Iraq: Views of a Marine on leave.

[Trojan 42]

This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

No politics here, just a Marine with a birds eye views opinions: Posted by his Father while his son, Jordan was/is home on leave from first tour.

1) The M-16 rifle : Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the
talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere. Jordan says
you feel filthy 2 minutes after coming out of the shower. The M-4
carbine version is more popular because its lighter and shorter, but it
has jamming problems also. They like the ability to mount the various
optical gunsights and weapons lights on the picattiny rails, but the
weapon itself is not great in a desert environment. They all hate the
5.56mm (.223) round. Poor penetration on the cinderblock structure
common over there and even torso hits cant be reliably counted on to put
the enemy down. Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents shows a
high level of opiate use.

2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light machine
gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of sh**. Chronic
jamming problems, most of which require partial disassembly.

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm: Mixed bag. Good gun, performs well in desert
environment; but they all hate the 9mm cartridge. The use of handguns
for self-defense is actually fairly common. Same old story on the 9mm:
Bad guys hit multiple times and still in the fight.

4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun: Works well, used frequently for
clearing houses to good effect.

5) The M240 Machine Gun: 7.62 Nato (.308) cal. belt fed machine gun,
developed to replace the old M-60 (what a beautiful weapon that was!!).
Thumbs up. Accurate, reliable, and the 7.62 round puts em down.
Originally developed as a vehicle mounted weapon, more and more are
being dismounted and taken into the field by infantry. The 7.62 round
chews up the structure over there.

6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun: Thumbs way, way up. Ma deuce is
still worth her considerable weight in gold. The ultimate fight stopper,
puts their dicks in the dirt every time. The most coveted weapon
in-theater.

7) The .45 pistol: Thumbs up. Still the best pistol round out there.
Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying to get their hands on
one. With few exceptions, can reliably be expected to put em down with a
torso hit. The special ops guys (who are doing most of the pistol work)
use the HK military model and supposedly love it. The old government
model .45s are being re-issued en masse.

8) The M-14: Thumbs up. They are being re-issued in bulk, mostly in a
modified version to special ops guys. Modifications include lightweight
Kevlar stocks and low power red dot or ACOG sights. Very reliable in the
sandy environment, and they love the 7.62 round.

9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle: Thumbs way up. Spectacular range
and accuracy and hits like a freight train. Used frequently to take out
vehicle suicide bombers ( we actually stop a lot of them) and barricaded
enemy. Definitely here to stay.

10) The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in 300 win
mag. Heavily modified Remington 700s. Great performance. Snipers have
been used heavily to great effect.

11) The new body armor: Thumbs up. Relatively light at approx. 6 lbs.
and can reliably be expected to soak up small shrapnel and even will
stop an AK-47 round. The bad news: Hot as sh** to wear, almost
unbearable in the summer heat (which averages over 120 degrees). Also,
the enemy now goes for head shots whenever possible. All the bulls***
about the old body armor making our guys vulnerable to the IEDs was a
non-starter. The IED explosions are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in most cases.

12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment: Thumbs way up. Spectacular
performance. Our guys see in the dark and own the night, period. Very
little enemy action after evening prayers. More and more enemy being
whacked at night during movement by our hunter-killer teams.

13) Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal lights
are Surefires, and the troops love em. Invaluable for night urban
operations.

I cant help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and
ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!! With all our technology, its
the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry
fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

[Trojan 42]

Part 2.

Bad guy weapons:

1) Mostly AK47s . The entire country is an arsenal. Works better in the
desert than the M16 and the .308 Russian round kills reliably. PKM belt
fed light machine guns are also common and effective. Luckily, the enemy
mostly shoots like sh**. Undisciplined spray and pray type fire.
However, they are seeing more and more precision weapons, especially
sniper rifles. (Iran, again) Fun fact: Captured enemy have apparently
marveled at the marksmanship of our guys and how hard they fight. They
are apparently told in Jihad school that the Americans rely solely on
technology, and can be easily beaten in close quarters combat for their
lack of toughness. Lets just say they know better now.

