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/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:16:00 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:45:30 -0600
"Marine Staff Sgt. William McGowan, right, and Marine Cpl. Thomas Down, both assigned to Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 262, look down through the "hell hole" in the belly of a CH-53E Sea Stallion helicopter while transporting an M777 155-mm Howitzer during an artillery airlift exercise. The 31st MEU and HMM-262 are embarked aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex. Essex is participating in exercise Talisman Saber 2009, a biennial, joint, combined exercise sponsored by U.S. Pacific Command and the Australian defense force. Photo by Seaman Gabriel Weber"

But one rectangular hole in the floor of a helo looks like pretty much any other rectangular hole in the bottom of a helo...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91463 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91463 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:13:37 -0600 My sense of scale is shot on that photo.

Why? It's dangling under a Chit-Hook, which is obvious from the shape of the crewchief's hatch -- and which also clues you to the close scale -- plus the apparent size of the cargo straps means it's about 23.75 feet below the aircraft, so that should help with the linear aspect. The apparent foreshortening of the wheels helps a lot, but the shadows are a dead giveaway that the pic was snapped at 1038, plus-or-minus five minutes.

See? Easy.

Ummmmm -- what?
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91462 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91462 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 07:05:12 -0600
I use Firefox 3.0.12 under WinXP SP2. Alas, no mouse-over ALT tags appear here, either.

]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91460 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91460 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:07:47 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91431 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91431 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:53:17 -0600 From that angle, the forward-placed wheels, with the spades right at the end of the gun are good id points. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91430 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91430 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:50:15 -0600
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91428 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91428 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 12:24:58 -0600 That's an M777 Casey. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91399 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91399 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:22:34 -0600

]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91397 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91397 Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:02:03 -0600
Marines never steal anything. BUT!! Anything left unattended and/or unguarded is obviously unwanted and therefore up for grabs.
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91395 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91395 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:29:48 -0600 ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91391 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91391 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:31:06 -0600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91384 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91384 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:27:58 -0600   That 7" gun is wicked kewl..... Great story too!
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91368 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91368 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 11:30:22 -0600
http://www.patriotfiles.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109952
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91350 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91350 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:52:55 -0600
Heh -- same guy who dropped two of our shot-up Charlie models. For a while, we joked that the Inkeepers' motto was, "There is no load so big, heavy, or expensive that we can't punch it off."

After they dropped the howitzer, it sorta ceased to be a joke...
]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91345 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2009/07/some_gunner_zen_3.html#comment-91345 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:20:08 -0600