Brief!

This is coolbert:

Here is an extract from an excellent web site, "Atlas Shrugs". Is a letter from a Marine regarding the war in Iraq, U.S. weaponry, the enemy, tactics, enemy weaponry, etc.

See this web site and the complete article at:

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/

Done by Pamela. Very sexy looking young lady.




[As is usual, my comments in bold!!]

This was received from a friend whose son who just returned from
Iraq.

Jordan, who was on his first leave since returning from Iraq.

Jordan spent 7 months at "Camp Blue Diamond" in Ramadi. Aka: Fort
Apache.

1) The M-16 rifle: Thumbs down. Chronic jamming problems with the
talcum powder like sand over there. The sand is everywhere.
The M-4 carbine version is more popular because it's lighter and
shorter, but it has jamming problems also. They like the ability
to mount the various optical gun sights and weapons lights on the
picanttiny 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 can't
be reliably counted on to put the enemy down.

This has been the complaint about the M-16
EVER since Vietnam!! From the time the M-16 was first
introduced in large numbers in Vietnam, the jamming
problem was always mentioned. And a lot of solutions
were proposed. First it was to chrome the chamber of
the rifle. So that the rounds would better eject.
Then it was for the troop commanders to make sure
that preventive maintenance was done daily. Then it
was to change the powder charge of the round back
to what was originally intended by the inventor, Stoner.
Then it was to incorporate the forward assist
handle added by the Army to the original design
after the fact. Etc.

The M-4 is of course a modified M-16. Shortened stock,
a variety of sights, etc. But the basic mechanism is the same.
If the M-16 is susceptible to jamming, so will be the M-4.



The consistency of the sand in that part of the world
seems to be a big problem. A talcum powder like consistency,
as mentioned. This was first noticed when U.S. tanks deployed
to Saudi during the First Gulf War. Filters on the tanks
were not of the right type to block the sand found in Saudi.
The filters had to be changed were changed, and with success.
On the advance to Baghdad during the Second Gulf War,
the filters on the humvee vehicles had to be cleaned
HOURLY. At each stop, the hood opened, the filter taken out,
and the sand shook out of the filter, the same filter then
being placed back in the engine. This was, again,
done HOURLY!!

This tendency for the personal weapon of the common
soldier to jam under sandy conditions is not unique
to weapons carried by the American soldier.
The bullpup type individual weapon carried by
the British soldier also has a tendency to jam when
operated in sandy conditions. British troops
deploying to Afghan after 9/11 carried the
bullpup rifle that HAD JUST BEEN MODIFIED AND
FINE TUNE FOR THE JAMMING PROBLEM,
AND THEY STILL HAD JAMS!!!!!



Of course, the Soviet AK does not seem to jam under the same
conditions!! Hmmmmm!!! What does that say???!!!

Fun fact: Random autopsies on dead insurgents show a high level of
opiate use.

Now this IS really most interesting. I have
blogged numerous times on how the "fighters" of all
cultures seem to want to find a release from
the terror of combat by using a "substance" of some sort.
In the armies of the western world, alcohol is the
substance of choice. Of course, in the Islamic culture,
alcohol is forbidden. But use of opiates is not
forbidden or looked down upon EVEN IN THE
SAME MANNER AS ALCOHOL WOULD BE!!
This is the Islamic drug of "release".

[the Islamic culture looks down upon the western world. Sees
itself as being so righteous and puritanical and NOT susceptible
to the evils of say drug use and alcoholism. This is not entirely
true. They lecture to us about our so-called hedonistic life style
and like to believe they are so goody-two-shoes, but they are
NOT!!]

2) The M249 SAW (squad assault weapon): .223 cal. Drum fed light
machine gun. Big thumbs down. Universally considered a piece of
shit. Chronic jamming problems, most of which require partial
disassembly. (that's fun in the middle of a firefight).



This is a big surprise to me. I just recently blogged about this
weapon and how it was SUPPOSEDLY THE ANSWER to the squad
automatic weapon dilemma that has plagued the U.S. military for
over a century. I thought this weapon WAS good.

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.



The 9mm Beretta was a compromise choice for
the U.S government from the start.

There were at the time of the adoption of the M9 no
less than twenty five different types of handguns in use by
different U.S. governmental agencies [military, Coast
Guard, FBI, Secret Service, Executive Protective Service,
etc.]. It was decided to standardize on ONE handgun for use
by ALL agencies. It was also decided by a political
decision to go with the NATO caliber, the 9mm.

The M9 does seem to be almost jam proof. The test
for jamming during evaluation prior to adoption
was to place the weapon in a cement mixer
filled with a slurry of mud and grit. Spun
around for a while and then tested
for firing and jamming. Only the Beretta
and the SIG Sauer of all handguns tested passed
this test. The Beretta, being "cheaper" than the SIG,
was selected as the final selection.

