Ed, Sr. and others:

Thank you for your kind words and support.  It really means a lot.


Combat veterans:

Thank you for your sacrifices and our freedom.


FreeFireZone:

I noticed that you have been on here again since I asked you for your credentials of your combat experience, and still haven't provided any.

All I need is a verifiable unit and date of assignement where this allegedly occurred.  

Big hero like yourself should have no trouble coming up with that.

I'm still waiting.

FreeFireZone admits his bullshit [url=http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=156248&w=activePop] in this thread[/url].

He claims it was all a joke.

"Gosh officer, I wasn't really shoplifting, I was just testing the store's security. I was gonna return it - honest!" [rolleyes]


Adam

FFZ, you should simply return to living your life of 'QUIET' desperation.

FFZ-get your barroom ranger buddies to buy you another beer and STFU, lowlife.

22Xray, B Co., 1/5 (Mech), 25th ID. 11B10. '67.
USADD, USA ICCV, 74D40. '71

'Nuff said.

I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I have a problem with anyone who would eagerly share this information in a braggadocios manner.  People who legitimately have seen real combat find no glory in their experience.  Being in real combat as an LEO....well....it sucks!  I truly hope none of you, my brothers, ever have to experience it.  This is why I am now an Ex LEO.

Regards,  Jim

I once was shot in the tip of my dick by my LT when playing paintball in the Army. That's as close to combat as we ever got in Space Command.

A Co 1st Sattelite Control BN, US Army Space Command(FWD) Ft Detrick, MD(1993-96)

C Co 1st Satellite Control BN US Army Space Command(FWD) Landstuhl GE (1996-98)

Where that photo of "How About a Nice Cup of Shut the F#CK Up" when you need it?

[b]Thanks to all that serve and served[/b]

I was never in a official Combat zone, ect, but did have a couple scary moments where rounds were launched in my general direction.  

First one was when Papa Bush visited Panama in 92.  Couple of guys from 193d LIB got shot up, one guy was killed.  Lots of Rioting in the streets of the city.  Spent the entire time of his visit kited up and waiting as a QRF on Corazal.  

Another time took some fire from Colombia while working in San Antonio del Tachira area in Venezuela.

But the Scariest moment had to be HALOing out of the Space Shuttle wearing only Levis and a Jungle Fatigue top and armed with only a Carbon 15 pistol and a Mark 1 Multiplyer On a mission to eliminate with Extreem Predjuice Pablo Escobar(or was it Escobeito, I cant really remember) [:D]

Edited to add the pic that Sniped asked for
[img]members.aol.com:/OquagaRangerDet/sfu[/img]

Gulf War.

D co. 16th Engineers, 1st AD.

The Abrams, Bradleys, Apaches, and Warthogs protected us while we blew stuff up.  Thanks guys!  

My compliments on not choking the shit out of those kids.

I had a customer a month or so ago ask me point blank "I heard a lot of you guys shot unarmed prisoners. What was that like?"

I held my tongue, and kept my job, but was pissed for quite some time.  Come to think of it, I'm still pissed![:(!]

NOW THAT"S THE WAY TO TALK SHIT! FFZ- YOU COULD LEARN A LOT FROM THIS GUY!!

Diggin' up booooones, he's diggin' up booooones

exhumin' things that's better left aloooone...


wow - the thread that led me to discover SOCNET. Cool.

Anybody heard from FFZ since? I wonder if he came back on with a new screen name?


Adam

Yes.

Where President Nixon said we weren't.

Hell since this thread first happened I took a job in the middle of a 40 year old Latin American Civil War.  I can actualy say Ive seen more out of uniform than in.  Kinda strange how ones life works.

I would rather be in combat than be in Law Enforcement or a Fire Fighter.

I've never been in Law Enforcement or a Fire Fighter.

I would rather be ANYWHERE,including hell, than be a Corpsman,Medic or EMT.

I think I was in hell,but I don't think I have what it takes to do what we ask these people to do,day after day.

Especially for so little.

Thankyou Colonel....

RVN 1965-'68 USN Task force 77

My Father in law served in Korea and Vietnam. He has no trouble telling me all sorts of nasty stuff, of course, he's not entirely sane either.

I served with Charlie Co. 3-15 Inf. 24TH Inf. Div. (M) in Desert Storm. Participated in fights at Jalibah Airfield, BP 102, Rumaylah Oilfields, and Basrah. Lost a couple of good friends KIA, and still have nightmares to this day about it. The most vivid memory I have is seeing the Bradley in front of mine take a direct hit, saw the round impact in the side, a large flash of light and smoke, and then the vehicle rolling to a stop as we passed by. Later found out that my friend Pfc. Hutto, was killed. Also will never forget the white sparkles of 25MM hitting the sides of BMPs, or the flash bang of TOWs hitting a tank, then watching the the turrent fly off as the main gun rounds cook off.  The smell of burning flesh, rubber and diesel, will be a smell always remembered. Thats enough bad memories for now.