2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys.
Simple, reliable and as common as dogsh**. The enemy responded to our
up-armored humvees by aiming at the windshields, often at point blank
range. Still killing a lot of our guys.

3) The IED: The biggest killer of all. Can be anything from old Soviet
anti-armor mines to jury rigged artillery shells. A lot found in Jordans
area were in abandoned cars. The enemy would take 2 or 3 155mm artillery
shells and wire them together. Most were detonated by cell phone, and
the explosions are enormous. You're not safe in any vehicle, even an M1
tank. Driving is by far the most dangerous thing our guys do over there.
Lately, they are much more sophisticated shape charges (Iranian)
specifically designed to penetrate armor. Fact: Most of the ready made
IEDs are supplied by Iran, who is also providing terrorists (Hezbollah
types) to train the insurgents in their use and tactics. Thats why the
attacks have been so deadly lately. Their concealment methods are
ingenious, the latest being shape charges in Styrofoam containers spray
painted to look like the cinderblocks that litter all Iraqi roads. We
find about 40% before they detonate, and the bomb disposal guys are
unsung heroes of this war.

4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The soviet era 122mm rockets
(with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent. One of Jordans NCOs
lost a leg to one. These weapons cause a lot of damage inside the wire.
Jordans base was hit almost daily his entire time there by mortar and
rocket fire, often at night to disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue
(It did). More of a psychological weapon than anything else. The enemy
mortar teams would jump out of vehicles, fire a few rounds, and then
haul ass in a matter of seconds.

5) Bad guy technology: Simple yet effective. Most communication is by
cell and satellite phones, and also by email on laptops. They use
handheld GPS units for navigation and Google earth for overhead views of
our positions. Their weapons are good, if not fancy, and prevalent.
Their explosives and bomb technology is TOP OF THE LINE. Night vision is
rare. They are very careless with their equipment and the captured GPS
units and laptops are treasure troves of Intel when captured.

Who are the bad guys?:

Most of the carnage is caused by the Zarqawi Al Qaeda group. They
operate mostly in Anbar province (Fallujah and Ramadi). These are mostly
foreigners, non-Iraqi Sunni Arab Jihadists from all over the Muslim
world (and Europe). Most enter Iraq through Syria (with, of course, the
knowledge and complicity of the Syrian govt.) , and then travel down the
at line which is the trail of towns along the Euphrates River that weve
been hitting hard for the last few months. Some are virtually untrained
young Jihadists that often end up as suicide bombers or in sacrifice
squads. Most, however, are hard core terrorists from all the usual
suspects (Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas etc.) These are the guys running
around murdering civilians en masse and cutting heads off. The Chechens
(many of whom are Caucasian), are supposedly the most ruthless and the
best fighters. (they have been fighting the Russians for years). In the
Baghdad area and south, most of the insurgents are Iranian inspired (and
led) Iraqi Shiites. The Iranian Shiia have been very adept at
infiltrating the Iraqi local govt., the police forces and the Army. The
have had a massive spy and agitator network there since the Iran-Iraq
war in the early 80s. Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured
or gave up long ago.

Bad Guy Tactics:

When they are engaged on an infantry level they get their asses kicked
every time. Brave, but stupid. Suicidal Banzai-type charges were very
common earlier in the war and still occur. They will literally sacrifice
8-10 man teams in suicide squads by sending them screaming and firing
Aks and RPGs directly at our bases just to probe the defenses. They get
mowed down like grass every time. ( see the M2 and M240 above). Jordans
base was hit like this often. When engaged, they have a tendency to flee
to the same building, probably for what they think will be a glorious
last stand. Instead, we call in air and thats the end of that more often
than not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeos (Allahs
Waiting Room). We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a
science. The fast movers, mostly Marine F-18s, are taking an ever
increasing toll on the enemy. When caught out in the open, the
helicopter gunships and AC-130 Spectre gunships cut them to ribbons with
cannon and rocket fire, especially at night. Interestingly, artillery is
hardly used at all. Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between
45-50 thousand. That is why were seeing less and less infantry attacks
and more IED, suicide bomber sh**. The new strategy is simple: attrition.