[please keep in mind that handguns, as with edged weaponry,
account for only a very small percentage of casualties as found on
the modern battlefield. Maybe one percent at the MOST of the
casualties in today's modern warfare are inflicted by such
weapons. This is not something that to the commander plays an
important role, at least in his mind.]

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



The shotgun can blast the lock off of doors
if necessary. Was used in Vietnam to blast snipers
hidden by foliage in trees. Some wags have suggested
that the shotgun is NOT a weapon of war. Maybe is
even ILLEGAL under the Geneva Convention. I think NOT.
Modern shotguns can fire a fifty caliber SABOT round
that is armor piercing, aerodynamic, and can
penetrate cinder block walls or destroy
the engine block on a vehicle!! You can bring
an elephant down with one of those rounds!!

[in prehistoric times, the Asiatic elephant used to roam up and
down the Euphrates and Tigris river valleys!!]

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 them 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.



This weapon is not familiar to me. Firing that
7.62mm NATO round. It sounds to me as if this
MG is being used as a squad level automatic weapon.
Same as was used in Vietnam. The M60 in Nam WAS
NOT universally liked. A crew served weapon, and
a copy more of less of the World War TWO [WW2]
German light machine gun. But a copy with
problems, crew served, heavy, and again, NOT always
respected or liked for the purpose it served.

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.



Well, this says it all.

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 doing most of the pistol work.
The old government model .45's are being re-issued en masse.



"Everybody authorized to carry a sidearm is trying
to get their hands on one." WHOA!! If the weapon
is not AUTHORIZED, you CAN get in trouble
under UCMJ. Maybe this is being overlooked.

We are going back to the time one hundred years ago
when the Filipino Muslims were such a problem
[the jihadis of their day], that the forty five [.45]
autoloading pistol was developed to counter
the charging Moro.

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.



Now, this is most interesting to me. When I served
on active duty, we did our basic training with M-14's.
A superbly crafted and machined weapon. Fired the NATO
7.62 round. Had the twenty round magazine and was
more or less an IMPROVED version of the WW2 Garand.
Was the standard rifle carried by the common soldier until
the M-16 came along. Everyone at the time wanted the M-16.
Lighter, carries a magazine with greater capacity, had auto
capability, and was considered to be "sexier".

Nowadays, the M-14 is carried by the spotter of a two man sniper
team. The shooter fires a bolt action rifle that has
the same exact round used by the M-14. The two man team has
interchangeable ammo. As to the reliability of the M-14 in the
sandy environment, this is surprising to me.
I would NOT have thought this to be the case??!!

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.



This IS a deadly weapon. Fires a round that explodes
upon impact too. American snipers using this weapon
have a big advantage over the enemy.

"CAUTION ~ A TAD BLOODY

ALCON,

A backwoods hunter from the Alabama NG spotted this guy, complete with suicide bomber vest, inside a compound in the Green Zone in Iraq. He used a well placed 50 cal sniper round to stop him."



10) The M24 sniper rifle: Thumbs up. Mostly in .308 but some in
300 win mag. Heavily modified Remington 700's. Great performance.
Snipers have been used heavily to great effect. Rumor has it that
a Marine sniper on his third tour in Anbar province has actually
exceeded Carlos Hathcock's record for confirmed kills with OVER
100.



"Snipers are worth their weight in gold!!"
So says an American expert. I believe it. The famous
Marine Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock was
reputed to have killed 99 VC in Nam. Some say the
actual total was in excess of 500!!! Among the militaries
of the world, the American sniper has to be now
considered to be the archetype. Performance is
par excellance.

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 shit 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 bullshit about the "old" body armor making our
guys vulnerable to the IED's was a non-starter. The IED explosions
are enormous and body armor doesn't make any difference at all in
most cases.

Some of you may recall my blog on the body armor
that was in existence that DID NOT protect the area
under the arm. That was where the shrapnel from the
IED's was penetrating and causing wounds that
were fatal.

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. We've all seen the videos.

The hunter-killer team concept was first introduced
in the Vietnam War. Two man teams, equipped with
night vision equipment and special sighted rifles
[quite often the M-14 using the Starlight scope].
Would snipe, ambush with the claymore mine, and wreak
general havoc on the night battlefield. In Nam. The
enemy DID NOT have a counter there and presumably
does NOT NOW!!

13) Lights: Thumbs up. Most of the weapon mounted and personal
lights are Surefire's, and the troops love 'em. Invaluable for
night urban operations. Jordan carried a $34 Surefire G2 on a neck
lanyard and loved it.



