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 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:50:40 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification I smacked Real Life on the snoot and it hasn't come to -- yet. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Số mười, GI. And this one was definitely a Number 10 for the ground participants: As you recall, the mission was a combat assault. And if you don't recall, well, it was *still* a combat assault. The Plan called for a five-ship insertion into the southeastern green quadrangle after the morning monsoon ended and, after the troops began moving westward into this neck of the U... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:52:48 -0600 Bill shows his inner infantryman, or lunatic. Rational people kill their enemies at a far enough distance that they can avoid looking them in the eye, unless they're really mad at them. Uh, wait... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65322 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65322 Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:36:16 -0600 Yeah, making eye contact always gives these things that personal touch -- it tells 'em, "Hey, I *feel* your pain. Just not quite as much..." http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65248 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65248 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 06:23:38 -0600 Besides, you can't see the "uh-oh, shooting at him was a bad idea" expression on their faces from that high... That's our SugarButtons--always a "people" person ...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65242 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65242 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:22:41 -0600 Well John they nearly hit the point target rotoring around the clouds A 175 round would always hit *something* -- even if it was only Planet Earth...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65239 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65239 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:07:48 -0600 ...between the WP and the smoke from it in the cockpit, I'm surprised you could see at all! Well, considering we all slammed our eyes shut just before we punched in, seeing was kinda out of the loop for a few seconds. But if you lean forward far enough, you've got the altimeter, the airspeed indicator and the VSI right in front of you. You don't have to look outside to be able to keep it upright. Of course, keeping it upright and not bumping into something are two different things... Heh -- kat, if I'd been dumb enough to run out of fuel, they would've grounded me and stuck me back in the artillery. Probably on the staff... ...bad news is breathing WP isn't good for your health. Stinks a little, but as long as *koff* you don't *koff* inhale the burning *hack* stuff, it's no big *koff* *wheeze* deal. You guys should have stayed above 25,000 feet. Nah -- nosebleeds. Besides, you can't see the "uh-oh, shooting at him was a bad idea" expression on their faces from that high... So that was the noise we heard over on the Song Ong Doc????? I doubt it -- we were at least 50 klicks north of you and a 175 doesn't make *that* big a noise. But it might have been the 5-ton bomb a C-123 dropped east of Sea Float to make us an instant LZ in July, or it could have been an Arc Light (the Air Farce was always trying to catch us unawares), or maybe it was... ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65238 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65238 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 20:03:11 -0600 So that was the noise we heard over on the Song Ong Doc????? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65235 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65235 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:08:53 -0600 Well John they nearly hit the point target rotoring around the clouds that's high precision isn't it? Even if low accuracy. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65232 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65232 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:00:29 -0600 You guys should have stayed above 25,000 feet. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65229 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65229 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:02:50 -0600 Well, good news is that you weren't actually On Fire, bad news is breathing WP isn't good for your health. Then again, yer still around, so ol' Carborundum's backflip musta worked pretty well ;-) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65228 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65228 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:32:13 -0600 No...I wasn't "hoping" you'd run out of fuel...just "anticipating" the next hair raising part of the story. LOL http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65227 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65227 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:51:59 -0600 Notice how he doesn't mention me hanging on the skids and backflapping for all I'm worth so the WP was a near miss rather than a direct hit. And some of that "cloud of white smoke" was a chunk of my starboard pinions. Not the first time and it certainly wasn't the last either. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65226 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65226 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:43:11 -0600 Snerk - trying to hit a point target with a 175. You don't *have* to hit it with a 175 -- you just have to get close enough for the crap-nel to scare the gunners off. Then you nip down and steal their friggin' gun. ...didn't see that coming... We didn't either. Saw it after it got there, though. I was waiting for him to run out of fuel... Oh, thanks. Next time I won't give you a free ad. I could've screwed around for two hours and still made it to Ca Mau or Rach Gia. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65225 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65225 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:02:24 -0600 Wow, between the WP and the smoke from it in the cockpit, I'm surprised you could see at all! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65222 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65222 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:43:35 -0600 I was waiting for him to run out of fuel after all that time messing with the little gun. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65220 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65220 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:36:24 -0600 Oooh, didn't see that coming... at least it wasn't an HE airburst. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65219 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65219 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:24:52 -0600 Snerk - trying to hit a point target with a 175. Geez, Bill, no wonder they let you go fly helos... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65217 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65217 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 10:17:35 -0600 Enable Comments *doink!* Serves me right for staying up 'til 0200...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65214 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/10/tins_numbah_ten.html#comment-65214 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 09:49:08 -0600