The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian
non-combatants as cover. They know we do all we can to avoid civilian
casualties and therefore schools, hospitals and (especially) Mosques are
locations where they meet, stage for attacks, cache weapons and ammo and
flee to when engaged. They have absolutely no regard whatsoever for
civilian casualties. They will terrorize locals and murder without
hesitation anyone believed to be sympathetic to the Americans or the new
Iraqi govt. Kidnapping of family members (especially children) is common
to influence people they are trying to influence but cant reach, such as
local govt. officials, clerics, tribal leaders, etc.).

The first thing our guys are told is don't get captured. They know that
if captured they will be tortured and beheaded on the internet. Zarqawi
openly offers bounties for anyone who brings him a live American
serviceman. This motivates the criminal element who otherwise don't give
a sh** about the war. A lot of the beheading victims were actually
kidnapped by common criminals and sold to Zarqawi. As such, for our
guys, every fight is to the death. Surrender is not an option.

The Iraqis are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren't worth a sh**.
Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is hard, but they
are getting better. It is widely viewed that Zarqawis use of suicide
bombers, en masse, against the civilian population was a serious
tactical mistake. Many Iraqis were galvanized and the caliber of
recruits in the Army and the police forces went up, along with their
motivation. It also led to an exponential increase in good intel because
the Iraqis are sick of the insurgent attacks against civilians. The
Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.

According to Jordan, morale among our guys is very high. They not only
believe they are winning, but that they are winning decisively. They are
stunned and dismayed by what they see in the American press, whom they
almost universally view as against them. The embedded reporters are
despised and distrusted. They are inflicting casualties at a rate of
20-1 and then see sh** like Are we losing in Iraq on TV and the print
media. For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food
and leadership. Bottom line though, and they all say this, there are not
enough guys there to drive the final stake through the heart of the
insurgency, primarily because there aren't enough troops in-theater to
shut down the borders with Iran and Syria. The Iranians and the Syrians
just cant stand the thought of Iraq being an American ally (with, of
course, permanent US bases there).

This was e-mailed to me. I have no idea of it's origins but thought it may be of interest to you.

[armygrnt502]

This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

No politics here, just a Marine with a birds eye views opinions: Posted by his Father while his son, Jordan was/is home on leave from first tour.

1) The M-16 rifle...

2) The M243 SAW...

3) The M9 Beretta 9mm....

4) Mossberg 12ga...

5) The M240 Machine Gun....

6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun...

7) The .45 pistol...

8) The M-14....

9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle....

10) The M24 sniper rifle..


11) The new body armor...

12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment...

13) Lights..


This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

1.) The M16, not to much I can say bout that one that vets from Nam haven't already said. It jams, is unwieldly to use in close areas and will usually piss the person you are hitting off. The M4, with is collapseable stock is a much better designed weapon, however runs on the same ideas of the M16. History channel did a show bout the two rifles, the M16 vs. the AK47. Because of the chromed bolt and much looser tolerances, the AK is far superior in harsher enviroments, but suffers from accuracy at longer ranges.

Most of the 5.56 rounds nowadays are called "green ammo." Tungsten based, supposedly safer for enviroment and are purposely designed to not create as much collateral damage as the 7.62. (The 7.62 when fired will travel through cinderblock walls and often creates further casualties by hitting people next door or down the street.

2.) Actually the SAW, if cared for properly (and yes she is a demanding mistress) can be an effective weapon when a 240B isnt around. Yes, it suffers from jamming in the sand due to its tighter inner workings. Have seen both sides of arguement, but never once was upset when a SAW opened up when it was the biggest thing we could throw at them at the time.