We are talking about combat lights that can be
affixed coaxially with the barrel of a weapon.
Where ever that high intensity light points to
is where the weapon, when fired, will hit.

Go here to see a site about combat lights.

I can't help but notice that most of the good fighting
weapons and ordnance are 50 or more years old!!!!!!!!!
With all our technology, it's the WWII and Vietnam
era weapons that everybody wants!!!! The infantry fighting
is frequent, up close and brutal. No quarter is given or shown.

Bad guy weapons: 1) Mostly AK47's The entire country
is an arsenal. Works better in the desert than the M16
and the .308 Russian round kills reliably.



Luckily, the enemy mostly shoots like shit. Undisciplined "spray
and pray" type fire. However, they are seeing more and more
precision weapons, especially sniper rifles. (Iran, again)

The Arab in particular seems to HAVE ABSOLUTELY no
fire discipline whatsoever. Fire off an entire magazine,
and do over and over without even hitting a thing.
They seem to do it just to hear the report
[the noise the firearm makes when fired is called the
report]!! Just undisciplined "fighters" that do NOT
even AIM!!!

Just where do they get all that ammunition FROM!!??

"Mostly AK47's . . . Works better in the desert than
the M16" Why is that?? The Kalashnikov design is so
superior and jam proof?? What features did Kalashnikov
incorporate in the AK that it is so good??

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. Let's just say they know better now.

The U.S. military has done VERY WELL at urban combat.
A lot of thought was put into devising doctrine, tactics,
weaponry, training, etc., that allow for U.S. troops to do
VERY WELL in urban combat. It was originally thought that
this form of warfare would be widespread in case of
a Soviet invasion of western Europe. The U.S. military has
NOT had to go through a long and disastrous and costly learning
curve with regard to urban warfare.

Very remarkable.

2) The RPG: Probably the infantry weapon most feared by our guys.
Simple, reliable and as common as dog shit. 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.



The RPG is a deadly weapon. Originally the Soviets
based their rocket propelled grenade [RPG-2] upon the German
Panzerfaust of WW2. A rocket fired by the individual troop,
using a shaped charge to destroy armored vehicles.
This was a revolutionary weapon that changed warfare for
the average infantryman. These things exist in abundance
world wide and of course in Iraq. There is no getting
away from them.

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 Jordan's 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.

Exactly. These things can even destroy an Abrams
M1 tank, and have done so. And no matter how much
armor protection you have, it will never be enough.
I see the U.S. military is using the old M113 APC
in Iraq now. To give some protection to the troops.
Those APC's were once considered to be almost a
death trap [primarily from the RPG]. Still are to some
extent, but better than the Humvee and the "armored" kits
they are equipped with.

4) Mortars and rockets: Very prevalent. The Soviet era 122mm
rockets (with an 18km range) are becoming more prevalent.

These rockets DO come in a "backpack" variety.
Two villains carrying one with a sling or have
impressed "porters" do the heavy work for them.
NOT that accurate. Are designed to fired in an enormous
barrage to cover a gird square area [1000 meters on a
side!!]

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.

Go to this web site to see Google Earth. Freeware and very
impressive. http://earth.google.com/

I understand that the browser OPERA has embedded
forty bit encryption that is used to secure files
and e-mail. This stuff, according to what I read,
is readable by the right parties. And the author is right.
Such captured laptops can be a "treasure
trove" of intel. NO doubt!!!

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).



In the eyes of some experts, Zarqawi is NOW the man
that has supplanted bin Laden as being the leading
Jihadist. Zarqawi is now seen world wide by the
fevered minded ones as being the man carrying
the fight to the infidel Amriki [America].

Some are virtually untrained young Jihadists that often end up as
suicide bombers or in "sacrifice squads".

The Belgian woman who was a convert to Islam and
recently blew herself up in a car bomb is a perfect
example of the suicide mentality of the young, impressionable,
and foolhardy jihadi.

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).

These are terrorists. Plain and simple. Do not follow
the Laws of Land Warfare. Commit atrocities against
those they feel are traitors to the cause of jihad.
Place themselves in the "enemies of all mankind" category.

Chechens have been reported fighting all over the world.
Kashmir, Bosnia, etc.



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.'s, the police forces
and the Army. The have had a massive spy and agitator network
there since the Iran-Iraq war in the early 80's.

And we see the aspect of factionalism here. You have
Arab Shia who want an independent and free Iraq. You have
Shia that side with Iran. You have Shia factions fighting one
another for dominance. You have Kurds with their own agenda.
Etc.

Each faction vying for POWER!

Most of the Saddam loyalists were killed, captured or gave up long
ago.

This is not what the news media reports. The story
being told is that prior to the American forces invading
Iraq in 2003, Saddam had about 100,000 loyalists
ready to resist. Are these guys still up and going
or what??

