So arty almost took us out this week...

[kenrobg30]

Lol...I remember a time watching mortars fire. It was at SOI. The instructors were up on the firing line. All of a sudden we heard a "wet thump" on one of the guns. The Gunny in charge yelled "Short Round" and was gone! Had there been a blind child, crippled woman and an old man in front of him, he would have knocked them all out of the way! Lol.

Not his most shining moment.

Don't laugh at the Gunny Brian, learn from him. When he yelled, 'Short Round!' and ran, he expected every man in sight to do the same. You either run, or hit the deck, and pray. There isn't a hell of a lot more you can do, and if he knocked the old folks down, It would have been to save their lives. The war you people are fighting is far different from the Those earlier wars. You have it tougher, in my opinion, than we did. We knew who our enemy was. Your enemy, might be standing right beside you. I admire the way you people for the way you handle that situation. It has to be damned tough, to look at some of those guys, and know, that tonight that bastard is going to be out there somewhere, burying an IED. Orders say you can't, but you want to. That's why us old Marines, are satisfied, that we've passed the baton, to worthy replacements S/F!!!! Ken

[ggyoung]

Don't laugh at the Gunny Brian, learn from him. When he yelled, 'Short Round!' and ran, he expected every man in sight to do the same. You either run, or hit the deck, and pray. There isn't a hell of a lot more you can do, and if he knocked the old folks down, It would have been to save their lives. The war you people are fighting is far different from the Those earlier wars. You have it tougher, in my opinion, than we did. We knew who our enemy was. Your enemy, might be standing right beside you. I admire the way you people for the way you handle that situation. It has to be damned tough, to look at some of those guys, and know, that tonight that bastard is going to be out there somewhere, burying an IED. Orders say you can't, but you want to. That's why us old Marines, are satisfied, that we've passed the baton, to worthy replacements S/F!!!! Ken

kenrobg30 Well said

[brian0351]

Don't laugh at the Gunny Brian, learn from him. When he yelled, 'Short Round!' and ran, he expected every man in sight to do the same. You either run, or hit the deck, and pray. There isn't a hell of a lot more you can do, and if he knocked the old folks down, It would have been to save their lives. The war you people are fighting is far different from the Those earlier wars. You have it tougher, in my opinion, than we did. We knew who our enemy was. Your enemy, might be standing right beside you. I admire the way you people for the way you handle that situation. It has to be damned tough, to look at some of those guys, and know, that tonight that bastard is going to be out there somewhere, burying an IED. Orders say you can't, but you want to. That's why us old Marines, are satisfied, that we've passed the baton, to worthy replacements S/F!!!! Ken

I appreciate your comment. The "new" way of fighting war is a study in frustration. Even when you identify your enemy you have to go through 5 levels of authorization in order to do anything about it!

And forget being a contractor out here...there are more rules than I care to comment on. Basically, the US military says I am allowed to carry a weapon to protect myself, but since the Iraqis haven't gotten the paperwork noting that we carry weapons, if I were to use my weapon and kill an Iraqi, I would be arrested by the Iraqi police!

[kenrobg30]

Well, one positive aspect of that mess, now you know what incoming sounds like.

My father told me that while doing pre-Saipan workups during WWII, the infantry units were taken out to the artillery ranges and allowed to listed to different types of arty go over head. They even fired of some captured Japanese stuff.

But my father's unit, being Scout-Snipers, had a busy schedule and couldn't fit that little trip in. So he landed on Saipan between the 1st and 2d waves in the 6th Marines CO's boat, kind of ignorant of some things. The Japanese waited until the 2d wave landed before they started pasting the beaches.

Dad said he was laying the sand when he heard all of these weird noises overhead and wondered what they were, until the world exploded all around. He said the conversation in his mind kind of went, "What are all of those wei...........never mind." He was expecting the movie versions of shell fire.

The only shell fire he knew was the battleship fire, because he learned what that was on the boat ride in. The freight train sound followed by a funny ringing noise. The ringing noise was the compression ring following the shell after it came off shortly upon leaving the muzzle.

He also said it didn't take long to learn the sound of everything that went overhead as well as what they sounded like when exploding.

I remember this story, although when I went to Vietnam I was about as ignorant about these sounds as my father. In his defense, he didn't know what Soviet 107 and 122 mm rockets sounded like. I took the time to teach #1 daughter, however, and she has since reported they sounded exactly as I described them.

