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Around the Army...

By The Armorer on March 25, 2006 | | Comments (10)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division dismount a UH-60 Blackhawk from the 101st Airborne Division, Task Force No Mercy, Bravo Comp. 1st of the 207 Aviation during an Air Assault in the Al Jazeera Desert, Iraq on 22 Mar. 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo By Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)(Cleared for public release)

U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division dismount a UH-60 Blackhawk from the 101st Airborne Division, Task Force No Mercy, Bravo Comp. 1st of the 207 Aviation during an Air Assault in the Al Jazeera Desert, Iraq on 22 Mar. 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo By Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon)(Cleared for public release)

I put a lot of miles in vehicles just like this one - they're holding up better than I am - they're still serving!

<s>A U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment in a turret of a M2A2 Bradley looks through binoculars for enemy activity from Blocking Point 21 during Operation Swarmer, Northeast of Samarra, March 17, 2006. Blocking points were established around the main objective area during the operation to block any insurgent escape route while coalition forces searched for weapon caches and Anti-Iraqi forces. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alfred Johnson) (Released)</s> Wiki-edited: A (putative) U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment (then why is there a Rakkasan mark on the shield of that ACAV?) in a turret of a M2A2 Bradley (sic) looks through binoculars (I think) for enemy activity from Blocking Point 21 (possibly, but I have no method of external confirmation) during Operation Swarmer, Northeast of Samarra, March 17, 2006 (again, putatively). Blocking points were established around the main objective area during the operation to block any insurgent escape route while coalition forces searched for weapon caches and Anti-Iraqi forces. (which is standard practice for these kinds of operations, but for all I really know this guy is just looking for a Mini-mart) (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alfred Johnson) (So they say) (Released) (That, at least, is true)


A U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment in a turret of a M2A2 Bradley looks through binoculars for enemy activity from Blocking Point 21 during Operation Swarmer, Northeast of Samarra, March 17, 2006. Blocking points were established around the main objective area during the operation to block any insurgent escape route while coalition forces searched for weapon caches and Anti-Iraqi forces. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alfred Johnson) (Released) Wiki-edited: A (putative) U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment (then why is there a Rakkasan mark on the shield of that ACAV?) in a turret of a M2A2 Bradley (sic) looks through binoculars (I think) for enemy activity from Blocking Point 21 (possibly, but I have no method of external confirmation) during Operation Swarmer, Northeast of Samarra, March 17, 2006 (again, putatively). Blocking points were established around the main objective area during the operation to block any insurgent escape route while coalition forces searched for weapon caches and Anti-Iraqi forces. (which is standard practice for these kinds of operations, but for all I really know this guy is just looking for a Mini-mart) (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Alfred Johnson) (So they say) (Released) (That, at least, is true)">

While not involved in *this* particular event, this is a part of the much larger event I am participating in while I'm here in the Land of the Morning Calm where I am sleep-deprived enough to miss the farked up captions that the Army puts on it's pictures and am reading no one else's blog and so I am out of touch and behind the Murdoc News Network and others who have more time available than I do at the moment, not to mention access. Since I am obviously just getting slow and stupid over here and further driving away readership I think I'll just quit posting rather than keep embarassing myself and you guys this way.

A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter pulls in for a landing aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) during a joint Navy-Army training evolution off the coast of Korea March 21, 2006. Blue Ridge is the Seventh Fleet command ship, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. The helicopter is attached to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Camp Humphreys, Korea. (U.S. Navy photo by PhotographerÕs Mate Airman David J. Hewitt) (Released)


A U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter pulls in for a landing aboard USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) during a joint Navy-Army training evolution off the coast of Korea March 21, 2006. Blue Ridge is the Seventh Fleet command ship, forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. The helicopter is attached to Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, Camp Humphreys, Korea. (U.S. Navy photo by PhotographerÕs Mate Airman David J. Hewitt) (Released)

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10 Comments

By Blake Kirk on March 25, 2006 9:23 AM
Er, John, Perhaps I'm showing my age, but that second picture is of a soldier in the commander's coupola on an M113, fitted with the armor kit for the old ACAV variant. Brad's have a 2-man turret with a 25mm cannon, not an M2 HB BMG.
 
By Heartless Libertarian on March 25, 2006 9:44 AM
Dang John, I noted the 113 discrepancy two days ago. Murdoc got it (with a different pic by the same photog) yesterday.
 
By Cannoneer No. 4 on March 25, 2006 10:15 AM
Compare the M113 ACAV kit to the Canadian G-Wagon turret. The Canadians have ballistic glass in their gun shields.
   
By Cannoneer No. 4 on March 25, 2006 12:15 PM
Somebody needs to instruct the caption writers on Vehicle Identification.
 
By HomefrontSix on March 25, 2006 1:11 PM
mmmmm.....hooker pr0n...I love it! Thanks for making my day!!! - hfs
 
By John of Argghhh! on March 25, 2006 2:21 PM
Hee! Blake - I provide the Army's captions... but I admit, at the end of my 18 hour day yesterday, I didn't read it closely... obviously. I did wonder about what looked like a Rakkasans marking and why did the Cav have a M113. Sorry guys, I was farking tired. And I'm old enough I never rode around in a BFIST, either. Lea' me 'lone!
 
By Blake Kirk on March 25, 2006 2:36 PM
I'm no spring chicken either. I used to drive a M274 Mechaical Mule. We still had them in the 82nd when I was a private in the late '70's.
 
By Blake Kirk on March 25, 2006 2:44 PM
That picture also proves that the rumors/complaints coming from the 101st Div staff are fairly accurate: the Rakkasans ARE in fact following their usual habits and painting a torii on anything and everthing that will stay motionless long enough for some soldier to sneak up on it with a stencil and a can of red spray paint. It's a wierd custom, but mostly harmless. I will say, though, that an Afghani donkey looks pretty odd with a red torii painted on its rump...
 
By Blake Kirk on March 26, 2006 5:35 PM
John, I think that 2-9 Cav may have been attached to 3BCT of the 101st, which is built around the Rakkasans. Hence the torii. And I suspect that the track in the picture is actually a 120mm mortar carrier. There's some stuff visible through the open cargo hatch to the right of the cupola armor that just might be a mortar.
 
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