Almost every night with the wife does that count?

I have seen many battles in my day. Some real bad ass battles. There were many times I could not face my family when I came home. I would always get the lecture about how my mom spent good money on those GI Joes. Sometimes my GI Joe never came home. My brother's GI Joe was always a better shot.

You may like it, but he better not touch mine [;D]

There I was at 13,000 feet, with nothing but a K-Bar, a parachute and a Swedish flight attendant with her legs wrapped around me for dear life...

Seriously, I've rumbled in my share of cellblocks (and I have the Internal Affairs investigations to prove it), but my five years in the military were relatively uneventful.  For those of you who have "seen the elephant", I raise a glass to you.  Saluté!

yes, i have seen combat, she was the grocery store yesterday.

FSP has seen combat.  He won't bring it up.  He was 2/4 Marines in Desert Shield/Storm.  I want to thank him here.  He's my brother.

TS

Ed Sr., I understand your respect of SF, but I know what the Golden Brigade did and what 78th Inf Det (LRP) did.  You have both earned the right to do just about anything.  But your humility bespeaks of the [b]TRUE[/b] soldier/ hero.  My salute and thanks to all of you who served in whatever time, place or circumstance.

God bless you all!


[marines]

TS

BTW: FFZ needs to be booted for that shit.

Was a Marine, but never saw one lick of combat, myself.

Grew up on Marine Corp. bases.  Pop was a career Marine, did 2 tours in Vietnam.  He was a Pilot.  Was a Helicopter Pilot with a Recon Battalion in '64 and CO of VMFA 334 (F4 Squadron) in '69.  Has a Silver Star, and 5 Distinguished Flying Crosses. He saw a lot of fire in '64, flew a lot of sorties and close air support in '69.  He is 72 now, and still drinks a lot.  He does not talk to many people about his experiences.  Only former Marines!

After I joined the Marines he used to get drunk and tell me his combat stories.  Never confided any of his stories in my older brother, or my sisters.  I seemed to be the only family memeber that was privilaged to hear what he had been through.  They are his stories, so I won't repeat them here, as I can't do them justice.

SF you are right though those that know don't tell, and those that don't know bullshit alot.

I've also been privilaged enough to be invited into the study while 2 Marine Corp. Generals, a Former Recon Battalion Comander (Col.) a Navy Admiral, and my Dad all exchanged war stories.  I just sat there and never said a word, we stayed up till 2:30 am and I listened to what they all had to say.  Suffice to say, my life has been a piece of cake compared to what they had seen!!!!!!

Growing up whenever my mom would get upset and start ranting about something my pop would exclaim "What the Hell are you so upset about, no one is shooting at us".  Kinda' puts it in perspective doesn't it!!!!

Oh, Yeah, guys like FFZ make me sick!  SF is right by lying about combat experience he spits on the graves of all the brave souls that fought and died in real combat.

If you haven't been there, just say so, it doesn't make you less of a man.

starsil9

Vietnam, 1968-69. 1/28th Inf, First Infantry Div.  III Corp, Quan Loi base camp.

We were winning when I left.

[b]Have You Personally Seen Combat?[/b]

While at Danang AB, RVN my unit was regularly, rocketed, mortared and even once, a sniper tried to get us. We got him with a Phantom 20 mm chain gun! While flying in C-130s(dropping flares), it was normal to take ground fire which couldn't reach us because of our altitude. While dropping (by parachute) supplies for SF camps, the Caribou we dropped from often took hits from small arms as we would dive in between the mountains.
I was never in a position to fire back as I could never actually see the enemy. I don't know what I could have done anyway as most of my flying was done with a .45 sidearm.

Navy veteran 1968-1972

I never was deployed when I was nat'l guard from '85-91, but did wind up in some situations in Chad as a Peace Corps vol. that were pretty scary. There were a few coup attempts and inter tribal conflicts when I was there that I managed to get in the middle of. It's no fun when there are bullets flying around and you have no support and can't even shoot back (with no weapon, it's hard to shoot back).

However, this pales in comparison with our troups who have lived through real combat. My hat's off to you guys. Thanks.

[USA]

Sinai Desert, October, 1956; against what were probably the last three Egyptian soldiers willing to fight, who ambushed our deuce and a half. That was after three months of pulling guard duty at a frontier farming settlement (near the Gaza Strip) where we had several instances of infiltrators trying to burn or steal our crops.