3.) Berretta: I despised carrying that weapon. Like shooting a pellet gun at tin cans. Does it work well, decent I would say, not superb.

4.) What is not to love about the shotty? Diff. brands are over there (we had a Remington) and all work superbly in numerous roles. Many of the terrorists dont have one and have come to fear the sounds of a slug being racked. Not unlike the bad guys here in the states I would imagine. Perfect for blowing locks off doors, clearing the tight rooms or getting the captured ones to talk.

5.)Ahh the 240B. Not sure about the originally for vehicle line as it was organic to the light infantry (the unit I was in) and every platoon had at least one, sometimes two. Nicknamed the bullet-eater by some of the guys I served with, that weapon is a pure unadulterated beast. Stopping power out the wahzoo, range enough to knock em down hundreds of meters out and such a simple and easy weapon to clean and unjam.

6.) I have never fired a weapon such as the M2 and had such a feeling of being invincible. For a weapon designed almost a hundred years ago...I cant praise this weapon enough. Tears vehicles apart like an angry child, literally rips enemy soldiers in two and will knock down walls with a fluid easy motion. So long as you have your head space and timing down, she will not fail you.

7.) .45: Slower and heavier than the 9mm, hands down she will put you down and keep you down. My personal choice of a sidearm, both in service and now on duty.

8.) M14: Another simple yet beautiful weapon. The mini14 is nice too, but the M14 gives you range and knockdown power that the others might lack. Drawback though, collateral damage to a much higher degree. (Saw this many many times)

9.) The .50 sniper: Ever seen a watermelon dropped from a table and notice how it literally will disentergrate after it hits the floor? Thats the effect of Barrett. Can't tell you how many times I heard them get fired. Couldn't always see what the guys were shooting at, but just made me feel safer regardless.

10.) M24: Been around for years. Simple, proven effective and nice to know that you are being covered by one.

11.) Body Armor: Hot yes, does it work? Hell yes. Against IED's? I was told by an E-7 (Sgt First Class) over there that against an IED, all the armor will do is keep your body in one peice so that the morgue can have more to send home for your funeral. Morbid, of course but truthful. Have personally seen it work against RPG shrapnel and several other smaller rounds. Keep in mind that the trauma plate is needed to help with the stopping of larger rounds.

12.) NODs are a tricky thing to get used to wearing and using, but boy oh boy. Once you get the hang of it...Combine those with the infared lights (PAC4's) that are on the end of your rifle and it becomes almost too easy.

13.) Lights: True enough, they work wonderfully well. Have seen the 4D mag lights being used as well, in both the normal fashion but also in ways that I dont think were actually intended. (Those officers that have carried one/carry one can attest to the blunt weapon capabilities)

Things to keep in mind:

After 2004, much of what the terrorists and such were taught about the Americans had been proven false. Time after time, it was not only better equipment but far supieror training that won battle after battle for us. We showed them back in 1991 that they could not stand in an open field battle with us and again in 2004 with the taking of Tikirit, Fallujah and Baghdad. We are facing an enemy that is not stupid, knows his enviroment and uses what skills and resources he has to fight.

This isnt unlike the Afghan rebels when the fought the Russians. Rocks would be dropped on the HIND-D rotors as the bird flew through canyons, snapping the rotors off and causing the helicopters to crash.

We have taken them to literally fighting with sticks and stones. Ok, the sticks are sharp and the stones go boom, but thats where they are. Yes, there is no doubt in my mind that the coalition forces are winning. However due to media here in the states, they are more concerned with American casualties than any other aspect.

Many positive changes have taken place over there. Many parts of the infrastructre of that country have been rebuilt with better more reliable equipment. Buildings for hospitals, schools and housing have been constructed and are being put to use. The average Iraqi citizen can see that his/her life is improving considerably, but its a slow process. Yes, the local populace is tired of their own killing each other. However they too live in fear of being targeted for some "slight" against the jihadists and having their family bombed or kidnapped.

