Article

2007-07-26 Iraq

Michael Yon: "I wanted to see the F-16 drop a boulder on the people that shot at our guys."

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Posted by Mike 2007-07-26 10:14|| || Front Page|| [11142 views ] Top
File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1 Dropping rocks on people from great heights is always fun.

Posted by DarthVader">DarthVader 2007-07-26 10:37|| 2007-07-26 10:37|| Front Page Top

#2 It's no wonder we're still in Iraq if this is the way we pussyfoot around with those animals.

If you live next door to a house full of jihadis, you may accidentally get bombed, tough luck.

Posted by Chainter Sinatra7937 2007-07-26 10:38|| 2007-07-26 10:38|| Front Page Top

#3 An image of the enemy forces in the house holding up signs that say "uh oh" followed by "ouch" came to mind.

Posted by eLarson 2007-07-26 10:41|| http://larsonian.blogspot.com]">[http://larsonian.blogspot.com] 2007-07-26 10:41|| Front Page Top

#4 If you live next door to a house full of jihadis, you may accidentally get bombed, tough luck.

Jihadis have moved into my neighborhood. They have personally threatened to harm my wife and children if we cooperate with the national government or coalition forces. They killed Bob down the street. Left him lying in the road minus his head; probably more for an example than any actual act of collaboration. And now you are going to blow up my house and children? Tough luck, indeed.

Posted by SteveS 2007-07-26 11:06|| 2007-07-26 11:06|| Front Page Top

#5 And now you are going to blow up my house and children?

Stop whining about such petty things as home and family.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-07-26 11:17|| 2007-07-26 11:17|| Front Page Top

#6 If they're out of rocks they could try a MOAB.

Posted by Stargazer 2007-07-26 11:56|| 2007-07-26 11:56|| Front Page Top

#7 It seems that SteveS is saying that the terrorist (sorry Michael-minutemen)ROE are more efective then ours. Should we change?

Posted by plainslow 2007-07-26 12:42|| 2007-07-26 12:42|| Front Page Top

#8 Dropping rocks on people from great heights is always fun.

It's been a seasonal recreational activity since the time the first neighbors decided to 'liberate' the goods of the first ~~gated~~ fortified communities. It did tend to make the visitors rather angry if you didn't stop the party crashers. Man's evolution in technology, to drop a rock from a higher height. Now if we cold just nudge that small asteroid and give just the right trajectory towards ...

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-07-26 12:42|| 2007-07-26 12:42|| Front Page Top

#9 I don't think the experience military officers are getting in running civil matters is getting enough play time. Each of these guys can come back to the US and have serious political traction in politics.

If I was a political animal, I would spend some time looking at officers getting out for political prospects. Possibly even headhunting them.

Posted by Penguin 2007-07-26 12:59|| 2007-07-26 12:59|| Front Page Top

#10 Penguin, we have been trying that but the heads at the top of the Republican party are deaf as a friggen post. They are Country Club Repubs (Bush, Lott, Spector, etc), we are Sam's Club Repubs, and they don't want the riff-raff joining the old boys club in DC. Might shake things up with the pork and lobbyists and they already have their hands full with the few we managed to get in there, like Sen Coburn fighting pork and Rep Shadegg trying to force earmarks out into the open.

Seriously! The old guard is more interested in keeping washington going the way it is than they are in anything else - even if it means keeping idiots like Murtha and Pelosi and Reid around (and in charge).

Craven bastards to be that way - we need these veterans in congress to turn things around.

Posted by OldSpook 2007-07-26 13:19|| 2007-07-26 13:19|| Front Page Top

#11 FYI, my call in the situation above would have been to have the viper smack the blivet into the house, and if that failed, then get a hellfire round on it. If there are any in theater, a Stryker MGS 105 HE would work well in direct-fire mode too (particularly if we still have the old HESH rounds which would help limit CD)

That officer needs to learn the limitations of artillery in urban environments, its way different than rural arty planning.

120mm (4.2") mortar in this heat = inaccurate - its not spin stabilized, so thermals, etc will throw off the ballistics.

Throw in a gun round that is stable and accurate, then you might have trajectory issues - they fire flatter and there may be higher buildings around.

Howizter seems to be the weapon of choice for this scenario due to higher trajectories, but do we have any guided howitzer munitions anymore? If not, you have the same issues as the mortar.

So, let the zoomies earn their pay, then follow up with Apaches, and then organic support. Thats how I'd decide it (lacking any other inputs)

Posted by OldSpook 2007-07-26 13:29|| 2007-07-26 13:29|| Front Page Top

#12 You'd be surprised how many former officers have found jobs as city managers and other such offices. They usually do well. Some NCOs make equally as good managers - they've had the equivalent experience managing offices, teams, and units.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2007-07-26 13:55|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2007-07-26 13:55|| Front Page Top

#13 How about a REALLY REALLY REALLY big anvil?

Posted by OyVey1 2007-07-26 13:59|| 2007-07-26 13:59|| Front Page Top

#14 fuck bob down the street do you think they would consider the collateral damage on you?

Posted by sinse 2007-07-26 14:21|| 2007-07-26 14:21|| Front Page Top

#15 People say Al Qaeda also outlawed cold water, but I have no idea why

because it is refreshing?

Posted by 3dc 2007-07-26 14:59|| 2007-07-26 14:59|| Front Page Top

#16 Our military is, in a sense its own little country, with city-states spread out all around the world. Each base is like a little city-state. The military commander must understand how the water, electricity, sewerage, food distribution, police, courts, prisons, hospitals, fire, schools, airports, ports, trash control, vector control, communications, fuel, fiscal budgeting, fire, for his city all work. They have embassies all over the world and must deal diplomatically with local officials in Korea, Germany, Japan and many dozens of other nations. The U.S. military even has its own space program, which few countries have.
In short, our military is a reasonable microcosm of the United States sans the very important business aspect which actually produces the wealth the military depends on. The requisite skill-set to run a serious war campaign involves a subset of skills that include diplomacy and civil administration.

Posted by 3dc 2007-07-26 15:07|| 2007-07-26 15:07|| Front Page Top

#17 Concrete Bombs are just chubby "Rods from God" which can minimize CD.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-07-26 21:01|| 2007-07-26 21:01|| Front Page Top

#18 fuck bob down the street do you think they would consider the collateral damage on you?

The more pertinent question is: do you think?

Posted by Pappy 2007-07-26 22:24|| 2007-07-26 22:24|| Front Page Top

#19 I would think that the consideration was whether there was a family inside that had received some surprise unwelcome guests. If they could have gotten the mortar close, the roaches would have scattered and snipers could have taken them down. I think the commander knows that these jihadis have already written their check and it will be cashed shortly. Baquba is the end of the road for these three.

Posted by Super Hose 2007-07-26 23:26|| 2007-07-26 23:26|| Front Page Top

#20 The soft war has ended and the hard war has begun. Yon is the finest wartime journalist I have ever head in any war. Please support him and his Kin duely.

Posted by newc">newc 2007-07-26 23:48|| 2007-07-26 23:48|| Front Page Top

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