Funny; spent three years w/the 82nd Airborne after I came back and never heard a shot fired in anger.

SE Asia 67-71

Other 75-78

I have never seen combat but can speak from experience about its horror.  My Grandfather served in the German Army and was wounded/disabled at Stalingrad. I remember when he lived with us, when I was a kid, and the nights when he had nightmares. The screams and shouting were horrible.

I was in the Army infantry during Desert Storm, but my unit was not shipped over there, being a light infantry unit not particularly suited to desert warfare.
But since my dad was buried yesterday at Florida National Cemetary, let me share something of his experience in WWII with you.
He enlisted in the US Army Air Corps at 18 years old and was sent to gunnery school.  His training involved such esoteric exercises as shooting skeet while standing in the back of a moving pickup truck...some genius had figured that this would help him train to shoot at enemy fighters.
He became the nose-gunner on a B24 bomber in the European theater.  It's hard for us to fathom nowadays, when losing 20 people is considered a military disaster, but we lost tens of thousands in the air war against Germany.  My dad squeezed into that impossibly small turret every mission with a knowledge that there was a very good chance he wouldn't make it back.
Dad was wounded once by German flak and received a purple heart.  He was also awared a Distinguished Flying Cross.  He never wanted to go into detail, but he told me once that he had shot down two German fighters during his 22 missions.
On his 22nd mission, bombing the infamous Ploesti oil fields, his plane was set afire by anti-aircraft artillery fire and the crew was forced to bail out.
The plane's navigator was a bit superstitious and insisted that his parachute be in the same place every flight and that no one else touch it.  When they were forced to bail out, however, they had to hand-crank open the doors and the guy who was doing it had to stand where the navigator's parachute was, so he moved it and someone else wound up putting it on.  The navigator panicked and my dad had to help the copilot force another parachute onto him, then push him out the door---they had to literally pry his fingers off the side of the door to get him to jump.
My dad jumped out and on the way down an ME109 started tracking him and he was sure the fighter was going to open up on him.  He closed his eyes and started praying (though at the time he wasn't particularly religious) and by the time he opened them up again, the fighter had passed by.
He landed on a pile of rocks on a farm very near his co-pilot.  They were captured by a local Bulgarian militia---farmers, really---who started arguing about whether or not to execute them on the spot.
Three times they had P38s pointed at their heads, three times my dad said "Bye, Van" to the co-pilot, who replied "Bye, Dick."  But the first two times the militiamen began arguing about it again and the third time a German officer arrived to take them to the nearest POW camp.
Dad spent about 6 months at the camp.  He wasn't mistreated but the food was rotten and dyssentery was universal.  It wasn't that the Bulgarians were starving them intentionally...they too had rotten food.  The war was going badly for the Nazis and supplies were hard to come by.
Dad said you would see a guy start walking toward the latrines, then suddenly start running...and then, with a resigned sigh, stop running and start walking again.
Finally the Soviets were invading from the east and the Bulgarians didn't want to be caught with POWs so they put them on a train to the west to surrender them to the Americans.
Dad was given the choice of flying back to the states on a B24 being ferried back or taking a troop ship.  He chose the ship...he didn't fly in a plane again until 1990.

Prefer to respond in a thread not started by an asshole.

Care to explain just exactly who the asshole is and why?

GW1 with 5th SFG(A).

De Oppresso Liber

I guess he tricked you into responding even though perfered not to.

That M4_Aiming_at_U is tricky in a jedi mind trick kinda of way I guess, but an asshole I have yet to see him be.

Nope...never been in combat and damn grateful.  Been doing the whole police thing for a little over 5 years now and been in some scary situations.  But police work isn't anywhere near combat.


Many thanks to you that have been there and done that.  

In the ten years I wore the uniform (1986-1996), the closest I came to combat was patrolling the Adriatic Sea while the Yugoslavians purportedly had missile batteries ashore that could hurt us something bad.

Other than that, the closest I've been to Combat is the roach traps I have under my refrigerator.

I'm thankful to the good Lord to have spared me the horrors of combat, and for having graced my country with brave men like many here who went into harm's way so I and my family wouldn't need to.

You, the true Warriors, have my utmost respect, admiration, and gratitude.

...and to those who didn't make it back.....what words can I or any of us possibly say that will in any way match the sacrifices you made?

[usa]

I've pulled the AR out on a drunk guy in a car trying to get aggressive with a friend of mine.  No shots were fired, only lessons learned.  No pissing of pants occured (well, maybe on his end!)...but I'll leave armed combat for our professionals.

You gonna own up to your BullShit remark or what?