That country didnt just happen to have these views overnight and we as a fighting force wont be able to solve them overnight either. It will take much more than the grunt on the ground to make lasting changes in that country.

Ok ok..off soapbox.

[armygrnt502]

Oh yeah..

Most of the guys that are on the streets fighting now are young, inexperienced and full of delusions of them being great fighters. Majority of the experienced fighters have either been 1.) killed off or 2.) have become minor officers overseeing younger people.

The RPG: A brutally effective weapon. Enough footage to show that. Usually given to a soldier with little to no training save for point this way and shoot. A lot of the enemy kia's are from those shooting the RPG, not using cover or whatnot...

As far as morale:thats a mixed reaction. Yes, its high against the fighters, but it sucks against our government. The guys are tired of getting extended and extended once more. I have to keep reminding myself that many of our grandfathers (and some of our fathers perhaps) fought in WW2 and were gone for YEARS, not 6 months or a year at a time.

[Trojan 42]

Good post, mate. Thanks for your input. I have a son that is likely to travelling out that way soon and it's nice to have a bit of background on the place. (More likely Afghanistan in his case, though.)

[Virginian]

They use handheld GPS units for navigation and Google earth for overhead views of
our positions.

That part makes me wonder, as the views of that area likely aren't dated recently enough to include allied positions. I guess it could be useful for routing attacks, but anyone who knows the city should know that kind of info already. Dunno, just seems like a weird thing to include. Overall a really interesting read though!

[BigDawg]

And through all this we have; political, non-political, activist types, and media here who want it all to end now. This way in a few years when the fight is brought to our soil they can all scream that we should have stayed over there and finished the job!!

[SRT Sniper]

This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

1) The M-16 rifle
2) The M243 SAW (squad assault weapon)
3) The M9 Beretta 9mm
4) Mossberg 12ga. Military shotgun
5) The M240 Machine Gun
6) The M2 .50 cal heavy machine gun
7) The .45 pistol
8) The M-14
9) The Barrett .50 cal sniper rifle
10) The M24 sniper rifle
11) The new body armor
12) Night Vision and Infrared Equipment
13) Lights

I cant help but notice that most of the good fighting weapons and
ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!! With all our technology, its
the WWII and Vietnam era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry
fighting is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

This was e-mailed to me as they thought I might find it of interest. I did but have no idea of it's origins.

1) M16; The only benefit this weapon has is accuracy. It is more accurate in the hands of a properly trained soldier than possibly any other major Non-NATO rifle. Other than that, it only looks good. It is a total POS, and I would rather have any other 7.62 NATO rifle any day of the week and twice on Sunday!! The 5.56mm round is just too much of a pansy to really be effective. I know that during KD we qualified at 500 yards, and that was impressive during Basic, but after becoming more familiar with weapons later, this was actually pretty pitiful!! Personally, I think we should scrap the 5.56mm and go with the more proven and reliable round and adopt the 7.62mm round in something like the H&K G3 (T223) for our standard rifle needs as well!! (Since we keep outsourcing military stuff anyway! - though the T223 variant is mfgd in the USA) ($600 est cost per unit) ($550 est cost per unit for the G3)

On a personal note, I would like to try out the SG1 variant of the G3. Also, I really did like my M16 until I discovered that it just didn't have the stopping power you really wanted. Then again, it does give you a range advantage over the AK, so that is a plus, provided you see the enemy before he sees you!

