Comments for There's just so much goodness in this picture...

There's just so much goodness in this picture...

2010-01-07T13:45:29Z

Depending on your proclivities... there's a nice picture of the Italian Centauro, there's a nice closeup of an Italian soldier... and then there's that *other* Italian soldier.

Comment from Cpl Mongo on 2010-01-08

2010-01-08T16:28:05Z

An old joke: "Why do the ships in the new Italian Navy have glass bottoms? So they can see the ships of the old Italian Navy."
soz
They invited me to join a LAV unit back in the '80s when they were new. I said no way. I was the ID guru of my unit and did not like the fact that LAVs looked a lot like a solviet BTR. I made the right choice I think. Two of my friends were killed in an LAV by an Air National Guardsman in the first days of Desert Storm. He thought it looked like a BTR to.
I miss them.
I wish the Italians well over there. I see their version of the sand crawler has a bigger boom stick than we had. May they put them to good use.

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2010-01-07

2010-01-08T01:38:18Z

nice rack.... on the track in the back.

most folks these days just don't appreciate the beauty of a nice bustle rack.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2010-01-07

2010-01-08T01:06:38Z

Her other tape is the unit...

Comment from Heartless Libertarian on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T23:22:12Z

Standards for headgear amongst NATO nations is not always the same as for US units...plus, they're at a FOB somewhere in Herat or Farah, by my guess.

It took me a good while to figure out that the Italians do their nametapes opposite from the way the US military does. Esercito means 'Army', not Smith.

Comment from Rivrdog on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T22:06:05Z

Are there helos in that MoPoo area? If not, why isn't Tenente Esercito's head covered?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T20:30:12Z

Two stars is a Tenente (Lieutenant) in Italian Army rank insignia. Add a stylized castle-looking thingy, and two stars becomes a Tenente Colonnello. Remove the castle, replace with braid, you become a Generale di Divisione. More here.

Comment from Heltau on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T20:14:33Z

That woman in the for ground has two stars on her front. Is this an Italian general? Why nothing on the shoulders or the collar points? What is that other person in the background doing? Maybe this is the way of getting the Centauro started? I wonder how many gears that vehicle uses for reverse?

Comment from JohnW on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T17:48:23Z

Luigi's goosestep parade soon ran into an obstacle.

Comment from Tim on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T16:17:44Z

No one told Luigi that "kicking the tires" is just an expression.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T15:25:21Z

In that case, I am *entirely* with him!

Comment from Neffi on 2010-01-07

2010-01-07T14:25:22Z

...perhaps he can't get that aluminum wheel off the steel rim..?