Comments for TOP 10 REASONS TO BE A REDLEG

TOP 10 REASONS TO BE A REDLEG

2009-01-26T13:04:34Z

10. YOU GET TO PLAY WITH BIG GUNS.

9. YOU GET TO BLOW STUFF UP.

8. YOU CAN WEAR RED SOCKS WITH NO QUESTIONS ASKED.

7. YOU CAN ALWAYS SAY "IT LOOKED GOOD WHEN IT LEFT HERE!"

6. POWDER IS ALWAYS DRY.

5. EVERY ROCKET FIRED IS LIKE JULY 4TH (OVER AND OVER AGAIN).

4. DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE LATE IN YOUR CAREER BECAUSE YOU ARE DEAF.

3. YOU CAN GET 30% DISABILITY (SEE #4).

2. WE HAVE COOL MEDALS FOR BOTH HIM & HER.

AND THE #1 REASON TO BE A REDLEG IS...

1. YOU GET TO BE THE KING!

"It's good to be the King."

Comment from Cannoneer No. 4 on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T20:08:54Z

If they won't @#%& they won't fight.

Hetero warriors wil hit that. Even the younger ones. The soap opera of LSA #4 will be continued.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T19:09:23Z

#4, you pine for the days of when you dragged yer wimmin through the bracken by their hair, doncha?

One thing I've noticed, in talking and dealing with the younger soldiers - they don't have the same issues with this sort of thing that my cohort worked through.

That isn't to say there aren't problems. Clearly, there are - one has only to look at the sexual harassment statistics and the behaviors in the deployed force.

Of course, one has only to go to Daytona Beach during Spring Break to see the same pathologies at work.

Doesn't mean a return to status quo ante WAC is a good idea either.

Especially if you intend to man the force with volunteers.

Comment from Cannoneer No. 4 on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T18:57:23Z

Not really. The feng shui and cohesion of the gun detachment will be adversely affected under pretty much all circumstances. Don't believe me. Ask Joe's wife.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T16:31:23Z

Depends on the circumstances, doesn't it?

Comment from Cannoneer No. 4 on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T16:25:53Z

If the Joes hump her, it matters.

Comment from Argent on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T16:11:55Z

Oh the spelling. As in Hanna Barbera? Nice cartoons but not quite the same is it?

Well red is often associated with bravery/courage (a theme of the Saint Barbara story and a common military theme) which seems to be part of many flags and that is of course also associated with blood and there's also the red-iron association symbolic of strength which is why blood is red in the first place.

Mind you when I think of iron and red i think of rust which has another meaning entirely.

I'm not convinced I just made any sense.

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T15:58:14Z

btw, Saint George just knows her as "Babs"...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T15:53:34Z

Saint Hanna and Saint Barbera are jokes... but Saint Barbara is not.

In naval usage the red paint was used to mask the color of blood during battles.

With the artillery, I'm not sure. In US usage, the branch colors weren't applied until the early 1800s.

Comment from Argent on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T15:34:36Z

Google tells me St Barbera is not a joke i'm not getting. I'm never quite sure with you lot. Is the red associated with blood?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T15:03:12Z

Josh - tradition at the Saint Barbara's Day Ball, when we celebrate the Feast Day of our Patron Saint.

The branch color is scarlet... hence, red socks. Red suspenders, too.

Non-standard uniform items, just like the Order of Saint Barbara medal those of us who have them wear on that day, as well.

Comment from Josh on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T14:44:25Z

So why DO you guys wear red socks?

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T13:58:25Z

'tis a cute little gun ya got there. i never realized it took that many people to get just a single round downrange every couple of minutes.

Comment from Josh on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T13:49:42Z

Like I said,tankers-use AP, #12 Naval gunners, we don't need no stinking fox-holes!

Naval gunners? Are there any of those left? Those 5-inch pea-shooters don't count...

