Comments for Some more good stuff from the Combat Camera guys.

Some more good stuff from the Combat Camera guys.

2009-03-04T12:43:26Z

First up, SSG Mancini and the eminently photogenic 1LT Tomberlin and his interpreter.

02/28/2009 - U.S. Army 1st Lt. Jared Tomberlin (left) and an interpreter provide security on top of a mountain ridge during a reconnaissance mission near Forward Operating Base Lane in the Zabul province of Afghanistan on Feb. 28, 2009. Tomberlin is assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini, U.S. Army. (Released)

Next, "Bang! Bang! I got you!" I remember some days early in my career where training similar to this (we did at least have weapons, if no blanks) was something of a norm. It takes some real small unit leadership (of course, in this case, a pending deadly work environment after training is concluded helps) to keep people focused on the task.

02/25/2009 - Iraqi soldiers with the 26th Brigade practice room-clearing techniques at Zubayr Road in Basra, Iraq, Feb. 25, 2009, during training with U.S. Marines from the 26th Brigade Military Transition Team. (DoD photo by Spc. Karah Cohen, U.S. Army/Released)

And how many among us have been this troop, on foot on the dusty road, either patrolling like this troop, or ground-guiding?

02/27/2009 - U.S. Army Spc. Lonnie Kirk, from 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, attached to 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, patrols between Iraqi army checkpoints in the village of Tawilla in the Diyala province of Iraq Feb. 27, 2009. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Walter J. Pels, U.S. Navy/Released)

I really like mountainous desert. It's like the bones of the earth are exposed, and you can read the history of the planet as you move through the area.

03/02/2009 - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Demetreus Perez, left, and Spc. Jackie Greenlee, a medic, look out over mountains following a mission near Forward Operating Base Lane in the Zabul province of Afghanistan March 2, 2009. Both Soldiers are from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Adam Mancini, U.S. Army/Released)

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T13:32:13Z

You mean you can't just land in a restaurant parking lot and walk inside?

Well sure, if they've got a decent-sized parking lot it's pretty easy, but what about fuel? Good luck finding anything that will substitute for avgas outside of a racetrack. If you've got a turbine you could probably get away with road diesel...hell, a turbine should burn pretty much any liquid hydrocarbon in a pinch, but I wouldn't wanna try it.

Comment from BillT on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T13:11:44Z

Serious deficiency of FBOs, though.

You mean you can't just land in a restaurant parking lot and walk inside?

*don't try that trick at home, kids -- especially if you haven't taped over your buzz-number*

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T12:58:01Z

Mountains suck. So do deserts. And jungles. And rolling hills with their damn verdant plains. Same for forests. All just different ways to get worn out, foot sore, beat up, dragged out, exhausted, tired, thirsty, and either too wet, too dry, too hot or too cold.

I saw t(r)ucks once. We were marching past a motor pool, on an Army base.

And what did we learn from this kids? Don't be a light infantryman.

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T12:41:07Z

Mountains suck. So do deserts. And jungles. And rolling hills with their damn verdant plains. Same for forests.

They're really pretty when you're flying over them in your air-conditioned cockpit at 400 KIAS. Especially those rolling hills with their verdant plains. Serious deficiency of FBOs, though.

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T08:06:37Z

Someone's hoarding nnns too?

Oh noos. Must be a conspiracy. What starts with r and ends with n that conspirators would be interested in conspiring about?

Maybe they're hoarding while preparing to go hording?

Comment from HomefrontSix on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T07:55:12Z

Someone's hoarding rrrs.

'Tis not DLSly. She only hoarrrrrdes nnns.

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T07:28:40Z

Of course, tucks above is supposed to be trucks. Someone's hoarding rrrs.

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-03-05

2009-03-05T07:17:51Z

Mountains suck. So do deserts. And jungles. And rolling hills with their damn verdant plains. Same for forests. All just different ways to get worn out, foot sore, beat up, dragged out, exhausted, tired, thirsty, and either too wet, too dry, too hot or too cold.

I saw tucks once. We were marching past a motor pool, on an Army base.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-05T00:00:14Z

Sheesh, tankers - the original form over function guys...

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T22:43:39Z

yeah, i know, but i needed a comment to keep the "that's no" format rolling...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T22:16:13Z

Reference #3, they never said it was a Stryker.

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T21:57:18Z

pic 1: that's no "interpreter", that's just what they call him
pic 2: that's no weapon drill, that's just a "walk-through"
pic 3: that's no Stryker, that's just a SPC about to be griping about having to hoof it.
pic 4: "look out over mountains"??? what the hell else are they gonna see in any given direction??

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T20:39:49Z

You're easily confused, you know that?

Yeah, I just don't "get" some of these things, apparently.

