Memorial Day – Just One More Day For Obama To Talk About Himself

7 Responses to Memorial Day – Just One More Day For Obama To Talk About Himself

1. omanuel says:

   May 25, 2015 at 1:52 pm

   Memorial Day 2015 is a good time to recommit to Patrick Henry’s famous speech “Give me liberty or give me death ! “

   http://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2015/05/25/memorial-day-2015-leader-of-u-s-military-veterans-coalition-renews-patrick-henrys-call-to-liberty/

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2. Steve Case says:

   May 25, 2015 at 1:52 pm

   He can’t help himself.

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3. rah says:

   May 25, 2015 at 3:55 pm

   Since I don’t want to talk about the Toad today I will go OT again.
   On this Memorial Day I would like to point to a little piece of American history that demonstrates just how little certain important aspects of warfare have changed over the years.

   Despite the deadly modern weapons we have now days there will always be a need for Infantry to root the enemy out and destroy him in direct and very personal combat. And despite the high tech imagery and advanced signal intelligence we enjoy today there will always be the need for highly trained and motivated soldiers to penetrate behind enemy lines and do reconnaissance, take prisoners for human intelligence. They also conduct “Direct Action” missions such as raids and ambushes to sow confusion and fear in the enemies rear areas or to take out specific high value targets important to developing the current tactical/strategic situation.

   According to US Army doctrine during the cold war each Infantry Division had a reconnaissance element for such operations up to 8-10 miles behind the FEBA (Forward Edge of the Battle Area). US Army Rangers would handle such missions out to 25 miles behind the FEBA. Missions further behind the lines were normally strategic in nature and were termed “Special Reconnaissance”. These deep penetration missions were and are handled by US Army Special Forces or Navy SEALS. I served on three different SF teams in 10th SFG(A) and every one of them had a primary Special Reconnaissance mission with a follow up Direct Action mission. How deep? In the event of the start of WW III appeared imminent the first team I served on was to be inserted nearly 400 mi behind the Iron Curtain right at the Russian-Polish border. I knew of one team in my Company who’s mission was even further in than that.

   None of this is new in warfare except of course the ability to insert such teams by air/airborne operations.

   During the French & Indian war (Actually a colonial theater of the larger Seven Years war between the British and French) the British formed a Corps of Rangers from the Colonials. They highly prized them for their reconnaissance and ability to penetrate deep behind Enemy lines. The prototype for this unit was actually a Company known as Gorham’s Rangers but the larger unit was named Rogers Rangers after the Corp commander Major Robert Rogers. Rogers wrote a set of standing orders for his Rangers which still applies today and the first 19 of those orders are found inside to cover of the modern Ranger Handbook http://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ranger.pdf.

   The Ranger Handbook is a must have reference for any American Infantry soldier that is involved in dismounted patrolling. I highly recommend it to any of you outdoors men because there is much in it that has to do with survival and practical light weight camping techniques.

   Most of Rodgers Standing orders titled “Rogers 28 Rules for Ranging” still apply today and that is why they are in the modern Ranger Handbook:

   STANDING ORDERS, ROGERS’ RANGERS
   1. Don’t forget nothing.
   2. Have your musket clean as a whistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds powder and ball, and be ready to march at a minute’s warning.
   3. When you’re on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up on a deer. See the enemy first.
   4. Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us for correct information. You can lie all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don’t never lie to a Ranger or officer.
   5. Don’t never take a chance you don’t have to.
   6. When we’re on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one shot can’t go through two men.
   7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it’s hard to track us.
   8. When we march, we keep moving till dark, so as to give the enemy the least possible chance at us.
   9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
   10. If we take prisoners, we keep’ em separate till we have had time to examine them, so they can’t cook up a story between’ em.
   11. Don’t ever march home the same way. Take a different route so you won’t be ambushed.
   12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to keep a scout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank, and 20 yards in the rear so the main body can’t be surprised and wiped out.
   13. Every night you’ll be told where to meet if surrounded by a superior force.
   14. Don’t sit down to eat without posting sentries.
   15. Don’t sleep beyond dawn. Dawn’s when the French and Indians attack.
   16. Don’t cross a river by a regular ford.
   17. If somebody’s trailing you, make a circle, come back onto your own tracks, and ambush the
   folks that aim to ambush you.
   18. Don’t stand up when the enemy’s coming against you. Kneel down, lie down, hide behind a tree.
   19. Let the enemy come till he’s almost close enough to touch, then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.

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4. Robertv says:

   May 25, 2015 at 8:29 pm

   Remember that the US has weapons of mass destruction.

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   • rah says:

     May 25, 2015 at 8:45 pm

     Yes it does. How many have we used since Aug. 9th, 1945? And in that time how many wars and police actions, etc have we been involved in?

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   • Colorado Wellington says:

     May 25, 2015 at 10:11 pm

     Remember that the US has weapons of mass destruction.

     True, but reminding an ex-SF soldier of the fact is like advising Catalans that Messi plays for Barça.

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     • rah says:

       May 27, 2015 at 2:36 am

       I wonder if Robert knows what a SADM device is with out looking it up and knows how to deploy one.

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