2) M243 SAW; Can't really comment on this weapon, when I was in, we were still using M60s. I don't ever recall a LMG being on any TOE that I was aware of. I do remember however, that rumor had it that the SAW (Squad AUTOMATIC Weapon - wasn't it?) was coming, but I never actually used one (then again I wouldn't have) or saw one in action UCAP. Also, another comment on this one; I am totally unaware of any LMG being designated M243; I believe this weapon reference is actually for the M249 SAW which IS the weapon issued in the Marine Corps to the AR at the squad level. ($4,100 est cost per unit)

3) M9; I really still can't fathom the notion of why the US Military actually adopted this POS either!! The old 1911 Govt .45 simply can't be beat, anywhere, period! This bitch has NO stopping power, though a bit more reliable than the M16, if you want to fire repeated rounds in a hostile environment (and of course to stop a BG, you have to), but it just doesn't do the job in combat. Hell, it doesn't do a very good job on the street if you ask me - I really am preferential to the 1911 .45! (can't you tell ) ($260 est cost per unit)

4) 12ga Shotgun; Doesn't matter what brand (well sort of), but the Mossberg and several others are absolutely the shit (My pref is Mossberg), with slugs and 00 buck, I think it's all been said already by ArmyGrnt, so I won't even waste anymore time on this one - Good CQB Utility Weapon!! ($400 est cost per unit)

5) M240; I have heard good things about this weapon from other Marines but I have never personally fired this weapon, sooo I am going to reserve comment to some degree, but I suppose the US Military Establishment just felt that they had to come up with something newer than the M60!! My only REAL beaf is that it's NOT made by an American company - Go Figure!! ($6,600 - $9,000 est cost per unit)

6) M2; Some things are just classic and deserve to be highly prized! Plus it's still American Made!! Though it is considered a "Man Portable" weapon (If memory serves correctly), it is farely heavy and used mostly on vehicles or for permiter positions, etc. at bases. ArmyGrnt said all I could possibly say about this one as well, then again it's a fifty and with over 500 rnds CRF, you absolutely do not want to be in its "path of destruction"! ($15,000 est cost per unit)

7) M1911 .45; This is in my personal opinion, the absolute best personal protection weapon in the entire US arsenal!! It has superb stopping power, is one of the most reliable handguns ever produced (almost 100 years of Battle Tested performance), and is so very easy to maintain and use! (Anybody know where I can get a REAL 1911??) Question: I know this is highly prized by SOC operators, but is it still in service for regular grunts? ($250 est cost per unit)

8) M14; Nice rifle - for dress. It is the right caliber, but too many issues, so I really wouldn't want to use it in combat. Consider this a POS for military purposes other than P/D performances. Question: Weren't these phased out in the 1970s?? ($XXX.XX est cost per unit - Uknown - but there were 1.3mil made before prod stopped in 1964)

9) M82 (or M107 for the army pukes) .50 Sniper Rifle;With an effective range of 1500 to 2000 meters (depending on target), this weapon really does add new meaning to the term "reach out and touch someone"!!! Absolutely AWESOME!! Never go to war without one of these babies somewhere close by and on your side!! American made too!!! ($6,000 est cost per unit)(plus another $4k to $5k in accessories! )

10) M24; The Army version of the M40A1 Sniper Rifle. Its' based on the exact same system as the M40, so I'm not sure where all the hubla-boo came from other than the Army needed their own designation and needed to spend a bunch of extra cash!! Anyway, the PH rating for this weapon is a joke as the Army doesn't have any personnel who can reliably exceed the capability of Marine Snipers anyway!! Question: Why would a Marine be using an M24 anyway?? ($580 est cost per unit)

11) Body Armor; I know I've had the older Ceramic stuff and PASGT gear at various points in time, but as ArmyGrnt stated earlier, this is really only good against some of the small arms threats on the battlefield. I guess if I had the option to wear it today, I would! ($700 est cost per unit)

12) NVDs; This is definitely one technilogical superiority weapon available to our troops. I'm not sure if it has been said quite this way, but "we own the night" would be somewhat of an understatement! ($8,000 est cost per unit - [ENVG] My Guess!)(Not sure about the rifle mtd units)

13) Lights; Do I really need to comment on this??