Did you ever hear an incoming round from a .75mm Recoilless Rifle? Commonly known as a"Reckless Rifle? Try pursing your lips, and say PST_BANG, as fast as you can. You can't say it fast enough. If you hear that sound, it's way to late to duck, and there is no sense in ducking anyway, you're safe. If you didn't hear it, you're either on your way to the hospital, or the morgue. The people our Marines are fighting, have weapons that shoot that fast.Some times, my memory is to good. S/F!!! Ken

[jerryk]

well at a place at gio-linh in april of 67 in vietnam i was in a 105 howitzer battary we like to hear the out going but we had over 1,000 rounds one night from nva battarys from across the dmz ,it was not nice to hear that many comeing ini was scared that night

[Lupo22]

Don't laugh at the Gunny Brian, learn from him. When he yelled, 'Short Round!' and ran, he expected every man in sight to do the same. You either run, or hit the deck, and pray. There isn't a hell of a lot more you can do, and if he knocked the old folks down, It would have been to save their lives. The war you people are fighting is far different from the Those earlier wars. You have it tougher, in my opinion, than we did. We knew who our enemy was. Your enemy, might be standing right beside you. I admire the way you people for the way you handle that situation. It has to be damned tough, to look at some of those guys, and know, that tonight that bastard is going to be out there somewhere, burying an IED. Orders say you can't, but you want to. That's why us old Marines, are satisfied, that we've passed the baton, to worthy replacements S/F!!!! Ken

Oorah Cpl!

[kenrobg30]

well at a place at gio-linh in april of 67 in vietnam i was in a 105 howitzer battary we like to hear the out going but we had over 1,000 rounds one night from nva battarys from across the dmz ,it was not nice to hear that many comeing ini was scared that night

Show me the guy who wasn't scared, so I can get the jell away from him! People who aren't scared, get themselves killed, and usually someone along side of them, who is smart enough to be scared, and to duck! S/F!!! Ken

[bpeterson]

I always enjoyed being in the safe area and hearing our arty going off but I never wanted to be on the incoming side of things.

[Lupo22]

I always enjoyed being in the safe area and hearing our arty going off but I never wanted to be on the incoming side of things.

Who does though??

[echo3oscar1833]

It happens dude, when I was out at the Stumps we got a little to close for comfort at times. One night we where out on the edge of a range with our AAV's, two Cobra Gunships came up over the horizion and ripped of some rounds right above us.

[Troutzilla]

December 5th 1969. Thua Thien Province Hai Van Pass area. 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, Hotel 2/26 was saddling up to move out on sweep of an area known as "The Hook" on the peninsula south of Hill 88 and East of FSB Los Banos. We were waiting on prep fire before moving into the area. It seems that someone at B Btry 1st Bn 13th Marines back on Los Banos wrote down our night POS coordinates and morning prep fire request basackwards...1 WP and 2 HE 105 rounds LANDED ON OUR POSITION !! 2 Marine Kia's .....2 Marine Wia's. It was just GOD AWFUL....jesus that still hurts ...I hate the 4th of July and Christmas.....that's all I have to say about that.

Semper Fi

[HurricaneRJ]

"Friendly Fire isn't Friendly"
-Murphy's Rule to Combat.

We had a short WP 155mm land 200m in front of our SBF at Mojave Viper. I've never seen a field grade officer run away from Phosphorus so fast.

[kenrobg30]

I've got one, that will tighten your sphincter. 2/5, was in reserve, and we were living it up. Hot chow,showers, nice fresh utilities. I even got a new pair of Boondockers. I was walking back to from chow, headed for the CP area, which was set up behind a row of trees, not paying much attention to anything but my full belly. That row of trees, kinda blocked my view, so I couldn't see very far ahead. All of a sudden, This loud roar, hit me,and I made a dive for the deck, figuring this is my last day. Then, with the roar, three F-80 Sabre Jets, Flashed by, and I'll swear, they weren't more than 20ft above those trees. Scared the hell out of me, and as I raised my head to look, I saw the Col. The Exec. and a whole bunch of Marines, getting up and dusting themselves off. Those were AirForce Jets, and the flight Leader was a Major, who had been with us for a month, as FO officer.He was a nice guy, aqnd everybody liked him, because he liked to clown around. He called the Col,. on the landline, and told him that he led that flight, and just thought he'd say hello, on his way baqck from his mission. The Co0l. told him , the next time he got near us, on the ground, he'd better have a case of Canadian Club in his hands, for the Officers, and a truck load of Uncle Joe Schlitz, for the troops. That after-burner run, scared the crap out of the whole Battalion! S/F!!!! Ken

[HOWARDROARK3043]

splash out

[AlohaMarine]

Arty ****es me off. I'm always trying to sleep in my heated little tent to keep from freezing to death, and as soon as I get nice and comfy a firing battery moves in about 1 click away, firing directly overhead to the impact area.

I hate gun bunnies.