states.

I'm kind of pumped up for my 1st ever command of a major ship.

Peace out, Lt. Chris Fuller , USS Reagan Op. Officer

I'm kind of pumped up for my 1st ever command of a major ship.

Peace out, Lt. Chris Fuller , USS Reagan Op. Officer

Chris Fuller.. what a funny name...

What kind of things do you get up to on those types of trips?

-Chris Futter.

like, what do you mean?

What do you get up to on the Ship you are commanding on?

At 8/11/09 02:02 AM, TracyJackson wrote: I personally know a medic in Iraq who've saw more than 30+ people died in his hands...

Because he couldn't do his job properly?

I'd rather trust my life on that Corpsman in that case.

At 8/11/09 02:20 PM, TehreTard wrote: Because he couldn't do his job properly?

I'd rather trust my life on that Corpsman in that case.

That was a bad analogy. The medics in my company were bad ass. They would take pieces of people and put them back together. And that shit gets hard on a day to day basis. I've got nothing but respect for those dudes. Hike around on the mountains of Afghanistan with all your gear, then the bullets start flying and you gotta pick up a wounded person and take their ass to cover, which can be a LONG ways away sometimes. Then still manage to patch them up. My company hasn't lost a single soldier in Afghanistan thus far.

At 8/11/09 11:36 PM, Eman110 wrote: Hey, its me, that annoying kid, back to ask another question.

To those of you in the US Army, what training and how much of it did you have in the gas chamber?

About a week or two into basic training you'll have chamber day. You'll walk inside the gas chamber (which is just a concrete room with drill sergeants cooking the CS on a bunsen burner) holding your breath, and while inside, you have to put on your gas mask. This is just to make sure you have learned how to properly put on the gas mask when the area is contaminated. It's pretty easy to do, but it's not something you want to mess up, otherwise you're gonna be sucking the whole time you're in the chamber. Your gas mask will filter the air from the outside, but if you've got CS INSIDE your gas mask since you didn't clear it all out when you put it on, then you're still gonna be breathing it in. Then they make everyone take off their masks and stand there for a a minute or two, just to show you the gas mask really is working. On to what i'm sure is the main thing you're wondering about.

It sucks, but it's not terrible. It makes your skin itchy a little bit, but not really enough to care about. The main thing that fucks you over is breathing it in. It makes the insides of your lungs itch like a mother fucker and within a minute, you'll have more snot coming out of your nose, and more drool running out of your mouth than you ever thought possible. The main thing that fucked everyone was holding their breath for so long after they took off their mask, that they had to take huge breaths of air to catch their breath, taking in a lot of CS really quickly. Those are the guys that really got it bad. What you want to do is hold your breath for as long as you can comfortably do, then take small, slow breaths. It doesn't hurt unless you take a deep breath and get it way back inside your lungs. Just try and stay calm, but it still isn't gonna be pleasant. Within a minute of getting out you'll be busting up laughing at how much snot is all over you, so it's not like misery. I'd do it again.