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H&I Fires* 30 OCT 2008

By Denizens on October 30, 2008 | | Comments (23)
Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

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SECNAV Names New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor


Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced last night at a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City, the name of the newest Zumwalt-class Destroyer will be USS Michael Monsoor. Designated as DDG- 1001, the name honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on Sept. 29, 2006.

Winter discussed the qualities, values, and dedication to duty that Navy SEAL’s exemplify, including the extraordinary acts of Michael Monsoor.

“Tonight I would like to single out one of those heroes from the community of Navy SEAL’s,” Winter said. “Those who served with Michael Monsoor will remember him always as a consummate professional who faced terrorist enemies with aplomb and stoicism.”
 
Good.  More here.  -the Armorer

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Burn Pit On US Base In Iraq Said To Pose Health Risks. The Air Force Times (10/28, Kennedy) reported, "An open-air 'burn pit'" at Joint Base Balad, the "largest" US base in Iraq, "may have exposed tens of thousands of troops, contractors and Iraqis to cancer-causing dioxins, poisons such as arsenic and carbon monoxide, and hazardous medical waste, documentation gathered by Military Times shows." Health risks "from breathing chemicals and smoke" generated by the burn pit "were discussed in April at a meeting of the Defense Health Board." Mark Brown, the "director of the Environmental Agents Service in the Office of Public Health and Environmental Hazards for the Department of Veterans Affairs," attended that meeting, and he told the Times, "You couldn't get away with this kind of waste disposal" in the US. Brown went on to say the VA has already heard concerns about burn pits from returning veterans, but Defense officials "say burn pits do not pose serious health risks."
More here, in the Air Force Times.  I'm not the greatest fan of the Military Times family of papers style of reporting sometimes, but this one caught my eye - as it has all the earmarks of a classic "If they're lips are moving, they're lying" story.  And I mean the "Defense Officials" not the Air Force Times.  If you've got stories of pics to contribute to building the story - send 'em to the AF Times - and here!  -the Armorer

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If you missed the Milblog Conference, CJ has been posting some videos - today he has up a post about the New Cadre of War Reporters.  Worth the visit, methinks.  -the Armorer

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Daddy!  The Bad McCain supporter won't let me steal his signs!  Waaaaaaah!  Count me among those parents who, if my child came home wailing about being shocked while trying to steal someone's property and trespassing to boot, I too would go over to the homeowner.  And bring the kid.  And I would test the sign.  And the kid would apologize for trespassing and trying to steal the sign.  And I would thank the homeowner having the sense to use a low-voltage system.  Do watch the video. I do like the skunk oil/deer urine suggestions in the comments, though.  However, even if we *had* signs, we live at the dead end of a mile-long gravel road, so we're not too likely to suffer from sign-stealing.   -the Armorer

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Buttheads.  Impatient Butthead. 

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This is one reason I *never* blog work.  And believe me, it's hard sometimes.  Especially when I  see what I know to be BS in the news.  But if my only source of data is derived from work or a work product, you don't see it here.  As is only right, as that data belongs to the client or my employer, who paid for it.  -the Armorer

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Jules Crittenden sells out.  Hoser.  -the Armorer

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Oh, and no, I didn't watch it.  I've voted already and I'm guessing this isn't a place undecideds are coming to get the info to help them decide...  I watched a re-run of a 1990 America's Funniest Home Videos.  The cat won.  I just wish it was 3 November right now.  -the Armorer

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Neptunus Lex notes that some will like Hallowe'en more than others...  -the Armorer

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XBradTC and Mikey - poseurs!  -the Armorer

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*A term of art from the artillery. Harassment and Interdiction Fires. Back in the day, when you could just kill people and break things without a note from a lawyer, they were pre-planned, but to the enemy, random, fires at known gathering points, road junctions, Main Supply Routes, assembly areas, etc - to keep the bad guy nervous that the world around him might start exploding at any minute. Not really relevant to today's operating environment, right? But, it *is. The UAVs we fly over Afghanistan and Pakistan looking for targets of opportunity are a form of H&I fires, if you really want to parse it finely. We just have better sensors and fire control now. Of course, now I have to call them UAS's, because someone got a Legion of Merit for the name change.Anyway, I call the post H&I Fires because it's random things posted by me and people I've given posting privileges to that particular topic. Another term of art that might be appropriate is Free Fire Zone.

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23 Comments

By BillT on October 30, 2008 9:55 AM
Need a pic of the solid black plume that emanates from the burn pit here *before* it blankets us or *while* it's doing that?
 
By Cannonshop on October 30, 2008 9:59 AM
I'd suggest it's best to get a couple pics at once-one "at range" with the Plume in sight, then one "up close" showing what it's doing.  Go back, and look at "acid-rain" reports for examples of how to set up your shot, or anti-nuke propoganda.  A sequence of images that tell a story works really, really well on the emotional 'gut' of your otherwise-uncommitted reader.  While it's often used in deceptive advertising, it's used because it has POWER.
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 30, 2008 10:06 AM
Bill - um, *yes*.

Cannonshop - you bein' supportive here, or snarky?  Can't rightly tell...  ;^ )
 
By BillT on October 30, 2008 10:56 AM
John -- Okey-doke.

Cannonshop -- ...then one "up close" showing what it's doing.

What it's doing is making "downwind" smell like low tide next to a burning plastic bag factory.

Imagine Secausus on steroids. But it's kind of hard to capture that on pixels.

At least they only do it a couple of times a week -- and it's still preferable to the aroma from the sewage-treatment plant 100 meters away...
 