14) AK-47; Kalashnikov would be proud!! What can you say about a weapon that is in the arsenal of more than 50 countries! It does have it's drawbacks, range and accuracy being two of them, and the 7.62x39mm round itself is a bit iffy overall, but it is THE primary rifle that most US Military will face on the battlefield, and that will probably not change for some time to come! Couple the cost and availability with the lethality at close range and this truly is the preferred weapon of your enemy! ($250 est cost per unit)

Side Note: The Russian 7.62x39 is basically a .30 round, not exactly a .308 (7.62x51). Primarily the difference is in physical shape, trajectory and impact energy. The lethality of some of the more recent AK hoopla is thanks to the steel core rounds which basically make the BA of our troops almost useless.

15) RPGs; Here is another ingenious Russian implementation that will not go away for quite some time. Very effective and quite frankly, Trojan already said it, this is one weapon to be respectful of! ($450 est cost per unit)

16) IEDs; I have nothing really to add... Just plain nasty stuff!!

17) Mortars/Rockets; What Trojan said, but this too is just nasty stuff!

18) Tactics; The enemy has heart, but that will only get you so far... Thank GOD these shitbirds don't really have a clue about how to fight, on the physical level, other than their guerilla tactics. This is quite possibly the single largest reason that they will lose this conflict - at least in the conventional sense. Then again, their manipulation of the media is only rivaled by that of the Viet Cong!!! ( <<--TAKE NOTE )

My .02 cents for what it's worth!

[Trojan 42]

Please be aware that I just posted something I had been sent. I have NO personal experience of any of this stuff. My only experience is with SWAT type stuff and operations.

[TheOldRhino]

9mm is shitty round to issue to cops, much less troops overseas.

I've seen first hand what a 9mm can, or more accurately can't, do.

If you're sidearm caliber doesn't start with a "4", you're wasting your time.

[SRT Sniper]

9mm is shitty round to issue to cops, much less troops overseas.

I've seen first hand what a 9mm can, or more accurately can't, do.

If you're sidearm caliber doesn't start with a "4", you're wasting your time.

Excellent point Rhino... I fully agree with your statement!

[CT209]

Well, I'm not there, but I'll chime in since we're talking military guns.

The M-16 is a decent weapon. I used it in more tropical areas and had the chance to use it in desert conditions. It requires cleaning and a very careful oiling. But, the 5.56 rd we used (55 gr) didn't have much peneration.

The M-14 was great. When you put a round towards something, it went there. We were happy to transistion to the M-16 because it was lighter and easier to carry, but I think we lost something in the trade-off.

I don't know about the SAW. They were just coming in as I left and other then shooting one on the range, I have little experience with them.

Now, the M-60 I know about. Something about being one of the smaller people seemed to be a reason to give them that beast. And a beast it was! But, you could put rounds on, and through, a target with that gun. It was a bitch to hump all day, but it performed well when it had to. It did require a gentle touch on the trigger and a lot of TLC, but it was a good gun. I don't know anything about the newest version of it.

I also hated the M203 set-up. When they took my M-79 away, I moved to machine gun. I loved the old 79. It was a sweet toy and i was pretty good putting rounds where they needed to go with it.

Ma Duece (the caliber .50 MG) was always the boss of the weapons we had. It could really reach out, and through things, to touch someone.

As far as the 9mm pistol, I stand on the comment made by an Israeli soldier years ago (I think circa 1975): "It's a good weapon, you hit them 5 or 6 times and they go down." I'd have rather we had gone to a another .45 but it was NATO thing and we blinked.

[Willowdared]

I've heard pantyhose is helpful with the sand issues.

[Trojan 42]

9mm is shitty round to issue to cops, much less troops overseas.

I've seen first hand what a 9mm can, or more accurately can't, do.

If you're sidearm caliber doesn't start with a "4", you're wasting your time.

I've seen 9mm first hand too. It never failed to do the job. Have no experience of 45 other than range work and the odd villain or suicide user.

[armygrnt502]

I've heard pantyhose is helpful with the sand issues.

Pantyhose and condoms do help with the sand. However they are often in short supply and the condoms are useless after a few hours and the hose will last so long as it doesnt run or tear.