We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html Fri, 06 Jan 2012 18:38:38 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification -- one worm at a time. John e-mailed me Saturday, probably to see if senile dementia had claimed me (in addition to the usual dementia), and asked me for some thoughts on the story-cum-video of the recent Apache shootdown. So, in order for the rest of this to make sense, go downstream to the 10th and read this, including the comments, 'cuz Dusty chimed in (Comment Hat Trick!) with a couple of questions, too. John replied to one of them, Bottom line: someone other than the BillTs of this world and their tactical descendants in ARCENT have gotta wake... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:43:57 -0600 Got it! Thanks! I know he'll appreciate it. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56739 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56739 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:17:50 -0600 HF6 - It was written for an Attack Battalion that used Cobras as Scouts, too, so the primary emphasis is on those aspects. That said, a good 80% of the sneaky stuff applies to Utility, too, and I'll bet Mac is smart enough to extrapolate some things he can use for that Tandem Tornado he drives. Check the mail in a couple of minutes. The text is now compatible with Word 2000. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56736 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56736 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 21:36:53 -0600 Outlaw13 can pick up a copy of something 'locally' produced and get it to everyone right away. Just need to be careful who's part of 'everyone'. ;)]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56718 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56718 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 12:40:40 -0600 I'm sure MacGyver would appreciate a copy of that if you happen to have extras...drop me a line? I'll get you his contact info. homefrontsix-at-yahoo-dot-com http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56712 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56712 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 11:29:13 -0600 Outlaw - those who have the most to lose usually do exactly what you say is being done, and what Bill did. The job of people like me, absent leaving copies of Bill's Battle Book laying around known aviation dives, er, gathering places, is to ping TRADOC to get the word out, and not fight about where it came from, and whether or not it was staffed in the proper format. Here's hoping the SIPR side of CALL is hard at work, and usefully so. And if we're putting out BS around here, I would hope you know to drop a line... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56706 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56706 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:48:29 -0600 I'm sure MacGyver would appreciate a copy of that if you happen to have extras...drop me a line? I'll get you his contact info. homefrontsix-at-yahoo-dot-com http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56705 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56705 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:47:55 -0600 As someone who is the fight right now...just know we're working on it. I wish I could say more, because people have said a lot of things that are right on, and even more that are just flat out BS...but we're working on it. The 1-227th thanks everyone for their prayers for our fallen comrades. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56703 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56703 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:32:24 -0600 In early 84, I was made the PSG of the first Quickfix platoon in USAREUR. We were the NETT site for everyone else. Over the course of the next 15 months we wrote and published several versions of what we called the QF Operations Handbook. Catchy title, eh... I left there in '85, left the Army in '87. In late '89, I went back to Wurzburg to do some stuff for the QF PM. When I got there, the PSG of that QF platoon pulled out this nifty newly printed copy of a thing he claimed he'd written and called the QF Operations Handbook. He was real proud of it. Too bad for him. I pointed out that I knew where it came from (which was not him), which he said was BS, so I asked him what he used to type it on. He pointed to an IBM selectric (an American IBM selectric). So I asked him about all the typos, where there were Zs instead of Ys, and so on... Duh, I dunno... I explained that the orginal had been typed on a German keyboard electric typewriter because a dimbulb supply sergeant had ordered it from downtown. Suffice to say there were lots of 'pen and ink' changes. Oh, and there was one page that had --guess what? My initials over a line-through. Oops. Doesn't it suck to get caught in a big fat lie like that? Ha. I susppose it wouldn't have been so bad if his Platoon Leader and Co hadn't been there and he hadn't told me I was full of crap. I enjoyed that a lot. BTW, I was told in '93 or '94 that a copy of that thing ended had somehow got to Korea... I doubt it's still useful, since it wasn't tactics, as much as checklists and other how-tos for field ops in a hybrid MI/AV platoon. But that was hard learned knowledge to be sure. And I just bet your guys felt like they were given the secrets of the universe. And BTW, that treetop stuff is part of the reason I love helicopters so much. I used to beg rides every chance I got, so I got to fly over Hood and Hawaii (big island, Schofield, & Kuhukus) and Germany from 10K feet all the way down to 2-3 feet agl, all at speed. _Nothing_ has ever thrilled me as much as no-doors fast -58 rides I used to get across Hood and down to Austin in the 74&75. Open door hueys were close, but not the same, and the blackhawks were fun if you got to hang out the window, but I never got to do much fun with them. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56701 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56701 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:19:07 -0600 Rucker can't teach it - the guys at the Safety Center would go apeshite. That said, let's publish it privately and leave it laying around the watering holes... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56700 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56700 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:16:46 -0600 Smartest thing I ever did as a Lt Col CO and a Col CO was remember that the Captains, Majors (and a handful of the Lts...the ones we thought worth grooming for Weapons School) were 99% of the time tactically smarter than I was. That was their job, anyway. Mine was to empower them to come up with wily ways to smite the heathen and let 'em do it. Oh yeah, and make sure the "real" Air Force (F-15/16 generals, et al.) at least give us enough to continue to function. Good to hear Army aviator leaders at the trench level, regardless of rank or station, have the same approach. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56698 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/02/on_putting_the.html#comment-56698 Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:53:00 -0600