*scribbles notes* Disciplined...Professional...Unit...

And for Zoomie-larva, you have lots of ground warfare opinions, too.

I have lots of opinions on EVERYTHING.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T20:32:05Z

Because, back in the days of a Peacetime Army, making sure eveybody wore their helmet (chinstraps fastened, of course) was a sign of a Disciplined Professional Unit.

I know. General officers told me so.

You're easily confused, you know that? And for Zoomie-larva, you have lots of ground warfare opinions, too.

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T20:15:38Z

I'm confused, if you're on a rifle range instead of in the field, why do you need a helmet? I go to the range without even a hat.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T19:55:43Z

Oh, and I only had my Nat Def ribbon on upside down for two days, c'mon, gimme a break... and hell, the 45th Division Museum in Oklahoma City (worth the visit, btw) had two vehicles in it's outdoor display that had been in my unit when I was a boot loot, and I was a baby Major at that point.

So, color me unimpressed on *that* issue.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T19:50:33Z

Hey, Fishmugger, I see pics of people on rifle ranges, putting rounds downrange, with soft caps on.

That would have gotten you relieved in my Army. Things have changed. I won't say for good or worse, just, things have changed.

Bill - I remember you bitching about how stretchy the bow strings were when you first got issued bows, too...

Comment from Fishmugger on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T19:39:21Z

These are great Pix. But whoever the Ell-Tee is scoping better be out of reach of his M4, cause the interpreter with the NY Giant away hat and the white scarf is a great target.

And the squad of gang bangers, nobody has a pot on their head, including the two guys with painters hats in front. They train without helmets? Or they don't have helmets? Or maybe they're just going in to fix up the place.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T19:02:28Z

But Bill, your close relationship to God and his recipe for mud are well known around these parts.

Comment from BillT on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T18:53:08Z

Chuck -- the Ell-Tee is just scoping things out through his -- ummmmm -- scope.

John (the Armorer) -- there's a *reason* we called the original M-16 "Jammin' Jimmy"...

Sis -- I will point out that, while John was still trying to figure out which way the colors on the National Defense Ribbon were s'posed to run, three helicopters I was qualified in had already been removed from the inventory after being declared obsolete...

Comment from Neffi on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T18:47:13Z

Chuck, that leaves the NCOs and men to take care of things, whilst the ElTee is probably looking the wrong way... some things never change, yanno?
; ^ )

Comment from Chuck Simmins on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T18:35:25Z

How come the 1st Lt. is the shooter? Isn't that odd?

Comment from AFSister on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T17:47:19Z

Never let it be said that I've accused JoA of being an Auld Phart.... But I will point out that during the Carter administration, I was a mere child. ;-) Fortunately for me, my memories of Carter were clouded by the fact he was from Georgia, which is where my Dad's family is from. I even have pictures of me visiting Plains. Even more fortunate for me is the fact that my Dad's family is no longer proud of the man and have joined my non-moonbattery Conservative cause.

Actually, I was referring to some other current and former military friends of mine who told me about their own "bang bang" stories under Clinton. One is in Iraq now, after leaving the Marines and re-joining the Army, and the others are former Marines.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T16:43:26Z

While admittedly, I've not had to use an M16/M4 in prolonged combat, I have shot 'em a lot, and dropped a few coyotes with an M4 clone.

And I don't have that objection.

Nor do about 80% of the users, last I saw the numbers.

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T16:21:02Z

Clinton-era, Bush-era, Obama-era...either way, I wouldn't trust 5.56x45 run through 14 1/2 inch barrels to win any real war...

Especially not if you have to trust an AR to actually get the thing out of the barrel.

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T16:07:53Z

That's _it_! Echo...echo....echo......

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T15:52:50Z

Um, AFSis, *early* in my career was rather before Clinton.

That would have been the Carter and very early Reagan years, when the budget upticks started by Carter and accelerated by Reagan finally started bearing fruit.

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T15:49:32Z

ooopppppssssss.........

Comment from AFSister on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T15:49:29Z

I don't get it, LaMigra.. whatcha tryin' to say? LOL
durn that Castle Echo!

Too bad we can't win real wars with "BANG BANG YOU'RE DEAD!" Clinton-era ammo.

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T15:46:16Z

Those are stealth weapons.

Comment from LaMigra on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T15:45:01Z

@Josh

Those are stealth weapons.

Comment from Josh on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T14:25:35Z

Haha that's sad, nobody should have to practice infantry maneuvers without even having SOMETHING to hold. Last time we did that kinda thing, at least they pulled sticks off some trees for us to hold.

Comment from AFSister on 2009-03-04

2009-03-04T14:08:25Z

Mancini has such an incredible eye for photography.