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 Ak's and RPG's directly at our bases
just to probe the defenses. They get mowed down like grass every
time. (see the M2 and M240 above). Jordan's 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 that's the end of that more often than
not. These hole-ups are referred to as Alpha Whiskey Romeo's
(Allah's Waiting Room).

We have the laser guided ground-air thing down to a science.

These are the laser guided munitions from strike
aircraft flying close air support [CAS]. Orbit an area
and wait for targets to be designated. If the villains
are cornered in a building, that building is targeted,
illuminated by laser designator, and voila,
bad guys are gone.

The fast mover's, mostly Marine F-18's, 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.

Those helicopter gunships and AC-130 gunship
[Air Commando], are the most deadly weaponry in the
American arsenal, next to the atomic bomb??!!

Interestingly, artillery is hardly used at all.

Fun fact: The enemy death toll is supposedly between 45-50
thousand. That is why we're seeing less and less infantry attacks
and more IED, suicide bomber shit.

The new strategy is simple: attrition.

The "insurgent" does not have to gain victory
on the battlefield. All they have to do is "outlast"
the opposition.

[it is not so simple as that. It is generally
accepted by the "experts" that for a guerilla army to
triumph over their enemy, they must inflict seven
casualties on the adversary for every one of their own.
Obviously,the villains are not even doing anything
close to that here!!]

The insurgent tactic most frustrating is their use of civilian
non-combatants as cover.

Again, such tactics as using human shields
makes these villains into terrorists.

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.

Remember the Marine who shot the guy in the
mosque who the Marine believed was shamming? The
entire Islamic world was worked into a frenzy over this
ONE incident. Mosques are supposed to be so SACRED.
To the jihadi they are NOT!! The very same folks who
claim sanctity for the mosque violate that
sanctity themselves!!

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.).

Kidnapping, cold-blooded murder, etc. All trademarks
of the terrorist. NOT guerilla fighters entitled to the
common courtesies afforded a combatant on the battlefield.

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. As such, for our guys, every fight is to the death.

Surrender is not an option.

Richard Pryor Rest In Peace

"You have Muslims....then you have Double Muslims. Double Muslims, them's the
ones you don't want to fuck with—dem double Muslims. 'Cause
them motherfuckers can't wait to get to Allah. And want to take eight or
nine motherfuckers with 'em."

Richard Pryor, performing stand-up
comedy in 1982, hat tip:Stevie D

This IS a big mistake on the part of the jihadi.
American troops, if cornered, will fight that much harder,
knowing full well what is in store for them if captured.
Of course, the enemy does not even appreciate that
or would even care if they did. That sort of thing is
not a consideration for them. Quite the opposite.

This also goes to prove that our treating the
captured jihadi will have no effect at all upon the
mentality of the jihadi with regard to an American
soldier captured by them. All these arguments that if
we do not mistreat the jihadi that in turn they will
reciprocate are just wishfulthinking.

The Iraqi's are a mixed bag. Some fight well, others aren't worth
a shit. Most do okay with American support. Finding leaders is
hard, but they are getting better. It is widely viewed that
Zarqawi's use of suicide bombers, en masse, against the civilian
population was a serious tactical mistake. Many Iraqi's 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 Iraqi's are sick of
the insurgent attacks against civilians.

This WAS always a similar problem in Vietnam.
The perception was that the South Vietnamese [ARVN] soldier
was a poor troop, ill-led and poorly motivated. When
well-led, and motivated, the ARVN troop did fight well.
One can only hope and pray that the Iraqi will find the
motivation to oust the foreign jihadi, avoid factional
fighting among themselves and bring peace to their country.
American troops cannot and will not do the brunt of
the fighting forever.

The Kurds are solidly pro-American and fearless fighters.

Let us hope the Kurds are not shafted in some
manner when hostilities are over. They have been
sorely mistreated and betrayed in the past by
the British and others. American owes the
Kurds decent and fair treatment.

According to Jordan, morale among our guys is very high.

Morale was a problem with the U.S. drafted army
that fought in Vietnam. At least in the last few years
of the war. Motivation was poor. This does not seem
to be ther problem this time. The all-volunteer force
has worked and worked well!

[in Vietnam, fragging was a problem. The intentional effort
to kill officers and NCO's by low ranking troops. Usually
done by lobbing a hand grenade at them when the target
was not looking. NOT so long ago, the media made a big point
of highlighting the second case of fragging in Iraq. The
second case. In almost three years, two cases. In the ten
years of Vietnam, there were over 3000 cases of fragging!!!]

For the most part, they are satisfied with their equipment, food
and leadership. (there).

For the most part!! Let us hope this continues.


coolbert.