Ah well, one day they'll realize that the Navy could be twice as useful if they focused on railgun technology...but no, right now they're too busy trying to building some kinda coastal Navy with Littoral Combat Canoes and those silly toy submarines...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T13:23:45Z

#4, heh. If she can hump the 'jos and feed the beast, what's it matter?

As for what Ry's alluding to - precision artillery fire has always had it's place.

But in other conditions, other situations, quantity has a quality all it's own.

And that doesnt' have to mean Passchendaele and the Somme, either.

Comment from jsallison on 2009-01-27

2009-01-27T13:18:40Z

We of the cavalry will allow you your illusions...

Comment from ry on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T05:05:50Z

Oh, come on. I know I'm about as funny as Fozzie Bear(waacka, waacka, waacka!) usually, but this isn't that bad. Not really. OR are you talking about John's dislike of the tend to push toward the predominance of precision rounds in the arty inventory that I referenced?

If it's the former, well, you really shouldn't need Miracle to take you to the answer.

Comment from Argent on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T04:01:56Z

Ry, there's a point when subtle slips into obscure you know.

Comment from ry on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T03:22:01Z

No! Don't get His Grumpiness all charged up over the Excalibur rounds! You'll regret it!(And I agree somewhat. Life isn't all precision targets after all.)

Comment from Rod Thorsen on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T03:16:49Z

Pretty pictures.

Heard this from someone, or I'd give credit:

What's the 4th ID patch symbolize?
4 LT's all pointing north.

Comment from Cannoneer No. 4 on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T03:04:50Z

That gun bunny at your first link needs a haircut.

Used to take three rounds to find the range followed by Fire For Effect with dumb projos just to destroy what can now be destroyed with one Excalibur.

It used to be the work of giants, to serve well the guns.

Now little girls do it.

Comment from ry on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T02:58:34Z

Heh.
Why would I wanna do that, JTG?

Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T02:04:54Z

Thanks, ry, glad to see someone here weirder than I am, to attract the darts and arrows and slingstones. If you could explain what you meant by that, well, that would be even better.

Comment from ry on 2009-01-26

2009-01-27T01:55:18Z

(Thread-jacking in progress, play along and nobody gets hurt(most likely me))
"It's good to be the King."

Pawn takes Queen. Knight takes Queen. Rook takes Queen. (Can't say the rest, this is a family friendly blog after all.)

Any last requests? Novacain.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T23:48:36Z

Maybe it's that tankers are willing to fight and die in a small cramped enclosed uncomfortable space, always worried about what the infantry (ours and theirs) are up to, conscious that their vaunted mobility is really quite dependent on other folks, and, last, having a very limited view of what's going on around them. All that's just got to warp one's mind.

Comment from Old Fat Sailor on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T23:30:14Z

Like I said,tankers-use AP, #12 Naval gunners, we don't need no stinking fox-holes!

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T21:57:26Z

Harrumph...Air Force may not be King of the battlefield but we sleep on clean sheets every night, have better food, get to take a shower whenever, and can watch the TV and...yes we get to blow things up also without having to worry about counter-battery or some such whatever that is. The only counter we're interested in is the bar at the O club.

Don't forget to dig your foxholes before you start making all that noise shooting.

Comment from J.M. Heinrichs on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T21:52:28Z

www.strathconas.ca/images/csqn/9oct07/032.jpg

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T21:46:31Z

Not.one.comment.from.a.tanker.

I'm losing my mojo.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T18:54:38Z

No kiddin on #11. A guy I used to know told about a bad experience with a lieutenant who couldn't read a map, and led him and the rest of the guys into an area where actual artillery shells were landing. The guy is dead now, so I think it's safe to say that some of the platoon later met the lieutenant in disguise, in town, but did not actually (quite) kill him. My informant thought it prudent to volunteer for Viet-Nam immediately.

Comment from 11B40 on 2009-01-26

2009-01-26T18:00:08Z

Greetings:

11. It helps the infantry keep up with their map reading.