RETAC21 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Well, there's a coincidence! (He's my boss) NTM How about a team photo with Nessie... that's sure to propel his career to the stars! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BP Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Freaking stay safe over there guys- sounds like a bad day today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JamesG123 Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Yeah, two from my old company and current BN. Really bad day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archie Pellagio Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 ISTR watching on BBC or some other cable channel about the gunsmiths in Afghanistan, and they were making old rifles from tin or whatever metal they get, plus some wood. I could not recall what the guns were, if they were Enfield clones or something even simpler/more primitive. Mostly a village in Pak called Darra Adam khel - All they do there is make guns. Everything you can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted July 16, 2009 Author Share Posted July 16, 2009 What is AFN thinking? The TV in the chow hall was showing the Miss Hooters pageant, I dropped by during the swimsuit competition. Don't they know what that will do to us, confined to seeing military women for most of a year? (That said, the NE Patriots cheerleaders are at Bde HQ next week, different base. Squadron XO feels a sudden need to attend in person a particularly important staff meeting that day...) I'm really not sure about MRAPs. Entire squadron's operations practically came to a halt over an MRAP that fell off a cliff a few days ago. Nobody hurt, but until we could drag it out, for five days we had to focus on it. (My favourite solution proposed for removing the MRAP: 20x155mm rounds in the back). Rolled another last night, bruises and a broken nose. Plus, the RG is easily the most uncomfortable vehicle I've ever been in. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JamesG123 Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 Then don't catch AFN's showing of "The Man Show". Watched the mud wrestling segment in the DFAC and it was almost uncomfortable enjoying it with all the females sitting around. The military weemen at Bagram aren't too bad BTW... We had 4 KIA from a catastrophic M-1159 IED strike that would have been survivable in an MRAP. They are worth putting up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 Dropped by the French base to our West, my rusty French proving a bit embarassing (But better than anyone else's French there who wasn't French... Well, except for the entire battalion, as they're Foreign Legion: The SGM was a Brit). VBLs, VABs. They're expecting some 105mm AMXs to show up as well. Some fantastic scenery en-route. If the Afghans ever get the country sorted out, they could have a heck of a tourism industry. Some good white-water rafting too. Saw some ANA M113s, they're in an interesting colour scheme kindof reminds me of a cross between MERDC and Greek. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Dropped by the French base to our West, my rusty French proving a bit embarassing (But better than anyone else's French there who wasn't French... Well, except for the entire battalion, as they're Foreign Legion: The SGM was a Brit). VBLs, VABs. They're expecting some 105mm AMXs to show up as well. Some fantastic scenery en-route. If the Afghans ever get the country sorted out, they could have a heck of a tourism industry. Some good white-water rafting too. Saw some ANA M113s, they're in an interesting colour scheme kindof reminds me of a cross between MERDC and Greek. NTM So you are now the "official" French liaison for your unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 (edited) So you are now the "official" French liaison for your unit? Pretty much. It happened that the person I'm replacing from the previous unit was from Haiti originally, so he spoke fluent French. It was a natural that he would be the French liaison. As one of the few people in the Squadron with any mastery of the French language at all (Hey, SW US, we've got Spanish well covered though), and also happening to be in the same slot as the previous liaison, it was pretty much going to be a given. Will only swing by once a month or so, though, it's a full day trip out and back. I am definitely getting a different experience out of this trip. Last time out, I emailed home and said "Can you send me a rifle sight?" This time, it's "Can you send me an external USB keyboard?" NTM Edited July 20, 2009 by Manic Moran Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted July 20, 2009 Share Posted July 20, 2009 Sounds as if you only have internet access during your "log" runs. Don't get predictable on those trips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted July 29, 2009 Author Share Posted July 29, 2009 Have been informed that we will be receiving an inspector from the Government at some point soon. He will be assessing the FOB for ADA compliance. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul G. Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Have been informed that we will be receiving an inspector from the Government at some point soon. He will be assessing the FOB for ADA compliance. NTM Dental readiness? What's next, trans fat free DFAC? Wait til they ban cigaretts and dip from all FOBs in country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted July 29, 2009 Share Posted July 29, 2009 Have been informed that we will be receiving an inspector from the Government at some point soon. He will be assessing the FOB for ADA compliance. NTM What? wheelchair-accessible fighting holes? Adequate ramps up to the observation towers? Heaven forbid that patrol paths aren't handicapped-compatible! Oh, I get it! Air defense against Taliban suicide hang-gliders! Somebody must have read Dies the Fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted July 30, 2009 Author Share Posted July 30, 2009 Dental readiness? What's next, trans fat free DFAC? Wait til they ban cigaretts and dip from all FOBs in country. As Shep correctly guesses, "Americans with Disabilities Act." Wheelchair ramps, handicap parking, that sort of thing. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Wow. Just wow. You're fighting a war and the government wants to see if the FOB is persons-with-disabilities-compliant...? Good grief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Our tax dollars at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted August 3, 2009 Author Share Posted August 3, 2009 Bless us, Father, for we have sinned. It has been 11 days since our last MRAP rollover. We've fixed that, now. Rolled another one. There was a chap killed in our AO a week or two ago in a HMMWV rollover. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 IED or just because MRAP was top heavy and the road (or what's left of it) was, uhm, just plain bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssnake Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 IED or just because MRAP was top heavy and the road (or what's left of it) was, uhm, just plain bad?The photos that I saw suggest that the road embankment simply collapsed under the weight, and then it collapsed once more under the crane that was supposed to recover the MRAP, so the crane had to be recovered as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 What/where photos? I didn't see any in Manic's post (bad office connection, so I really dunno if there are any). Thanks. Good thing it wasn't an IED and no one got killed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted August 4, 2009 Author Share Posted August 4, 2009 The photos that I saw suggest that the road embankment simply collapsed under the weight, and then it collapsed once more under the crane that was supposed to recover the MRAP, so the crane had to be recovered as well. Scott posted them on another site? That was a different incident. We've had one where the driver screwed up and went off an embankment, not too serious, and this most recent one I don't know exactly what happened, just that the vehicle tipped over. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shep854 Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Scott posted them on another site? That was a different incident. We've had one where the driver screwed up and went off an embankment, not too serious, and this most recent one I don't know exactly what happened, just that the vehicle tipped over. NTM "MRAP Tipping", new sport for bored troops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssnake Posted August 4, 2009 Share Posted August 4, 2009 Scott posted them on another site?Dunno, all I got was an email with attached images - but it looks like there's a jolly series of similar incidents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corinthian Posted August 5, 2009 Share Posted August 5, 2009 Scott's site (www.armorinaction.com) seems to be down or no more. Last time I checked (yesterday) I got a Chinese webpage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Moran Posted August 8, 2009 Author Share Posted August 8, 2009 For obvious reasons, our focus of late has been towards the elections. Trying to keep out of it as much as possible, mind, there's very much a sense of "These are Afghan elections, its up to them to make them work or screw up" We have found ourselves seriously considering the question of "What would happen were we to roll to a firefight whilst towing a 155mm artillery piece?"I'm sure the gunners would be happy to be able to see their effects on target, but I'm not sure they'll be so keen on setting up with bullets flying past them. Maybe if they used an MRAP for cover while they set up? I don't believe we have yet broached the subject with them. NTM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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