By Eagle 1 on October 30, 2008 12:23 PM
Just one simple point, burning a sheet of paper produces dioxins, CO (carbon monoxide), and whatever heavy metals the trees adsorbed in it's lifetime.  Burning wood in your fireplace or BBQ pit produces dioxins, CO, and whatever heavy metals the trees adsorbed in it's lifetime.  Now I'm not saying that whatever they were burning is OK, but ya gotta think context before your panties get all twisted up.  Look at the MSDS for NaCl for God's sake.  Buzzwords don't cut it.

Eagle 1
 
By SFC D on October 30, 2008 12:42 PM
2005-2006 that pit was burning constantly.  And with an average temperature inversion like Balad sees in the winter, the smoke and other junk was trapped and drifting right down the main road.  Turned my asthma from a minor nuisance to blue-lipped wheezing on one occasion.  If there's ever testimony required, sign me up!
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 30, 2008 1:03 PM
Eagle - I take your point, and I did caveat the "Times" news reportage angle (admittedly, only noticeable if you're inside the ring, so to speak), the flip side to the point, however, is that this is how Agent Orange and numerous other issues start.

And it's good to take a sceptics view, speaking as one who is a veteran of the system himself.

I'm not going to go all Erin Brockovich on this.

Unless that turns out to be what's needed.
 
By BillT on October 30, 2008 1:40 PM
Exposure to burning gar-bahdge is an occupational hazard for deployers. Every evening about 1700, the air wafting through our compound on Camp Comanche turned rusty-red, and it wasn't from the sunsets...
 
By XBradTC on October 30, 2008 2:18 PM
I think I mentioned that I was a bit unusual in that I only made one rotation. Once we got in the box, I had a pretty good time. It was nice to have some new terrain to play with. And the focus was really on stressing the brigade and battalion staffs. The cadre were not there to mess with us peons. They gave some great advice and were good mentors. And they gave us a heads up any time the higher echelons were coming our way. After all, they wanted us to look good, since it reflected well on them.

I did make 8 rotations as either Blue Force or Opfor at Hoenfels in 3 years in Germany.
 
By RetRsvMike on October 30, 2008 2:31 PM
wow.  XBradTC way outside of the range fan, engaging his own targets on your own blog.
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 30, 2008 2:42 PM
Struck a nerve, I think.  Hee!  Dude - you are way over-reacting.  It's not like I popped a Dr. Doom on your pos.

 
By BillT on October 30, 2008 3:23 PM
Think XBrad's trying to make a case for dain bramage due to burn-pit effluent?
 
By John of Argghhh! on October 30, 2008 3:55 PM
Nah, Eagle1 said not to worry... 
 
By XBradTC on October 30, 2008 4:34 PM
Hey, he brought my name into today's H&I, not me. I'm just a regular old pop-up target sometimes. And you know what that means, no fires greater than 7.62mm. And definitely no arty...
 
By BillT on October 30, 2008 5:54 PM
Bill - um, *yes*.

Check your mailbox.

 
By Maggie on October 30, 2008 11:14 PM
Oh, and no, I didn't watch it.

Baby, I love you for that and for the fact that you have the Monsoor story on top.

Galrahn at Information Dissemination has a great post up on USS Micheal Monsoor.
 
By Pat on October 30, 2008 11:20 PM
Heck, even a lowly CF wpns tech like me has been to NTC once. I tagged along as support, the first time we sent a troop (approx. 30 pers) of Coyotes in Aug '98. We flew into Edwards and spent the weekend in Palmdale before going to Ft.Irwin, and afterwards we stayed on base at Edwards for a week, waiting for the Herc to pick us up again to go home. We were in the clean up/turn in week when the Swissair flight crashed off of N.S. I remember watching it on the news while doing laundry.
 
By BillT on October 31, 2008 3:16 AM
Zero rotations. Got in a lot of weather-related flood relief -- cue up "Wade In The Water", some prison riot control and blizzard emergency ops, though.

Did one AT at AP Hill where the 1st Cav evaluators spent the entire three days air-searching for our detached heliport.

When we weren't flying, we were parked under the trees with bug nets draped over the canopies.

Fifty meters from *their* campsite.
 
By Eagle 1 on October 31, 2008 8:16 AM
Sorry if I sounded too strident.  I have a problem with "science by press release", breathless reportage with buzzwords that are designed to generate an immediate emotional and non-reasoned response.  Sort of like the melting-ice-caps-the-poar-bears-are-going-to-drown-we're-all-going-to-die syndrome.  Science has made a bad enough name for itself with politcized quasi-peer reviewed publications that are designed more to generate funding and invitations than good data.  As an active research scientist maybe I'm too touchy on this subject.  Having said that, yeah we need to see if there isn't a better way to clean up our act.  There is no real sense in messing up our nest.

Eagle 1
 
By RetRsvMike on October 31, 2008 10:35 AM
BillT: next time at AP Hill, spend a couple shekels and rent the Gregg Cabin as a staff hooch.  nice little fishing hole merely steps away from the front porch..
 
By BillT on October 31, 2008 11:01 AM
AP Hill?

The. Quothe. Raven.

Rearrange as appropriate.
 
By RetRsvMike on October 31, 2008 12:14 PM
can't say as i blame ya...
 
By BillT on October 31, 2008 3:37 PM
Not unless they pull a couple of Cobras out of mothballs and drag me kicking and clawing convince me that my presence is crucial to national survival.

Murray has a better chance of scaring somebody with his Haka.